2014 High School Football Tour: New Hope

[jwplatform BHf6yDU1]

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — It’s a new coach at New Hope once again this season.

The Trojans are onto their 3rd head football coach in three years and it all changes this year with New Hope.

New head coach Kris Pickle stresses speed, speed, and MORE speed. No wasted motion and no time wasted is the mindset.

Thus far, coach likes what he sees in the team he has for this year.

“From day one I told my wife that I feel like I’m not doing my job,” coach Pickle said. “When I come in, one thing that you do as a coach is you have to fuss at a player or push another. But these guys are always doing it the right way and on their own and that’s the big thing with these guys.”

It was a tumultuous off-season for the Trojan football team. Dealing with the loss of yet another head coach helped bring the team together and that’s helping this season on the football field.

“I feel like we came closer together as a team,” senior Darron Temple said. “We are all buying in together now and we are just working hard trying to be the best.”

“Whenever you lose a coach it hits you and you come together as a team,” senior Jeremy Newton said. “We’ve taken that into this season and we’re just ready to play.”

With a new head coach, the question now is what are the expectations for the Trojans?

New Hope continues to fight and scrap to make it back to the playoffs as they’ve missed out on the postseason party the last three seasons.

But just making it to the playoffs won’t be enough in coach Pickle’s first season.

“The first day I met them, I said that we’re going to compete for a district championship,” Pickle said. “I truly believe that. If we’re competing with Oxford and West Point, that’s the best in the league in 5A North. If we’re there with those guys we are right there for a State Championship.”

“Everyone says they are going for a State Championship this year,” Newton said. “This year, I think we’ve put in enough work to make it there.”

“Our goal is to make it to the top and get to a State Championship,” Temple said. “A lot of people are doubting us and looking down on us but we’re going to prove them wrong. That’s all we can do.”

New Hope will begin the season on the road at Aberdeen on August 29th before hosting Columbus the following week.