Lake coach Tate Hanna knows he is entering the 2022 season with two things.
The first is a really young football team and the second is loaded football schedule.
“It seems like every year, our district is one of the toughest in the state,” Hanna said. “There are no cupcakes. You have to be prepared to play and hard to make it in the top four. And our non-district is rough. Enterprise is probably the toughest draw you could have to start the season. You have to be prepared for them quickly. There are a bunch of new faces for us that we have to find an identity. I think we will be pretty good on defense. Looking at 7-on-7, we have been solid on defense but will struggle replacing five lineman and Brady McGee. It’s going to be tough to get all of that going.”
The Hornets will find out right off the bat where they are at as they host Class 4A Newton County in a jamboree on Aug. 19.
“Coach (Bobby) Bass does a good job with his guys,” Hanna said. “They are a good measuring stick before you get to the first real games. They are going to be good up front and get after you on defense. It’s a good test to see where you are headed to start the season.”
Then on Aug. 26, Lake will open the regular season with Enterprise, a team that beat them 32-13 last year.
“They are a wing-T team and will also run a lot of double-wing stuff,” Hanna said. “They are hard to prepare for, especially the first game of the year. They run the wing-T all the way from seventh grade through high school. They got out there and have physical practices every day. It was a tough game last year but I think it prepared us for the last part of the season. I think they lost a good bit from last year but that doesn’t really matter. They are good at what they do and you can’t replicate it in practice. It’s a tough matchup to open the season with.”
On Sept. 2, the Hornets will host Sebastopol. Last year, the Hornets pounded the Bobcats 39-8.
“They have a new coach and have a lot of their kids coming back and are expecting to have a great year,” Hanna said. “And anytime you play them, it will be a big crowd. I know coach (Keith) Brown has a new staff and my brother is over there now. I tell my kids all the time that they are preparing to whip our tails. They will come with revenge on their minds and try to make a statement with a first-year coach at the helm.”
On Sept. 9, Lake will hit the road and take on Pelahatchie, a team that beat them 33-7 last year.
“Honestly, that’s one of those games that we should have won last year,” Hanna said. “It was one of the worst games we played last year. They will be athletic and get after you on defense. Coach (Ryan) Keaton and I go back a long way. It will be year three with him and I expect them to be a lot better. They will score points and we have to be prepared to stop them. And they will always have a Ragsdale that can really run.”
After Pelahatchie, Lake will host Class 4A Choctaw Central, a team that beat the Hornets 9-7 last year.
“That’s a another game that we should have won,” Hanna said.”We went n there half cocked last year. Our kids had beaten them in the past and they have gotten better every year under coach (Pepper) Posey. They kind of manhandled us last year on both sides of the ball. They are always huge on both sides of the ball. They are a bigger school that us and will expect to win. By the time we get to them, we will know more of what our identity is.”
The Hornets will finish out the regular season on Sept. 23 as they travel to Scott Central, the defending Class 2A state champions.
“They will be expected to win it all again this year,” Hanna said. “We are playing them in 7-on-7 and they are still loaded. The quarterback is back, and they have a 6-5 receiver that can go get it. They are just so athletic for a Class 2A team. One thing about it is our kids will be ready to play them. They will be a good measuring stick to see where we are at before we get in district play.”
Lake will then open division 5-2A play as they host Kemper County, a team that beat them 32-21 last year.
“They have a new coach who came from Laurel, but I expect more of the same,” Hanna said. “And Coach (Freeman) Jimison left us and will be their defensive coordinator. It’s some new faces but I expect the same stuff. They will be one of the most athletic teams in Class 2A. Kemper is just a tough matchup for us. But we had our chances to beat them last year and were starting to turn the corner.”
Next up is a short road trip to Newton to take on the rival Tigers, a team they hammered 24-0 last year.
“To me, that was the turning point for us last year,” Hanna said. “We beat them four touchdowns. But I expect them to be better with their quarterback. He is a great athlete and has been starting for what seems like seven or eight years. He can hurt you with his feet and with his arm. We have to keep him in the pocket and make him throw stuff he doesn’t like to throw. To me, they have a team that could go win it all. It’s scary playing them every year.”
On Oct. 14, the Hornets will host Philadelphia, a team they beat 43-37 in a shootout last year.
“That was the game where we really started rolling,” Hanna said. ”We went there and beat them and that was a good win for us. Coach Fry and I go a ways back. He played for me and coached with me for four years. They were really young last year and will be one of the top teams in the state every year. Every year, they have two or three Division I athletes. I think they will be the team to beat in our district.”
Then on Oct. 21, Hanna and the Hornets will head to Nanih Waiya where the veteran coach will make his first trip in eight years. Hanna played at Nanih Waiya and coached there for 12 years.
“It’s our last district game,” Hanna said. “I have been gone for seven years and it’s my first time going back and coaching against them. They were down last year and kind of got shocked moving up to Class 2A. But coach (James) Courtney does a great job and I expect them to be better. His son is the quarterback and will be a senior. Coaching there for 12 years, I know it’s a tough place to play. I’m excited about going back there.”
The Hornets will then end the regular season in a non-division game with Stringer, a team they mashed twice last year, winning 52-6 and 49-6.
“It was the first time we had played them at Lake,” Hanna said. “It was a down year for them and they were in a rebuilding mode, and they had several kids that were hurt. But they have won several state championships there and their kids play ball the right way and I don’t expect them to stay down. Hopefully, it is a game we can clean up some things before the playoffs.”
Lake Football Schedule
Aug. 19 Newton Co. jamboree
Aug. 26 Enterprise
Sept. 2 Sebastopol
Sept. 9 at Pelahatchie
Sept. 16 Choctaw Central
Sept. 23 at Scott Central
Sept. 30 Kemper County
Oct. 7 at Newton
Oct. 14 Philadelphia
Oct. 21 at Nanih Waiya
Oct. 28 at Stringer
