The Monterey Wildcats 2020 football season was full of cancelled and changed games, a young roster and tough opponents, but it ended with seven wins, a playoff victory and being named Upper Cumberland Reporter and Nelson Trophy and Screen Printing Team of the Year.
The Wildcats, whose roster boasted just four seniors, showed resiliency throughout their successful season.
“It means a lot to us,” said MHS head coach Scott Hughes. “A lot of people had us pegged to not be as good this year, especially after the amount of seniors we lost last year. We didn’t have a lot of experience coming back. Our guys bought into our culture. They’re very prideful young men that gave us a chance to be successful this year.”
After having their first two games of the season cancelled, the Wildcats entered the season by rattling off five straight wins, four by at least 30 points, enroute to a +140 point differential.
They then battled and narrowly lost against 2A squad Bledsoe County which finished the regular season 10-0, holding the Warriors to their narrowest margin of victory during the regular season.
The Wildcats then defeated region rival Clay County in overtime, their final win of a 2020 campaign that placed the Wildcats as the second seed out of Region 4/1A.
Monterey then blew out Sale Creek to earn their first playoff win since 2014, before their season ended in a hard-fought game against South Pittsburgh.
Hughes said his team’s belief in the program’s culture was critical to the Wildcats’ success.
“I think our culture sets the tone,” said Hughes. “When you look at the dynamic we’ve had the last seven years, sometimes we haven’t been the most talented, but our kids have bought in and understand our expectations with that culture. It’s made a huge difference for us.”
The future is bright for the Team of the Year, with starters returning all over the field. Hughes said he is eager to see his squad get to work.
“When we finished our season we talked about the expectations being high,” said Hughes. “The expectations never change. We return a lot of guys who play a lot of football. Our new region is extremely tough, and our non-region schedule is going to be extremely tough. When we start our offseason program, we’ve got to work every day. There cannot be any off days. That’s been our culture.”