Friday nights in Columbus, Mississippi, don't just happen. They're built. If you’ve spent any time around the Lowndes County area lately, you know that the new hope football schedule is basically the heartbeat of the community. It’s not just about a list of dates on a fridge magnet. It’s the ritual of the Trojan walk, the smell of charcoal near the stadium, and that specific, electric anxiety that sets in right before kickoff.
People think they know what to expect from New Hope. They see a 5A school and assume they’ve got the script figured out. Honestly? They’re usually wrong. This team plays a brand of football that's kinda hard to pin down if you're only looking at MaxPreps for two minutes.
Coach Allen Glenn has been steering this ship for two seasons now. He's an O-line guy at heart, which tells you everything you need to know about how this team wants to play. They want to beat you up front. They want to make the fourth quarter feel like a long, slow climb uphill for the other guys.
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The Grind of the 2025 Campaign
The most recent season was a wild ride. New Hope finished with a 7-4 record, which is solid, but the story is in the schedule itself. They didn't take the easy path.
Take the opener against Corinth. Traveling up there isn't exactly a vacation. New Hope came away with a 41-33 win that set the tone for the whole year. It was messy, sure, but it showed they could trade blows in a high-scoring fight.
Then you look at the middle of the year. They went on a tear.
- Houston: 63-18 (Complete blowout).
- Saltillo: 62-28 (The offense was basically clicking on every cylinder).
- Lafayette: 42-27 (A huge region win).
- Columbus: 42-13 (Rivalry wins just hit different).
- Pontotoc: 20-0 (A gritty, defensive shutout).
By the time late October rolled around, people were starting to talk about a deep playoff run. But that’s the thing about the new hope football schedule—it saves the hardest tests for the very end.
That West Point Wall
If you want to talk about Mississippi high school football, you have to talk about West Point. Period. They are the measuring stick. On October 31st, the Trojans ran into that Green Wave wall. It was a 38-7 loss that stung. It wasn't that New Hope played "bad" football, it was just a reminder of the gap between being a good 5A team and being an elite, championship-level program.
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They bounced back against Caledonia with a 55-22 win, showing they hadn't lost their edge. But the season ended in the first round of the playoffs against Holmes County Central. A 36-28 loss. It was close. It was winnable. And it’s the kind of game that keeps players in the weight room all February.
What to Look for in 2026
We're currently in that weird transition phase where the 2025 season is a memory and the 2026 new hope football schedule is taking shape. The MHSAA reclassification cycles are always a factor. For the 2025-2027 period, New Hope is firmly planted in Class 5A, Region 1.
Why does that matter? Because the neighborhood is tough. You’ve got West Point, Lafayette, Pontotoc, and Columbus all fighting for those four playoff spots. There are no "off" weeks.
Key Matchups That Define the Season
- The Lowndes County Championship: Playing Columbus High is more than a game. It’s about bragging rights at the grocery store for the next 364 days.
- The West Point Test: Until someone in the region proves they can consistently play with the Green Wave, this is the game every scout watches.
- The Caledonia Rivalry: It’s a bit of a "little brother" vibe sometimes, but Caledonia is tough and disciplined. It’s a trap game if I’ve ever seen one.
The Player Impact
You can’t talk about the schedule without talking about who is actually playing the minutes. Micah Butler, a standout defensive lineman, really raised his stock recently. He even got the nod for the Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star Game.
When you have a dominant force on the line like that, it changes how Coach Glenn can call the game. It allows the linebackers to play more freely. It makes the opposing quarterback get rid of the ball faster than he wants to.
Coach Glenn actually served as an assistant in that All-Star game, too. He got to go back to his roots coaching the offensive line. That’s a good sign for New Hope fans. A head coach who stays "in the dirt" and focuses on the fundamentals of the trenches usually wins more games than he loses.
Navigating the Offseason
So, what should you be doing if you're a fan or a parent?
First, keep an eye on the official MHSAA releases. The exact dates for the 2026 season usually solidify in late winter or early spring. Most teams try to keep their non-region opponents consistent, but you might see a new face in the first two weeks of the season.
Second, get to the spring game. It’s the first real look at who is filling the gaps left by graduating seniors. High school football is a cycle. You lose a star linebacker, and suddenly a sophomore you’ve never heard of is making ten tackles a game.
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Third, support the boosters. The new hope football schedule is expensive to run. Buses, gear, lights, security—it adds up.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're planning to follow the Trojans this coming year, here’s how to do it right:
- Check MaxPreps Regularly: It’s the gold standard for schedule updates and stat tracking.
- Follow The Dispatch: Local sports journalism in Columbus is actually really good. They get the quotes and the context you won't find on a national score site.
- Plan for Travel: Region 1 travel isn't too brutal, but those trips to Pontotoc or Lafayette require a bit of a drive. Leave early.
- Watch the Reclassification: Every two years, the MHSAA shakes the bag. New Hope is set for now, but always keep an eye on how the "power" schools are shifting around the state.
The 2025 season showed that New Hope is a top-tier 5A program. They went 4-1 in the district for a reason. They're physical, they're well-coached, and they don't quit. The next step is figuring out how to bridge that gap between "7-4 and a playoff exit" and "10-2 with a trophy."
It starts with the first game on the schedule. It ends with who is still standing in December. For New Hope, the journey is just getting interesting again.
Stay tuned to the local athletic department's social media feeds for the official 2026 calendar drop. Usually, you’ll see the full list of Friday nights by March or April. Until then, the work happens in the weight room while the rest of us wait for the humidity to return and the lights to turn back on.