New Hope head football coach Allen Glenn is a man of mottos.
When he took over the program last season, he built his team upon the principle of “Attitude is Everything.” Mottos may seem silly, but the 2024 season showed there was proof in his preaching. Having a new perspective on tackling difficult practices and issues in life helped lead the Trojans to an 8-3 finish to last season – an astounding jump from a winless campaign the year before.
“The thought process for us as a new staff coming in was to really erase any negative thoughts from the past and really just really believe that this was a new day and beginning,” Glenn said. “We have our core values and we live by those. I really try not to harp on what happened prior, but the past is the past, so you have to talk about that a little bit to move forward.”
He also attached another motto to last season, “Deserve to Win.” It was a way to galvanize his troops to work harder at practice in such a manner that they believed they had earned the right to win – and New Hope lived by it as it earned its first winning season since 2016. Led by a potent rushing attack, the Trojans averaged 33.9 points a contest while its defense held opponents to an average of 20.9.
After a season-opening 21-20 win over Itawamba Agricultural, New Hope was thumped handily in a 45-20 loss to eventual 3A champion Choctaw County. Instead of falling apart, the Trojans banded together and won seven straight games to finish the regular season – including a 4-1 mark in District 1-5A games. The lone loss in that stretch was to eventual 5A champion West Point in a close 14-7 contest that decided the district title. Their magic ultimately ran out early in the postseason and ended their campaign in the first round with a 50-41 loss to Canton.
“We had some really good players in certain positions,” he said, “and I think once they found out and found a little taste of winning, it just kind of expanded throughout the year. I thought after the Choctaw County game last year, our kids came back after a bye week and really just kind of got on a good run for us. It obviously didn’t end the way we would want it to end, but throughout the year kids bought into what we were doing and what we were trying to bring to the program as a staff.”
This season, as Glenn enters his second year at the helm, New Hope wants to build upon that strong start; they want to go further into the playoffs. This year’s motto: “Made for More.”
“You’re made for more than this game, being just a 15-or-16-year-old kid, God put us on this Earth for a reason,” he said. “You’re made for more than you could ever imagine. You’re made for more than an 8-3 year. We try to use that in our everyday walk.”
The Trojans lost seven starters on its defense due to graduation, so there are some new faces in key spots like linebacker, the secondary and on the defensive front.
“That’s been something on our mind all offseason. … But it’s high school football,” he said. “I mean every high school in Mississippi is dealing with some sort of turnover, whether it be offensively or defensively with their personnel. It’s the life we live at this level; kids graduate and it’s the young guys time to step up and fill those voids that are there. Here we are, and we are excited about those young guys.”
The Trojans are bringing back 12 seniors and 15 juniors and a large combined group of sophomores and freshmen to fill out their roster.
One key returning player is sophomore quarterback Tyrekus Brooks. He is back under center after getting his first start last season.
“He’s a really good football player who has a bright future,” Glenn said of Brooks. “He does a really good job of leading our team, even as a 15-year-old kid. Being able to play meaningful football as a freshman will only help him and help us as we move forward.”
Both running backs who have seen action last year are also back. Sophomore Jeremiah Harkins and junior Jacob Jefferson helped Brooks carry the offensive load for the Trojans. Blocking for the ball carriers will be an offensive line that brings back three starters.
“We were fortunate to have some guys when they touched (the ball), whether handing it to them or throwing it to them, they were able to be pretty productive for us,” Glenn said. “So, we’re excited about that and we’re excited about the youth of our defense and the young guys that we have.”
Part of the offseason departures was tight end Lonnie Shinn, “a really good football player for us,” who graduated and went to Southeastern Louisiana. Glenn said junior Caleb Jordan will be his replacement.
He’s a real athletic kid,” he said. “Hopefully he can fill that void.”
The team has been working diligently in the offseason in preparations for the upcoming season. They are excited to get back onto the field
“We’ve really had a good offseason in the weight room back during the winter and kind of going into spring,” Glenn said. “Going through spring ball, we had a good 15 days of spring practice and then this summer to kind of prepare for the upcoming season, attendance was really, really good this summer.”
The Trojans are also bringing back their entire coaching staff, something Glenn said helps keep New Hope primed for success.
“With last year being our first year and being a new staff, continuity is really a big thing,” he said. The Trojans get the year underway on Friday at Corinth then host Choctaw County on Sept. 5 before a bye week. Nonconference play resumes on Sept. 19 with a visit from Brother Martin out of Louisiana, then wraps up with games against Houston and Saltillo. But the Trojans’ eyes are fixated on Corinth right now.
“Corinth is going to be as athletic and as talented as anybody we play all year. They’ve got a lot of their guys coming back,” Glenn said.
New Hope begins district play in the new Region 1-5A on Oct. 10, hosting Lafayette. It’s the first of four meaningful games in “one of the toughest 5A leagues in the state.” Next up for the Trojans are Columbus, Pontotoc, West Point and old rival Caledonia to cap off the regular season. Kelly said it’s a tough slate of teams but they are all local schools, which make for short trips and fun football for fans.
“I think the division is just as strong as it was before with Clarksdale and Corinth, and adding Columbus and Caledonia, it helps us on road trips,” Kelly told The Dispatch. “We don’t have as many long trips. We’re able to kind of keep it in the county. I think it’s great for our division. You have three county teams in one division, and you’re playing each other. I think it’s great for the county, and I have a lot of respect for those guys.”
The Trojans have a lot to strive for this year, and they are going for it all.
“We want to play meaningful football in November,” Glenn said. “That’s the goal of this football team. The road to that starts when we play Corinth.”
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