#HSFT20 – Stop #45 Pontotoc Warriors

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PONTOTOC, Miss. (WCBI) — Many teams enter the season hoping to make the playoffs, but that’s the norm for the Pontotoc Warriors as those expectations haven’t changed.

After a slow start to last season, the Warriors finished by winning six of their last eight games including a postseason victory. They hope to carry that momentum into September.

“I feel really good coming into the year,” head coach Jeff Carter. “I think we’ll find our identity a little bit quicker. We got some guys with experience on offense back. I think we have seven guys who started at some point last year on offense and around four or five on defense.”

“We’re trying to get the momentum early and finish out throughout the season and hopefully make a successful playoff run,” senior defensive back and wide receiver Marty Reel.

“I feel like when we go back to the season that we’ll start off pretty strong because everyone is going to be more comfortable, and new people are coming in getting a lot of reps,” senior running back Jemarcus Whitfield said.

The ones leading the charge to helping bring the young guys along isn’t the coaching staff but instead, the seniors.

“We have one of the most competitive senior groups,” Reel explained. “When we compete, we push each other. We try to help the younger guys come along as fast as they can have depth on the roster. We’re a young team, but we have a lot of seniors coming back that have experience and played a lot the past few years. If the seniors get right, I’m sure everyone else will fall behind and get to where we need to be to win.”

“Coach Morton, a legend here, has always said that the starting jersey is always a lot heavier,” Carter said. “It makes a lot of sense, but these guys ought to be able to handle it this year.”

With the program’s history of competition, the players take great pride in putting on the black and gold.

“We have a creed that we go by,” Reel said. “The end of it says ‘I am a Pontotoc Warrior.’ It’s like we survive off that creed. When we come to play, we know it’s time to get down to business. If we’re not getting down to business, we got to get right somehow.”

“This is my home so every time I come out here I be ready to play,” Whitfield said. “Don’t matter who it’s against, home or away, I’m always ready to compete.”

That mindset is going to be tested as the Warriors will be competing against the likes of Itawamba, Shannon and others for the division crown.

“You just can’t take a week off,” Carter said. “All the teams are well coached. The kids play hard. You can’t go in half cocked. You got to be ready to compete.”

To start the season, Pontotoc hosts New Albany at home in the Hollow September 4th.