HSFT Stop #13: Mantachie

MANTACHIE, Miss. (WCBI)- While head coach Ken Adams was navigating his was through year one as Mantachie’s head coach in 2020, COVID-19 provided issues for his bunch.

“We lost our first two games. Practice got started late. We had one week of practice and then were shut down for two weeks,” Adams said.

The Mustangs finished the 2020 season 4-6. This year they’ve had a full, uninterrupted spring and summer to prepare for the fall. Adams only lost five seniors, the majority of his offensive line is returning and he has a very experienced roster that is heavy with juniors.

“No excuses whatsoever. It was what it was and now it is what it is. Now we get to move forward.” Adams said.

“We didn’t get a lot of time to go over stuff last year and this year we’ve got much more,” Fullback/linebacker Austin Nichols said. “It will help us out a lot.”

Adams refers to junior QB Jaycob Hawkes as a sponge. He will orchestrate their single wing offense (precursor to the modern spread). He’s taken his game to another level.

“I have been working on getting faster and really being able to run the ball,” Hawkes said. “Coach Adams likes to run the ball a lot and I wasn’t really able to do that last year.”

“The key for him is to understand that he’s not the whole offense, but the offense runs through him,” Adams said. “Whether it’s running the ball or the option or it’s throwing it he needs to deliver the ball to different playmakers.”

Next season, the Mustangs will be moving up from 2A to 3A. The move hasn’t impacted their preparation

“I think we will be fine,” WR Brayden Frazier said. “Yeah it’ll be new but we’re playing a lot of the same teams just not really in division.”

“We’ve played good teams. The 2A/3A is what it is. The thing we will do is be the best Mantachie team we can be,” Adams said.

Mantachie opens its season August 27th on the road at Tishomingo County.