25 Teams in 25 Days: Hancock Hawks

25 Teams in 25 Days: Hancock Hawks

- - stop number 18 on news 25's 25- teams in 25 days takes us to a- brand new field house... at - hancock high school.- - - - a much-needed fresh start for a- hawks team, coming off- back-to-back 4-7 seasons... but- still not too far removed...- from- one of the best runs, in progra- history.- 25 teams in 25 days... brought- to you by gulf coast business - furniture and supply... your- - - - source for covid-19 supplies an- all of your sanitation needs.

- nat ---> "go!

Work!

Good!

Good!- whoa!"- nat ---> whistle blows- "oh, it was like a breath of- fresh air literally and - physically.

That old stink hole- we- had back there was not very - good.

And then this big - facility, we've got a much- better film room, much better - weight room, much bigger locker- room and it feels like- we'll get a lot more done more- efficiently in this better spac- than we had in the last - environment."

- 10,000 square feet of hancock - football, now on the south side- - - - of brett favre field... with a- little something for everyone..- on this 20-20 hawks team.

- "definitely the film room."

- "man, when i saw it was this- beauty right here, it just sets- it up right here."- "the weight room is probably- where i start everybody's littl- tour.

Even though it is just- the front door, it's the main - room for me."

- whether or not the new digs can- translate into wins, on friday- - - - night... following two straight- losing seasons... - remains to be seen.

- but of course... every advantag- matters, in a game of not only- yards... but inches.- "each of those games, we were - like five plays away, three - plays away from winning,- losing the game and that's like- the games with gulfport,- harrison central, st.

Martin, w- were three or four plays away s- we just want to build off that.- prior to 6-a region 4 play... - hancock actually got off- to a perfect 3-0 start... cappe- - - - off by an epic comeback, agains- gautier... after trailing the - gators 14-nothing, at - halftime.

- in the end... the hawks won tha- non-district game, 28-14... but- it felt like they won it all...- following their emotional - tribute, to the late emily- kathryn goss... former hancock- cheer captain... on teal out- night.- "oh, we felt like we were the - best team on the coast, but - things happen, a couple guys- go down with injuries, plays- don't go our way."- "we just felt like at that time- we were the best team on the- coast.

And i do feel- like that did really hurt us ba- because we got way high, and- then we just hit like rock- bottom.

We had a two-month- losing streak so like on that,- we'll just have to stay - - - - even keel."

- what followed was a seven-game- losing streak, for the second - year in a row... before finally- - - - closing out the 20-19 season, - with a much needed win... at- west harrison.- perhaps the first step, in- changing the flight path... - back to the winning ways of the- program's first round - playoff victory, over brandon..- as recently as 20-17.

- "we've been a part of these las- three years, that big playoff - run that we had and the - last two years were kind of dow- years and we want to get back t- that playoff- form in our last year, make the- most of it.

Maybe get some- colleges looking at - some of our seniors, too."- - - - "this senior bunch, they were - fortunate.

Some of them were- moved up and were - able to go on that playoff run- with us back in '17.

They were- freshmen that year, - and so some of them know and- have experienced what it's like- to kind of take that- - - - journey.

And then the big thing- i've told them, moving forward- you've got to play- every game as if it's senior- night.

You may not get next - week, and they've kind of - taken that to heart."

- as it turns out... the- program's 26 seniors have been- wearing - their hearts on their sleeves,- this entire off-season -- - literally -- as a part of - hancock's new motto... commit - to the "h"... the "h" not onl standing for hancock... but - also heart.

- "the 'h' on the back of our - shirts on friday's on school- days, it stands for heart.

And- so that 'h' represents a lot, - not just hancock, but the heart- that it takes to play for - hancock."

- "everybody is on the same team- so we all share the same time,- the same 'h' on our - jerseys, so we've all got to pu- in the same effort."- "man, it's our time and we're - coming.

So they're going to fee- the 'h' this year, man.

- they're going to feel the 'h'."- as a result of covid-19...- hancock lost an august 21st roa- game, at pearl river central...- - - - as well as home games against - meridian, on august 28th... and- lanier, on september 18th.- the hawks open up the 20-20 - season, on september