HEIDELBERG, Mississippi (WDAM) – The Heidelberg Oilers made history last season when they won the school’s first state championship.

They return in 2024 hoping to continue making history.

“Everyone is focused,” said Darryl Carter, Heidelberg’s second-year head coach. “Nobody takes a day off, nobody takes anything for granted.”

“Everyone comes out excited, yelling and screaming,” said Heidelberg senior linebacker Devin Tribble. “Just ready to play.”

The dog days are over in Heidelberg. Carter has breathed new life into the football program.

The Oilers return most of their lineup from last year, including Tribble, who recorded over 140 tackles.

“I’ve learned to read my keys better and take things slow,” Tribble said. “Last year I rushed it a little bit, but still somehow made the tackles. But this year I just feel like I’ve improved my craft.”

“Devin puts everyone in position and he also puts himself in position,” Carter said. “He makes all the decisions for us and stuff like that. He’s a very important part of what we do and I hate that he’s a senior, but he’s doing great things for us.”

Guys like Tribble are highly motivated. After last season’s success, the Oilers are hungrier than ever.

“We’re stepping on the gas even more because we feel like we have to finish something,” said Tribble. “We’ve done something in Heidelberg that no one else has done. Now we just want to finish it all.”

“Coach Carter pushes us. He always tells us, ‘Move quietly, we don’t have to talk.’ We feel like we’re on a mission.”

“We use last year as motivation,” Carter said. “We know it’s in the past, we don’t dwell on it. We know what happened was great, we don’t take it for granted and we know it’s not easy to get there. One of the most important things – just staying consistent and doing everything from scratch. Just getting better every day, competing and holding each other accountable. That’s what we’ve done.”

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