Football In MS

A fan base that has - through the years - really supported their team is Petal. And they’re on the way up again. They’ll travel well in 2025.

HHS travels poorly if they’re going much outside of Hattiesburg or if they’re not expected to win. I’ve been in stadiums before when not even all their own parents show up. I’ve felt bad for the kids. It was sad.

They’ve tended to play emotionally instead of just tough & gritty getting it done on the field by letting their athleticism do the talking. That’s a city boy. One of the reasons ppl hate to see them coming on the schedule. It’s not just a ballgame. It’s personal & they can get nasty - all the way to their fan base. And even if they’re winning. Just ask Ocean Springs.

Retweet. Would like to hear how we’re feeling about this

How do we think that’ll go

Any new info out of Brandon?

I guess Williams felt like 3 trips to state in 4 years and still no championship to show for it meant time to leave. He’ll definitely make more bank at UMS. Anyone think there are other big name head coaches of programs in MS who could throw their names in for this job? Would be interesting to see a rival team lose their coach to a team they’d face in the fall.

No shocker there.

It’ll be interesting to see how the MHSAA plans to monitor the schools with regard to them being able to claim they’re “at capacity” for some students and willing to accept others who are excellent athletes. Honestly it sounds like a recipe for disaster and a HUGE can of worms opened. We’re about to get NIL type issues at the high school level with kids being able to choose whatever school they want even if they don’t live in the right district

How many schools/districts currently have “AD only” positions where that person does not coach/teach anything?

But what about private schools who are MHSAA. Those schools could accept a “homeschool” student for athletics only.

Recruiting about to get WILD! Especially if talented athletes decide they’re “homeschooled” so they don’t have to go to class or be beholden to school rules. #messy

certain basketball players score points. like certain football players do. remove a lineman, you or may or may not notice. remove the QB… whole new ballgame. same with basketball. you can still play as a team with lesser results because certain kids are removed & that has nothing to do with coaching. it’s about innate athlete skill level. i’m genuinely sorry your grandbabies aren’t getting whatever opportunity you want for them and it’s making you an angry grandaddy. but please. signing a name doesn’t lend credibility to the truth of a statement or situation. truth is truth no matter who says it

And coaches are not the ones playing the game. They cannot score the points. I’m not the one changing anything. again, have a little grace dude

Geez. Calm down. These are KIDS. Have a little grace man

On a basketball team, being down 1 player changes 20% of your lineup. That’s significant especially if that person is a scorer who is removed with virtually no time for team practices without him. And let’s not forget we’re taking about high school kids. Not college athletes.

My comment was about their boys 2024 basketball season.

Sumrall’s boys basketball team was poised for a run at the state title in 2024 but an unfortunate situation with one of their starters right as playoffs began really screwed them over. So their coaching can’t have been too bad to have had the season they had last year. Sumrall has been a baseball school - primarily - as of late. But they’ve always had enough football talent to have guys playing at the next level here & there. So there are athletes in the system. They just need to be developed and disciplined. If the new coach can come in and build relationships, he’ll do fine. Sumrall is a community that’ll come together and get behind coaches who pour into their athletes.

I didn’t make up the stats or the data. If you’re frustrated, it’s with the facts & the MDE. Not with me. definitely not “obsessed” about HHS. I do however care about truth & student athletes. And I do know a lot about the area. I’ve got family who went there. It was the best school in the region for a long, long time. Up until about 25 years ago. Unfortunately when the population starting moving west and PCS added a high school it affected the HPSD in a negative way. nobody’s fault. that’s just how things go. Not everything makes us feel warm & fuzzy. It happens. Whether or not we like it doesn’t affect the truth of the situation

I’m not going to continue to belabor the point here. Anyone from the area (or with connections to the area) knows the deal. So I’ll just leave this here: kids who can start at other places will go elsewhere. families who can afford other districts will do so. pre-existing connections with coaches and other random factors can play in from time to time but that’s not what we’re talking about here. all things equal, everyone knows what districts are considered “good,” what jobs are “desirable” and where the best schools are located.

Again - the district is an “A”. HHS is a “B.” Idk why you feel the need to restate the obvious, but whatever. HHS is a “B.” Football players with varsity talent & a choice in the matter are not going to choose HHS. Those desiring top notch educational opportunities won’t either. Just a fact. It’s just numbers. Again - not all benefits are listed on a W2. And if you believe that you can “look up” every benefit a coach of a championship level school is given based on a local media report from 6 years ago, then you’ve not been around very long. Club memberships, leased vehicles, etc will never have a stated value you’ll be able to quantify with a “supplemental” number in a written document. In terms of what reported “supplements” are, yeah - you can look them up. But again - as I already stated - that’s not base salary. And that’s not “extras” from boosters. Base is set by the state based on a chart showing educational level & years of experience. Schools are not in charge of that. And schools aren’t in charge of reporting what types of extra benefits coaches get that regular message board people like us won’t ever see. Whether or not HHS is a “good job” is debatable based on what you value. Playing for a state championship 100 years after winning the last one doesn’t justify all the hype here. But again, I hope they get a good coach. All students deserve the best opportunities the school can provide.

Bottom line is this: -HHS is a “B” rated school. That’s straight from the MDE. -The primary job of a school is based in academic education. -Coaching salaries are no better at HHS than at their counterparts. They’re all public schools, the pay scale is set by the state. Extra “perks” or “bonuses” that may come from a booster club or team sponsor vary across the state and usually cannot be verified/confirmed on a W2. -Families in the area who can afford for their kids to go elsewhere… do. Families coming to the area do not ‘choose’ this school district. Ask any realtor in the area. -The academic performance at HHS is lower than every other area school comparable by size based on MDE data. -Discipline issues at HHS are worse than at other area schools comparable by size. Here are the stats straight from the MDE to back that up. These screenshots are Petal, HHS, and OG. You can guess which is which. So honestly there are no conspiracy theories here. There is no opinion. This is hard fact. Some may not like it - but that doesn’t alter the reality. And any coach who has been around for longer than 5 mins knows that discipline is everything - both inside and outside the classroom. Furthermore, a coach is going to have a hard time garnering respect if he coaches at HHS but wants to live and send his kids elsewhere. So at that point you’re narrowing your pool of applicants in a huge way to those already coaching at HHS, and those without school age kids. Coaches/teachers are not (by & large) looking to send their kids to HPSD schools unless they cannot afford an alternative. Especially high school age kids. Not being mean. Just being 100% real. I hope HHS does get a good coach. Good coaching across the state benefits all students & that’s a good thing.

Where do you get the idea that Sumrall coaches don’t live in Sumrall? This is not even close to true. Please don’t make things up.

Idk. MDE report doesn’t say

Exactly. Both great private schools with outstanding academic reputations. And out the other way is Columbia Academy. Lots of private options in that area.