HSFT Stop #59: Tupelo

Tupelo was two seconds away from a state championship last season.

Now, the Golden Wave are using that heartbreak as motivation as they prepare for another run at the top.

Tupelo is searching for its third consecutive state championship appearance and returns a talented roster under coach Ty Hardin. The team also welcomes a new quarterback in Drew Dean, who transferred from Oxford High School.

Hardin said the offseason has been one of the best he has experienced as a coach, largely because of the leadership within the team.

“It’s been one of the better offseason I’ve ever had as a coach. And so, you know, I’m excited about our leadership because there is a great group of young men and they’re great people and we we think we know and we think it’s going to correlate to the field,” Hardin said. “You know, I’m just excited to see these guys play and see what they do with this season because of what they learned last year and our success from the past, too.”

Hardin said the players have taken the lessons from last season to heart and have approached the offseason with extra motivation.

“Excited about the group we have. Obviously, they’ve learned a lot of lessons. You know, they’ve they’ve taken all that to heart and they’ve, you know, approached every day with a chip on their shoulder,” Hardin said.

For middle linebacker Devontray Brewer, the focus is on making sure the team does not let another opportunity slip away.

“We just use it, of course, as motivation. But, you know, just play every snap, every little detail matters. So we’re going to play to the whistle and just play hard each and every snap,” Brewer said.

That mentality has translated into the offseason, where Brewer said players have continued to push each other beyond scheduled workouts.

“I’ve just seen a lot of chemistry, like either our players working out like is working hard. Like you’ve got some work out there, come out here and get like 15 minutes of extra work. So it’s just like they all agree WE WANT TO GO win ANOTHER state championship,” Brewer said.

Tupelo will also have a new quarterback leading the offense.

Dean transferred from Oxford and said his arrival should give the Golden Wave more balance offensively.

“It’s going to open up a lot. You know, last year, obviously, they didn’t have a guy to throw the ball and it was hard. You know, every play. Everybody knew what was coming. But this year, being more balanced, it’s going to open up a lot of stuff,” Dean said.

Dean said he is eager to return to the field and play alongside a talented roster.

“You know, they haven’t played since December, but I haven’t played since October, so I’m real excited to get back out there, especially with the talent we got on this team. And I’m excited to go one know each week. We’re real talented, but we’re all close together. We’ve got a great culture of brotherhood and, you know, I’m excited to go WIN,” Dean said.

The Golden Wave’s goal is straightforward: get back to the state championship and finish what they started last season.

“That’s our main goal. This year is just finish because we didn’t finish last year. And you know, so which takes write a lot last year in our position so we just just working on finish this year,” running back Kylan Bobo said.

Bobo said the team’s talent extends throughout the roster, with older players helping younger teammates elevate their game.

“Everybody just elevate each other because, you know, everybody does have talent. So we’re really just being everything go from the ground level, from ninth grade to you seniors and stuff like that,” Bobo said.

Tupelo opens the 2026 season on Aug. 28 against Brandon.