#HSFT16: Stop No. 55 – Saltillo Tigers

SALTILLO, Miss. (WCBI) — There’s nowhere to go but up for Saltillo. The Tigers say they’re ready to move past last year’s winless season. Part of that process is having the right mindset, according to seventh-year head coach Pat Byrd.

“We just want to make sure that we get better every day,” Byrd said. “We had won 23 games in three years combined. We got to thinking that that was expected. We forgot how to work a little bit.”

It’s a large senior class that returns for Saltillo. An asset the Tigers didn’t have a year ago.

“I think we’ve got a good core group of kids. Last year we had four seniors. This year we have 17 and that makes a huge difference,” Byrd said. “We learned some hard lessons last year.”

The players are confident that they can make positive strides this year.

“Bunch of leadership to go around, guys to look up to,” senior Blake Price said.

“Last year we were inexperienced,” senior Marlon Sanders said. “This year we have experience and are hoping to do better.”

“We were really young. We’ve matured a lot,” senior Kane Wilbanks said. “We have a better mindset this season, knowing what we need to expect going into the season.”

Wilbanks will be playing quarterback this year as Clayton Knight has transferred to West Point. Wilbanks did see some time at the end of last season.

The Tigers say the future is looking brighter than the past but the road will not be an easy one.

“We think we can be better. Now, what that will equal out to in terms of wins and losses, we don’t know,” Byrd said. “We want to get better week to week. If we do that we’ll be fine.”

Saltillo begins the season at North Pontotoc next Friday.