FOOTBALL

Haywood football building with young players

Brandon Shields
Jackson Sun
Haywood receivers go through drills at the beginning of practice June 13 on the team's practice field.

BROWNSVILLE — A team of 12 coaches divide players up according to their positions and separate them all over the practice football field at Haywood High School.

There are nearly 100 players on the field – all wearing purple Tomcats helmets.

This isn’t camp or a combine. This is Haywood football practice with 70 returning players in the sophomore through senior classes and 30 players in the freshman class.

“We’re blessed that this many young men want to be a part of the football program here, and I’m fortunate to have this group of men coaching them,” Steve Hookfin said last week at the beginning of practice.

The Tomcats lifted weights and practiced in helmets.

Based on athletes and returning experience, expectations are high for Haywood. They lost about 10 seniors but return plenty of starters from a team that won 10 games, the Region 7-4A championship and a playoff game. All three of those feats haven’t been accomplished by the program in at least a decade.

With all those athletes on the field, keeping them all involved and interested could become a big problem for the team if younger players can’t work their way up the depth chart.

But Haywood is able to do something not many teams in the region can do.

“We have a full junior varsity team and a full freshman team,” Hookfin said. “So we hope that will keep those younger guys involved and get them better while they wait their turn to play on Friday nights.”

Other successful coaches in the area like Milan’s Jeff Morris and McKenzie’s Wade Comer have said that’s been a big part of the Bulldogs’ and Rebels’ success when they’ve had streaks of long playoff runs. Hookfin said he plans to utilize that for a similar result for the Tomcats.

“Right now we’re a good team. When you go 10-2 and win a region, you’re a good team,” Hookfin said. “But being a good team isn’t what we want around here. We want a quality program.

“This town is all about its athletics and the sports teams. A quality program is what the fans and supporters and administration and everybody around here wants.”

Haywood’s freshman and JV teams will play nearby counterparts from Bolivar, Ripley, Brighton, Dyer County and others in the western part of West Tennessee.

Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9751 and on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or Instagram at jacksonsunsports.