HAMILTON — The numbers tell one story.
At 6-1, the Hamilton High School football team is one win away from its most victories in a season since it won seven games in 2005.
At 1-0 in Class 2A, Region 2, the Lions are one step closer to getting back to the postseason.
But even though Hamilton has a win against Class 4A Houston and nearly defeated Class 2A Kossuth, some wonder if the Lions are for real.
Hamilton hopes to prove those numbers are valid at 7 p.m. Friday when it plays host to Eupora in a key region matchup.
“If we beat them, there are going to be a lot of people in the stands from now on,” senior running back/defensive end Cedric Bell said.
Said senior running back/linebacker Cojuante McMillian, “A lot of people are going to jump on the train. Now, people aren’t trying to drink our cup of Kool-Aid. But if we beat Eupora they will be drinking. We have something to prove Friday night.”
Before the season, Hamilton coach Ray Weeks said Eupora was the favorite in the region. Little has happened in six weeks to change Weeks’ mind. Eupora has lost to French Camp and Calhoun City, but it opened region play last week with a 52-0 victory against J.Z. George. It has a stout running game and a stingy defense Weeks knows will be a challenge, but he feels his players are up to the task.
The players agree. They admit some of people in the town and some who have watched them play this season doubt if they’re for real.
Don’t worry, though, because they said Hamilton intends to let its actions do the talking Friday night.
“I think we have some potential,” Weeks said. “I think some kids who we were counting on to fill in have grown up a lot and have been some through some battles, especially against Kossuth and against Houston. If they continue to grow with the experience that we have, and if we can stay healthy, I think we have a chance to be pretty good.”
Bell said he has been looking to the game against Eupora as a measuring stick. He said the Lions have used games against Kossuth and Houston as tests to prove it is capable of having a memorable season.
“I think we’re pretty good, but we haven’t been tested in our division yet,” senior lineman Kyle Dahlem said. “We have been tested against Kossuth and Houston, and we gave both of them a pretty good fight.”
Recent history isn’t in Hamilton’s favor. Eupora has won the past five meetings dating back to 1994. The closest margin in that span is 21 points (42-21 in 2010).
But none of that matters to the 2011 Hamilton Lions, who are focused on writing a new chapter for a program that wants to build to the level of the school’s baseball program. Hamilton also won seven games in 2002 and went 9-2 in 2000 but lost in the first round of the Class A playoffs to Noxapater.
Weeks said before last week’s victory the Lions haven’t played their best football. He said the team has made mental errors that prevented it from playing a complete game. He said turnovers and costly penalties, or things the team can control, will come back to haunt it against region contenders like Eupora and Ackerman.
“If we can improve and get a little bit better in special teams, I think we have a legitimate chance of being one of the best teams they have had in probably the last 15 years,” Weeks said.
Dahlem said more people have bought into Weeks’ offense, which has made things a lot easier. It also helps that the Lions have senior leaders at skill positions like McMillian, quarterback Zarrat Sims, and wide receiver/quarterback Austin Welch. Those seniors want to make sure they leave their mark in their final season and set the program up for even bigger things in the future.
“We know they’re going to come in ready to play,” McMillian said. “They’re going to be ready, and we’re going to be ready.”
Said Dahlem, “I could care less about the fans, but it proves to other teams we’re here and we’re a team to be reckoned with.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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