After starting the season on a four-game losing streak, Kosciusko (1-4) broke into the win column with a 5-0 win against Choctaw Central on Nov. 16.
While the Whippets have taken some early season lumps, the drop off isn’t unexpected as coach Greg Cooper has had to replace a significant number of production due to graduation.
“We’re a pretty solid team – we’re young,” Cooper said. “We graduated 13 last year. I don’t want to say we’re rebuilding, we’re young. We’ve played some pretty good teams – a good South Jones team that beat us in Hattiesburg. A good Starkville team, a 6A team, and they beat us. And we bounced back with a win against Choctaw Central.”
Cooper said he’s reconfigured the roster and has seen some positives in matches such as the ones his team played in the Sumrall Classic earlier this month.
“Playing high caliber teams to try and help the kids so that we can be ready for our district,” Cooper said.
Kosciusko hosts Pearl on Nov. 30 and Region 3-4A play begins on Dec. 7 when Kosciusko hosts New Hope
GIRLS
Mass departures didn’t just afflict the boys’ team. The Kosciusko Lady Whippets are also replacing much of last year’s production and at 0-4-1, are still seeking their first win of the young season.
While the wins have yet to come, reasons for optimism abound, as Kosciusko tied Hattiesburg 2-2 during a tournament at Laurel High School this month, and dropped a hard-fought 1-0 contest against Richland.
The Lady Whippets lost a 10-0 match to Starkville in tournament play and fell 3-0 to Choctaw Central on Nov. 16,
“I don’t want to give excuses, but we’ve been stuck indoors with all that rain we had that one week,” said Cooper, who coaches both teams. “We were stuck indoors, and we just didn’t get to work on getting balls cleared out, and (Starkville) made us pay for that.”
Kosciusko hosts Pearl on Nov. 30 and opens Region 3-4A play against New Hope on Dec. 7.
“We’ve been doing well,” Cooper said. “We’ve also had to fill vacancies that have come. We ended up with 11-player turnover from last year’s team, some due to not coming back, and then graduation, of course. So they’re trying to get to understand their positions and grow up, too. Again, we’re a pretty young team. They’re knowledgeable, but they’re still ninth- and 10th-graders. They’re finding their way. Each game I see improvement, and each game I see them getting better. We are right there on the cusp of putting it all together and being a competitive team in our district.”
