HSFT20 Stop #10 — Myrtle Hawks

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MYRTLE, Miss. (WCBI ) — Myrtle football finally has a full season of division play under the Hawks belt, and a good one at that.

The Hawks finished the 2019 season with a 6-6 overall record.

“The first year in division was big for them,” head coach Jeremy Smithey said. “They gained a lot of experience out of it, and we’re hoping that parlays over into this season.”

Myrtle found success with an emphasis on defense. The Hawks picked up four of its six wins last season by only allowing one touchdown or less.

That defensive pressure isn’t something Myrtle plans to do away with anytime soon. The Hawks bring back nearly the entire team, only having lost a few players in the off-season.

“A lot of games last year, I thought we played really well defensively. Early in division play, we did pretty well and through a few shutouts on the board. That was huge for us. I think the defense will be a strong suit, and then we’re hoping some new things we do on offense will help us out in those areas,” Smithey said.

“I think defense is the most important part,” senior LB/LG Shelton Graves said. “If we can stop them from getting another score, then that’s what counts. The longer we can hold them off, the longer we have for our offense to go in there and get another win.”

Myrtle is excited for more than just getting back on the field this season. After spending the previous season playing at the New Albany Sportsplex, the Hawks are finally getting their own field and their own turf to defend.

“I think that’s going to change a lot starting off. Especially our drive. That’s going to give us something to go for. I love the field. It looks really beautiful out there. I’m ready to play on it,” Graves said.

“It feels amazing. It feels like in another couple of months were going to start hitting people again. It’s really nice to finally have a football field,” senior OL/DL Dustin McCraw said.

“The community has something that they can call their own now. The kids have something they can call their own. It was nice being able to play at the sportsplex, and we appreciate them letting us do that for the time we had it. Now having something on their own they can just…it’s hard to put into words what it really means to them. That feeling of knowing this is your field, and this is your home, and you get to play on it for the first time,” Smithey said.

The Hawks will get the chance to hit their field for the first time hosting Vardaman for the season opener on August 21st.