HSFT Stop #7: Myrtle

Myrtle, Miss. (WCBI)- Myrtle went 1-9 last year. While there were plenty of one-possession losses, the players are determined to fix those mistakes.

“The mentality among teammates was our biggest issue,” senior offensive/defensive lineman Mitchell Rutherford said. “When things got tough we butted heads during the game so I feel like with this year’s group we can change a little bit of that.”

“We need to be able to catch and run the ball. We were a run-heavy offense and it worked, but against some teams, it didn’t work,” senior middle linebacker Conor Blevins said. “Especially bigger teams like Strayhorn and Belmont, it really didn’t work well against them.”

2023 was also head coach Luke Conlee’s first year leading the program. He was 25 years old at the time. Now he’s confident that his team is ready to turn the page.

“The work ethic has been great. We’re building much better team chemistry. It’s much closer this year than last year and that will help us get over the hump,” Conlee said. “We had a lot of growth last year and we will carry it over into next season.”

The growth of the defensive line group and skill position players has the coaching staff excited. The Hawks believe they’ll have more options in games this season.

“I don’t think there’s a game on our schedule we can’t win as long as we prepare the right way,” Conlee said.

Myrtle’s season gets started on August 30 against Strayhorn.