Hickman’s high school football is enjoying success under its first-year head coach

Hickman high school football is entering a new era under first-year head coach Justin Conyers.

The Kewpies failed to secure a win in the 2023 season. However, with Conyers at the helm of the program in 2024, Hickman has reached several new milestones of success.

Most recently, this has included stringing together three wins in a row – a feat the Kewpies have not achieved in over a decade. As a Hickman graduate, Conyers said he is proud to be a Kewpie.

“We’re the only Kewpie in the country,” Conyers said. “I don’t know there’s more pride than being a Hickman Kewpie.”

After graduating in 1999, Conyers coached at several high schools around mid-Missouri before returning home to Hickman.

“It was great,” Conyers said. “It was really surreal for me and my family.”

As head coach, Conyers has helped usher in a wave of firsts for the Kewpies’ 2024 senior class.

“She [the seniors] won their first ever home game. “They won back-to-back games for the first time,” Conyers said. “Then they had to beat Jeff City on senior night and win the first senior game.”

Upperclassmen, including wide receiver Carter Holliday, said this season was full of great accomplishments.

“It’s great for us seniors to be able to have a positive season for the first time in who knows how long,” Holliday said.

According to Holliday, the Kewpies are starting to find their footing under Conyers.

“It’s a lot different than the last few years,” Holliday said. “We strive and move with something behind us.”

Both Holliday and Conyers said they feel the support of the Kewpie community behind the team.

“The community is proud to be a Kewpie again,” Conyers said. “All the naysayers make fun of you because you’re a Kewpie, but that’s something we’ve embraced.”