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The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears are hungry to get back the top of their district. They haven’t sat in first place at season’s end since sharing a co-champions title with Lumberton in 2021.

Their last outright district championship came in 1994 – three decades ago. Head coach Eric Peevey hopes this year’s team can recapture the magic of that ‘94 squad.

“Our expectations are to win a district championship,” Peevey said. “We know it’s not gonna be easy and we’ve got a target on our back. Our district is tough, but we don’t care if we have to go to work and get dragged to reach our goals.”

The Bears return eight starters on offense. Most of the offensive line is back, which is a huge boon for the chemistry needed to open running lanes and protect the quarterback. 

As for the quarterback whose blind side they’ll be watching, the position remains up for grabs. Junior Braylon Lewis and senior Evan Worster were locked in a QB battle throughout fall camp. Peevey said both players possess similar strengths, thus the decision is a tough one. 

“Evan’s always been a heck of a football player and tough kid, really fearless back there,” Peevey said. “He does well at running the ball and does a little bit of everything. Braylon Lewis is very explosive. He has a lot of speed and he’s really developed into a great thrower. They’ve really pushed each other in this role.”

At receiver, the top two targets should be Keagan Cockerham and Khayden Reed. Cockerham enters his third year as a varsity starter, while Reed was an All-District selection as a sophomore last season.

Rounding out the offense at running back are fellow All-District honoree Jonah Fuller and J’lynn Morris. The pair served as the primary backs last year and should be comfortable in the offense.

On defense, seven Bears are coming back for another season. DeMarco Bandiero and Eddie Winters provide size and experience in the trenches, while Trevor Lloyd and Parker Freeman could be names to watch for as the season progresses.

Linebacker Tucker Floyd serves as the heartbeat of the LC-M defense. Floyd was another of the Bears’ All-District selections last season and tallied an absurd stat line of 115 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and an interception. Now, he steps into the Mike linebacker spot.

“Tucker’s just been an explosive player for us,” Peevey said. “He’s just been a top notch leader from day one, even his freshman year. He makes plays for us all over the field.”

Finally, Jackson Smith enters his third season as a starter at safety. Cornerback Kaden Boatman led the district in turnovers last season and will continue to make a massive impact, while Morris had an impressive camp and will step into the other corner spot early on.

“The one thing you can’t overlook is experience,” Peevey said. This is my first group of seniors that I’ve had from the time they were freshmen. When you have experience it just makes things a lot better.”

The experience means everything to this LC-M roster. 

Peevey said his players know what to expect and in turn, he can ask for more from their performance. He expects the passing game to be elevated this year and said there will be new wrinkles in the rushing attack. On defense, he can deploy a true multiple scheme to keep opponents on their toes.

“We’re already doing way more than we’ve done the last two years because of all those kids coming back,” Peevey said. “It’s been exciting to see our defense move around out there and do the different things we’ve added.”

All things considered, the number of returners means LC-M should be one of the favorites to win their district. They begin their journey with a non-district contest at Hamshire-Fannett, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m.