News 25’s 25 Teams in 25 Days: Vancleave Bulldogs

VANCLEAVE, Miss. (WXXV) — The Vancleave football program is coming off a fourth place finish in Region 4-5A, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of 2022.

“Nobody expected us to do that but the people here, so we came out, just battled everyday, came out here, got better, great feeling to come out and do something like that,” said Vancleave senior defensive back/wide receiver Aiden Hood.

“It was special because we came out here everyday and worked hard so we could go on a run like we did last year,” said Vancleave senior left tackle/defensive end Joey Waltman. It felt good to go that far.”

“Yeah, that’s the best season since 2010, congratulations,” said Vancleave head football coach Kevin Fant. “You freshmen don’t even know anything about that yet, so this is a whole new team. I told the seniors this is their team, so that moment’s gone, so be proud of it. It’s a year to remember, but what have you done for us lately? And that’s what Vancleave fans want to see. They want to see this year.”

If this year is anything like last year, those Vancleave fans should have plenty to cheer about. The Bulldogs went 8-4 overall, the most wins since 2010 and the program’s first winning season since 2013. VHS grabbed the 4-seed with a district mark of 4-3, setting the stage for Vancleave’s first playoff win since 2015, a 41-35 road upset against 1-seed Hattiesburg.

“That’s why you play on Friday night,” said Fant.”

“Felt like we would score and then they would come right back and score, and we just kind of went on and on, and then it came down to the last possession of the game, and we four and outed them and then we got the ball and it was over,” said Vancleave senior quarterback Hunter Parker.

“It was surreal for sure because every sport team that I’ve ever played for hasn’t really made it that far, and to win the first round of the playoffs against a very physical team out of Hattiesburg, it really put a feeling in us that we could do it again this year,” said Waltman.

One week later, the Bulldogs fell in the second round by three touchdowns to district Rival Gautier, 42-21.

“Kind of like Coach Dan Henning said, popularity is somewhere between Palm Sunday and Good Friday, so one moment you might be praised, and the other moment you might be on the cross, so live the moment as it comes to you,” said Fant.

One guy the Bulldogs certainly never took for granted, former News 25 Student-Athlete of the Week John Peterson, who led the state in rushing by a mile with 2,616 yards and 34 touchdowns, before going on to sign with Mississippi College.

“I mean we did lose a big key part of our offense last year, our running back, led the state in rushing yards and touchdowns,” said Parker.

“He was relentless because he would just never – no matter how tired he was, he would just keep going,” said Hood.

“Weak people make decisions on how they feel, and tough disciplined people do things regardless of how they feel, and that just summed up John and how our team was last year, and that’s what we’re trying to preach to these guys this year, somebody has got to step up and be the leader,” said Fant.

Fant, now in his fifth season as head coach of the Bulldogs, says it’s a running back by committee situation to start the season, but some senior weapons that do return are Parker, as well as wide receivers Asher Henley and Layton Eder.

“Hunter is going to have more on his plate this year,” said Fant. “As you get older you end up having more on your plate, just like John last year.”

“I’m honestly excited about spreading the ball out a little bit, getting to throw and run. It’s kind of fun,” said Parker.

Parker also says the defense got the best of his offense in a recent scrimmage, led by Hood, one of the team’s five Dog Soldiers.

“I’m just ready to play, hit somebody that’s not from Vancleave,” said Hood.

“He’s not a man of many words, but he works his tail off, and that’s what counts out here,” said Fant. “You can run that mouth all day long, but until you put these pads on and do the physical stuff, that’s when people follow you.”

Overall, the Bulldogs bring back 15 seniors and more than half their starters to go along with a massive freshmen class that just won last year’s eighth grade championship.

“Well, the young guys, we went back to being Jerry Reed, long way to go and a short time to get there,” said Fant.

But Vancleave is on the hunt for a different kind of title in 2023.

“Definitely can do it again, that’s how I’m feeling,” said Hood.

“I’m searching for something,” said Waltman. “We’re definitely not satisfied. We want to go all the way this year. We want to have a season that everybody remembers in Vancleave for a long time.”

“We’re just trying to make it farther than last year, trying to win a state championship,” said Parker. “That’s all there is to it. But we’re going to come here day in and day out and grind, and we’re going to focus on one game at a time, and wherever that takes us, that’s where it takes us.”

“Kind of like an old school dog fight, do they want to battle you again?,” said Fant. “Did you get the respect that you deserve from them, whether it’s a win or a loss? We want to go into every game like an old school dog fight. We want the ‘W’ but at the end of the day, did we gain somebody’s respect?”

Vancleave opens up its 2023 campaign at home against St. Martin on August 25.