2025 HSFT Stop #40: Winona
WINONA, MS (WCBI)- The Tigers are now two seasons removed from their last state championship victory in 2023. But since that win, lot has changed. Head coach Joey Tompkins left the program in the offseason; setting up Noxubee county’s DeAngelo Ballard to become the next head coach. While his time in the role has been small, Ballard knows the brand of football they want to play at Winona.
“I’m just trying to teach them how to work, how to compete, how we need to approach every day,” Ballard said. “I came from Noxubee County with coach teddy young, and I think he did a good job of getting me prepared to be in this situation. And it’s just been a blessing to work with these young men. We want to be 1-0 every time we hit the field, every weight room station, every drill, every practice, every everything we do, we want to win that rep.”
The tigers have won six district titles since 2017. Ballard knows the Winona program has a high standard of success, and believes that playing the right way will lead to similar results on the field.
“I have expectations for myself, man, is to just to come out and do everything I supposed to do, try to do it the right way, and show these young men how to lead, how to win. What I expect from them, I just expect them to do the same thing, and it should be special.”
The players have bought into Ballard’s system. If you ask them about, their first impressions of their new head man, it seems that he’s quite an impact.
“That’s my dog,” quarterback Landon Crawford said. “He pushes me every day to be better, don’t be mediocre, and just helping me be more ready and prepared.”
“I mean, he’s a great coach, you know. He knows the things to do and stuff like that; he’s just overall a great coach,” running back Yoshawn Hudson said. “Bringing in somebody that knows how to run an offense and stuff like that, it makes us better.”
“We’re out here working every day, every hour, just working,” safety Jalon Oliver said. “Coming into this season, we have a lot of returning starters, I feel like that’ll have an impact.”
The Ballard era at Winona will begin when the team hosts Southaven on August 29.
