#HSFT18: Stop No. 8 – Smithville Seminoles

SMITHVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — Smithville looks to bring home a division title in 2018.

“We’ve got a young group that is eager to learn and they’re working hard,” said head coach Michael Campbell. “We’ve kind of adapted or taking on this Smithville versus everyone motto or attitude. It’s just us against everyone that’s not with us.”

The Smithville Seminoles look to begin a new season with a different attitude.

The Noles finished 2nd in the 1a north division behind Okolona, and the team looks to build off the success they had from last year.

“Our goals for the season is just to improve as a team,” said junior quarterback Octavion Miller. “And hopefully be in the running for the division, and then make something happen in the playoffs.”

“We’ve got some pretty good younger kids coming up, said senior teammate Layne Williams. “We are going to have a lot of talent. Just not as much as experience as we’ve had the past few years, but we are going to have a good quarterback, and we’ve got a pretty good defensive line. Our defense has always been pretty good.”

“Main goal is to win the division,” Campbell said. “But again our motto on our shirt we want to win week to week, and so every week is a new challenge for us.”

The Noles lost 13 seniors from last season, including star athlete Dustin Moffett.

The team now comes in with a different mindset heading into the fall.

“It’s everyone against us,” Miller said. “Everyone is doubting us no matter what. No matter where we go even if we are the underdog or whatever. We just got to go hard at each and everyone.”

“Everybody thinks that we are going to be down,” said senior lineman Cole Hughey. “And you know we are not going to be good as we’ve been in the past, but it’s just us against everybody. We’ve got to prove them wrong.”

Smithville has made the playoffs over the last ten seasons, but the team says making the playoffs isn’t where they want to finish at.

“We just want to make it deep,” Hughey said. “Every year we want to make it to state championship, but anything is better than last year. We got put out first round last year, but we want to go a little bit further this year.”

“I feel like if we just play,” Miller said. “And I know that we can play with anyone, but if we just play I think we have a chance to get past the first round.”

Smithville opens the season at home on August 17th against Belmont.