Student Athlete of the Week: Nanih Waiya Warriors, Nanih Waiya HS, Football

WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) —  The Nanih Waiya Warriors and Head Coach Ryan Keeton had a tough start to the season. Losing game number one to Union 32-14.

Since then, the Warriors have reeled off eleven straight victories to close out the season.

“It’s been a great year for us. We were expecting to have a good year, and I think the guys have worked hard and bought in, and I think they have done really a good job of picking it up,” Nanih Waiya head coach Ryan Keeton said.

“We didn’t play like I thought we would the first game. We kind of struggled a lot of times. Even on offense, but after that we’ve been rolling pretty good,” senior quarterback Ben Cumberland said.

The Warriors have won the division for a third consecutive year, and it’s exciting for the coaches and the team.

“It’s exciting for the kids playing,” Keeton said, “You always want to win whatever you’re playing, so being division champs is just a start of one of the goals that we have.”

“It’s been special for me because I’ve been playing these past three years, so to be apart of those three district championships, it’s really special to me and the rest of the team,” senior linebacker Brady Jones said.

Winning the division this season will also give the Nanih Waiya fans a chance to see their team host a playoff game on Friday night.

“They’re very loud. They can be pretty rowdy, so it’s a great advantage for us,” said Keeton.

“I feel like…our kids feed off of it. Being able to play at home to me is a big bonus.”

“We have the best fans in Class 1-A,” said Jones.

“They travel like nobody else, and just to have a home game, this place is going to be electrified that first round.”

“This community loves their football, and everybody loves their football at Nanih Waiya,” said Cumberland.

“It’s a big ideal for us to come out here and put on a good show for our community.”