2016 Sports Line-Up Magazine

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AUGUST 2016

TTU quarterback Patrick Mahomes is set to ignite a Red Raider offensive attack that is primed to leave its mark on the Big 12 and the rest of the college football landscape.

See area high school features, rosters & schedules inside.

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“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

-- Henry Ford It’s one of our favorite times of year here at the Reagor Dykes Auto Group (RDAG), the time when optimism seems to be everywhere.

That’s right, the start of a new football season. We’ve spent the past couple of months visiting with college and high school football coaches about what they expect this year.

Guess what? They’re excited. They’re eager to get started. They’ve got hard-working players and great expectations. And, really, who can blame them? In football, the future is always bright.

Our company leaders and employees look at things the same way. We are always optimistic, and we’re excited about the future because you, our customers and business partners, have been so good to us in the past.

In the 13 years we’ve been in business, we’ve seen lots of change, and we know plenty more change is on the horizon.

A few things that haven’t changed, though, are our core principles: We will always strive to be your friend in the car business and the community, and we want to make it easy for you to get any car you want.

Along with our business partners we hope this publication is another sign of our consistency and commitment to the customers we serve. The foundation was laid four years ago when we wanted to create a product in which to highlight the coaches and young people who play such big roles in our communities. The response has been incredible.

The magazine contains season previews of area colleges and high school teams, as well as stunning photos of the players and coaches who will proudly represent our region on the football field.

Football has played a big role in the lives of RDAG owners Bart Reagor and Rick Dykes. Reagor played defensive back at Texas Tech in the mid-1980s and Dykes served as an assistant for several colleges, including Texas Tech, where he coached running backs and became the offensive coordinator under coach Spike Dykes.

They continuously support area high school athletics because of the role it plays in shaping our younger generation.

We hope you enjoy this publication. We also hope you’re proud of it and proud of the players and coaches who help make our one-of-a-kind West Texas football season exciting.

Good luck to all the teams in their march through the 2016 season.

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Inside Texas Tech Red Raiders

PAGES 8-17

Coronado Mustangs

PAGES 20-22

Monterey Plainsmen

PAGES 26-28

Lubbock Westerners

PAGES 32-34

Frenship Tigers

PAGES 38-40

Cooper Pirates

PAGES 44-46

Plainview Bulldogs

PAGES 50-51

Estacado Matadors

PAGES 54-55

Levelland Lobos

PAGES 58-59

Shallowater Mustangs

PAGES 66-67

Lamesa Tornadoes

PAGES 70-71

Idalou Wildcats

PAGES 74-75

New Deal Lions

PAGES 78-79

Abernathy Antelopes

PAGES 82-83

Slaton Tigers

PAGES 86-87

Roosevelt Eagles

PAGES 90-91

Floydada Whirlwinds

PAGES 94-95

LCHS Eagles

PAGES 98-99

Trinity Christian Lions PAGES 102-103 Wayland Baptist

PAGES 106-108

The Team Design Editor Writer/Editor Writer Photos/Designer Designer Designer AUGUST 2016

Joe Landin Doug Hensley Skip Leon Cody Hutchison Erika Lugo Jonathan O’Neill SPORTS LINEUP 5

OFFENSE (2-DEEP) NO PLAYER LEFT TACKLE 65 Baylen Brown LEFT GUARD 58 Madison Akamnonu 74 Cole Collier CENTER 51 Tony Morales 69 Cody Wheeler RIGHT GUARD 73 Justin Murphy 76 Paul Stawarz RIGHT TACKLE 78 Terence Steele 64 Ethan Smith QUARTERBACK 5 Pat Mahomes II 16 Nic Shimonek RUNNING BACK 4 Justin Stockton 27 Demarcus Felton WIDE RECEIVER 88 Ja’Deion High 11 Derrick Willies 13 Cameron Batson 82 Keke Coutee 12 Ian Sadler 9 Jonathan Giles 2 Reginald Davis III 14 Dylan Cantrell

CL SR-3L FR-RS SO-1L SR-1L FR-RS SO-1L SO-1L

8

SPORTS LINEUP

Eric Morris Offensive Coordinator

FR-RS SO-1L JR-2L JR-1L JR-2L SO-1L JR-1L JT-TR JR-2L SO-1L JR-2L SO-1L SR-3L JR-2L

SPECIAL TEAMS NO PLAYER PLACE KICKER 96 Clayton Hatfield 49 Michael Barden PUNTER 49 Michael Barden 96 Clayton Hatfield KICK RETURNER 2 Reginald Davis III 82 KeKe Coutee KICK OFFS 96 Clayton Hatfield 49 Michael Barden DEEP SNAPPER 53 Kyle Heffron 35 Tyler Scalzi PUNT RETURNER 13 Cameron Batson 82 KekeCoutee

Offensive Coaches

Joe Robinson Special Teams

Lee Hays Offensive Line

CL SO-1L SO-1L SO-1L SO-1L SR-3L SO-1L

DeShaun Foster Running Backs

SO-1L SO-1L JR-SQ SR-3L JR-2L SO-1L

Emmett Jones Outside Receivers

AUGUST 2016

TEX AS TECH

Time t

Kingsbury, Red Raiders enter new season with great expectations for talented cast of newcomers

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photos courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics

In his first season at the helm, Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury was a rising star with a surprising record and a bowl victory. The next year, the shine faded a little. Then came last year, and Tech defeated Arkansas and Texas on the road en route to another bowl.

It’s been something of a roller-coaster ride for Red Raider fans as well as the program. As Kingsbury enters his fourth season at the helm, virtually every player is his recruit. Then, Kingsbury moved swiftly Kliff Kingsbury after the regular season ended, parting ways with Head Coach a handful of assistant coaches who had been part of his staff from the start.

Red Raider fans, as they are wont to do this time of year, are wondering what they can expect this season. The coach, in a word, says this: consistency.

“This will be the best team we’ve had since I have been here,” Kingsbury said.

“There are only three guys on the roster that our

staff didn’t bring in. Our culture is in place.

Our players know what to expect. They have been with us for three or four years.

“Now we just have to go out and do it because as far as talent goes, as far as understanding the system and what we’re trying to do, this is by far the best team we’ve had.”

The talent starts with junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, who completed 364 passes of 573 attempts for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns. He was also the team’s second leading rusher with 456 yards and 10 TDs. Those numbers and his ability to deliver big plays at critical moments gives the Raiders one of the premier quarterbacks in the country.

“It’s just huge to have him back,” Kingsburg said. “My first year we played a couple of true freshmen at quarterback. Then we had a true sophomore and then another true freshman. Now, having a junior with a full year of experience makes all the difference.

He did tremendous things last year, and I think he was just scratching the surface of what he is capable of doing. Watching how he works out with teammates, works on his mechanics, studies the game, we’re going to see an entirely different player this season, a much improved player.”

Mahomes’ breakthrough season last year and his subsequent decision to no longer split time between Tech’s football and baseball Continued

to Decide

Left tackle Justin Murphy (73) will be one of the Red Raider offensive linemen charged with giving quarterback Patrick Mahomes opportunities to make decisions and big plays in Texas Tech’s high-octane attack.

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 9

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Continued from page 9 programs (his father spent 11 years in the Major Leagues and played for a half dozen teams) has raised his national profile and caused his name to be mentioned in conversations about major individual awards.

Kingsbury, though, said Mahomes and the Raiders will keep their focus trained on the field, rather than worrying about what might be happening off the field.

“With him, staying focused is easy,” Kingsbury said. “He is a humble young man who plays with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder from the recruiting process and not being recruited. He knows what he is trying to prove to himself, and he won’t get caught up in the hype. He will go out and show how good he is every game because he keeps focused.”

And while Tech will have experience at quarterback, the team has a couple of key vacancies to fill on offense, including running back, where the Raiders no longer have the dependable Deandre Washington, who gained almost 1,500 yards last season.

“He was basically a coach on the field,” Kingsbury said of Washington. “The way he carried himself, the way he trained.

He was a pro playing at the college level. I don’t know if you replace that, but talent-wise, we have some talented young players.”

Junior Justin Stockton and sophomore Demarcus Felton were at the top of the depth chart following spring workouts.

“The consistency Deandre brought every day is hard to replace,” Kingsbury said. “Our guys will have to grow up quick and be leaders for us as well.”

Receiver Jakeem Grant was another key player the Raiders have to replace this season. The diminutive and electrifying Grant accounted for 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving and another 1,000 yards plus in kickoff returns with a pair of touchdowns. Oh, yeah, he also threw a

The Red Raiders may have their deepest, most talented group of receivers of the Kliff Kingsbury era with big-play performers such as Cameron Batson (13) and Jonathan Giles (9) among those Tech fans will be expecting big things from this season.

12

SPORTS LINEUP

AUGUST 2016

72-yard TD pass.

As big as the loss is, though, Kingsbury may be more excited about his receiving corps than any other single position group.

“We will have the most depth at that position by far that I’ve had,” he said. “Jakeem was a dynamic player, and he will be hard to replace because we scripted a lot of things inside to get him the ball. This year, we’ll be able to work outside more. We have a lot of talent at wideout, some of the best competition I’ve seen. It’s like we don’t have enough footballs to go around. We’re going to have a lot of guys competing for time. When that happens, that is when you get good.”

Among those the Raiders will be counting on are Reggie Davis, Dylan Cantrell, Ian Sadler, Jonathan Giles, Cameron Batson, Keke Coutee, Ja’Deion High, Derrick Willies, Devon Lauderdale and Tony Brown.

Keeping Mahomes upright will fall to a solid offensive line that returns four experienced players. Baylen Brown will be at left tackle, Justin Murphy is a right guard, and Tony Morales is back at center. Terence Steele emerged at right tackle during spring workouts, and the Raiders may count on Madison Adamnonu at left guard.

“The good thing with Pat back there is you don’t have to block very long, and he is capable of doing a lot on his own,” Kingsbury said.

“We have four solid players right now who are very good for us, and we’re looking for that fifth piece. There are a number of possibilities, and we feel really good about our first-line guys.”

Overall, the Raiders took another step in the right direction last season, scoring an early victory on the road against Southeastern Conference member Arkansas that provided early momentum on the way to a 7-5 mark before wrapping things up with a loss to LSU in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. Prior to that game, Kingsbury announced that defensive assistant coaches Mike Smith, Kevin Curtis and Trey Haverty would not return for the 2016 season. Meanwhile, Kevin Patrick (defensive line) and Karl Scott (cornerbacks) came aboard.

Continued

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 13

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DEFENSE (2-DEEP) NO PLAYER END 12 Zach Barnes 13 Kolin Hill NOSE TACKLE 96 Broderick Washington 98 Ondre Pipkins TACKLE 4 Breiden Fehoko 94 Lonzell Gilmore RUSH 5 Gary Moore 6 Kris Williams WILL LINEBACKER 34 D’Vonta Hinton 37 Luke Stice MIKE LINEBACKER 47 Johnathan Picone SAM LINEBACKER 41 Malik Jenkins 39 Kahlee Woods L CORNERBACK 31 Justis Nelson 28 Paul Banks III FREE SAFETY 8 Jah’Shawn Johnson 31 Tevin Madison STRONG SAFETY 15 Keenon Ward 24 Payton Hendrix R CORNERBACK 17 Thierry Nguema 3 D.J. Polite-Bray

CL.

Defensive Coaches

JR-2L SO-TR FR-RS SR-TR SO-1L FR-RS

David Gibbs Defensive Coordinator

JR-2L SR-2L SO-1L SR-TR FR-HS SR-3L JR-2L

Kevin Patrick Defensive Line

SR-3L SR-1L SO-1L JR-2L SR-3L SO-1L

Zac Spavital Linebackers

SR-3L JR-2L

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Sept. 3 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN Sept. 10 at Arizona State Sept. 17 LOUISIANA TECH Sept. 29 KANSAS* Oct. 8 at Kansas State* Oct. 15 WEST VIRGINIA* Oct. 22 OKLAHOMA* Oct. 29 at TCU* Nov. 5 TEXAS* Nov. 12 at Oklahoma State* Nov. 19 at Iowa State* Nov. 25 Baylor* (in Arlington) *-denotes Big 12 game 16

7 PM 9 PM 6 PM 7:30 PM TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 5PM

SPORTS LINEUP

Karl Scott Cornerbacks

Chad Dennis Strength & Conditioning

AUGUST 2016

Continued from page 13 “We are definitely seeing progress on defense,” Kingsbury said. “David Gibbs came in here a year ago with a proven record of success and immediately increased our turnover number. We played a lot of young people. Going into year two with him bringing in his recruits and serving as defensive coordinator for the second year a row is going to be huge. You could see that progress in the spring and we’ll continue to see it in the fall.”

Gibbs, who came in from the University of Houston two seasons ago, put an emphasis on creating turnovers and sudden shifts of momentum. The results were 25 turnovers (15 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries in 13 games compared to 15 total a year earlier).

However, the Raiders surrendered more than 43 points and almost 550 yards per game.

“Coach Gibbs has a group he has hand selected and who he feels comfortable with,” Kingsbury said of the staff changes. “It’s been a good group. They have come in here and worked hard. I’ve been very pleased with what I have seen from that group of coaches.”

On the defensive front, look for Zach Barnes at end, Broderick Washington on the nose, Breiden Fehoko at tackle and Gary Moore as the rush end.

D’Vonta Hinton, Johnathan Picone and Malik Jenkins were atop the linebacker spots at the end of spring workouts.

Look for Justis Nelson, Jah’Shawn Johnson, Keenon Ward and Thierry Nguema are expected to start in the secondary.

“I think we have a new youthful exuberance out there on defense,” Kingsbury said. “We had an old guard, especially on defense, and now we have some young guys out there getting after it and taking advan-

tage of it. It’s fun to see that new energy out there.”

Kingsbury said the Raiders have more depth on defense than in previous years, and with a defensive coordinator returning for a second season, there is stability in place on that side of the ball.

“Guys have a better understanding,” he said. “We will be deeper, and we will be tough and physical when that hasn’t always been the case. We had some guys really come on in the spring, and every guy in the secondary has played a ton. We have a bunch of guys who have experience.”

“I think the conference will be loaded again,” he said. “You look at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor, TCU, everybody each week is going to be gunning for you. It makes it fun for the fans and the players and coaches. It’s going to be a loaded conference.”

The Raiders expect to be in the mix all season long.

“We set a school record for points last year and had seven wins,” he said. “We’re making subtle improvements, and if we can improve our point totals, the sky’s the limit. Everyone around here is really excited right now.”

As far as the future of the Big 12, Kingsbury said he favors whatever is in the best interest of the league. The conference announced earlier this year that it would reinstate its league championship game beginning with the 2017 season.

“I am as politically correct as you can get on that issue,” he said. “When you look at getting a Big 12 team in the playoff, it’s huge for our league. Whether we expand or don’t expand, if it helps us with money, TV contracts, getting a network, the answer is we need to do what we need to do. That’s something for presidents and athletic directors to decide. It’s not anything I think twice about.”

Breiden Fehoko (4) is part of a Red Raider defense that is expected to be improved and more familiar with coordinator David Gibbs’ schemes and priorities.

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 17

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20

Pos. IR S-QB WR S IR DE QB WR CB WR WR WR-IR K WR QB RB RB CB LB IR-QB CB CB RB S LB CB LB CB LB LB DE LB S LB DE OC OG OG DT DT OT OT-OG DE DE OG OT OT DT OT DT OT IR IR WR CB-WR S-IR DE LB-DE DT DT

Ht. 6’0 6’0 5’10 5’10 5’8 6’0 6’0 5’10 5’7 6’0 6’1 5’9 5’8 5’10 6’1 5’10 5’7 5’8 6’1 6’1 5’11 5’7 5’10 6’0 5’9 5’11 6’1 5’7 5’8 6’0 5’11 6’0 5’9 5’10 6’0 6’0 5’7 5’9 5’10 6’1 5’9 6’2 5’10 6’0 6’1 6’2 5’7 6’0 6’3 6’0 6’3 5’11 6’3 5’9 6’2 5’11 5’10 5’11 6’2 5’10

Wt. 170 170 156 170 155 175 205 145 140 168 175 170 140 165 165 170 145 150 200 175 150 140 165 150 155 160 215 140 175 180 175 190 150 160 180 250 183 201 210 245 180 225 180 195 285 270 142 240 205 275 225 145 165 130 175 170 160 190 195 190

SPORTS LINEUP

CL SR SR SO SR SO SO SR SO SR JR SR SR JR SO JR SR JR JR SR SO JR SO JR SO JR SR SR SO SO JR SO SO SR SR SR SR SR SR JR JR SR JR JR SR SR JR SR JR JR SO JR SR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR JR

Parr says Ponies have made nice progress during his tenure, time to turn the corner

CORONADO

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Seth Parr looks back at last year’s Coronado Mustangs season, surveys the near misses and close calls, and realizes the team is steadily improving on all the little things that matter.

Now, though, as he prepares for his third season at the Coronado helm, Parr hopes to see results in terms of an improved won-loss record.

“Right now, I feel like they are at the point where they have learned the system, and they have executed the system,” he said. “As they played faster and gained confidence during the season, we saw

Next St

AUGUST 2016

great effort and lots of hard work, but in some cases it just didn’t translate to the bottom line in terms of winning.”

A year ago, the Mustangs dropped fourpoint decisions to Amarillo and Monterey and were unable to break through in league play, finishing fifth in District 1-6A and missing out on the postseason.

“We were ahead in three of our district games going into the fourth quarter,” Parr said. “We are doing a better job with tempo and the offensive concepts.

We’re getting closer. We’ve closed the gap, and our defense has certainly helped us while our offense has done a good

tep

job controlling the ball.

Still, though, Parr wants to see even more progress this season.

“It’s time to commit and just get things done without thinking about them,” he said.

“We had a good spring. We’ve had good strength and conditioning in the offseason.”

And the Mustangs have talented players returning for a new season that will feature a newly configured district as a result of Coronado dropping from 6A to 5A. Joining Coronado in District 4-5A will be crosstown rivals Monterey and Lubbock High as well as next-door neighbor Lubbock-Cooper. Rounding things out are San Angelo Lake View and Abilene Cooper.

Parr doesn’t see the new district as any

easier than previous seasons, but he does believe the Mustangs have a chance to be more competitive – for a variety of reasons, including revamped opposition in league play.

“The difference when you’re playing against larger schools is typically everyone’s top 22 are all good players,” he said. “But injuries are a part of football, and when your twos and threes have to play, you find out that what really wins championships is depth.”

The Mustangs return six offensive starters, including junior quarterback Qua Gray, who delivered some key performances last season in leading the Coronado attack.

“We made a pretty dramatic switch in what they were doing offensively when we Continued

Coronado returns a wealth of experience this season. The Mustangs returning senior lettermen (pictured) are expected to lead the way.

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 21

Continued from page 21 came in,” Parr said, referring to the spread attack he prefers to a run-first offense. “As far as the quarterback situation, we’ve gotten a solid couple of years from Qua, who played his sophomore year. He saw a lot of different looks last year from teams like Tascosa, Odessa, Frenship and Amarillo High. We asked a lot of him.”

In addition to Gray, the Mustangs return two offensive linemen, three wide receivers and a running back who didn’t start, but received a good number of reps.

Returning to help anchor the passing attack is X receiver Devin Morrison. Chance Fair is back at inside receiver, and Noah Sifrit also returns at inside receiver.

Experienced offensive linemen back for another year are Jaylon Thomas, a tackle who is expected to move to guard, and Corey Young, who will man one of the tackle spots.

Defensively, the Mustangs will base out of a 4-3, and the team returns six defensive starters. The bulk of the experience is at linebacker and in the secondary.

Seth Wood, a senior, is back at linebacker and will be joined by Mason Montoya and Trey Stephens. In the secondary, Christian Hayes, Braydon Walker and Sean Anderson give CHS a veteran presence.

“We have to find a way to pull out close contests,” Parr said. “We need to

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 25, PLAINVIEW Sept. 2, at WF Rider Sept. 9, ODESSA Sept. 15, at Randall Sept. 30, at Andrews Oct. 7, at SA Lake View* Oct. 14, at Monterey* Oct. 21, COOPER* Oct. 28, at Lubbock High* Nov. 4, at Abilene Cooper*

7:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

*denotes district game

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Seth Parr Assistant coaches: Efrain Ramos, Thomas Walser, J.R. Compton, C.Ray Gregory, Ryan Burrow, Kenny Wooten, Quenton Hendershot, Diamon Hughes, Brad Bibb, Gary Hix, Shawn Hensley, Jeff Marris, Klay Keith, Theo Hopnick, Alistair Caldwell.

2014 record: 3-7 overall (0-4 in District 1-6A).

get a signature win for our program, and that is never easy because you’re playing tough competition every week. You have to go out there ready to play, and you have to earn everything you get.

“We have definitely improved defensively. We’ve done a good job developing some depth across the board, but now we have to go out and execute. That’s the big thing on defense, executing and making plays. We have to play sound, fundamental and make sure we know the keys and read them accordingly.

We read and react and apply pressure on the offense when the situation calls for it.”

And while offense and defense are important, Parr also believes special teams plays a critical role in a team’s success.

“We need to improve on special teams,” he said. “That’s a big part of the game, and it’s something we practice in great detail.”

Middle linebacker Braydon Walker (4) is one of a handful of key returnees for the Mustang defense, which will look to continue making progress under head coach Seth Parr.

22

SPORTS LINEUP

AUGUST 2016

GOOD PLAYERS INSPIRE THEMSELVES. GREAT PLAYERS INSPIRE OTHERS.

To all of our student athletes, we hope your season is full of inspiration!

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26

Ht.

Wt.

5’4 5’10 5’6 5’9 5’7 5’7

145 240 189 147 175 180

5’10 5’7 6’4 5’11 5’9 6’0 5’5 5’11 6’1 6’1 5’5 5’11 6’3

162 147 190 186 265 227 130 189 262 253 153 183 297

5’10 5’11 5’11 5’7 5’9 5’5 6’ 6’4 6’3 6’1 6’3 5’8 5’11 5’9 5’4 5’6 5’9 6’1 5’8 5’10 5’8 5’9 5’9 5’5 6’0 5’9 5’10 5’10

216 266 165 174 157 150 166 348 226 179 255 140 259 187 183 165 164 181 174 182 177 200 166 179 199 162 151 188

6’0 236 5’7 142 5’10 164 5’9 5’8 5’8 6’3 5’10 5’11

194 143 158 190 150 303

5’10 280 6’1 163

SPORTS LINEUP

CL

SR JR JR SR JR JR SR SR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR JR SR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR SR JR JR SR JR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR SR JR JR JR SR JR SR SR SR SR SO SR SR JR SR JR SR JR SR SO SO SO SO

Monterey head coach expects to see co

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Monterey head coach Wayne Hutchinson hopes to see the same kind of improvement from the Plainsmen this season as he saw a year ago – with some different results to show for the effort.

“Last year was somewhat of a disappointment,” he said, “because we were so close in so many games. I don’t think our record reflected how good of a team we had. We just had some things happen in close games that kept us from an 8-2 record instead of 5-6.”

The Plainsmen reached the playoffs last year,

MONT EREY

falling to El Paso Americas in the bi-district round.

“What we have to take away from last year is the fact that we have a lot of experience back, especially on defense,” he said. “We have to find a way to win those close games. I think we learned a lot last year, and because of our experience and senior leadership, this year we should put ourselves in a position to pull those games out.”

The good news is while Hutchinson and his players weren’t happy with the final result, they can look back at the journey and feel good about progress.

“We got better each and every day,” said

Speed

AUGUST 2016

ontinued rapid improvement from Plainsmen Hutchinson, entering his third season at the Plainsmen helm. “And we have gotten better every day since we started spring workouts.”

The area Monterey will be most improved in, said Hutchinson, is one that’s difficult to coach.

The Plainsmen have more speed, particularly more defensive speed, than in previous years.

“We’ll have more speed on defense, and we have a chance to be explosive on offense,” he said. “We have some very talented receivers and they should give us a chance to stretch the field vertically and put some points up.”

A top priority will be finding a new quarterback to replace the talented Baylor Mitchell. Hutchin-

son expects strong competition for the job among upperclassmen Jaron Jones and Brylon Lawson while sophomores Hayden Malone and Roman Rangel may also figure into the mix.

Continued

Demons Monterey has more speed on offense and defense this year, and the Plainsmen are looking to be an even bigger factor as the new season dawns, thanks to players such as Eric Gipson (75), Jaron Jones (11), and Kailon Noseff (15).

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 27

Continued from page 27 The Plainsmen will run the spread offense with the emphasis on taking whatever the offense will give. “We need to be able to run the ball as effectively as we throw it,” Hutchinson said. “If they load up the box against us, we need to be able to throw it; if they commit to stopping the pass, we need to be able to run the ball. That’s why I like the spread. Being able to do both makes you really effective.”

Hutchinson said there is a chance more than one quarterback could see action early in the year as the Plainsmen work to hit their stride against a difficult non-district schedule that includes Abilene Wylie, Randall and Stephenville.

“We don’t know how any of them will respond until they’re under the Friday night lights,” he said. “We probably will look at rotating some early in the season.”

Monterey also will need to see some new offensive linemen develop. The sole returnee up front is left guard Eric Gibson. Hutchinson sees a number of players with the ability to step up.

“The rest of them will come from last year’s JV,” he said. “We saw big improvement in a number of them during spring ball, and that’s the one purpose of spring ball, a chance for your offensive and defensive linemen to improve.”

The receiving corps should be loaded with

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Wayne Hutchinson Assistant coaches: Andy Correll, Dusty Robinson, Bob Stanley, Taylor Read, Taylor Cain, Kevin Pittman, Marvin Lethridge, Shannon O’pry, Ralph Ramon, Kent Meador, John Peterson, Chad Payne, Hunter Dewbre, Leo Sandoval, Dwayne Soto, Brent George, Drew Peters 2015 Record: 5-6 overall (1-3 in district 2-6A).

Postseason: Lost to El Paso Americas 3528 in bi-district

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Odessa Sept. 2, ABILENE WYLIE Sept. 8, RANDALL Sept. 16, at Midland Lee Sept. 30, STEPHENVILLE Oct. 7, at Abilene Cooper* Oct. 14, CORONADO* Oct. 21, at SA Lake View* Oct. 28, at Cooper* Nov. 4, LUBBOCK HIGH* *denotes district game

28

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SPORTS LINEUP

Kailan Noseff leading the way. He is a returning starter coming off a good strong junior season.

Others expected to step up this season include Xavier Little, who is moving to an inside receiver after a strong spring.

Ashton Williams is 6-foot-3 and gives the Plainsmen a player who can go up and get “jump balls.” Cutter Blosser and Romeo Telford are two others who should contribute.

“All of them are fast,” Hutchinson said. “They can go get the ball, and they’re good in the open field. All of them are really good running after the catch.”

The Plainsmen have a number of running back candidates as well with Tra’Vondrick Manahan, Jalen Benton, Xavier Martines and Tyshaun Bates expected to compete for playing time.

“Coming into our third year here, we have depth across the board,” Hutchinson said.

On defense, one strength will be the secondary, with four returning two-year starters. Corbin Whitfield, Oryan Simpson, Trent Ward and Donovan Jones will patrol the defensive backfield. Speed shouldn’t be an issue, either. The four are part of Monterey’s sprint relay team.

Andres Garza is the lone returning starter at linebacker with a handful of others possibly rotating in and out. Tydrick Ranson and Chris Hernandez are returnees on the defensive line.

Hutchinson hopes to see the team get off to a fast start, especially since the Plainsmen are playing one of their most challenging non-district schedules in years.

“If we can come out of non-district with two or three or four wins, we will be excited,” he said.

AUGUST 2016

Trent Ward (4) is a returning starter in the secondary for the Plainsmen, who have a handful of experienced players back for 2016.

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ROSTER Player

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

CL

Keyshawn Collins

RB-DB

5’8

165

SR

Tyberius Doss

RB-LB

5’8

175

SR

Elijah Doss

WR-DB

5’8

160

SR

Zeke Huerta

WR-DB

5’6

150

JR

Rhyaire Mckinzie

WR-DB 5’11

160

SR

Charles Cox

RB-LB 5’10

185

SR

Milam Mayfield

RB-LB 5’10

190

JR

Shaun Reed

WR-DB

6’0

160

SR

Mitchell Gallagher

WR-DB 5’11

185

SR

Christian Jimenez

WR-DB

5’9

165

JR

Blake Robbins

WR-DB

5’8

130

SR

Gabriel Martinez

WR-DB

5’7

130

SR

Josh Garcia

WR-DB

5’8

175

SR

Kwami Wilborn

WR-DB

5’8

165

JR

QB

5’8

190

SR

RB-LB 5’10

165

JR

D’aedrion Morgan Anthony Martinez Christian Romo

WR-DB

6’0

170

SR

Ryan Ramos

RB-LB

5’9

165

SR

Jordan Trevino

RB-LB 5’10

190

JR

Ashton Alexander

RB-LB

5’8

160

JR

Cameron Criado

WR-DB

5’9

160

SR

TE-DL

5’8

190

SR

Joshua Garcia

LB 5’11

170

SR

Andrew Dotray

TE-LB 5’11

200

JR

Andrew Vergote

OL-DL 5’10

210

SR

Isaac Betancur

OL-DL

5’8

195

SR

Omar Ruvalcaba

OL-DL

5’9

205

SR

Aaron Casas

OL-DL 5’10

264

SR

Eric Puente

OL-DL 5’10

220

JR

Avery Guel

OL-DL 5’11

200

JR

Vincent Deleon

OL-DL

5’9

232

SR

Josh Hoeve

OL-DL

6’3

275

SR

Jayten Lozoya

OL-DL

6’3

275

SR

Troy Paredez

OL-DL

5’9

220

SR

Nathaniel Salazar

OL-DL 5’10

245

SO

Johnny Ambriz

OL-DL 5’11

220

SR

James Brady

OL-DL

6’6

285

JR

Tru Moore

WR-DB

5’9

166

JR

Ramon Salinas-Perez

WR-DB

5’7

165

JR

RB-LB

5’7

155

SR

TE-LB 5’10

Tyree Johnson

Cristian Grimaldo Cole Campbell

190

JR

Kristian Coleman

WR-DB

6’0

175

JR

Nazaray Ramos

WR-DB 5’10

170

JR

32

SPORTS LINEUP

Injuries of past few years have helped

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Lubbock High head coach Jason Strunk always sees the glass as half full, and as he enters his fifth year at the Westerner helm, he is as optimistic as ever about the new season.

“The place we start as far as our expectations are concerned is the same place every year,” he said. “Our goal is to get to the playoffs, and we fell short of that goal last year, so we didn’t reach our expectations.”

The Westerners will try to turn the tide and the corner this season as the team returns a number of experienced players and the largest, most talented offensive line of Strunk’s tenure.

“In a sense, last year was a disappointment,” he said. “It’s a negative when we don’t make the playoffs. But the flip side to that is we have a lot of kids back who have gained a lot of experience the past couple of years, and because of that, our expectation is to get back to the playoffs.”

The Westerners return eight offen-

sive players, and most of them saw extensive action at skill positions.

Equally important, Lubbock High has nine returning starters on defense.

“The reason we have so many back this year is because of the way our season started two years

LUBBOCK HIGH

Back T

AUGUST 2016

Westerners build depth, optimism entering 2016 campaign ago when we lost 13 starters to injuries,” he said.

“We wound up playing 18 sophomores, and all of them got a lot of experience. We need that this season. We have a number of players who have started the past two years. That’s a lot of experience.”

Lubbock High 1-9 last year and winless in District 4-5A, will need all of those veteran players as the team moves into a new district as the result of UIL realignment. The Westerners are now in a district with crosstown rivals Coronado and Monterey as well as Lubbock Cooper, San Angelo Lake View and Abilene Cooper.

“This district is probably the toughest district we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Strunk said.

“There won’t be any days off in this district. Coronado, Cooper and Abilene Cooper and Monterey and Lake View will all be battles. We’re going to have to let it fly

against all those big dogs because this is going to be a great district.”

Speaking of let it fly, the Westerners will continue to operate out of the spread attack. “We will do some different things, though,” Strunk said.

“We’ll run some two-back stuff out of the spread.

We’re going to work to get the ball in the hands of our experienced players.”

D’aedrion Morgan has been the Westerners’ quarterback the past two years, but Lubbock High plans to move him to running back. “He wound up in the quarterback sport two years ago as a result of the injuries,” Strunk said. “He had a good year for us last year. He’s a talented kid.”

Kwami Wilborn is expected to move to quarterback from wide receiver, where the Westerners have a lot of talent available, including Gabriel Martinez, Blake Robbins and Mitchell Gallagher. Also factoring into the mix is Kristian Coleman,

who Strunk said has great talent and an ability to stretch the field vertically.

Up front, Johnny Ambriz and Josh Hoeve bring three years of experience to the line.

James Brady, 6-6, 285, is expected to be a factor up front as well.

Continued

Lubbock High has one of its best offensive lines in years with Josh Hoeve (63) and others, and the group will be counted on to make sure D’aedrion Morgan (20) has room to run as he moves from quarterback to running back. The Westerners have been forced to play a lot of people the past two seasons because of injuries, but the payoff is the team now has a number of experienced players ready to step in and take care of business.

To Work AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 33

Eric Puente (57) and Tyree Johnson (32) were both key performers for the Westerners last year.

Continued from page 33

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Jason Strunk Assistant coaches: David Moody, Nate Genslewr, Neal Tull, Lance Hogle, Adam Rosales, Tyler Trout, Jose Morales, Devin Kline, Tyler Lloyd, Jeremy Maxfield, Steve Ribera, Brian Ducas, Michael Moreno, 2015 record: 1-9 overall (0-4 District 4-5A).

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Seminole Sept. 1, ANDREWS Sept. 9, at Dumas Sept. 16, ESTACADO Sept. 23, at Shallowater Oct. 7, LUBBOCK COOPER* Oct. 14, SA LAKE VIEW* Oct. 21, at Abilene Cooper* Oct. 28, CORONADO* Nov. 6, at Monterey*

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SPORTS LINEUP

“This is the biggest line we’ve had here,” Strunk said. “It’s going to be a huge plus for us because it should allow us the opportunity to run the ball more than we have. We will have more flexibility to change things up.”

Defensively, the Westerners also have plenty of experience back, although Strunk said the team will use some players both ways because of their talent and versatility.

Robbins and Coleman are among those who will likely see double duty with Coleman expected to anchor the secondary. Tyree Johnson will anchor the defensive line, and the Westerners will look to the junior varsity to fill a couple of slots in the linebacking corps.

Among those the team will count on are Andrew Dotray, Milam Mayfield, Ty Doss and Elijah Doss. Another player the Westerners will count on is Isaiah Johnson, a freshman.

“That’s a wild card,” Strunk said. “He has great size and will be one of our biggest defensive players plus he’s a great athlete coming in.

He has potential to help offensively and defensively.”

Eric Puente is another standout the Westerners will count on up front on defense. “He had a breakout year for us last year,” Strunk said.

For Lubbock High, the secret to success will be the same as it is every year – how healthy can

AUGUST 2016

the Westerners stay?

“We have to stay healthy,” Strunk said.

“That’s the No. 1 key for us this year and every year. We have more players out than we’ve had in past years, but we’ve also been hit by the injury bug too many times. We’ve got to stay healthy.”

The Westerners also need some confidence early in the year, and wins during the non-district portion of the schedule will give the team confidence and help them better prepare for the upcoming rigors of league play.

“Staying healthy gives us a better chance at wins and a winning record,” Strunk said. “If we can avoid injuries and get on a roll early. It’s huge. We’re not six deep at every position, and in some places we’re not even two deep. If we stay healthy, we give ourselves a chance.”

Strunk and his staff have continued to build the program thanks to a commitment to staying put and to a top nutrition program.

“We’ve been successful building depth here,” Strunk said. “We have a number of versatile players who can contribute at more than one position, and we’ve been forced to build that depth as a result of injuries. Two seasons ago, we had our best team on paper, and on the first drive of the year, our quarterback went down and we went on to lose two or three starters every game after that.

We played JV kids as a result, and they played hard and did some good things, so hopefully we will see the benefits of that this season.

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38

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Strongest schedule in years on tap for

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

When the smoke cleared from the most recent UIL realignment, perhaps no school was impacted more than Frenship.

It’s not the competition. The Tigers have proven through the years that they are up for any challenge. Which is a good thing because this year will test the program unlike any previous season.

“This will be the toughest football schedule Frenship High School has ever played,” longtime Tigers coach Brad Davis said. “In non-district we’re playing two top El Paso schools, where they have great coaches and great players. Then we play Abilene Cooper, which is always tough, and then we hit district schedule.”

So, let’s pause for a moment right there.

Frenship is one of only seven Class 6A schools in this part of the state. The Tigers are part of District 2-6A, which also includes Tascosa, Midland Lee, Midland, Odessa, Odessa Permian and San Angelo Central. The Tigers’ nearest district rival is 120 miles away.

“It’s as tough a district schedule as we’ve played,” Davis said. “There used to be a district out here they called the Little Southwest Conference. I think this is the Little Big 12 now.”

The Tigers enjoyed some success last season, but not to the level the program has established in a run of dominance. After a 7-2 regular season (with one game lost to weather before it could be completed), Frenship’s year ended with a 47-40 decision to El Paso Eastwood in Class 6A bi-district playoff action.

“The last two years were our first two years in Class 6A,” Davis said, “and we were district champs both years. The first year we were undefeated, and last year we lost one game. The biggest thing this program can take away from that is we can definitely play at this level.”

Prior to the 2014 realignment, the Tigers were a Class 4A program, but continuing rapid growth of the district

Defensive lineman Jacob Piel (68) is one of many players the Frenship Tigers will be counting on this season.

FRENSHIP

Tiger Te

AUGUST 2016

r Frenship as tradition-rich Tigers prepare for challenges saw Frenship moved to Class 6A. An adjustment in Texas’ classification system caused the Tigers to go from 4A to 6A, but basically every school in the state increased one class size.

“We really just jumped one classification,” Davis said. “And I don’t think we missed a beat going up in classification. Our kids really embraced it. They went out and played our style of football, and we were successful in doing so. Now, our

mindset is we have arrived in 6A. It’s time to go deep in the playoffs and make a run.”

In the Tigers’ first 6A season, the team won its bi-district game before falling to Abilene High in the area round.

For Frenship to maintain its winning ways, the Tigers will need to have new contributors step up in key roles such as quarterback and running back.

Chandler Brand is the likely candidate to take over the team’s offense.

“He’s a senior, and he had a good spring,” Davis said. “We expect him to have a good summer and good seven-on-seven work. Our depth on offense is going to be good, but we have some young players who have good talent that we’ll be counting on.”

The other critical role to fill is tailback, where Zae Johnson is among those being counted on.

“We have several kids we’re working at tailback,” Davis said. “Johnson played cornerback last year and was our backup tailback, so we may look at trying to use him both ways. We also have a couple of young kids coming up who are going to be really good. They are a little inexperienced, so we’ll see once they get their pads on.

Basically, we have one kid with experience,

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Brad Davis Assistant coaches: Keith Oldham, Lonnie Kuss, David Crume, Casey Oldham, ChrisMcWilliams, Chris Fanelli, Chad Reynolds, Eric Eugenis, Shannon Beeles.

2015 record: 7-3 overall (3-1 District 2-6A) Postseason: Lost to El Paso Eastwood 4740 in Bi-District

Continued

est on Tap AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP

39

Continued from page 39 and the other kids are young.”

Key to the Tigers’ early hopes is the play of a veteran offensive line, where Frenship returns a handful of talented starters.

“You’re not going to move the football without a good offensive line,” Davis said. “I don’t care how good your quarterback and tailback are. Our line will be very experienced.”

Returning for another campaign are left tackle Carlton Campbell, left guard Frank Richard, center Bo McCraw and right tackle Jacob Piel.

“I guess our two strengths going into the summer and this fall are going to be our offensive line and our defensive line. We have four of five starters back on our offensive line, and they have played a lot of football for us. That experience is valuable.”

The Tigers will run a multiple-I attack, although they will mix in the spread attack as well.

“We’re going to try to do a little of both,” he said. “A lot of teams run the spread, and a lot of teams are very, very successful running an old-school offense. We want to open some things up while having the option of playing some smashmouth football. There is something to be said for doing both and adapting to your personnel.”

The approach should stretch and stress opposing defenses.

“Our offensive philosophy has always been this way,” Davis said. “We never have a tight end, but we have had three receivers and four receivers and possibly even five receivers. We want to make the defense cover the entire field, and if they don’t cover the entire field, we want to try and take advantage of that.”

Defensively, all-state defensive end Piel is back to anchor the front along with Asher Robinson.

“They both played a lot last year, and our front is going to have be the biggest strength carrying us into the first games while we gain experience at other positions,” Davis said.

The Tigers will run their traditional 3-4 attack with a nose guard, the two ends, two inside linebackers and two outside linebackers.

“We try to give the offense a lot of looks,” Davis said.

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, MONTWOOD Sept. 2, at El Dorado Sept. 9, LUBBOCK COOPER Sept. 16, ABILENE COOPER Sept. 23, PERMIAN* Sept. 30, at Midland* Oct. 7, TASCOSA* Oct. 14, at San Angelo Central* Oct. 21, ODESSA* Oct. 28, at Midland Lee* *denotes district game

40

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AUGUST 2016

Running back Zae Johnson (2) is a proven performer whom the Tigers will be looking to for leadership on offense.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can CHANGE THE WORLD; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

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The Frenship Independent School District established a public education foundation, the Frenship Foundation for Leadership, in 2003.

The Frenship Foundation for Leadership is a non-profit organization that strives to ensure that students, faculty, and staff at Frenship ISD are provided financial assistance for endeavors in leadership. These leadership traits include: Caring – Responsibility – Trust Citizenship – Fairness – Respect Each of these characteristics aligns with the scope of instructional activities practiced at Frenship ISD. Reunion Weekend

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44

Pos.

WR QB WR DB WR DB WR DB DB WR DB WR QB DB RB QB WR K DL RB ILB ILB DB WR DB RB DB ILB RB RB DB DE DE DE DT ILB OL DE DT OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DL OL DT OL OL DT OL WR WR TE TE DE DE DE

Ht.

5’11 6’3 5’10 5’9 5’9 5’11 6’3 6’1 5’5 6’0 5’10 5’11 6’2 6’0 5’6 5’10 6’0 5’11 5’11 5’11 5’11 5’11 5’10 5’9 6’0 5’10 5’8 5’10 5’8 5’10 6’0 6’5 6’1 6’0 5’9 5’7 6’0 6’0 5’10 5’10 6’2 5’11 5’11 6’1 5’10 6’2 6’1 6’1 6’2 6’3 5’9 5’6 6’0 6’0 6’0 5’10 6’0 6’1 6’0 6’2

Wt.

163 182 170 151 151 150 183 193 143 147 155 170 170 185 164 160 160 146 194 212 155 185 160 162 170 176 160 178 160 182 160 203 195 163 246 190 227 180 240 272 180 195 221 295 195 195 278 261 240 242 222 195 260 170 165 185 205 198 173 190

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CL.

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Pirates found themselves right at home a

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

It’s not the easiest thing to move up to Class 5A in Texas high school football. Lubbock Cooper just sort of made it look that way.

By their own admission, the Pirates had a little bit of a learning curve their first year in the new classification, but the team really got the hang of things last season, reaching the second round of the playoffs.

“I feel like we have made the transition to 5A,” said Cooper head coach Max Kattwinkel.

“That first year that we moved up, our eyes were a little wide, but I thought last year we made the transition, we got going and

C OOPER

we competed with the teams we played.”

No kidding. Cooper went 9-1 in the regular season, losing a tight decision to Frenship before moving through District 4-5A competition without a loss. This season, after the biennial UIL realign-

Fully Ar

AUGUST 2016

among 5A ranks in 2015, look to make bigger impact in 2016 ment shuffle, the Pirates are in the same district, but the cast of teams has changed a bit.

“The biggest thing about realignment is it made our travel easier for sure,” said Kattwinkel, who is preparing for his fourth season at the Cooper helm. “That’s especially true with Monterey and Coronado moving down into our district. It’s going to be for some natural rivalries, and it’s going to be good for Lubbock football.”

The newly configured district now includes three Lubbock ISD schools (Coronado, Lubbock High, Monterey), two Coopers (Lubbock and Abilene) and San Angelo Lake View.

The Pirates, who fell 24-21 to El Paso Eastlake in the area round of the 5A playoffs for the second straight year last season, hope to see another successful season.

Cooper opened the postseason with a 26-20 victory against Dumas in bi-district. The team returns seven offensive starters, including a handful who were key contributors a year ago.

“We’re pretty blessed,”

Kattwinkel said. “We return seven starters, and four of those are really big pieces of our line, four guys who will be seniors and who have played and started since they were sophomores.”

The four, Jade Maldonado, Nick Jiou, Nathan Reyes and Christian Barkley, provide a strong foundation for Cooper’s high-powered spread attack.

“It’s their third year together, and they are a pretty talented group,” Kattwinkel said. “We feel good about our offensive line. Every football coach will tell you your offense totally depends on those guys up front, and we really like our experience up there.”

The team also feels good about its quarterback.

Jarrett Nagy returns to direct the Pirate attack once again. Cooper also returns Seth Watt, the team’s leading receiver and running back last year.

Another experienced returnee is running back Francisco Piccio.

“We have always been a little bit of a spread team that also was built to run,” Kattwinkel said.

“The last few years we’ve thrown the ball a little

rmed

more than we had in the past.”

A lot of that is to the credit of Nagy, who gives the Pirates a multidimensional attack and who can create plays on the run.

“We’re fortunate to have a quarterback who can change plays and extend plays,” Kattwinkel said. “This is a guy who is going to be playing quarterback on Saturdays. He has played a big part in our success. We give him some parameters, but it’s him who is steering the ship for us.”

The Pirates have talent back on the defensive side as well with five returning starters. Two of the bigger pieces are Ty Thomas and Brayden Black, who will man the safety slots. Also returning are linebackers Caleb Hurst and Nick Sanders. Lance Garcia is a returning starter on the defensive front.

“We’ve got five back, and they’re all Continued

Jarret Doege (2) and Reagan Schulte (12) are among a talented cast of Cooper Pirates players who will lead the team this year. One of the fastest growing school districts in the state, Cooper has transitioned to Class 5A.

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 45

Continued from page 45 keys for us,” Kattwinkel said. “Probably our main concern right now is being able to develop some depth on the defensive line. But we feel really good about the guys coming up. That’s going to be important for us as we go through our non-district schedule, working to develop that depth on the defensive line.”

The Pirates will run a 4-2-5 alignment on defense.

“We are pretty aggressive defensively,” Kattwinkel said. “We want to create a lot of looks.

With the way offense are now, our defense has to be able to play fast, and they get a lot of practice at that because they go against our offense every day.

They have to play fast.

“We want to put a lot of pressure on that offense, just from giving them a lot of looks to give them a lot to think about.”

Cooper, which is one of the fastest-growing school districts in the state, has moved from Class 3A to Class 5A over the course of a couple of realignments.

The school system is located just south of Lubbock in the community of Woodrow.

“I feel good about our kids, and I feel good about our coaching staff,” Kattwinkel said.

“Especially with our growth at Cooper. We are growing like crazy, and that kind of growth creates a lot

46

SPORTS LINEUP

of transition. We get a lot of new kids in our program. That is a good thing, but you always have to work to make sure everyone is on the same page and meshing together. It is a situation where you have to really focus on that as the head coach because you want the chemistry to be good every year and you want to do things that are team oriented every year.”

The Pirates, though, like just about every team this season, will face some type of adversity. How the team reacts to that tells Kattwinkel what he can expect.

“Every team will have to deal with adversity during the season,” he said. “I always look at the small things, but I want to see if a team develops its own identity. How does the team respond to adversity when things go wrong? If you don’t have a good team atmosphere, you will know it when adversity strikes. Our staff, we try to give them the leeway to develop that identity, but you have to have some good leaders and see how they respond when things get going tough.”

AUGUST 2016

Caleb Hurst (28) and Ty Thomas (23) are part of a talented group of Cooper players who are looking forward to competing at the Class 5A level.

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Amarillo Sept. 2, RANDALL Sept. 9, at Frenship Sept. 16, WEATHERFORD Sept. 23, at Clovis, N.M. Oct. 7, at Lubbock High* Oct. 14, ABILENE COOPER* Oct. 21, at Coronado* Oct. 28, MONTEREY* Nov. 4, at SA Lake View* *denotes district game

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TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Max Kattwinkel Assistant coaches: Chip Darden, Keenan Kitchens, Jason Salinas, Brad Wuensche, SonnyGonzales, Kiel Kitchens, Kent Allison, Joe Sexton, Marty McClintock, Randy Doege.

2015 record: 9-2 overall (4-0 in District 4-5A) Postseason: Defeated Dumas 261420in bi-district;lost to Eastlake 24-21 in area.

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15 high schools featured, including Plainview, Littlefield and Lubbock Christian The best high school football and basketball games in the area on the radio and online at Network1Sports.com Expanded playoff coverage for all sports NEW IN 2016: The Friday Night Preview for football season, and the Saturday Sports Recap from August-February Daily sports updates covering the region from Amarillo to Lubbock and everywhere in between

ROSTER Player

Braxton Riddley Jacob Salinas Dice Griego Trendan Jackson Jace De La Garza Carlton Searcy Matthew Smith Keyshawn Horn Jesse Villa Carson Hauk Derrin Mendoza Wrangler Haresnape Ignacio Romero Clemente Hernandez Alex Fairweather Caleb Sigala Caleb Hernandez Fabian Falcon Esteban Fierro Aaron Gonzales Deandre Coleman Jimmy Rodriguez Austin Powell Jason Hollingsworth Jeremy Dominguez Beaux Bennett Elvis Olvera Chris Munoz Aaron Rivas Leo Balderas Trevor Townsend David Bustos Xavier Chavarria Austin Sepeda Damian Castro Angel Reyes Samuel Nicholas Angel Saucedo Rey Dominguez Alan Garza Edgar Quiroga Jorge Alvidrez Jaylon Borrego Randy Mendoza Manuel Castilleja Bobby Espinoza Adriel Flores Victor Cardiel Manuel Alcala Dustin Beverage Kershawn Whitaker Edgar Baeza

Pos.

WR-DB QB-DB RB-DB RB-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB QB-DB WR-DB RB-LB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB RB-LB WR-DB RB-LB RB-LB TE-DL RB-DL RB-LB TE-LB RB-DL TE-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL TE-DL TE-DL TE-DL WR-DB K-WR

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6’1 6’0 5’9 5’9 6’1 5’10 5’11 6’1 5’10 5’10 6’0 6’2 6’0 5’9 6’0 5’7 6’0 6’0 5’6 5’6 5’8 5’10 5’10 5’10 5’10 6’1 5’11 5’8 5’10 6’0 6’3 5’8 5’10 5’11 6’3 5’6 5’10 5’5 6’0 5’11 6’2 6’2 5’11 5’11 5’11 5’11 6’1 5’10 6’0 5’10 6’1 5’8

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SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 25, at Coronado Sept. 2, TASCOSA Sept. 16, at Borger Sept. 23, at Palo Duro* Sept. 30, HEREFORD* Oct. 7, DUMAS* Oct. 14, AMARILLO* Oct. 20, at Caprock* Oct. 28, at Randall* Nov. 4, CANYON* *denotes district game

50

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PL AINVIEW

New Foc

Plainview is counting on a number of players such as Dice Griego (3), Beaux Bennett (44 (1), Jace De La Garza (5), Carson Hauk (10), Jeremy Dominguez (41), Trevor Townsend (5

Bulldogs ready to move from underdog

BY SKIP LEON

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

The Plainview football team’s last two seasons have ended in heartbreaking fashion in the bi-district round of the playoffs. Two years ago, they lost to Palo Duro on a field goal as time expired. Last year, they lost to eventual state quarterfinalist Randall on a touchdown in overtime.

Now, the Bulldogs will move into an eight-team district that includes Randall and Palo Duro as well as Canyon High, Amarillo High, Caprock, Hereford and Dumas.

Plainview coach Ryan Rhoades said he knows his team will probably be considered an underdog in their new district. But the Bulldogs are no strangers to that role. And he thinks this will be the year they move from underdog to bully.

“They’re going to be an underdog quite

AUGUST 2016

often in this district we’re going into,” Rhoades said. “But they were an underdog quite often in the district we came from. So, they’re used to that role. I think they’re ready to step out of the underdog role and be one of the big kids on the block.”

The Bulldogs have a number of players back from last year and, as is the case annually, they have some versatility with players able to step in at multiple positions.

Two players who exemplify the Bulldogs’ versatility are third-year starters Wrangler Haresnape and Beaux Bennett.

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Haresnape began his varsity career as a sophomore playing safety in the defensive backfield. Last year he switched to quarterback and started there until he was injured in the third game of the season. When he returned, he played running back and fullback, for which he was chosen second team all-district.

cus

4), Wrangler Haresnape (12), Braxton Riddley 54), and Angel Reyes (60)

gs to league bullies TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Ryan Rhoades Assistant coaches: Clay Jones, Lee Walker, Neil Billingsley, David Haresnape, Jodie La France, Chris Martin, Xavier Rangel, Drew Thompson, Matthew Vaquera 2015 record: 5-6 overall (3-1 in District 4-5A) Postseason: Lost to Randall 21-14 in bi-district

This year, Rhoades said, Haresnape will be the team’s middle linebacker on defense.

He can still play quarterback and fullback if need be. But his main task will be anchoring a defense whose front seven was hit by graduation.

Bennett also has played multiple positions.

As a sophomore, he was an all-district guard on the offensive line. Last year he moved to defensive end.

And while he still could see time at defensive end, Bennett looks to move to fullback this year.

Asked what his team’s strengths are,

Rhoades replied, “I think the biggest thing we have going for us, I think we’re a strong team and I think we’re a unified team.”

“I don’t know that we’re the fastest team out there,” “But we’re working on it” Rhoades said the Bulldogs will have to bring their ‘A’ game every week and keep getting better as the season wears on.

“With an eight-team district, it could be very interesting as to who gets in. The top four could vary with a multitude Obviously, you’d better be ready to play every week.”

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 51

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ROSTER Player Joe Berlanga Roderick Bibbs Jer’Corye Bracy Jacob Bustamante Brennon Carter Roland Castro Keeshun Cobbs Lamyza Davis Billy Francis Tyrese Garner Andrew Gonzales Eulogio Herrera Charles Johnson Step’Fon Johnson Vincent Leffall Brandon Loya Deon McConic Quavy Nathan Tyrese Nathan Antwan Overstreet Jalen Pierce Malachi Peppers Seth Porter Roc Sanders Clinton Sims Taji Smith Alex Subia Greg Taylor Taylor Terry D’Anta Thomas Jalen Turner Kaelen Turner Eduardo Villareal Trey Washington Royce Wellington Devin White Kemadrick Williams Donald Young

Pos. RB DE CB-WR QB OT-DE OG WR-S S OLB OT DE C WR DE S C WR WR-C RB S ILB ILB RB-OLB OLB-TE QB WR OT WR-C ILB C OLB OG WR-K NG NG OT ILB-RB TE

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SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26 HEREFORD 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 at Dumas 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 8, at Caprock 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 LUBBOCK HIGH 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 SA LAKE VIEW 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 SHALLOWATER 7 p.m.

Oct. 7 at Mountain View, N.M. 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 at Levelland* 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 PAMPA* 7 p.m.

Oct. 28 at Borger* 7 p.m. *denotes district game 54

SPORTS LINEUP

Shavers takes over reins of Estacado p

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Marcus Shavers has been on the job only a short while, but it’s been long enough to tell him he likes what he sees in this year’s Estacado Matador team.

“I’ve been here a few months, and I can tell they are one hungry bunch of kids,” Shavers said.

“They want to do the right thing. They want to work hard and play the right way. They want to be the best, and they want to be successful on the field and in life.”

Shavers was named the Matadors’ new head football coach in February, replacing Danny Servance, who led Estacado to the playoffs for all nine of his seasons at the helm before accepting the Odessa High job early this year.

“Their energy and enthusiasm are awesome,” Shavers said. “This is a group of kids that wants to be good. We have great kids, a great staff and great tradition. It is a perfect situation for me.”

Shavers, an Allen native, played on the defensive line for Arkansas. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Wichita Falls in 2009 and then moved to West Mesquite in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, he built one of the stingiest defenses in the Metroplex.

“Stop everything,” he said in explaining his de-

ESTACADO

fensive philosophy. “We’re going to be a team that focuses on our opponent. We’re going to take pride in stopping the run and avoiding big plays. If you can do those things – stop the run, avoid big plays – those are marks of great defenses. We want to be able to run the ball when we’re on offense and stop it when we’re on defense.”

The Matadors have typically been a run-oriented team that also took advantage of the passing game with talented receivers. Under Shavers, the Mats may rely more on the pass, depending on how quickly players pick up the new philosophy.

“We will be a spread offense,” he said,” but we will have a run-first mentality. Our approach will be to run until you stop it. We have some great athletes, especially at receiver, and we expect to be effective throwing the ball. If we can stop the run, and run when we have it, we have a chance to control the game.”

The recent UIL realignment left Estacado as one of four teams in District 1-4A. The upshot of this is every team in the district is guaranteed a playoff spot. Rounding out the district are Levelland, Borger and Pampa.

“We think it’s the best district in the state, and it’s the only one where everyone can make the playoffs. That makes it unique. We need our team to stay focused. We don’t want anyone taking it easy just because they’re already in the playoffs.

Every team in this district has tremendous respect for each

A New E

AUGUST 2016

program, focuses on building strong program, strong men TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Marcus Shavers Assistant coaches: Joe Cluley, Robert Boone, James Vint, Anthony Thomas, Jesus Morales, Gabriel Rios, Blake Scott, Zack Zimmerman, Jeff Litke, Mark Llanas, Casen Kelucia, Victor Gomez.

2015 Record: 2-8 overall, 1-3 Division I District 1-4A Postseason: Lost 48-21 to Andrews in bi-district

other. It’s going to be highly competitive.”

First, the Mats will need a solid quarterback, and the team has several early candidates to choose from. Kyshawn Codd, Bo Simms and Jacob Bustamante expect to figure in the competition to win the job.

“Those three will battle it out,” Shavers said.

“Each of them has their strengths, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out.”

Another key will be running back. Shavers likes Tyrice Nother, who ran for more than 1,000 yards a year ago, but the Matadors

Era

need to build depth.

“We need to find a couple more running backs,” Shavers said. “If Tyrice can stay focused on and off the field, he will be a guy that eclipses 1,000 yards again. He should be a big force in our offense.”

Shavers acknowledges the Matadors need some of their younger players to grow up quickly.

“The guys who were freshmen last year, they’re going to have to grow up,” he said.

“We have a lot of talent in the group.”

Donald Young is expected to step in at tight end. “I’m excited about him,” Shavers said. “He is a little raw, but he makes up for that by being a great athlete.”

The Matadors went 2-8 last season, including a bi-district playoff loss to Andrews.

“I think reality for us this season is simply being better today than we were the day before,” Shavers said. “We need to have and celebrate some small wins, and we need to recognize accomplishments every day.

“We have talented freshman and sophomore classes coming up. We will look at the season at a whole and measure success as a result

of the entire process. Everyone here wants success, and I believe success is relative to where you are and where you want to go on a day-to-day basis.”

The Mats will run a 3-4 defense with talented nose tackle Royce Wellington up front as the anchor. “He is a good kid and a hard-working kid.”

From there, the team will look to players who saw some action last year as well as quality freshmen and sophomores who will have a chance to contribute in big ways early.

“We have some very talented kids who have bought into what we’re trying to do,” Shavers said. “We have high expectations for them and we’re looking for them to have really good seasons.”

New head coach Marcus Shavers will count on a number of talented players this season, including, from left, Brennan Cater (67), Roland Castro (54), Eulogio Herrera (72), Kaelen Turner (74), and Devin White (52).

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 55

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ROSTER Player Grady Baccus Zeke Bermea Damien Bordeyo Noah Childers Matthew Conder Cooper Critchfield Kegan Dent Jeff Elliott Zach Estrada Chris Gerber Nick Gerber Daniel Hurn Miles Johnson Caden Leverton Dominic Longoria Gabe Lopez Micheal Marquez Fabian Marquez Brian Martin Matthew Martinez Manuel Martinez Aaron Mendez Qualin Miller Joseraul Ornelas Jeremy Parsley Christian Perez Braden Price Armando Ramos Luis Rayos Cheaden Reyna Anthony Ruiz Isaac Sanchez Bryan Sepulbeda Blake Sitzes Landon Watkins Joel White Chris Zapata

Pos. OL-DL RB-LB RB-LB WR-DB WR-LB OL-DL WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB QB-DB WR-DB OL-DL OL-DL RB-LB OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL WR-LB OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL RB-LB WR-LB WR-DL RB-LB OL-DL OL-DL WR-LB WR-DB RB-LB WR-DB WR-DB OL-DL WR-DL OL-DL OL-DL

Ht. 5’10 5’9 5’8 5’5 5’8 6’0 6’0 6’2 5’5 5’9 6’1 5’9 6’4 5’11 5’5 5’10 5’9 6’3 5’10 6’0 5’10 6’2 6’0 5’9 6’4 5’11 6’5 5’10 5’8 5’11 5’10 5’10 5’9 6’2 6’3 6’5 5’10

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SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, MULESHOE Sept. 2, at Shallowater Sept. 9, at Andrews Sept. 16, BROWNFIELD Sept. 23, at Snyder Sept. 30, BUSHLAND Oct. 7, HOUSTON ST. PIUX X Oct. 14, ESTACADO* Oct. 21, BORGER* Oct. 28, at Pampa* *denotes district game 58

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SPORTS LINEUP

Historic season has Levelland amped up to

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON In a tribute to strength of character last season, the Levelland Lobos demonstrated what can happen when a team never stops believing in itself.

Staring an 0-3 start in the face, the Lobos refused to give up, going 3-1 in district play and reaching the third round of the playoffs for the first time in 65 years. The going got tough, and the Lobos got going.

“Being able to turn the corner and get things rolling, that says a lot about our kids and the leadership they have,” said head coach Jared Sanderson, entering his fourth year at the helm of the program. “It’s something we can certainly build on.”

Levelland has plenty of building blocks with nine offensive and eight defensive starters returning and a senior class of 30 as the team looks to improve upon last year’s breakthrough season. Despite all the returning talent, Levelland will still have to figure out how to replace

LEVELL AND

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Jared Sanderson Assistant coaches: Jhett Norman, Brian Coker, Alex Soliz, Berry Bowman, Kyle Cavitt, Michael Brogden, James Cavitt, Brent Paris, Zakarl Wadley, Jordan Elam, Jose Gonzales, Marty Torrez, Chris Portwood, Brian Luna 2015 record: 7-5-1 (3-1 in Division 1 District 1-4A).

Postseason: Defeated Fabens 52-7 in area; lost to Abilene Wylie 61-8 in regional semifinals talented receiver Tandon Jones and standout receiver safety Michael Lopez.

“They were both very important for us,” Sanderson said. “We’re going to have to fill their shoes with young guys, and we’re going to have to grow some kids up.”

The Lobos will work out of a spread attack with talented

The Big

AUGUST 2016

o strive for greater heights, and even more success in 2016 signal-caller Nick Gerber back at the controls. He is a three-year starter who has thrown for more than 7,500 yards. “He is really a special player for us,” Sanderson said. “He understands the game really well.”

Jeffrey Elliott (1,300 yards) is back at receiver while Daniel Hearn and Keegan Dense should also see plenty of playing time. Others who will be in the mix are Chris Gerber, Zach Estrada and Bryan Barton. Qualion Miller returns at running back and has chalked up consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. The challenge right now for Levelland is at offensive line.

“We

have to develop some guys early,” Sanderson said. “We lost three of our five guys from last year. We have some guys in place but not a lot of experience, so we’ll have to develop them in twoa-days.”

Stalwarts up front will be tackles Fabian Marquez and Aaron Mendez. “They both did a good job last year,” Sanderson said. “We moved Fabian around a lot last year because we had some injuries.”

Defensively, the Lobos have first-team all-state defensive end Braden Price leading the way. “He has a tremendous first step and does a great job for us,” Sanderson said.

Levelland will move Cooper Crispfield to noseguard. Blake Snipes and Jeremy Parsley are expected to battle for the other end slot. Brian Martin returns to start for the third straight year at outside linebacker.

Christian Perez, an all-state linebacker as a sophomore last year, also is back. Sanderson expects to see Luke Burma, Anthony Ruiz and Dominic Longoria compete for time at the other linebacker positions.

In the secondary, Dent will man one corner while Daniel Herne moves from corner to one safety and Chris Gerber is expected to handle the

g Time

other safety slot.

One of the most important things for Levelland this year is how the team will respond to the success of last year.

“I think it’s huge as far as expectations,” Sanderson said. “The bar is set for these guys.

They understand that we are not just here to survive and go out and play. We are here to compete and be contenders, whether it’s for a district championship or a state championship. We have not played in December, and that is a main goal for us – to play in December. It’s big for us, the expectations and the culture of this program.”

Realignment left the Lobos in a reconfigured four-team Division I District 1-4A with Borger, Estacado and Pampa.

“We want to win the district, and our goal has always been to get in the playoffs,” He said. “We are at the point where we’re talking about winning a district championship. That is what we want to do. In the end, we focus on improvement every day. We improve every day and work to be our best every week.”

Jeffrey Elliott (9), Braden Price (74), and Nick Gerber (7) were key contributors for Levelland last year.

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 59

1926-first multiBY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

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ROSTER Player Nic Hodges Calloway Garland Brandon Vannata Jackson Tuls Ian Gonzales Nate Bernal Davis Mason Jacob Phillips Corbin Coronado Jay Woodwick Rudy Arrizola Elijah Ortiz Colton Deathredge Brodie Barnes Cody Powe Drew Webb Cade Rigby Dylan Rigby Tate Whitten Mitch Stutler Wade Burt Colby Cook Caleb White Isiah Ramos Evan Soria Riley Crabtree Justin Avalos Julian Estrada Devin Dilbeck Drake Guana Jonathan Calderon Austin Wenzel Garrett Tongate Brody Hendrick Braxton Jurado Cutter Sparks Drake Emery

Pos. OL-DL WR-DB WR-DB OL-DL OL-DL RB-LB K QB-WR RB-LB OL-DL WR-DB OL-DL OL-DL TE-LB OL-DL TE-LB WR-DB WR-DB QB-WR WR-DB RB-LB WR-DB WR-DB WR-DB OL-DL OL-DL WR-DB OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL RB-LB OL-LB WR-DB RB-LB QB-WR TE-LB

CL SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR SO SO SO

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26 IDALOU Sept. 2 LEVELLAND Sept. 9 at Greenwood Sept. 23 LUBBOCK HIGH Sept. 29 at Estacado Oct. 7 at Littlefield* Oct. 14 at Slaton* Oct. 21 RIVER ROAD* Oct. 28 at Friona* Nov. 4 MULESHOE* *denotes district game 66

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SPORTS LINEUP

SHALLOWATER

Stampe

Mustangs’ new head coach can’t wait to s

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Chad Terry was still getting his feet on the ground as the new head coach at Shallowater, but one thing he is plenty familiar with is the program’s winning tradition.

Shallowater reached the Division 1 Class 3A state quarterfinals a year ago before falling to eventual state champion Brock. Terry, who came aboard in late May, is looking forward to the future.

“The number one thing is all of the stuff that has been set in place by the guys before me,” he said. “The work ethic here is unbelievable. The attitude is incredible. Stepping into something like this is really nice, especially not having to fix either of those two things.”

On the downside, the Mustangs graduated a senior class of 26 players, so Terry and his staff will have some work to do in terms of filling vacancies, including the large gap left by running back Cooper Ogle, who rushed for more than 3,000 yards a year ago.

“I think the thing I have seen is first everything

AUGUST 2016

goes back to the coaches,” Terry said. “Three of them stayed, and we only replaced one varsity coach on the defensive side. They have been good at what they do, and the kids know the system, so you can’t make wholesale changes or it will be a debacle.”

Terry who has made previous coaching stops at Plains, Slaton, Sundown and Coronado, will continue to evaluate his offensive personnel and look at options.

“We’re going to be a spread up-tempo offense, and if you were to look at the numbers, we might run the ball 65 percent of the time, depending on what people give you.”

“Any coach you ask is going to say that if they run the ball they will be successful,” Terry said.

“Shallowater has been run-based and looked to control the clock. I think they will like the up-tempo stuff, and watching them in seven-on-seven, I think it fits our personnel pretty good.”

Retaining the majority of the team’s defensive coaches provided stability for a program that is accustomed to success.

“We will keep our defensive scheme the same,”

ede

Chad Terry is the new head coach in Shallowater, and he has inherited a team coming off a trip to the state quarterfinals.

With a talented cast returning, Shallowater is eager to get rolling.

see what team can do he said. “That is going to be the best thing for our kids. It’s easier for me to come in and learn what they’ve been doing especially with 75 percent of the staff back on defense. They’ve been good and successful coaches.”

Terry said he wanted to make sure Shallowater’s player understood he was committed to trying and keep the team’s defensive coaches on board.

“The first day I talked to them, that was the first thing I told the kids,” he said. “I was going to do everything I could to keep coaches who wanted to stay. We face change, but our work habits don’t have to change. There are some deep traditions in place here now. They’ve done a great job, and you don’t want to try and reinvent the wheel.”

Terry said Steve Adams will serve as defensive coordinator and oversee the team’s 3-4 base defense.

“He has been around a long time. He knows football. He stayed and I am glad,” he said. “He has full control over the defense and to do the things necessary to be successful.”

Realignment has placed the Mustangs in a district with some traditional rivals, so Terry expects tough games every week.

“We’re back in with Muleshoe and Littlefield, the war on (Highway) 84,” he said.

“There is some big-time football played on that road. Slaton has a new coach from a program that has been successful. Friona and River Road are tough.

It’s a good competitive district. I feel like even though we graduated a big group of seniors, our kids know how to compete at a high level.”

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Chad Terry Assistant coaches: Steve Adams, Chase Clanahan, Jared Aven, Mark Ford, Cory Barnes, Coby Emery, Steve Biera, Jay Lusk, Keith Kitchens, Forrest Harding, Jordan Terry, Brandan Skipworth, Alex Johnson.

2015 record: 10-3 overall (5-0 in Division 1 District 2-3A) Postseason: Defeated River Road 63-14 in bi-district; defeated Bowie 64-50 in area; defeated Muleshoe 35-21 in regional semifinals, lost to Brock 38-10 in state quarterfinals

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 67

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ROSTER Player

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

CL

Seth Zapata

C-LB

6’0

210

SR

Jaleel Edwards

QB-S

5’9

135

SR

Kobi Iglesias

G-DE

5’7

222

SR

Jake Cisneros

G-DT

5’7

213

SR

Nathan Cunningham

WR-C

5’8

160

SR

Jesus Gutierrez

RB-LB

5’6

175

SR

James Arbizu

WR-C

5’8

145

JR

JJ Beltran

WR-S

5’6

120

JR

Christian Benitez

OL-DT

5’6

204

JR

Adam Cervantes

OL-DT

5’7

225

JR

Elias Cortez

OL-DT

5’6

300

JR

Angel Olvera

OL-DT

5’8

172

JR

Moses Rodriguez

OL-DT

5’8

234

JR

Davian Villagrana

OL-DT

5’10

307

JR

Alex Garza

OL-LB

5’8

175

JR

Dakota Alexander

TE-DE

6’2

210

JR

QB-DE

5’5

160

JR

David Moreno

TE-DE

5’10

215

JR

Eric Garcia

WR-C

5’8

175

JR

Demitri Rodriguez

QB-S

5’9

135

JR

Jordan Derington

WR-S

5’11

155

JR

Steven Solis

OL-DL

5’10

217

JR

Zane Paulk

Nathan Ruiz

OL-DE

5’8

175

JR

Michael Flores

RB-C

5’9

159

JR

Noe Gonzales

RB-LB

5’5

170

JR

Berto Hinojosa

OL-DT

5’5

255

JR

Seth Wallace

RB-LB

5’7

145

JR

Ivien Gonzales

OL-DL

5’9

260

SO

Jace Burleson

RB-LB

5’7

190

SO

Clayton Culp

TE-DE

6’1

195

SO

Julian Zapata

RB-C

5’7

145

SO

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Dimmitt Sept. 2, NEW DEAL Sept. 9, at Roosevelt Sept. 16, SLATON Sept. 30, SWEETWATER* Oct. 7, at Fort Stockton* Oct. 14, SEMINOLE* Oct. 21, at Monahans* Oct. 28, GREENWOOD* NOV. 4, at Pecos* *denotes district game

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70 SPORTS LINEUP

James maps targets for Golden Tornadoes to continue making steady improvement in highly competitive District 2-4A Another year of familiarity with the system will help Lamesa continue to make progress in 2016. The Golden Tornadoes will count on Adam Cervantes (70), Seth Zapata (69), and Moses Rodriguez (67) among others this season.

L AMESA

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Tim James looks at his Lamesa football team and can’t help but like what he sees. The Golden Tornadoes have been working hard every day since the end of last season.

They want to improve, and James believes that’s the biggest part of the battle.

“A couple of the most important things that I have seen since the season ended is their discipline and their work ethic,” said James, who is in the second year of his second stint as Lamesa’s head coach. “Our staff really implemented that even though we had a tough year last year and struggled.

The kids have bought in and they’re working hard.”

The Tors are coming off a winless season, but that hasn’t dampened anyone’s optimism entering the 2016 campaign.

“They worked hard in the offseason,” he said.

“They’re putting their time in at summer workouts. That is one of the keys right there. If you’re willing to work hard, you have a chance to be successful. That’s the most important thing we do as coaches is teach these young athletes lifelong lessons.”

Lamesa will look to make steady progress this year behind an experienced offensive line and a group of players accustomed to a new system. The Tornadoes will

Progre

AUGUST 2016

be a run-oriented team, relying on moving the ball behind veteran blockers.

“Our basic offense is the split-back veer,” James said. “And we run more than we pass. I know a lot of folks around here use the spread, but we’re sticking with what we know best. For this team, the key is going to be our offensive line. We have four guys back after a good offseason, and they have a year of the veer under their belts.”

Quarterback will be equally important as the veer requires multiple reads and quick decisions.

“We’re going to have two or three guys compete for the quarterback position,” James said. “All of them are capable of running it.

They have to be able to read, run the

ess

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Tim James Assistant coaches: Mike Scott, Jacob Dangerfield, Jacob Hernandez, Jesse Casarez, Mitchell James, Sam Estes, Alex Rodriguez, Gerry Woodberry, Kale Ferguson, Gabe Chapa, Gregg Moreland, Jose Delacruz, Dillon Rackler, Eric Velasquez, Sterling Jones.

2015 record: 0-10 overall (0-5 District 2-4A) inside and outside veer or be able to throw a play-action pass. All of them had a good spring, and we have experienced running backs and receivers, so we’re excited about our offense.”

James said last season was a learning experience for players and coaches alike because Lamesa had been running the spread offense.

“We all had to learn the system, and we took some steps forward,” he said. “We can tell we’re better at this point than we were a

year ago.”

Defensively, Lamesa will use a 5-2 alignment, featuring a noseguard, two defensive tackles and two defensive ends up front.

“Some people call it the 3-4. We call it the 5-2,” he said. “We’re going to be better on defense too because the kids understand the scheme better than they did a year ago.”

Lamesa’s defensive experience is spread around with two returnees up front, two back at linebacker and two others in the secondary.

“I am a firm believer that success breeds success,” he said. “We need success early. It’s been a while since we’ve had some. We need to go out and execute on offense and fly to the ball on defense. If we have early success, it will carry over into district play.”

The only change to Division 2 District 2-4A was the addition of one more challenging opponent with Seminole coming in.

“I just think there is light at the end of the tunnel,” James said. “If we continue to work hard and learn these lessons, it will get better. Our district is plenty tough. We feel like we’re going to be better, but so will everyone else.”

“The people here have been awesome,” he said. “It’s a blessing for us to come back. The people have been great to me and my family. It’s just been great.”

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 71

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Pos. QB-LB WR-DB WR-DE QB-DB WR-DB WR-DB RB-LB TE-DE WR-DB RB-DB TE-DE FB-LB OL-DT OL-DT OL-DT OL-LB OL-DT OL-LB OL-DE OL-DT TE-DB

Ht. 5’7 5’7 5’7 5’8 5’9 5’9 5’9 5’10 5’9 5’7 5’11 5’7 5’10 6’1 5’11 5’8 5’10 5’10 6’3 5’11 5’10

Wt. 154 136 140 140 143 145 150 145 154 140 211 159 178 240 205 165 235 151 206 232 140

CL JR JR SR SR JR SR JR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR SR SR SR SR JR JR JR

Talented Wildcats design approach to build on the team’s tradition of excellence, competitiveness

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

A trip to the state semifinals isn’t only a great achievement for a team. It’s also great experience as teams get additional important games with lots on the line.

“It’s like having almost a whole ‘nother season at the end of it,” said Idalou head coach Jeff Lofton. “We have a lot of those guys around for this year. When you have your JV and freshman guys out, you basically get five or six more weeks of football. To me, that really sets the stage, and you are that much farther ahead, because where others are turning in their pads after week 10, we are playing until close to Christmas.”

The Wildcats enjoyed another stellar season last year, winning 13 consecutive games and reaching the Division II Class 3A state semifi-

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Jeff Lofton Assistant coaches: Mark Turner, Russ Reagan, Konrad Carroll, Garrett Heard, Dustin Schulte, Newt Wheeler, Gaines Magee, Justin Gorman.

2015 record: 13-1 overall (5-0 in Division 2, District 1-3A) Post season: Defeated Holliday 59-17 in bi-district; Defeated Colorado City 58-14 in area; Defeated Coleman 37-0 in Division II Region 1-3A semifinal; Defeated Henrietta 27-7 in Division II Region 1-3A championship game; Lost to Waskom 28-24 in Class 3A Division II state semifinals.

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Shallowater Sept. 2, at Seminole Sept. 9, LITTLEFIELD Sept. 16, POST Sept. 23, at Muleshoe Sept. 30, DENVER CITY Oct. 7, COLORADO CITY* Oct. 14, at Coahoma* Oct. 21, ROOSEVELT* Oct. 28, at Stanton* *denotes district game 74

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SPORTS LINEUP

IDALOU

Next To

AUGUST 2016

nals before dropping a 28-24 thriller to Waskom.

Idalou had one of the deepest runs of any South Plains football team, rolling over Holiday, Colorado City and Coleman before defeating Henrietta in the regional final.

“We tied a school record for most wins in a season,” Lofton said. “It was only the second time in school history we had gone that deep in the playoffs. Those things feed tradition. We have some turnover from last year, but these guys always find a way to step it up and become guys who fill the Wildcat shoes.”

Filling the shoes will start immediately as Idalou returns just two defensive and one offensive starter from last year’s squad.

“I am confident we have guys chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to play,” Lofton said.

“They put in a good offseason, and even though you lose a lot of players, the great thing is we’re doing the same thing. Our system hasn’t changed.

They have heard the stuff we do since they were

seventh-graders, even if they are green as far as varsity experience. We’ll shake the green off of them real quick and start clicking along.”

The defensive returnees for Idalou are Jonathan Pacheco and Eden Cervantes. Cervantes is also a returning starter on offense.

“We have to be able to execute on offense,” Lofton said. “We have to be able to run our bread and butter plays. We will be relatively simple.

We will continue to simplify this year and be excellent in executing the little things perfectly because little things make the difference in games.”

The Wildcats not only lost experienced players, but they also lost talented players, including an all-state lineman, an all-state running back, an all-state defensive end and an all-district quarterback.

“Experience will be our biggest challenge overall,” he said. “But these guys know how to win, and they know how to work, and if they

o Shine

put that work ethic out there, if they can overcome the learning curve, the speed of the game will be different, but they will be able to play Wildcat football.”

Realignment wasn’t too unkind to the Wildcats, who find themselves in a district that includes Roosevelt, Colorado City, Stanton and Coahoma.

“We’ve done some crazy things in realignment lately,” he said with a laugh. “Lately, we’ve been in the northern district. Now we’re going south. We’ve been in with Stanton and Coahoma before, so we’ve seen some of these teams and played them. We faced off with Colorado City in a playoff game last year. Roosevelt has been in our district before. They are always tough, and they have everyone back. Coahoma, I know they work hard, and I know Colorado City had a talented team. We have our work cut out for us, and we hope to be clicking along by the time district play rolls around.”

AUGUST 2016

Idalou has built a great tradition and an expectation of accomplishment through the years. Bryce Mojiea (30), Michael Luna (5), Austen Sollis (15), Luke Rodriguez (62), Jonathan Pacheco (7), Eden Cervantez (55), Seth Galieia (52), Garret Stanton (61), Riley Richards (42), and Ryen Ortiz (64) are ready to do their part to ensure the winning trend continues.

SPORTS LINEUP 75

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POS WR/CB QB QB/SS RB/NG QB/SS WR/LB RB/SS WR/SS TE/LB OL/DE OL/DE OL/LB OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE WR/CB WR/CB WR/CB WR/CB RB/LB RB/LB WR/CB RB/LB RB/LB WR/CB WR/CB OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE OL/DE

CL SR SR SO SO JR SR JR SR SR SR JR JR SO SR SR JR SR SO SO SO SO SO JR SO SO SO SO SO JR SO JR SO SO SO SO JR JR JR SR

SCHEDULE (Home Games all CAPS)

Aug. 26, ROOSEVELT Sep. 2, at Lamesa Sep. 9, SLATON Sep. 16, SUNRAY Sep. 23, at Tulia Oct. 7, at Olton* Oct. 14, FLOYDADA* Oct. 21, at Hale Center* Oct. 28, at Abernathy* Nov. 4, SUNDOWN*

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*denotes district game 78

SPORTS LINEUP

After strong athletic year, New Deal loo

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

New Deal’s football team set the tone for what would become a yearlong bonanza of athletic excellence a year ago. Now the Lions are hoping to do the same thing.

“We had a tremendous year last season,” head coach Matt Hill said. “We went undefeated in the regular season, and that was a football team that started out not knowing how good they could be.

But they jelled as a team. I was proud of our senior leadership, the team of kids we had. I hope to see that continue this upcoming season.”

NEW DEAL

The Lions went 10-0 in the regular season en route to the Division I District 2-2A title. The season ended in the bi-district round of the playoffs with a tough 35-31 loss to Panhandle. That was the start of a strong athletic year with New Deal reaching the playoffs in a handful of other sports and capping the year with a state track crown.

“We had a tremendous athletic season last year,” Hill said. “Basketball playoffs. Baseball playoffs. Track championship. We were excited about it. Of course, using the same kids in all those sports carries over from sport to sport. We started strength and conditioning workouts, and our numbers are good. The kids are ready to keep New Deal football going.”

The Lions have a solid nucleus returning on each side of the ball with five returning starters and seven overall who saw extensive playing time a

Roarin

AUGUST 2016

oks forward to another season of great achievements year ago. Quarterback Jackson Durham and inside receiving threat Mark Adams headline the list and form a lethal combination in the team’s spread attack. Other returnees include offensive linemen Robert Barcheers and Jesse Alonzo.

“Jesse played every snap last year on both sides of the ball,” Hill said. “We’re very thankful for all of those kids.”

Hill said one of the secrets to the team’s success was players being able to see the big picture.

“We started a freshman and two sophomores last year that we had projected on the JV when the season started,” Hill said. “Our seniors accepted those kids because they realized we needed them to be a better football team. That made it easier on the staff as we were trying to get kids in the right spots.

We had a couple of seniors who lost their jobs, but those kids were about the team. It made it nice.”

Defensively, the Lions return

ng

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Matt Hill Assistant coaches: Kyle Carver, Rex Whitfield, Kedric Carver, Jason Ybarra, Matthew Ford, Kyler Bean, Dillon Moats.

2015 record: 10-1 overall (5-0 in District 2-2A) Postseason: Lost to Panhandle 35-31 in bi-district five starters in their 3-3 alignment. Mark Adams is back at safety, and other returnees include Ethan Garza, Brandon Coronado and Jett Whitfield, who is expected to move from defensive end to linebacker.

New Deal will once again have to face a tough slate of district opposition

following the UIL’s latest realignment that resulted in Sundown joining the league.

“Realignment was OK,” Hill said. “They inserted Sundown, and you know they are going to play great football so that makes the district a little tougher. Everyone in the district is well coached.

We’re excited about the season. Let’s line up and see how it goes.”

The Lions have some work to do in terms of replacing some talented players, but Hill is optimistic.

“What we’re hoping for early is filling the holes from the seniors we lost,” he said. “We want to fill those quick but also keep our offense balanced like it was last year. Our offensive line is going to be much improved. We’ll be a little bigger up front, so hopefully we will be able to consistently establish our running game. We will definitely continue to do the things we’ve been doing on defense, which is fly to the ball and make plays. We need to show up with the right frame of mind and continue the tradition.”

New Deal will count on some new faces to step up and deliver this season along with a number of proven performers such as Mark Adams (2), Korbin Conatser (82), Brandon Cooper (48), Jaxson Durham (5), Robert Barcheers (50), Ernest Andrada (77), and Steven Martinez (24).

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 79

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Frankie Acevedo Dylan Anderson Javier Camacho Jeremiah Fuentes Gabriel Gereau Bryson Kitchens Mark Pando Jaiden Perez Xavier Rivera Robert Rodriguez Jacob Rosales E.J. Salinas John Turner Chris Zapata Zachary Mendoza Donovan Rodriguez Kole Kurklin Parker Redwine Jayton Grisham Noah Hernandez Jonah Lopez Ian Ponce

Pos.

CL

OL-LB WR-CB RB-LB OL-DT WR-CB OL-LB RB-LB WR-CB OL-DE FB-DE OL-DL OL-DL TE-LB OL-DL WR-DB WR-LB WR-CB TE-DE OL-DE OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL

SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR SR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR JR

Antelopes load up, aim for another trip to playoffs behind team primed to add to legacy of success

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

A playoff trip was nice but not enough last year for Abernathy, and the Antelopes are working hard for a longer postseason experience this time around.

“We had a lot of seniors last year, probably the biggest group of seniors, but also probably our most inexperienced group overall,” said Abernathy head coach Darrell Daily. “We lost a very talented group the year before (2014 season) and went 12-1.”

The Antelopes went 7-4 a year ago, including a 28-8 loss to Wellington in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

“We had some growing pains early,” Daily said. “Our quarterback last year, Trae Bender, took over and did a good job. I was pleased with our effort, but we were a little inexperienced, and our lack of speed hurt us last year.”

The Antelopes return five offensive and five defensive starters from last year’s district runner-up team. The UIL realignment had little effect on the team’s district other than replacing

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Darrell Daily Assistant coaches: Richard Rosales, Michael Clarkson, Clint Corbin, Michael Keith, Lee Bender, Tommy Simmons 2015 record: 7-4 overall (5-0 in Division 1 District 2-2A) Postseason: Lost 28-8 to Wellington in bi-district round

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Post Sept. 2 TULIA Sept. 9, DIMMITT Sept. 23, MEMPHIS Sept. 30, at Roosevelt Oct. 7, at Sundown* Oct. 14, OLTON* Oct. 21, at Floydada* Oct. 28, NEW DEAL* Nov. 4, at Hale Center*

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

*denotes district game 82

SPORTS LINEUP

ABE RNAT HY

Lined Up T

AUGUST 2016

Tahoka with Sundown.

“They brought Sundown in, so the district got even stronger,” said Daily, who is entering his eighth year at the Abernathy helm. “Sundown will be pretty strong, and overall the district pretty much stayed tough.”

This season, most of the team’s experience is on the offensive and defensive line. The Antelopes, though, have a number of players ready to step in and fill the void.

Mark Pando saw action at running back as a sophomore a year ago and returns to provide experience in the backfield.

“Really, our most experienced guys are linemen,” Daily said. “We expect great things from Jacob Rosales and Xavier Rivera. Xavier is a 6-3, 305-pound kid who does a great job.”

Other returnees are Donovan Rodriguez, who is coming back from a knee injury, and Dylan Anderson, who is projected at receiver and cornerback. E.J. Salinas and Bryson Kitchens are two other experienced players the team will count on this year.

“We lost a large group of seniors,” Daily said, “and this is part of the group we have

back. The rest are going to be awfully young, mostly sophomore and freshmen.”

The experience on the offensive line will be a key to early success for the team.

“We have to be really good and physical up front and take care of our young kids and let them grow up as they go,” he said. “We play Post in our first game. They’re a great football team, and they will make us grow up pretty quick. “ The rest of the non-district schedule will be equally challenging as the Antelopes play Tulia, Dimmitt and Memphis.

“It will get us ready for our district schedule,” Daily said. “Our kids have to learn how to play physical and play hard for four quarters.”

The Antelopes will attack out of a multiple-I set and may also employ the spread, depending on personnel. Finding a quarterback to direct things will be a chief priority.

“We don’t have an experienced quarterback returning,” Daily said. “Zach Mendoza, Malachi Laredo and Bryson Davies are all going to be looked at in that role. We expect it to be a heck-

uva battle through the summer and into early two-a-day workouts.”

Through the years, Abernathy has built a strong football tradition, so Daily is looking forward to what this year’s team can achieve.

“We’ve been long and deep in the playoffs before,” he said. “Last year was not a disappointment to get into the playoffs and see our younger kids fight the way they did. We’re not happy we didn’t go farther, but we had a great spring, we’re expecting a great summer and hopefully, we’ll go farther.”

More speed and a strong offensive front should factor into a solid year for Abernathy, which will be led by Bryson Kitchens (62), Jaiden Perez (4), Chris Zapata (70), Gabriel Gereau (2), Frankie Acevedo (25), Javier Camacho (22), Xavier Rivera (74), Mark Pando (31), Ernesto Salinas (75), Jacob Rosales (65), John Turner (15), Jeremiah Fuentes (56), Dylan Anderson (11), and Robert Rodriguez (44).

To Stampede AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 83

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ROSTER Player

Pos.

CL

Zach Nava

WR/DB

JR

Ryan Sykora

QB/DB

SR

Jerry Simental

RB/LB

SR

Dajahnay Williams

WR/DB

JR

Desreal Williams

WR/DB

SR

Phillip Rocha

WR/DB

JR

Trizton Robinson

RB/DB

JR

Kendall Whitehead

WR/LB

SR

Matt Gonzales

WR/DB

SO

Anthony Garcia

WR/DB

SR

Jairo Soto

QB/LB

SO

Isaiah Hawkins

RB/DB

JR

George Wright

RB/DB

JR

Manual Sanchez

RB/LB

SO

Conner Watts

RB/DE

JR

Donavan Salazar

RB/LB

JR

Seth Rennels

WR/DE

SR

Xavier Ramirez

OL/DT

JR

CJ Flores

OL/DT

SR

Xavier Briseno

OL/DT

SR

Mike Chapa

OL/DL

SR

Ethan Rivera

OL/LB

JR

Isreal Rodriguez

OL/DL

SO

David Garza

OL/DL

SO

Zach Vegara

OL/DL

JR

Marcos Zapata

OL/DE

JR

Grant Kitten

OL/DE

SR

Alek Garcia

OL/DT

JR

BJ Ambriz

WR/LB

SR

Martin takes over at Slaton, brings great expectations to program that returns solid cast of gifted athletes New coach Stacey Martin is looking for big contributions from players such as, from left, Nathaniel Vasquez (10), Jameson Jackson (11), and Jacob Terry (42), to be the main cogs in a Tiger offense that will rely on speed and quickness.

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON Stacey Martin and his staff haven’t come up for air since their first day on the job in early May, but the new head coach at Slaton likes what he sees in the Tiger team.

“They’ve been receptive to what we’ve been trying to do,” he said. “They seem like they are excited, and those are two really important things.

You have to go in and have some excitement that causes the kids to buy into what you’re trying to do. It’s going to be a process, and it’s going to take some time, but after only being here a short time, we’re excited about it.”

The Tigers reached the postseason last year, falling to Muleshoe in the bi-district round. This year, realignment shifted the teams into a reconfigured Division I District 1-3A that also includes River Road, Friona, Littlefield, Shallowater and Slaton.

“We’ve been around our kids in the weight room, and we’ve seen them in seven-on-seven,” Martin said. “We have a good core group of skill kids. We have some returners there who played on the varsity, and we have a small core of linemen

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, FLOYDADA Sept. 2, ROOSEVELT Sept. 9, at New Deal Sept. 16, at Lamesa Sept. 23, POST Oct. 7, at Muleshoe* Oct. 14, SHALLOWATER* Oct. 21, at Littlefield* Oct, 28, at River Road* Nov. 4, FRIONA* *denotes district game 86

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

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SPORTS LINEUP

SL ATON

New Top

AUGUST 2016

who we’re going to have to bring along real quick.”

The Tigers will run the spread offense this season and try to be balanced between the run and the pass, although Martin expects the team to operate out of the shotgun, “For us, the big thing for us to be successful, is to get all of the kids involved and get the ball to kids who will produce,” he said. “We want to give them an opportunity. We have to be able to control the ball and being balanced is something we will go out and work at. If we’re running the ball and it’s working, we may run it 60 times. The spread gives you lots of options.”

Ryan Sykora returns at quarterback, and other key performers on offense include receiver Desreal Williams, running back Isaiah Hawkins and lineman

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Stacey Martin Assistant coaches: Lawrence Johnson, Zach Duncan, Joe Alvardo, Bo Medley, Brandon Langston, Stacy Godfrey, Dustin Leonard, Adrian Barrera, Josh Satchell, Josh Harris 2015 record: 3-8 overall (2-3 in Division I, District 2-3A) Postseason: Lost 76-25 to Muleshoe in bi-district

Grant Kitten. Overall, the Tigers have seven returnees back.

“Our line is going to be the telling factor for us,” Martin said. “How quickly they can jell and come along is going to important. We have guys there, and we have some options, but the biggest thing for us in making sure we get them in the right positions.”

Slaton also returns seven defensive starters,

p Cat

and being stingy defensively is going to be a key for the team this year.

“Defense is a little harder to evaluate since you don’t have the pads on, and that’s when real football starts,” he said. “We have a lot of twoway players here. You have to be able to run, 11 guys to the ball every play. Having guys learn that is going to be a process and it may take a little time. Overall, I’m pleased with the athleticism.

We need to get the right kids in the right places so they can be successful and we can be successful.

“Everything is up for grabs right now. When I got here I told them if they wanted to play this is their opportunity. We have some holes to fill, but we have a good group of guys who have played so we’re excited.”

Before taking the Slaton job, Martin was on the staff at Odessa Permian. He also has previously served as the head coach at Alpine for five seasons.

“We don’t want to have mental mistakes and beat ourselves,” he said. “We want to hang on to the football and not have turnovers, not mentally break down and compete every play. We need to go out there with the right attitude and just play.

We want them to fly around the field and have a good time playing football. That is why we are all here.”

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 87

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ROSTER Player

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

CL

Oscar Aguilar

OT-DT 5’10

270

SR

Blake Allen

WR-LB

5’8 160

SR

Brody Attebury

OT-DT 5’11 300

SR

Marcus Byers

WR-DB

5’6 140

SR

Andy Canales

OG-DT

5’9 190

SR

TE-DE 5’10 175

SR

WR-DB 5’11 165

JR

Jack Dowty

G-LB 5’10 190

SR

Isaia Duenes

FB-LB 5’10 195

SR

Jayden Edwards

OT-DT

6’1 290

JR

Jacob Garcia

WR-DB 5’10 160

SR

Emmitt Garza

OT-DT 5’11 185

SR

Teagan Cooksey Erick Cordero

Micheal Gomez

WR-DB

5’9 155

SR

Pat Green

QB-DB 5’10 155

SR

Anthony Guerrero

OT-DT

6’0 220

JR

Josh Hayes

TB-DB

6’0 160

SR

Garrett Heatley

TB-LB 5’11 180

SR

Juan Martinez

C-DT

5’9 230

JR

Esaiah Rodriques

G-DE 5’10 190

SR

JD Rojas

QB-LB

5’7 150

SR

G-LB

5’9 205

SR

Caleb Scott

TE-DE

6’1 175

SR

Kevin Shoemaker

OT-DT

6’2 285

SR

Micheal Soto

C-LB

5’8 175

JR

Anthony Vasquez

FB-LB 5’10 190

JR

Michael Sanchez

Quisenberry takes over at Roosevelt, wants to watch Eagles soar to new heights Roosevelt returns a huge senior class this year and will count on players such as JD Rojas (10), Esaiah Rodriques (53), Caleb Scott (24), Kevin Shoemaker (77), Teagan Cooksey (26), Garrett Heatley (48), and Jacob Garcia (8)

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

David Quisenberry has been on the job for just a couple of months, but he’s been in the know at Roosevelt for much longer.

Quisenberry has been part of the Eagles’ staff the past eight years and was promoted to head coach in May. The learning curve hasn’t been too severe as he and his staff have worked to ensure continuity and routine.

“It’s really been fine,” he said. “I got the job in May, but I had been here eight years before that. Knowing the kids and who’s who is not a problem.”

It doesn’t hurt that Quisenberry will have a Roosevelt team loaded with experience. The Eagles return eight starters on each side of the ball, and the team expects to boast a deep senior class of 20 players.

“That part is looking pretty good,” he said.

“We’ve got a good number of starters returning each way, and we have something like 20 seniors this year. It’s always beneficial when you have that kind of experience. Things have been going really

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at New Deal

7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2, at Slaton

7:30 p.m.

Sept. 9, LAMESA

7:30 p.m.

Sept. 16, LITTLEFIELD

7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23, at Floydada

7:30 p.m.

Sept. 30, ABERNATHY

7:30 p.m.

Oct. 14, STANTON*

7:30 p.m.

Oct. 21, at Idalou*

7:30 p.m.

Oct. 28, COLORADO CITY*

7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4, at Coahoma*

7:30 p.m.

*denotes district game 90

SPORTS LINEUP

R O O S E V E LT

Senior S

AUGUST 2016

well, and we’re happy with our progress so far.”

Prior to being named head coach, Quisenberry oversaw the powerlifting program and had served as defensive coordinator for the past three years.

He has coached for more than 35 years, at one time serving as head coach at Sudan.

He plans to run a slightly different offensive attack, shifting to the multiple-I and emphasizing the run a little more.

“We had a strong track team this year,” Quisenberry said. “We’ve got decent speed, and one of our kids from the sprint relay will more than likely be our tailback this season.”

Josh Hayes and Garrett Heatley, both seniors, are expected to compete for playing time at tailback while the Eagles also look forward to a good competition at quarterback between J.D. Rojas and Pat Green.

“We have a young man who has been starting since he was a freshman, not at quarterback, but he a lot of experience at the varsity level,” Quisenberry said. “J.D. has been looking pretty good. We also have another senior kid who has been improving steadily in Pat Green who was our backup quarterback last year. J.D. is a hard-work-

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: David Quisenberry Assistant coaches: Matt Landers, Robert Wallace, Waylon Damron, Chuck Graves, Kelsey Wormsbaker, Dereck Mauldin, Tanner Bales.

2015 record: 5-5 overall (1-4 in Division 2, District 1-3A) ing kid, and Pat has made some strides. Right now, Pat will probably start at safety, but he is a capable quarterback.”

The Eagles also return a wealth of experience up front with center Juan Martinez, guard Esai Rodriguez, and tackles Kevin Shoemaker and Jayden Edwards. Teagan Cooksey is projected to help out at tight end.

“We have the possibility of a tight end who could really help our offense in Teagan,” he said.

“He has been mainly a defensive player starting at

Strong

linebacker.”

Defensively, Quisenberry said the Eagles may change up the front line while keeping most everything else intact. Edwards was a starter on the defensive line while Cooksey and Rojas are also back. The team has several experienced defensive backs as well.

“Our kids, we have a great group of kids,” Quisenberry said. “They’ve been running and they are really buying into what we’re trying to do here. I really think a lot of them.”

The Eagles were moved to a five-team district in the biennial realignment and will play in a district comprising teams primarily south of Lubbock, including Coahoma, Colorado City and Stanton.

“We’re going to be playing tough people every week in district,” Quisenberry said. “We’re playing a competitive scrimmage and a pretty good non-district schedule that will tell us where we stand pretty quick.”

In addition to a scrimmage with Levelland, the Eagles will open the year against New Deal before games against Abernathy, Lamesa, Littlefield and Floydada.

AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 91

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ROSTER Player Corey Mathis Chris Emert Angel Cervera Cardell Wickware Andrew Vega Michael Crone Jessie Segura Abraham Perez Albert Dehoyos Miguel Pena Alfonzo Mendoza Cutter Smith Carson Turner Robert Mora Joe Johnston Mark McGowen Arnoldo Martinez Esteban Lerma Evan Ybarra Tyler Saldana Lewis Alaniz Caden Britt

Pos. RB-LB WR-LB WR-DB RB-DE QB-DB WR-DB WR-DB RB-DB RB-LB WR-DE WR-LB RB-LB OL-DL OL-LB OL-DE OL-DE OL-DE OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL WR-LB TE-DE

Ht. 5’11 5’9 5’8 5’10 5’8 5’10 5’10 5’7 5-10 6’0 5-10 5’8 5’9 5’9 5’10 6’2 5’10 6’0 5’8 5’8 5’8 6’3

Wt. 180 145 140 150 145 150 160 140 175 165 150 140 180 180 185 170 150 140 275 140 140 175

CL JR SO FR FR FR JR JR JR JR SO JR FR JR JR JR JR SO JR JR JR JR FR

Talented contingent of skil position players leads way for Whirlwinds

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

It’s back to the basics for Floydada, where head coach Todd Bandy has an array of talented skill players but now wants to make sure they get the chance to be productive.

“We’re going to have to find some offensive linemen,” Bandy said. “That’s been our challenge just about every year since I’ve been here.”

Floydada has talented players returning at running back and receiver, but for them to enjoy success, the team needs effective linemen. Among those who will be counted on are Carson Turner, Robert Mora, Joe Johnston, Arnold Martinez, Esteban Lerma and Evan Ybarra.

The Whirlwinds were 4-7 overall and 3-2 in league play, earning a playoff spot and falling to Panhandle powerhouse Stratford in the bi-district round.

“We need to be better in non-district play this season,” said Bandy, entering his eighth season at the helm of the Floydada program. “If we are improved in non-district, we’ll be improved in district.”

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Todd Bandy

Assistant coaches: Scotty Bruington, Pake Freeman, Armando Morales, Travis Pittman, Cody Dean, Joe Alverado, Tyler Wilke 2015 record: 4-7 overall (3-2 in district) Post season: Lost 42-14 to Stratford in Class 2A Division I bi-district game

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Slaton Sept. 2, SEAGRAVES Sept. 9, LOCKNEY Sept. 16, at Friona Sept. 23, ROOSEVELT Sept. 30, Open Oct. 7, at Hale Center* Oct. 14, at New Deal* Oct. 21, ABERNATHY* Oct. 38, at Sundown* Nov. 4, OLTON* *denotes district game 94

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

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SPORTS LINEUP

F LOYDADA

Ready T

AUGUST 2016

To their credit, the Whirlwinds played a bruising non-district schedule last year, which helped prepare them for league play. A year ago, the team played Slaton, Seagraves, Lockney, Post and Roosevelt.

“Slaton is a 3A school, and Seagraves was top five in their division,” Bandy said, looking back at last year. “When we play Lockney, that’s the Floyd County championship, and you can just throw all the records out. Post is a small 3A and top 10 in the area, and Roosevelt is a large 3A and talented.”

A strong schedule prior to league play only serves to make a team stronger, Bandy said, and the payoff last season came with a playoff ticket.

“We want to play a tough non-district schedule.

We always have,” he said.

“There’s no doubt it’s helped

us when we get into district play.”

The only change brought about by the UIL’s biennial realignment was replacing Tahoka with Sundown in District 2-2A, Division I. The net effect: “The district is going to be even tougher,” Bandy said.

The Whirlwinds will operate out of a multiple attack, using two and one-back sets and also using personnel to spread out the defense. The top priority is quarterback, and sophomore Andrew Vega is the leading contender. “But he’s got to go out there and earn it,” Bandy said.

Meanwhile, talented Abraham Perez, a senior, will step in at wideout while Albert Dehoyos is projected to handle fullback duties. Corey Mathis, another senior, will be counted on to handle the tailback duties following a junior season in which he ran for more than 1,100 yards.

“We have great kids, and they work hard for us,” Bandy said. “We have a great staff, in fact, this is probably the best staff we’ve had since I’ve

been here.”

Defensively, the Whirlwinds are in good shape with eight starters returning. Dehoyos returns at inside linebacker, but the biggest vacancies to fill are at free safety and defensive tackle. Other key performers include Mathis at linebacker, Chris Emert at linebacker, and Perez at defensive back.

“We lost a couple of kids who really did great jobs for us last season,” Bandy said. “We’re going to miss them, but we always find a way to replace them.”

Head coach Todd Bandy is optimistic about the Whirlwinds’ offense thanks to a talented cast of returnees that includes Cardell Wickware (8), Miguel Pena (25), Albert Dehoyos (22), and Corey Mathis (2).

To Air It Out AUGUST 2016

SPORTS LINEUP 95

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ROSTER Player

Pos.

Jayden Fowler Heath Hays

Ht.

Wt.

CL

QB-LB

6’0 185

JR

WR-DB

6’0 185

SR

Cade Acrey

WR-DB

6’1 185

SR

Tripp Lowe

WR-DB

6’0 170

JR

Hunter Pitaniello

RB-DB

5’9 170

JR

Caleb Gilster

RB-DL

6’0 200

SR

Kyle Roberson

WR-DB

6’0 170

JR

Justin Lack

RB-DB

6’0 190

SR

Parker Rumsey

WR-DB

6’2 180

SO

Landon Gomez

WR-DB

6’0 180

SR

JT Gutierrez

RB-LB 5’11 180

SR

Luke Womble

RB-LB 5’11 180

SR

Lane Bruington

WR-DB

6’2 180

SR

Lantz Duncan

WR-DB

6’2 180

JR

Dawson Delaney

WR-DE

6’0 160

JR

Luke Cross

RB-DB 5’10 170

JR

Braxton Blanscett

RB-LB 5’10 180

SO

Kace Lott

OL-D

SR

6’0 190

Marques Frederic

OL-DL 5’10 195

JR

Kadison Rogers

OL-DL

JR

Mason Robins

OL-DL

6’0 190

JR

Blayden Myers

OL-LB

6’0 180

JR

Andrew Forsythe

OL-DL

6’0 190

SR

6’2 200

Braden Smith

OL-DL

6’0 190

JR

Brandon Shackleford

OL-DL

6’0 190

JR

Bryce Worley

OL-DL

6’0 190

JR

Luke Anderson

RB-LB 5’10 190

JR

Caleb Scarborough

OL-DL

6’0 220

JR

Jacob Ketcherside

WR-DB

5’7 170

SR

Justice Haggard

WR-DB

6’0 190

SR

Carson Gordon

RB-DL

6’0 200

JR

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

*denotes district game 98

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Chris Softley was hard at work long before officially taking over as head coach of the Lubbock Christian High School football program. “(Former head coach) Hutch Haley called me,” Softley said. “We had worked together previously, and that’s how this came about. I was content where I was. I hadn’t applied for any jobs and I wasn’t looking, but when Hutch calls, you listen, and I think there is wisdom in that.”

Softley, whose wife is also a coach and has won a girls state basketball title, wasn’t sure about leaving Class 3A Sunnyvale for a TAPPS school at first, but he listened – to Haley and to his heart.

“Over time, I came to understand more clearly what they were trying

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to do and that they were open to allowing me to do some things my way,” Softley said. “Things like teaching kids to compete for Christ and doing things God’s way.”

Tye Rogers oversaw the process and was instrumental in helping Softley catch the vision and ultimately make the choice to take the LCHS job.

“We decided this was something we wanted to be a part of,” Softley said. “This is a great mission and an opportunity that God has allowed us to have.”

To maintain continuity, most of the assistant coaches have stayed on, and the Eagles have some talent on hand.

“We have watched some film, and most of the staff is staying on,” he said. “They’re great guys and I’m looking forward to working with them.

They’ve been with me every day helping us get situated and organized and polishing some areas. The big thing about the kids, when we got to know these kids, some of the opportunities and some desires

Flying LCHS

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, at Plains Sept. 2, at Sudan Sept. 9, MORTON Sept. 16, HAWLEY Sept. 23, TRINITY CHRISTIAN* Sept. 30, FW CALVARY* Oct. 14, at Sacred Heart* Oct. 21, LAKE COUNTRY* Oct. 28, at Willow Park* Nov. 4, at San Jacinto*

New coach brings passion, new persp

AUGUST 2016

pective to helm of Lubbock Christian High School program they had for a coach to fulfill, we feel like they have the skills. Not only that, they are great kids, outstanding kids.”

The Eagles will work primarily out of the spread offense this season with an emphasis on taking advantage of the available talent and making sure players are in the best positions to help the team succeed.

“We will adjust our scheme to fit our talent,” he said. “As a coach, that’s a coach’s problem.

What we will do is we will come in and look at what we have, see where our strengths are and use them. We’re going to take their individual gifts and put them in roles where those gifts can be maximized.”

So far, Softley is impressed with the overall height of the Eagles and hopes the team can take advantage of that.

“We have some long athletes who look good on the perimeter,” he said. “It would be nice to see some four- and three-wide sets. I’d love for us to be multiple. We have some things we can do. We’ll run the spread, but we will be multiple.”

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Chris Softley Assistant coaches: Emery Dudensing, Mark Breaux, Brad Crow, Ches Tucker, Eric Hardesty 2015 record: 5-5 overall (3-4 in District).

The approach is similar on defense, where Softley and the staff are looking for continuity.

“We are trying to keep the consistency of our kids in place,” he said. “We have some carryover from last season. We think the 4-2-5 is a great scheme to stop spread teams. We will do some things to attack that offense and put our kids in a good position. We want them to be successful; that’s

g hign

the general idea behind our schemes.”

Softly said he has been impressed with the Eagles’ commitment so far.

“We are really comfortable with the heart of the athlete at Lubbock Christian,” he said. “These kids want to work, and they want someone to come in and push, lead and challenge them. They won’t back down, and that is all I can ask for as a coach. We have some kids cut from the cloth you want them cut from.”

For Softley, the move has been a great one for a lot of reasons.

“We say the mission statement of Lubbock Christian High School football is it exists to glorify God,” he said. “There are two ways of doing sports. God’s way and man’s way. The Bible teaches clearly all things done unto the Lord. We think that applies to everything you do and to sports.

This is lifestyle training, the right way to do sports and the right way to treat kids and grow them into young men.”

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Head coach Chris Softley has been impressed with the Eagles’ work ethic so far and will count on Cade Acrey (3), Hunter Pitaniello (5), Kadison Rogers (58), Kace Lott (50), Justin Lack (8), and Lane Bruington (25).

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Trinity Christian looks forward to next step in the development of new football program

BY DOUG HENSLEY

Photography by CODY HUTCHISON

Newly hired head coach Chris Lackey absolutely loves the positive situation in which he finds himself at Trinity Christian High School.

‘We have great kids, great parents and a great administration,” said Lackey, a Trinity Christian graduate. “The people at Trinity and in the community and with the church ae really good people, and that makes your job as football coach a lot more fun when you’re dealing with those types of people.”

The Lions’ football program is still relatively new, but the numbers are improving, and the athletes’ work ethic and commitment has never been stronger.

“We just added football like three seasons ago,” he said. “It’s personally exciting for me to see

TEAM INSIGHTS Head coach: Chris Lackey Assistant coaches: Abel Rodriguez, Curtis Ford, Justin Phillips, Matt Havens Last Season: 1-6

SCHEDULE (Home games all CAPS) Aug. 26, CLAUDE 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 3, LOCKNEY 2:00 p.m.

Sept. 9, at Eunice N.M. 8:00 p.m.

Sept. 16, at Sudan 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23, at Lubbock Christian* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 1, WILLOW PARK* 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 7, SAN JACINTO* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 14, at FW Calvary* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 28, at Sacred Heart* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 4, LAKE COUNTRY* 7:30 p.m. *denotes district game 102

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Breako TRINIT Y

AUGUST 2016

the growth and development of the program and the players.”

After two seasons of non-district competition, the Lions will play in a TAPPS district this year.

“We are very young,” Lackey said. “We’re a young team, but that is probably because our program is still in the infant stages. We have guys with decent size and we have some good athletes.”

Lackey said the team will run the spread offense.

“One of the things a coach does is they evaluate the types of kids they have and see what scheme will be a good fit for them,” he said. “I feel like after meeting the kids and seeing them work, I feel like the spread will give us the best chance to win football games.”

Lackey said he is still becoming familiar with his players and expects to see great competition for all positions when fall work-

out

outs begin next month.

“I’ve had a player meeting, and I have met others here and there,” he said. “We have a good solid group coming up and working out and doing strength and conditioning.”

Lackey, who is originally from Lubbock, said the team will use a 3-4 defensive approach.

“The fundamental is tackle the man with the football,” he said. “We have to be able to play a good base defense and be able to read keys, have our eyes in the right place and know those keys.

We’re not going to be a run-upfield team.

We have specific details we coach to as far as keys and reads for the defensive line, linebackers and

secondary. If we get those things down, it will be a big first step.”

Lackey previously served as the defensive coordinator for Victoria East. He is entering his ninth season as a head coach.

“We build on four basic characteristics,” he said. “Since we’re now part of Trinity, we can add another one: having a good relationship with God is big for us. We want to instill a good work ethic, discipline, respect and commitment. We feel like if we can get those four characteristics down, and those things are pretty easy to see, we’ll have a pretty quick idea that we’re heading in the right direction.”

Victor Backus (24), Cameron O’Donnell (95), Daniel Wheeler (80) are just a few of the players head coach Chris Lackey will be counting on his first year at the Trinity Christian helm.

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WAYL AND BAPTIST Attitude adjustment has been top priority for Pioneers as they prepare for battle against rugged CSFL foes

BY SKIP LEON

SCHEDULE

Photography provided by WAYLAND BAPTIST ATHLETICS Wayland Baptist University football coach Butch Henderson is convinced his team has all the physical attributes to win a Central States Football League (CSFL) championship.

But if the Pioneers are to get over the hump and contend for a league title, as the coach is confident they can, they have to develop a winning mentality. So, that’s what they’ve worked on during the offseason.

“I think it’s kind of like life, it’s an expectation that good things are going to happen,” Henderson said. “I really think it’s a mentality. We worked really hard through the offseason on the mentality of expecting good things to happen, making things happen, making plays at key times when you need to.”

Wayland is coming off a 4-6 season, including 2-4 in the CSFL. But the league record easily could have been reversed with a few breaks.

“It’s a matter of mental expectation,” Henderson said. “We didn’t play anybody that was better conditioned than we were. We didn’t play anybody that was any stronger than we were. We just made some mistakes.”

There are plenty of reasons for Henderson to expect good things to happen this year. The Pioneers have a number of returnees leading the way.

The best is senior outside linebacker Alden Mann, Wayland’s first all-American since the football program was restarted four years ago.

Mann was a first team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA All-American last year and is a preseason Sporting News NAIA All-American this year.

(Home games all CAPS) Aug. 25, at Lyon College Sept. 10, SUL ROSS STATE Sept. 17, HOWARD PAYNE UNIV Sept. 24, WEBBER INTL Oct. 1, OPEN Oct. 8, at Bacone* Oct. 15, SW ASSEMBLIES OF GOD* Oct. 22, at Texas College* Oct. 29, LYON COLLEGE* Nov. 5, at Arizona christian* Nov. 12, LANGSTON UNIV*

8:00 p.m.

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2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

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2:00 p.m.

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*denotes conference game The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder finished third in the NAIA in tackles per game (13.8), fifth in tackles for loss per game (2.1), and 12th in sacks per game (0.8) last year. In nine games, he ended with a school-record 124 tackles (57 solo, 67 assists), 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two interceptions. He forced two fumbles and recovered one.

“I don’t think you can talk about Pioneer football without talking about Alden Mann,” Henderson said.

“He just has that sense of how to get to the football. It’s uncanny,” Henderson said. “The hole opens and he knows whether to go through it or when to treat it, like we call it, cloudy, when it’s covered and slide on to the next gap that’s open.

He does a great job in pass coverage in addition to playing the run.”

While Mann will anchor the defense, Wayland has a number of players back on offense and contains the potential to light up the scoreboard with

its spread formation this season.

The Pioneers will have some speed burners on the field, including at quarterback where senior Payson Bain is coming off a strong junior season.

Last year, Bain led the CSFL in passing yards per game (201.8) and touchdown passes (19).

He passed for 1,816 yards. In addition, Henderson said, the Vega High School product runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 or 4.4 and is able to use his speed to scramble when flushed from the pocket.

At the receiver position, the Pioneers have three returnees with enough speed to blow the top off a defense.

One outside receiver will be senior Trey Rowe, who led the CSFL with an average of 21.5 yards per catch last year. He hauled in 30 passes for 644 yards and led the team with seven touchdown receptions. Opposite him will be junior Devonte Hayden, who caught 19 passes for 352 yards (18.5 average) and three TDs. Continued

Head coach Butch Henderson has the program whistling along, and the Pioneers are ready for a breakthrough season in the Central States Football League.

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AUGUST 2015

AUGUST 2015

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Continued from page 107 Returning at inside receiver is the team’s leading pass catcher last year, junior Preston Woodard.

He caught 32 pases for 614 yards (19.2 average) and five touchdowns.

If the Pioneers are in a four wide receiver set, the fourth receiver will be sophomore Malik Sims.

When they use a tight end, junior Keyshawn Hawkins returns.

The offensive line is filled with veterans who have performed at a high level. Plainview High School product Jacob King will be in his fourth year starting at right guard. Next to him at right tackle will be another Plainview High grad, Eric Lunsford, who returns for his second year on the team. Sophomore Kyle Rickman also will fill in at right tackle.

The left guard will be senior Brandon Grant, who sat out last season with an injury. Two years ago, Grant was an all-conference center. Next to him at tackle will be senior Terry Fields. The center is sophomore Keaton Vawter, who will be

in his second year as a starter.

The running back to begin the year will be Jarrell Peterson, who was redshirted last year.

On defense, joining Mann at linebacker will be junior college transfer Weston McIntire in the middle. The other outside linebacker will be senior returning starter Dontay Raglin. Grant Savage, who started at strong safety last year, also could move into that outside linebacker slot.

The defensive line will be a work in progress, Henderson said, with eight players in the rotation for playing time. The only returning starter is junior tackle Denzel Bradford. Among those in the rotation will be Plainview High graduates and brothers Marcos Hinojos, Jr. at tackle and Jacob Hinojos at end.

The defensive secondary includes returning starting cornerbacks Josh Paul and James Battley III, who each intercepted three passes last year.

The safeties will be returning starters Michael Nealy and Travis White. Nealy made 35 tackles and intercepted a pass last year. White started two years ago, but was hurt and sat out last season.

The kicker will be junior Daniel Martinez, one of the best in the nation. Last year, he was the NAIA National Special Teams Player of the Week twice. He made 13-of-17 field goals, including a long of 54 yards, and a 52-yarder.

Returning to punt will be Caleb O’Connor.

With all the returning talent, Henderson thinks his team can battle for supremacy in the CSFL. “We feel like we want to accomplish a championship,” Henderson said. “I thought we could do that last year.

A key will be to gain momentum through early victories.

“We need early wins,” Henderson said. “We need to get momentum up and rolling before we get into conference play.

“I think our schedule is conducive to giving us a chance to win the conference championship,” Henderson said. “It gives you a chance to grow up. If you improve all year, that’s when you’re at your best, when you’re playing the best in the conference. I just think that’s a real positive for us.”

Wayland Baptist kicker Daniel Martinez connected on 13 of 17 field goals last season, including two from beyond 50 yards.

TEAM INSIGHTS Head Coach: Butch Henderson Alma Mater, Year: Eastern New Mexico University, 1975; West Texas A&M, 1986 Defensive Coordinator Bobby Keefner Assistant Coaches: Marcos Hinojos, Michael Stephenson, Tyler Duggins, Anton Paige, Micah Hill

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AUGUST 2015

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