#HSFT18: Stop No. 7 — Hamilton Lions

*District games

HAMILTON, Miss. (WCBI) — Hamilton looks to end a four year playoff drought.

The Lions finished 5-6 in 2017, and have to replace 14 seniors.

Hamilton brings back experience on both sides of the ball and look to build off last season’s thrilling victory.

“We have a good group of seniors that’s been here,” said head coach Josh Baty. “They work hard, and I am just excited for them to get on the field and to see what we can do.”

Expectations are higher this season for the Hamilton Lions that returns eleven seniors.

Five offensive and defensive starters return in 2018 for the Lions, and they look to a new challenge that lies ahead.

“I am looking to see a little bit of team effort,” said senior receiver Nathan Fast. “To see the team more come together because that’s been the issue in the past where everyone thinks they can do their own thing, and it puts the whole team in jeopardy when it comes to game time.”

“I think this team can be pretty good,” adds senior lineman Laderrick Despenza. “Last season we went 5-6, and we got a lot of small players that I believe are going to be pretty good. We got to work in the weight room and we got to do better on the field.”

“I think we are going to have a better season this year because we got a lot of good people coming up this season,” adds another teammate Kaminski Bankhead. “And just like we’ve been working hard in the weight room and all that stuff.”

Last season the Lions finished with a win over Vardaman in the season finale, but missed the playoffs by a two point differential.

That’s been on their minds all off season.

The next step for the team is getting over the hump.

“If we keep that progress going, then it’s no telling what we can do,” said senior lineman Grant Thompson. “We haven’t made playoffs in a while, but we are hungry to get there. We want to be in the playoffs. We want to contend.”

“It definitely helped being on our minds,” Despenza said. “We were so close of being in the playoffs even though we did win our last game, but it felt like we lost at the same time because we really wanted to make it. This year hopefully we can get to the playoffs, and we can be good.”

It might be a high note, but they’re still hungry because they wanted to go to the playoffs, and which is a good thing,” Baty said. “They still remember it. They remembered how it felt to have a big win, but they also remembered how it felt to lose out on the playoffs, so do we have a great chance, yeah we have a great chance. We do, but at the same time these younger kids are going to have step up, and that’s what we are looking for.”

Hamilton moved to 1a south division last season with the reclassification and coach Baty feels his team is no longer the door mat they use to be.

“Least we show people last year when no body gave us a chance,” Baty said. “Everybody had us finishing last in the division and we didn’t, so now at least people know that Hamilton can be relevant in the south. We are not just a push over. In the past we have been a push over. We are no longer a push over, and that’s awesome.”

Hamilton will open their season on the road on August 17th when they travel to Coldwater.