Everyone loves a winner. Whether it be your favorite football team, church softball or family game night, there is no better feeling than victory. But, other than the sense of physical, tactical and moral superiority that often comes with winning, we don’t typically learn much from a win. One side was better, faster, stronger and the other … was not.
Losing, however, is a teacher. The commitment to picking yourself back up after the sting of defeat is one of life’s most valuable lessons. Sure, losing infuriates and disappoints. It hurts your pride. But it also motivates. Nowhere is that truth more evident than New Hope’s 2024 football season, which ended Friday with an instant-classic 50-41 loss to Canton in the first round of the MHSAA 5A playoffs. The Trojans finished the season 8-3, reeled off a seven-game win streak in the middle, and outscored opponents by nearly 14 points per game.
Not bad for a team that hadn’t finished above .500 since 2016 and has only done it six times in the past 20 seasons.
When you consider where the Trojans were last season, the turnaround becomes all-the-more remarkable. Last season, New Hope went 0-10 and was outscored by nearly 30 points per game on average. Other than a close loss at Corinth, which finished 3-8, every game was essentially a blowout. But that last season.
Enter first-year Trojans’ head coach Allen Glenn. Glenn, whose previous stops include a successful six-year run at Amory and a so-so three-year stint at Petal, brought with him a dynamic offensive scheme and, most importantly, a new attitude.
Glenn told The Dispatch in August that he and his players were “excited about changing the dynamic and changing the culture” of New Hope football. Did they ever.
Fortunately, the cupboard wasn’t bare in New Hope, with senior tight end Lonnie Shinn Jr. and junior running back Jeremiah Harkins eager to shake off last season’s disappointment. But the Trojans found their stride in late September when an injury to sophomore quarterback Juice Tate made freshman Tyrekus Brooks the full-time signal-caller for the final seven games. Brooks, who is equally dangerous through the air and on the ground, galvanized a Trojan offense that averaged almost 40 points a game during that stretch. Like Glenn told The Dispatch in September, Brooks has “a bit of that ‘it’ factor.” Coach, of course, was being modest.
While the sting of losing is its own motivator for some, others need to be reminded of past disappointments to avoid them in the future. Glenn, a keen motivator, understands this perfectly. In his postgame speech after the Trojans’ 49-0 shellacking of archrival Caledonia on Sept. 20, Glenn held aloft the sports section of a 2023 edition of the Commercial Dispatch, the headline reading: “CALEDONIA SNAPS THREE-GAME SKID AGAINST NEW HOPE IN DOMINANT FASHION.” Without saying much else, Glenn performatively ripped the paper to shreds while his team erupted in celebration.
You see, losing is one thing. But losing to your cross-county nemesis, one you’ve beaten 85% of the time, in the midst of a winless season and then having to read about it in the newspaper? That was a bridge too far.
Of course, I’d never advocate ripping up a copy of The Dispatch, but, hey, it is your copy. I just hope you read it first. Glenn certainly did.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
