HSFT Stop #17: Mantachie

MANTACHIE, Miss. (WCBI) — Last season was a learning experience for Mantachie. The Mustangs had only three seniors, so younger players had to step into big roles right away.

“We didn’t get to play much our first two years of high school and coming out last year was a jump but we learned a lot since then and are ready to move forward,” senior cornerback Chanton Spigner said.

For quarterback Caleb Jones, the difference between last year and this season is night and day. He’s ready to help lead the Mustangs in his senior season.

“I’ve really settled in and we are starting to click a lot better,” Jones said. “Last year was a big learning curve. Varsity is a lot faster and I’m the leader of ten guys out there so I just have to make sure everyone is where they need to be.”

The Mustangs have made the playoffs the last four seasons. The consistent success has built a passionate community that shows out for its team every Friday night

“It feels great seeing all the fans Friday night and everyone gets excited when we walk out,” senior Landon Holcomb said.

But the entire team knows winning isn’t just about themselves. They are continuing the rich history at Mantachie.

“For all the teams before us we want to carry on their legacy of making the playoffs and that gives us something to look forward to,” senior Colten Baxter said.

Each year the Mustangs make the playoffs they hang up a helmet in the fieldhouse to commemorate the years accomplishments, forever cementing the team in school history along with so many players that have come before them.

“There are kids on this team that can look on the wall and see years where their dad played here and their uncles played here and that’s special,” Head coach Ken Adams said.

The coaching staff hopes it runs into a good problem very soon.

“The goal is to run out of helmets we take the old helmets and cut them in half and make a plaque out of them so we would love to have a problem with trying to come up with some more helmets so we can finish out that wall,” assistant coach Scott Booth said.

Mantachie starts its journey to a fifth straight helmet on the wall at home against Holly Springs.