#HSFT17: Stop No. 33 — South Pontotoc Cougars

PONTOTOC, Miss. (WCBI) — South Pontotoc looks to continue building momentum heading into the 2017 season.

In 2016, the Cougars finished with a winning season for the first time since 2003.

The team brings back sixteen starters from a year ago, and are looking forward to another big year.

“I think the excitement is really about building on what we built last year,” senior fullback Troy Bone said.

“First winning season in over a decade pretty sure because it was. “We are really just trying to keep the tradition that we built with the seniors from last year and just build on that.”

“We are trying to go 12-0…” junior running back Eddie Ivy said. “Everybody is busting their butt off in the weight room. We try our hardest to work on the field for the next year.”

“Hopefully that youth movement that we had made a couple of years ago is going to pay off for us this year,” said head coach Michael Bradley. “We were able to turn the corner a little bit last year. We won seven games. Made the playoffs. That was a really big thing to have happen around here, and our kids are really excited about it.”

The Cougars will have two new opponents coming over into the region 4-3A division.

Houston and Choctaw County will rotate into an already competitive division.

“Houston is right down the road. They are going to be pretty tough. They always are, but I think we will hold up against them,” Bone said. “I don’t know to much about Choctaw, but I understand they’re a pretty good team. I’m sure it will be interested and fun to play against them.”

“Both of those schools are always very talented teams,” Bradley said. “Always tough programs to contend with. It’s going to be a real challenge for our guys.”

South Pontotoc making the playoffs last season was a big accomplishment. This year’s team looks to make it back and go deeper into the post season.

“We are just trying to get that first playoff win, then do more,” Ivy adds. “We are capable to go all the way to state.”

“That’s the goal,” Bradley said about a deeper run in the state playoffs. “You do have to play them one game at a time. You can’t get to the second step until you completed the first step. We are hoping that we can be there in November when the playoffs start rolling around.”

South Pontotoc will open its season on Thursday, August 17th at home against Vardaman.