<body><div>COLUMBIA, Miss. (WDAM) - The 2025 season was one Columbia High School will never forget.The Wildcats went a perfect 15-0 and captured the third state championship in program history.This year is the sequel to that magical run, but with just five starters returning, it features a very different cast. For the players and coaches who are back, the focus is on moving forward rather than trying to recreate last season.“Everybody just got to keep going and look straight ahead,” senior defensive lineman Achilles Pittman said. “The past is the past; we won state, but we’re not building on that no more. We got to keep going; that’s the mindset this year.”That mindset is instilled by last year’s WDAM 7 Coach of the Year, head coach Chip Bilderback. “We’ve had a lot of turnover, lost a lot of great players and coaches,” Bilderback said. “Last year is in the past; it’s a whole new season.”With so many larger roles to fill, Columbia spent the offseason getting this group up to speed.“We had to start from ground zero, so basically all summer we did football stuff all the time to figure out what we were,” Bilderback said. “We tried to get people on the right seat on the bus. We think we’ve done that, but now when the pads come on we’ll really figure out if we do or not.” Columbia has become known for its physical, ground-and-pound attack under Bilderback, and three of the team’s five returning starters are on the offensive line.“We do want to impose our will; we want to run the ball,” Bilderback said. “We think that’s what wins in November to be able to run the ball and stop the run. So we’re always gonna start with the base.”The Wildcats may look different in 2026, but their expectations aren’t. Columbia’s goal is to practice on Thanksgiving with an opportunity to compete for another state championship.“We ain’t worrying about the past right now,” senior left tackle Derick James said. “We gonna keep going and go 1-0 every week.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3XlYrK_1E9nDF5z00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3XlYrK_1E9nDF5z00" width="1300" height="241" ><figcaption>WDAM 7 On Your Side composer template image (WDAM7)</figcaption></figure>Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.</div></body>

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COLUMBIA, Miss. (WDAM) - The 2025 season was one Columbia High School will never forget. The Wildcats went a perfect 15-0 and captured the third state championship in program history. This year is the sequel to that magical run, but with just five starters returning, it features a very different...

Pine Belt Blitz: Columbia High School

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COLUMBIA, Miss. (WDAM) - The 2025 season was one Columbia High School will never forget. The Wildcats went a perfect 15-0 and captured the third state cham

Pine Belt Blitz: Columbia High School

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