BUNKIE, La. (KALB) - The first three years of Jimmie Hillman’s tenure at Bunkie have seen nothing but success.
“I think the program’s in a great spot,” Hillman said. “My vision when I got here, and some of the things that we want to accomplish from a program standpoint, have come through. It’s now on the next group of guys to come through and continue to produce on the field.”
The next group for the Panthers will look to build off one of the most successful senior classes in school history, one that included a semifinal run in 2024.
“We’re just the same team,” Bunkie senior Mitchell Couvillion said. “Bunkie High is Bunkie High. It’s not depending around a couple players; it’s us.”
On offense, Austin Fitzgerald returns at quarterback after starting at the end of 2025. His skill position players are mostly new starters, including junior wide receiver Jeffery Rushing.
“Definitely my turn to step up,” Rushing said. “I’ve seen so much that Kyle (Johnson) did. He showed me a lot since he’s been here. I’m taking that step forward. This year, I’m definitely trying to show who I am.”
Bunkie will have plenty of returners on both sides of the offensive and defensive line.
“The return of those offensive linemen, those defensive linemen, the guys that do all the dirty work,” Hillman said. “It’s going to really give time for those young skill guys, those young guys on the back end, to kind of learn and get some reps under them.”
The Panthers will play their most challenging schedule to date, featuring plenty of state championship contenders, including Calvary Baptist, Ouachita Christian, Jena and Kinder.
“The last couple of years, we’ve won nine games, and everybody knows our schedule wasn’t the toughest,” Bunkie senior offensive lineman Graham Newton said. “When we got to that second round of the playoffs, two years, we kind of felt like we weren’t tested. So being able to have a schedule like we have in front of us, it’s going to be good to give us a test.”
Bunkie kicks off the season away against Eunice on September 4 at 7 p.m.
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