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Kendrick Market working hard to be a leader

Over the past couple of years, there is little question that Kendrick Market has been the heart and soul of the South Panola (Miss.) powerhouse gridiron program. With his college career right around the corner, the 2011 Mississippi State signee is keeping the same mindset that helped him become a solid leader and big playmaker at the prep level.
"I've just been working out a whole lot and doing a lot of running," said the 5-foot-10 and 185-pound Market. "I've been working hard and pushing myself every day to make sure I am ready for Mississippi State and ready when I get there. Working hard and being a good leader is all I've ever known and done and I can't change that."
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In the classroom, Market has also made strides and said he was very close to meeting those requirements. He is currently awaiting his previous ACT score and said he was just a point away from reaching his needed score to go along with his grade point average. While prepping for the next level, Market noted he is primarily focusing on his speed.
"I've mainly been working on my speed and also trying to get a little bit bigger," said Market. "I work out every day and me and (teammate and Louisiana-Lafayette signee) Qyen Griffin have been doing a lot of speed drills so we can be ready for college."
Last year, Market helped lead the Tigers to their second straight Class 6A title and once again he made plays all over the place. On offense, Market rushed for 731 yards and eight touchdowns and also threw for 182 yards and four touchdowns with his 'wildcat quarterback' duties.
Defensively, Market had 47 tackles and also found the end zone five times via interceptions and fumble returns.
Of course, Market will just have to focus on one side of the ball at Mississippi State and that will be in the Bulldogs' defensive backfield.
"I talk to Mississippi State a lot," said Market. "They talk to me about making sure I am getting ready to perform for them like I did in high school and they are excited for me to get there for summer school. We really haven't discussed a whole lot about my position and we just have to wait and see. But for the most part they expect me to play safety and I hope that's the case because I love that position."
And while Market expects a big transition from the prep level to the SEC, he will tackle each challenge the only way he knows how.
"I will get up there and never stop working," said Market. "Time has gone by fast and it is hard to believe sometimes that I will be up there in just a few weeks. All I can do that first year is come in and work hard and then just see what happens."
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