#HSFT21 Stop #58 — Tupelo Golden Wave
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) — “It was heartbreaking,” senior DL Romero Hampton said. “It was too heartbreaking. I don’t want to go through it again.”
Tupelo football saw the Golden Wave’s 2020 season come to a tragic end.
After securing a spot in the 6A playoffs, a COVID-19 outbreak hit the Tupelo squad forcing the Golden Wave to forfeit the round one match-up against Warren Central.
“Man, all the seniors from last year they were sick. Hopefully, it don’t happen this year,” senior DL/DE Jacarius Clayton said.
“Emotional, sad, heartbreaking,” senior LT Sam Westmoreland said. “Especially for the seniors who didn’t get to play their last playoff game. It was horrible.”
The devasting end to Tupelo’s season gave them a new appreciation for the ability to compete in 2021.
“You can be on top of the world and it can be snatched from you,” Tupelo head coach Ty Hardin said. “I try to tell our guys every day to just count your blessings that you’re here because it can be taken away.
The Golden wave will look different this upcoming season. Following the departure of former quarterback Jake Weir, Tupelo is looking for a new signal-caller.
“We’ve got an open competition. I’m really excited about both guys we’ve got: Lake Reed and Jeremiah Harrell. They’ve both been neck-and-neck. What’s awesome about it is they’re great teammates. They both want each other to be successful, but also there’s a good competition there too,” Hardin said.
“They’re both amazing and look like they can be 5-stars in the future,” Hampton said.
The Golden Wave will present a younger team than Tupelo has seen in the last few years. However, the Wave bring experience back on the defensive side of the ball. Hardin says that’s the strength of the team this season.
“We return a majority of our defense. A successful defense from last year, so, we feel really good about that group. We feel good about being in football games because of that,” Hardin said.
“We’ve been working hard and we got a stout defensive line. With a good defensive line you can do anything,” Clayton said.
Tupelo isn’t starting the season out on an easy note. The Golden Wave kick the season off with an away game against Lafayette on August 27th.
Tupelo is ready for the challenge.
“I think it’s two similar teams that have some question marks identity wise but we know they have really great defenses. It’s probably going to be one of the best games in the state of Missisisppi first week,” Hardin said.
“I’m feeling good. I’m feeling confident. I feel like we’re really ready to get after it,” Westmoreland said.
