In the Mississippi High School Activities Association ranks, the coverage area boasts two undefeated football teams — New Hope (7-0 in Class 5A) and Starkville (7-0 in Class 6A).
The success of Starkville comes as a surprise to very few. Even though the Yellow Jackets weren’t a top-ranked team by any media outlets, they were on the short list of contenders for the Class 6A title.
On the other hand, the success of New Hope not only is one of the biggest stories in the area, but it also is one of the state’s biggest surprises.
To call the decision in January not to retain Shawn Gregory as football coach controversial would be an understatement. A large group of Trojans protested the move, and in a show of support for Gregory, skipped out on seventh period one day. Each student later served a suspension.
The rumors quickly started that several players were leaving the program. In a worst-case scenario, some felt the school had little to no chance of fielding a competitive team this season.
Eventually, Kris Pickle was hired as the school’s new football coach. Pickle came to New Hope from Morton. All coaches say they know what they are getting into at the time of a move. They also claim to research a particular situation so they know the pitfalls before coming on board.
It is a safe bet Pickle made the same assessments. He had to have called friends in the coaching community to get a bead on the New Hope program. An opening at the same time at Columbus High drew some big-time coaching names. The New Hope coaching search flew under the radar.
Fresh off back-to-back MHSAA Class 5A state championships in baseball and a runners-up finish in girls basketball, the New Hope community was looking for someone who could come in, create harmony, and keep the program afloat.
After spring practice, this writer had the privilege of meeting a local football coach for coffee. What followed was a fascinating discussion about the programs at New Hope and Columbus.
I admit my knowledge of Pickle was limited. Columbus had just hired Randal Montgomery, who was coming over from Hazlehurst. Montgomery led Hazlehurst to three-straight appearances in the Class 3A state championship game, winning one title.
Pickle’s hire made less of a splash on the statewide level. However, the coach I talked with said, “Kris Pickle knows what he is doing and is an excellent coach. If they leave him alone and let him do his thing, the program will have a lot of success.”
While success was possible, no one imagined it would come this quickly.
New Hope is 3-0 in Class 5A, Region 1 play. On Tuesday, New Hope again was ranked No. 4 in Class 5A in The Associated Press’ weekly prep football state. It also moved into the overall top 10 (No. 10) for the first time this season. The Trojans have won more region games than in any of the past three seasons. One more region win will all but lock up a playoff berth. That isn’t bad for a program that feared not being able to field a team 10 months ago.
A year ago, New Hope finished 4-7 with current Starkville High quarterback Brady Davis at the helm. New Hope averaged 25.7 points per game, including an amazing 50 points in a 26-point loss to West Point. New Hope allowed 30.9 points per game.
That’s where you can start if you want to find reasons for the massive improvement. Through seven games, New Hope has allowed 126 points — an average of 18 points per game.
The success for New Hope hasn’t come against a soft slate, either. Aberdeen (6-2), Caledonia (5-3), and Amory (4-4) are first or second in their regions. New Hope also defeated Columbus for the first time since 2008.
If you had told Pickle before the season his first team would win seven games and three region games, he likely would have been thrilled.
But New Hope has reached those marks in seven games. At 7 p.m. Friday, it will have so much more to play for when it takes on Oxford (6-1, 3-0) in a battle for the region lead. Oxford won its first 14 games last season before falling to Picayune in the Class 5A state championship game. The Chargers have almost everybody back. Their only loss this season was to Starkville.
Despite being routed by the Yellow Jackets, Oxford scored 29 of the 58 points allowed by Starkville this season. The Chargers have rebounded from that loss with five-straight wins, including a 43-22 victory against West Point.
In other words, this easily will be New Hope’s biggest test to date.
Still, the Trojans have passed the test in so many ways.
After Oxford, the final three region games are against Lewisburg, West Point, and Saltillo.
One more win will mean a playoff berth. Two more wins will mean no worse than the third seed, and possibly the second seed. Three more wins would mean home-field advantage in the first round. A win against Oxford would open the door for an outright region title.
Pickle might have thought all of this was possible when he held his first practice. If so, he was in the minority.
Scott Walters is a sports reporter for The Dispatch. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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