2025 HSFT Stop #55: Pontotoc
PONTOTOC, MS (WCBI)- For the first time in a decade, Pontotoc football will be rolling out a new head coach. Baylor Dampeer came over from Houston after boasting a 43-16 record in five seasons coaching the Hilltoppers. Now repping the black and yellow, the new warriors’ head man is embracing his latest challenge.
“The transition has been good. You know, we’ve come a long way from the spring when I got here to now,” Dampeer said. “We didn’t play in the spring, so we still have a lot of questions out there. But our guys have been really coachable. You know, we’re doing everything we can to get them the right position, and it coaches guys really hard. They’ve been set for that. Kids have been smart, been able to do a lot of things. We ask them to do a whole lot of stuff. So offensively, defensively, we’ve done a whole lot at them and they’ve done a really good job picking that up, and somebody just continues to build on.”
While the team adjusts to a brand new coach and scheme, Dampeer has been impressed with their ability to be coached, but knows that he’ll learn much more when they play their first game.
“We have to get on the field and play. I think we’ve got to see our guys in level 11 in action and see how they react to things. We still have a lot of questions there. We got some guys with experience. We’ve got some guys who have played. So, you know, it’s an exciting opportunity to do that. But the season starts pretty quickly. You know, some good opponents out of the gate. So, you know, it’ll be a very good test.”
The Warriors have embraced their new coach with open arms. They have bought in to his culture and have already given the team confidence in their preperation for the season ahead.
“He brings a whole new culture to the contact, and I feel like we’re going to go not only this group, but the groups after us,” quarterback Courtland Pass said. “They’re going to grow a lot from this. I just want we’re win. That is my expectation, and I feel like we coach that produces the expectation that he’s bringing over from Houston.”
“I like him as a coach. He pushes us in the weight room,” lineman Marcale Bell said. “He came here, and he gave us a new workout plan. That workout playing really helped us. He made all our maxes go up, and it made us play better on the field. The team is a lot better. Who got better chemistry because he makes us work together. We got I like the offense better because we’re not just sticking to one thing. We’ve got different things to go to. And I feel like as a team, we’re just coming together better.”
Pontotoc will begin the chase for its first district title since 2021 when the team hosts Amory on August 29.
