NATCHEZ — Like father like son.

For almost as long as he’s been playing and coaching athletics competitively, it’s been a family affair.

Last season marked Craig Beesley’s first year as Cathedral’s head football coach, 18 years after he was a quarterback playing for his father.

Although he took over for his father, who was a long-time fixture in Green Wave athletics, Beesley said there’s not a lot of added pressure from the outside, and if anything, he puts the pressure on himself.

“It’s more pressure that I put on myself than others put on me,” Beesley said.”

Even though Ken has been a fixture in Green Wave Athletics for several decades, Craig said his dad tries to keep his distance and let him make the decisions. Ken shows up to every football game, but tries to stay away from the practice field.

“He doesn’t want to interfere, but he wants to be there if I need anything,” Craig said.

“I’m just like any other fan,” Ken said.

The chance to take over the football team once his father decided to retire was something Craig said he’d been looking forward to.

“He’d talked about it the year before he retired,” Craig said. “He had mentioned to me that he was thinking about retiring and asked if I was interested, and of course I was.”

Ken said he noticed Craig’s success on the baseball diamond, having taken over the program several years ago, and was confident he could do a good job on the gridiron as well.

“He worked under me for several years and I turned the baseball program over to him about six years ago and I saw how good he was with organizing skills and working with the kids and I knew he’d do good with the football team,” Ken said.

Part of what makes Cragi successful, Ken says, is his relationship with his players and his hard working nature.

Even though his family has been a fixture at Cathedral for awhile now, Craig said growing up he didn’t know if he’d follow in his father’s footsteps.

“You never think you’re going to come back home when you’re a high school senior, you always think you’re going to go off somewhere else,” Craig said.

After going to Delta State to play baseball, Craig found his way back to Natchez — and the Green Wave. One of the funniest things for Craig to deal with since coming back to Cathedral has been realizing who some of his players’ parents are.

“It’s a funny feeling to coach kids of people you went to school with,” Craig said.