Burleson 2019 Football Preview

2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

ELKS HAVE A POINT TO PROVE THIS YEAR Season Outlook

Burleson senior running back Caleb Lewis (9) and junior running back Jarrett Austin (2) provide the Elks’ offense with a strong one-two punch. Last season, Lewis ran for 693 yards and 10 scores.

By RICKY MOORE sports@burlesonstar.net

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fter missing the playoffs last season, Burleson football coach Gary McElroy has heard rumblings from his players about making sure that doesn’t happen this season.

“From what I heard them talk about, they feel that they have an ax to grind and point to prove this time around,” McElroy said.

With seven starters back on defense and six returning on offense, the Elks have a good shot at getting back to the playoffs and erasing memories of last season.

A year ago, the Elks got off to a 5-0 start and proceeded to lose four in a row before bouncing back to defeat Cleburne. Burleson finished with a record of 6-4 and 4-4 in District 5-5A Division II play.

Thanks to a nine-team district, Burleson’s week off came with one game left in the season.

With that in mind, McElroy and his staff brainstormed in the off-season on ways to keep their squad fresh during nine consecutive games.

“We kind of ran out of gas,” McElroy said. “So we have looked at things regarding how we are

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using personnel on offense, defense, and special teams. As coaches have to be more mindful of doing things that will help keep our players fresh later in the season.”

McElroy said he thinks the pieces are in place to make the playoffs. This season, Burleson will have six to eight extra players on the roster to help add depth for the season.

How the season turns out will depend on what happens in the Elks final five games of the season. During that stretch, Burleson faces Centennial, Aledo, Everman, Midlothian, and Cleburne.

“Those last five games are going to be tough,” McElroy said.

With athletic senior Blake Myers taking over at quarterback and running backs Caleb Lewis, a senior, and junior Jarrett Austin, back, McElroy is excited about what the offense could do this season.

“Offensively, I think we can get back to where we were a couple of years back,” McElroy said.

“I think we are going to see some glimpses and similarities to the 2015 season.”

Myers, who saw limited playing time last season, will run the offense. Last season, he carried 22 times for 137 yards and completed six

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2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

ELKS HAVE A POINT TO PROVE THIS YEAR Season Outlook

of 12 passes for 36 yards. Junior Chris Cook will back up Myers.

Lewis and Austin form a strong one-two punch for the Elks at running back.

In the spring, Lewis (118 carries, 693 yards, 10 TDs) saw work at running back, slot receiver and quarterback. “We are going to use Caleb in a variety of roles to get him the ball as many times as possible,” McElroy said.

Having a strong player like Austin (85-573, 11 TDs, 13 receptions, 132 yards, 3 TDs) returning at running back adds to the offensive depth by allowing the coaches to move Lewis to slot receiver, McElroy said.

Sophomore Quinlan Ivory, who had a good spring, will also see playing time at running back.

Even though there isn’t much experience at receiver, McElroy said he isn’t worried about the position.

“The receivers are going to be okay,” McElroy said. “With what we are doing and the way they worked in the spring I’m not worried about them.”

Senior Jaxson Winburn is the lone receiver

Junior running back Austin Jarrett rushed for 573 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

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who registered catches last season. Winburn hauled in five passes for 53 yards. Starting with Winburn at outside receiver will be junior Aswan Bonner. Playing at slot receiver will be sophomore Luke Peterson and junior Chase Walker.

McElroy is counting on his tight ends, senior Ryan Baker and junior Quenton Husband, to make an impact this season in the passing game.

The offensive line should be solid with junior Chandler Poggensee at center, senior Austin Stavely at left guard, junior Jared Negrete at right guard, junior Dustin McLane at left tackle and junior Harlan Perkins at right tackle.

Myers returns at punter and two-year starter Edgar Zaragoza will handle the placekicking duties.

Defensively, with most of the front seven returning the Elks should be solid.

“We are going to be fine on defense,” McElroy said. “We have quite a bit of athleticism and size on defense.”

The Elks front three has a lot of experience.

Sophomore Evan Baltazar returns at nose guard Senior Klaus Schoenborn is back at defensive end along junior Lukas Williams. Also factoring in on the front line will be junior nose guard Ryan Patino and sophomore end Andrew Freese.

Last season, Burleson’s linebacking corps was an area of concern. That won’t be the case this season with three players returning in; senior inside linebackers Carson Hallack and Elian Limones, and senior outside linebacker Skylar Webb. Senior Vernon Bullock will start at the other outside linebacker slot.

McElroy said that it will be hard to keep junior inside linebacker Adyn Schwarzer off the field.

Schwarzer will probably be in a rotation with Limones at the position. Junior Chris Savage could also see playing time at outside linebacker.

Burleson returns just one starter in the secondary in senior free safety Jackson Shaha. The rest of the unit is untested with either junior Chris Pritchett or sophomore Drue Saenz starting at strong safety and senior Sean Joseph and sophomore Tre Allison penciled in at cornerback.

McElroy said the defense might be more aggressive under new coordinator Travis Hughes.

Staying focused will be important for the Elks this season, McElroy said.

‘Last year I think the players got kind of lulled to sleep a little bit playing three or four teams early that were not that good,” McElroy said. “We aren’t going to take anyone lightly this time around.

We have to play our butts off every week.”

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2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

BURLESON STATS & FACTS 2019 DATA

Stadium: Burleson ISD Stadium (Artificial, 7,500) Coach: Gary McElroy (8th year at school) Offensive Coordinator: Brad Eblen (7th year) Defensive Coordinator: Travis Hughes (1st year) Offensive Scheme: Spread Defensive Scheme: 3-4 Returning Starters: 6 offense; 7 defense Last Playoff Appearance: 2017 2018 Record: 6-4 (4-4 in District 5-5A Divison II) 2018 RETURNING TEAM LEADERS Rushing Player Att. Yds. Avg. TD. Caleb Lewis 118 693 5.9 10 Austin Jarrett 85 573 6.7 11 Blake Myers 22 137 6.2 0 Passing Player Blake Myers Receiving Player Austin Jarrett Jaxon Winburn Caleb Lewis

Cmp./Att./Int. 6-12-0

Yds. TD. 36 0

No. Yds. 13 132 5 53 4 26

Avg. TD. 10.2 3 10.6 0 6.5 0

2018 RESULTS Opponent Result Kansas City Schlagle W, 52-0 at Denton Braswell W, 44-22 at Waco University * W, 51-6 Joshua * W, 24-0 at Arlington Seguin * W, 44-0 Centennial * L, 21-7 at Aledo * L, 46-6 Everman * L, 40-35 at Midlothian * L, 34-23 Cleburne * W, 53-20 * - District 5-5A Division II game

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2019 SCHEDULES

VARSITY Date Opponent Aug. 30 at Copperas Cove Sept. 6 Denton Braswell September 13 Waco University * September 20 at Joshua * September 27 Arlington Seguin * October 4 at Centennial * October 11 Aledo * October 18 at Everman * October 25 Midlothian * November 8 at Cleburne * All Games at 7:30 p.m. * Denotes - District 5-5A Division II game JUNIOR VARSITY Date Opponent Aug. 28 at Copperas Cove Sept. 5 at Denton Braswell September 12 at Waco University * September 19 Joshua * September 26 at Arlington Seguin * October 2 Centennial * October 10 at Aledo * October 17 Everman * October 24 at Midlothian * November 7 Cleburne * All Games at 6 p.m. * Denotes - District 5-5A Division II game FRESHMEN Date Opponent Aug. 29 Copperas Cove Sept. 5 Denton Braswell September 12 Waco University * September 19 at Joshua * September 26 Arlington Seguin * October 3 at Centennial * October 10 Aledo * October 17 at Everman * October 24 Midlothian * November 7 at Cleburne * All Freshman A games at 7 p.m.

All Freshman B games at 5 p.m. * Denotes - District 5-5A Division II game

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2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

LOOKING FOR BIGGER THINGS THIS YEAR Season Outlook

Senior slot back Jaylon Jackson left defenders in his wake all last season. Jackson, rushed for 804 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

By RICKY MOORE sports@burlesonstar.net

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oming off the best football season in the school’s history, Centennial heads into the 2019 campaign with high expectations.

In 2018, the Spartans finished with an 11-2 record. Their lone District 5-5A Division II loss came to eventual state champion Aledo and they were eliminated from the playoffs by regional finalist Frisco Reedy.

“We have a chance to be pretty good if I don’t screw it up for them,” Centennial coach Kyle Geller said. “I’m half-joking about that. We just have to continue to do what we do. I’m looking for us to build off the things we did last season.”

The Spartans return six starters on offense and add to that mix a handful of players who saw extended playing time last season.

But it is not all about how talented the players are according to Geller. Other things like attitude matter.

“I’ve had some teams that were more talented than this one,” Geller said. “But they never did great things because the players were all about themselves. These guys care about each other and

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that’s why I’m excited about the season.”

Junior Hank Meyer takes over at quarterback after playing a lot last season. Meyer made a start against Waco University and played late in numerous games.

Meyer (116 yards passing, 2 TDs, 185 yards rushing, 5 TDs) was a silver medalist at the state wrestling meet and also ran on Spartans’ 1,600-meter relay team that qualified for regionals.

“He’s a coach’s son and a great athlete,” Geller said. “I feel good about putting him in.”

Backing up Meyer, who will also handle the punting duties, will be freshman Phillip Hamilton and if need be senior slot back Jaylon Jackson can play quarterback.

The Spartans’ running game could be dangerous with senior fullback Jeff Kervin (144 attempts, 997 yards rushing, 15 TDs) back along with seniors Jackson (76-804-11) and Chris Mosley (79-887-10, 5 catches, 237 yards, 3 TDs) returning at slot back.

“I love coaching those guys,” Geller said. “Their talent along with their attitudes is what makes them so special.”

Backing up Kervin will be senior Zionn Ababio (44-331-2). Also seeing time at slot back will be junior Kendall Earheart (2-6-1) and Deronite

2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

LOOKING FOR BIGGER THINGS THIS YEAR Season Outlook

Campbell and sophomores David Clerk and Connor Cunningham.

Senior Monte Johnson (11 receptions, 99 yards), who played at receiver and tight end last season, will start at receiver this season.

The other receiver spot is up for grabs among senior Luke Grimes (1-11, TD), who can also play tight end, and juniors Ethan Baker and Malyk Whitted.

“We have some new tweaks that we are going to use to spread the ball around a little more,” Geller said. “We will do some stuff from the spread this year. We did some of that last season.”

The offensive line is solid with two starters back in senior left guard Daniel Davis and senior right guard Tyler Meksavanh. Two other linemen, senior right tackle Vincent Clark, and senior left tackle Griffith Peatrowsky, saw extended playing time last season. Vying for playing time at senior will be senior Jacob Dodgen and junior Brody Nors.

The wildcard on the line could by junior Hunter Sells who is still recovering from a torn labrum suffered during wrestling season.

Juniors Jayce Fleming and Aaron Siddall will be the backups at guard. The reserves at tackle are junior Loggan Birch and sophomore Cayden Jones.

Senior fullback Jeff Kervin ran for a teamhigh 997 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

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Taking over at kicker is sophomore Josh Garcia.

The keys for the offense will be same as they are every season, don’t turn over the ball and limit penalties.

“In our two losses last season we turned the ball over nine times,” Geller said. “You can’t do that against anyone.”

Like the offense, the Spartans’ defense returns a lot of players who saw playing time but weren’t true starters. Centennial has four players back that Geller’s pegged as starters from last season.

The defense was good last season limiting opponents to single-digit scoring in three consecutive district games then shutting out their next three district opponents.

Geller gave all the credit to defensive coordinator Blake Meyer and his staff.

“They do a great job of getting people in the proper position and getting their best 11 players out on the field,” Geller said. “I don’t mess with them. I have that kind of faith in them. I’d be dumb to try and go in there and tell them what to do because they know better than I do.”

The defensive line is led by senior end Chris Hilliard, a returning starter. Also seeing playing time at end will be juniors Justin Alvarado and Gabriel Tatum, who rotated at the position last season. Returning at defensive tackle is senior Erick Johnson along with senior Cole Montgomery and junior Darryn Kindles, who saw playing time last season.

The linebacking corps will be paced by a pair of returning starters in; senior outside linebacker Chase Phillips and senior inside linebacker Connor Hostetler. Junior Mark Givens will also play at outside linebacker and junior Blake DeGough will see time at inside linebacker.

Geller said he is excited to see what sophomore Connor Cunningham can do at either the inside or outside linebacker position.

The Spartans secondary should be good with Earheart, Campbell, Kervin, and Mosley in the mix at cornerback. Senior Maitroyn Easley and junior Joseph Sessions have the safety spots locked down.

“The defense has a lot of talent and can be good,” Geller said. “It’s just a question of whether they can stay healthy.”

The key to the Spartans season according to Geller is taking care of the little things.

“It all comes back to the same things,” Geller said. “We are going to have to work hard for every win. Things on Friday night will take care of itself if you do things right during practice earlier in the week. If not you aren’t going to win many games.”

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2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

CENTENNIAL STATS & FACTS 2019 DATA

Stadium: Burleson ISD Stadium (Artificial, 7,500) Coach: Kyle Geller (9th year at school) Offensive Coordinator: Eddie Grimes (5th year) Co-Defensive Coordinators: Blake Meyer (9th year) and Bill Hughes (7th year) Offensive Scheme: Navy Triple Option Defensive Scheme: 4-3 Returning Starters: 6 offense; 4 defense Last Playoff Appearance: 2018 2018 Record: 11-2 (7-2 in District 5-5A Division II) 2018 RETURNING TEAM LEADERS Rushing Player Att. Yds. Avg. TD. Jeff Kirven 144 997 6.9 15 Chris Mosley 79 887 11.2 10 Jaylon Jackson 76 804 10.6 11 Passing Player Hank Meyer Receiving Player Chris Mosley Jaylon Jackson Monte Johnson

Cmp./Att./Int. 11-17-2 No. Yds. 5 237 6 72 11 90

Yds. 116

TD. 2

Avg. TD. 47.4 3 12.0 1 8.2 0

2018 RESULTS Opponent Result Corsicana W, 28-26 at Denison W, 52-49 at Aledo * L, 63-16 Everman * W, 35-8 at Midlothian * W, 24-7 Burleson * W, 21-7 at Cleburne * W, 45-0 Waco University * W, 42-0 at Joshua * W, 56-0 Arlington Seguin * W, 49-22 Playoffs Dallas Kimball W, 70-12 Corsicana W, 28-02 Frisco Reedy L, 34-7 * - District 5-5A Division II game

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2019 SCHEDULES

VARSITY Date Opponent Aug. 30 Corsicana Sept. 6 at Denison Sept. 13 at Aledo * Sept. 20 Everman * Sept. 27 at Midlothian * Oct. 4 Burleson * Oct. 11 at Cleburne * Oct. 18 Waco University * Oct. 25 at Joshua * Nov. 1 Arlington Seguin * All games at 7:30 p.m. * Denotes - District 5-5A Division II game JUNIOR VARSITY Date Opponent Aug. 29 Corsicana Sept. 5 at Denison Sept. 12 at Aledo * Sept. 19 Everman * Sept. 26 at Midlothian * Oct. 3 Burleson * Oct. 10 at Cleburne * Oct. 17 Waco University * Oct. 24 at Joshua * Oct. 31 Arlington Seguin * All games at 5:30 and 7 p.m * Denotes - District 5-5A Division II game FRESHMEN Date Opponent Aug. 29 at Corsicana Sept. 5 TBA Sept. 12 Aledo * Sept. 29 at Everman * Sept. 26 Midlothian * Oct. 3 at Burleson * Oct. 10 Cleburne * Oct. 17 at Waco University * Oct. 24 Joshua * Oct. 31 at Arlington Seguin * Blue games at 5 p.m.

Black games at 7 p.m. * Denotes - District 5-5A Division II game

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