#HSFT18: Stop No. 16 – Booneville Blue Devils

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — Booneville looks to have a healthy season in 2018.

Injuries played a major roll last season for the Booneville Blue Devils.

“Last year we had eighteen kids miss at least one game with an injury,” said head coach Mike Mattox. “And had six major surgeries, and about middle of the year we wound up having to start four or five true freshmen on offense and defense. To our kids credit they battled and bought in to what we were doing. We were still able to make the playoffs. We finished 5-5.”

The team returns those key players this fall and the team says they are glad to have them back for this season.

“I feel like it’s obtainable,” said senior lineman Reed Davis. “Everyone coming back, and everyone understanding their role in what they have to do. It’s a good possibility.

“I feel like we are going to be twenty times better with all the people coming back this year,” said senior running back Austin Williams.

“I think we will do very well with the class that we have coming in,” said senior quarterback Dallas Gamble. “The eighth grade bunch is going to be freshmen this year. They are going to really help us out on the field.”

Booneville placed fourth in the Region 1-3a division last season. The team feels they have a good chance to be the front runners, and win it this year for the first time since 2012.

“I definitely think we are the front runners in the division,” Davis said. “I think we can achieve the first spot in the division.”

“We are going to do very well in this division,” Gamble said. “We’ve got to knock out a couple of opponents that gave us trouble last year, but I don’t think that will be a problem this year though.”

The Blue Devils have made the playoffs fifteen straight seasons, and now coach Mattox hopes with the pieces that he has back from injuries can lead them back to the post season once again.

“That’s our goal every year,” Coach Mattox said. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, and anything can happen when you make the playoffs. That’s what we really stress to our kids, but like I said maybe we’ll have a little better luck than we had last year.”

Booneville opens the season on the road August 17th at Mooreville.