High School Football Tour: Booneville

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BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — Back at the top and gunning for more: that’s what Booneville is saying for 2013.

After the Blue Devils won their first division crown since 2009 last year, the next step is to take on new competition inside of division play as the top ‘devils’ welcome in some local rivals in North Pontotoc and Mooreville.

“Both teams are well-coached and have a lot of players coming back,” said head coach Mike Mattox. “It doesn’t get any easier with our competition in our division this year.”

It certainly won’t but the team returning will help measure up to the new teams joining the division as Booneville returns talent all across the board.

That talent includes three-way player Andrew Lambert and quarterback Jack Simpson.

Simpson, a junior, may be the most important piece returning for the Blue Devils next season.

“This is the first time since I’ve been the head coach here that we haven’t had to find a quarterback,” Mattox said. “We have our quarterback returning and we have a lot of our skill people back along with three of our five offensive linemen. That’s a good nucleus that we can work with.”

While the skill position players may get the notoriety, it’s the big uglies up front that coach Mattox believes will be the strength of the squad this season.

“We have a possibility of having five senior offensive linemen with a real good senior class,” said coach Mattox. “Right now, we’ll be young at our skill positions and until we get that solidified we’ll have to lean on our kids up front.”