Football 2012

Denton Record-Chronicle

NewDirectionsInside: UNT preparing for C-USA Ryan moves up, Guyer down Denton welcomes Atkinson

Local coaches lead Denton programs in ...

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O ne of the historic shifts in the his-tory of North Texas athletics isless than a year away. The Mean

Green will leave the Sun Belt Conferencefor Conference USA in 2013.

That change alone would make thenext year on the local football scene amonumental one.

What makes this season even morenoteworthy is UNT’s move is just one ofseveral that will see nearly every local pro-gram heading in a new direction.

Guyer was a state power in Class 5Aand is now the favorite to win a state titlein Class 4A after dropping down in thelatest University Interscholastic Leaguerealignment. That same realignment sentthe Wildcats’ cross-town rival Ryan up toClass 5A to compete in the state’sstrongest classification.

Denton is also undergoing a change inits program with the arrival of new headcoach Kevin Atkinson.

Regional rivals Sanger and Argyle areentering a time of transition as well, onethat will end their heated rivalry. The twoschools that are separated by just 19 mileswill be in separate districts for the nexttwo years.

The combination of those storylinespaints a clear picture when it comes to theupcoming football season. It will be atime of noteworthy change.

The Denton Record-Chronicle’s sportsstaff set out to document the journey ofthose teams in its annual football previewmagazine.

The fact UNT will be on the move in2013 makes this season all the moreimportant. The Mean Green can pick upmomentum that could help the team cap-

italize on joining a league with Rice, Tulsaand UTEP right away.

UNT head coach Dan McCarney saidthere would be no better way to preparefor that move than to win and build on a5-7 season in 2011. Five wins might notsound like much, but it’s more games thanthe Mean Green has won in a season since2004.

Ryan has been a winning program foryears under head coach Joey Florence,who has led the Raiders to two state titles.Ryan will look to build on that history ofsuccess while playing in the state’s highestclassification.

Guyer will face high expectations inClass 4A, where the Wildcats will have achance to break through and win a statetitle.

Atkinson and Denton will have moremodest goals this year, when the Broncoswill try to lay the foundation to a rise toprominence. The Broncos won just onegame last season.

If there is one game that fans looked for-ward to in the area the last few years it wasthe annual Argyle-Sanger showdown thatusually determined a district champion.

Last season that game was televisedand featured two of the top quarterbacksin the state in Sanger’s Dane Evans andArgyle’s Austin Aune.

This year that game won’t be played atall, at least not in the regular season.

There are plenty of other storylines tofollow, though. That’s what will make the2012 season an intriguing one in theDenton area.

DRC Football August 30, 2012 5KICKOFF

FOOTBALL 2012New directions

About the sectionThe Denton Record-Chronicle’s 2012 foot-ball preview section focuses on the newdirections several of the area’s programsare headed in. North Texas is preparing forits move to Conference USA in 2013, Ryanis moving up to Class 5A, Guyer is drop-ping to Class 4A and the rivalry betweenArgyle and Sanger has ended after theschools moved to separate districts.

Section creditsThe football helmets on the team pagesare courtesy of Texas High School HelmetProject. The cover of the magazine and thesection introduction pages were designedby Carolyn Martin.

ContentsNorth Texas

Preparing for C-USA . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-8Highlights of Sun Belt era . . . . . . . . . . .9 Derek Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Four downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Sun Belt preview . . . . . . . . . . . . .14, 17 Aaron Fortenberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 UNT roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Marcus Trice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-21

City high schools Teams head in new directions . . . .23-24Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25-28Denton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29-32Guyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34-37State polls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40I-35E pedestrian bridge, UNT gameday

Visual tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41-50Area high schools

Argyle, Sanger rivalry on hold . . . .53-56All-area team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57-58Lake Dallas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59-61Argyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62-642011 district standings . . . . . . . . . . .64Aubrey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65-67Krum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68-70Sanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71-73Pilot Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74-76Ponder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77-79Liberty Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80-82Calvary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83-852011 review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86-87

Section staffDirector of sports

Larry McBride . . [email protected] editor

Brett Vito . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Al Key . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Minton . . . [email protected]

Staff WritersAdam Boedeker . . [email protected] Baby . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Hayslip . . . . . [email protected]

Special contributorsRandy Cummings, Dave Rogers, SteveGamel, Michael Clements, Mike Mezeul II

Copy editorsMatthew Zabel, Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe

ON THE COVER

Brett VitoSECTION OVERVIEW

Area teamssee changeon the way

David Minton/Denton Record-Chronicle

Denton head coaches (clockwise from top left), Dan McCarney of North

Texas, Kevin Atkinson of Denton, John Walsh of Guyer and Joey Florence

of Ryan will lead their respective programs in new directions this sea-

son. McCarney will prepare UNT to move to Conference USA in 2013,

while Guyer will move down to Class 4A and Ryan will move up to Class

5A. Atkinson is entering his first season as Denton’s head coach and will

try to lead a turnaround in the Broncos’ program.

By Brett VitoStaff Writer

Dozens of people crowded into a smallroom on the fifth floor of Apogee Stadiumin May, waiting for the official announce-ment of the biggest news in the recent his-tory of North Texas athletics.

After nearly a decade of courting aleague it viewed as the best possible homefor its program, years of inviting leagueofficials up from their offices in Irving andplaying up all the school has to offer, UNTfinally had been invited to joinConference USA.

UNT won’t share a league withLouisiana-Monroe or Arkansas State —schools that sparked little interest in theprogram — any longer after joining a con-ference that contains traditional regionalrivals like Rice, UTEP and Tulsa.

“We don’t have to talk about where weneed to go, because we are where we needto be,” UNT athletic director RickVillarreal said that day in front of a back-drop plastered with UNT and C-USAlogos.

The move was a cause for celebrationthat day, and a reason to look forward toone of the more critical seasons in recentprogram history.

UNT has one last year in the Sun BeltConference to prepare for the jump towhat is widely considered a higher-levelleague. How the school fares on and offthe field this fall — from becoming morecompetitive to increasing attendance —could go a long way toward determiningwhether UNT enters its first season in C-USA with momentum on its side.

That would be the best scenario forUNT, which is aiming to capitalize on allthe league has to offer and avoid the alter-native: limping into its new conferencewhile continuing to look for a way to turnaround a football program that hasn’tposted a winning season since 2004.

C-USA has seven bowl tie-ins this sea-son, while the Sun Belt has two. Theadded bowl opportunities are just onebenefit of changing leagues. Villarrealestimated that UNT’s revenue distribu-tion from C-USA will be $400,000 morethan what it receives from the Sun Belt.

UNT officials are confident that theyhave the facilities and coaches in place tomake the school’s final season in the SunBelt a good one. They also acknowledge itwon’t be easy to leave the Sun Belt on a

high note.“The challenge with this season is that

every one of your coaches and teamswants to leave the conference with a win,”Villarreal said. “A team wouldn’t look at itany other way. But the teams in the SunBelt don’t want to see you walk away withthe conference title in your last year. Thatis the real challenge — maintaining ourfocus on the Sun Belt, which has beengood to us, and let next year get herewhen it gets here.”

That time can’t get here soon enoughfor UNT, despite what has been a highlyproductive stay in the Sun Belt.

UNT had suffered through six straightlosing seasons when it joined the Sun Beltin 2001 and had not posted a winningcampaign since returning to the FootballBowl Subdivision level in 1995.

The Mean Green immediately won four

straight conference titles and played infour straight New Orleans Bowls, a runthat helped usher in one of the greatesteras of growth in the history of UNT ath-letics.

UNT built a new athletic center, awhole new athletic campus, an academiccenter and Apogee Stadium, a $79 mil-lion venue that is the crown jewel of theschool’s athletic facilities.

The challenge for UNT as it preparesfor its move to C-USA is finding a way toimprove other aspects of the program.

UNT has posted an 18-65 record sincewinning the last of its Sun Belt titles in2004.

The school set a total attendance recordfor home games last season, when 113,186fans were in the stands for six home datesdespite the fact the Mean Green washeaded toward a seventh straight losing

season. The record was an important mile-

stone, but UNT’s per-game average of18,864 fans last season ranked ninth outof the 12 teams that will be in C-USAwhen its new lineup takes effect.Charlotte, which will be the 13th memberof C-USA, is still in the process of buildingits program.

C-USA officials took a look at UNT’sissues, the school’s potential and theprogress it has made and were convincedthe program is headed in the right direc-tion before extending an invitation to theleague.

That decision was telling consideringUNT was a candidate to join the confer-ence in 2004, only to be passed over.UNT has improved what it has to offer in

6 August 30, 2012 DRC Football COVER STORY

UNT aims to leave SBC on high note

See COVER STORY on 7

Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton

North Texas head coach Dan McCarney walks on the sideline at Apogee Stadium last season. McCarney will lead UNT

in its final campaign in the league, which it joined in 2001. How UNT fares will go a long way toward determining how

successful the program will be during its first few seasons in Conference USA, which UNT will join in 2013.

DRC Football August 30, 2012 7COVER STORY

terms of facilities and successful pro-grams — including a men’s basketballteam that has been to the NCAA tourna-ment twice since 2007 — since its firstattempt to join C-USA.

“Their infrastructure is impeccable,” C-USA commissioner Britton Banowskysaid. “From the president all through theuniversity, they have great leaders with adynamic vision. At the end of the day, it isabout the people. You can have the bestfacilities and be in the best market, but ifyou don’t have the people with adminis-trative leaders and coaches, you can’t besuccessful.”

While UNT has more in place than everbefore, those who know the school bestsay that there are several challenges thatlie ahead for the program this season.How UNT handles addressing thoseissues will impact the program’s immedi-ate future and its long-term prospects.

Challenge No. 1: Have a good final year in the SBC

There are not many coaches in collegefootball who have a better perspective onhow to take a struggling program andsteer it in a positive direction than DanMcCarney, who is entering his secondseason at UNT.

McCarney helped turn aroundWisconsin as an assistant coach underBarry Alvarez in the 1990s. He then tookan Iowa State team that went 0-10-1 inthe season before he arrived in 1995 tofive bowl games in six seasons beginningin 2000.

That experience paid off in his first sea-son at UNT last fall, when the MeanGreen finished 5-7, matching its win totalfrom the previous two seasons combined.

To McCarney, what UNT needs to do tobuild on that finish and get ready for themove to C-USA isn’t complex at all.

“I don’t want to oversimplify things, butwe need to win more games and be morecompetitive in every game,” McCarneysaid. “We have a daunting, daunting non-conference schedule this year. On theroad at LSU, Kansas State and Houston— are you kidding me? We can cry aboutit and make excuses or go get our pro-gram ready to go compete with thoseteams. When you can do that, talk aboutcapturing the attention of the country.What would happen if we go and upsetone of those teams or get into the fourthquarter with a chance to win one of those

games?“Everyone in America would be talking

about North Texas.”Reaching that goal might not be as sim-

ple as it sounds.UNT hasn’t been a serious contender

for the Sun Belt title since 2004 and willhave just three returning defensivestarters available at the beginning of theseason, after losing three key players inthe off-season. Cornerback FreddieWarner was lost until at least October dueto a knee injury he suffered in springpractice. Starting defensive tackle RyanBoutwell will miss the first two games ofthe year with a torn pectoral muscle, andMcCarney decided to redshirt linebackerMike Stojkovic so that he can deal withoff-the-field issues.

Lance Dunbar, who broke UNT’scareer rushing record, graduated after lastseason, leaving the Mean Green withoutits top offensive player from a year ago.

UNT was picked to finish eighth out ofthe 10 teams in the Sun Belt in the presea-son coaches poll.

Facing a tough schedule in what onecould argue is a rebuilding season will bea challenge. What could make that taskeven tougher is that the Mean Greenenters its final season in the Sun Belt with

a target on its back.“There is definitely that feeling,”

Western Kentucky tight end Jack Doylesaid of UNT being a team other Sun Beltsquads will be particularly motivated toplay, at Sun Belt media day. “It could getsome guys going.”

Veteran Sun Belt coaches LarryBlakeney of Troy and Rick Stockstill ofMiddle Tennessee said they don’t foreseeUNT being more than just another con-ference opponent for Sun Belt teams thisseason. McCarney doesn’t think UNT willbe a target either and has continued tospeak highly of the Sun Belt and its coach-es.

Doyle isn’t alone in thinking that UNTwill face some added pressure this year,though. Louisiana-Lafayette head coachMark Hudspeth also anticipates UNTfacing a tough road.

“That’s just a natural feeling that otherteams and other universities might havewhen a team says, ‘Hey, we are leavingyour conference,’” Hudspeth said of teamsbeing motivated to win their last confer-ence game against UNT.

UNT’s players acknowledged that theywill have to prepare for the challenge ofgetting every team’s best shot in their finalyear in the Sun Belt.

“We probably do have a target on ourbacks, but we are not worried about that,”UNT linebacker Zach Orr said. “We canonly control what we can control, and weare in the Sun Belt for 2012. We are tryingto win that conference.”

That will be a huge challenge for UNT,which hasn’t finished higher than fifth inthe league standings since 2004.

McCarney has set high expectationsanyway and has spoken openly about con-tending for the Sun Belt title.

Orr is among several UNT players whohave considered the impact that kind ofseason would have, especially consideringthe alternative — an eighth straight losingseason.

“Having a winning season would bringmore fans out,” Orr said. “It would help usland better recruits.”

Challenge No. 2: Improve the team’s talent level

One of the telling signs of the issuesthat UNT faces is the makeup of the pre-season All-Sun Belt team that wasreleased on media day this summer.

UNT had just two players named to theteam: offensive lineman Cyril Lemon and

The following is UNT’s record and where ithas finished in the Sun Belt Conferencestandings since 2001, its first year in theleague:Season Record (SBC) Finish2001 5-7 (5-1) First (tie)2002 8-5 (6-0) First2003 9-4 (7-0) First2004 7-5 (7-0) First2005 2-9 (2-5) Seventh (tie)2006 3-9 (2-5) Seventh2007 2-10 (1-6) Seventh (tie)2008 1-11 (0-7) Eighth2009 2-10 (1-7) Eighth2010 3-9 (3-5) Sixth (tie)2011 5-7 (4-4) Fifth

Season recordsSBC ERAFrom Page 6

Cover story

See COVER STORY on 8


North Texas wide receiver Brelan Chancellor catches a pass in front of

Louisiana-Monroe sophomore safety Isaiah Newsome last season at Apogee

Stadium. UNT finished 5-7 last year, including a 4-4 mark in Sun Belt

Conference play.

The following is a look at where UNT’srecruiting classes have been ranked nation-ally the last five years by Rivals and Scout,two websites that cover recruiting:Season Rivals Scout2012 99 109 (tie)2011 102 113 (tie)2010 98 1172009 104 116 (tie)2008 86 68

Rating talentRECRUITING

punter Will Atterberry.McCarney has said since he took over

the program that he needed to improvethe talent level of a team that he didn’tbelieve was up to Division I standardswhen he arrived.

UNT has barely had time to addressthat problem and now will have to quick-ly ratchet up its talent level another notchto compete in C-USA.

The challenge is one that Tulane headcoach Curtis Johnson and several othercoaches in C-USA said they believe UNTcan meet.

“It would be a big jump from the SunBelt [to C-USA] for a school that does nothave that recruiting base,” Johnson said.“Texas is so good as a recruiting base thatit will be business as usual. If they were inMaine, it would be different.”

UNT has more to sell to recruits nowwith its new stadium and pending moveto a C-USA.

Rivals.com and Scout, two websitesthat cover college football recruiting, haverated UNT’s recruiting class better than98th nationally just once in the last fiveyears. In 2008, Scout.com had UNT’sclass rated 68th and Rivals had it ranked86th.

Rice head coach David Bailiff said thathe can see the improvements UNT hasmade to its facilities, combined with theannouncement that the school will join C-USA, paying off in terms of the playerswho are showing interest in playing forthe Mean Green.

Rice, which has beaten UNT twice inthe last four years, is recruiting several ofthe same players. UNT will have to signmore of those higher-level players overthe next few years if it hopes to competein C-USA.

McCarney landed a few players who fitthat profile in his 2012 recruiting class,including nationally ranked center BooneFeldt of Buda Hays, and said he could seethe improvement in the talent level of histeam this fall.

“If you look at levels where the teams inthe Sun Belt and Conference USA recruit,there is a difference,” said JeremyCrabtree, a longtime college footballrecruiting analyst who is a senior recruit-ing coordinator at ESPN. “It’s going to bea challenge switching leagues. They arenot going to be able to walk right in. Theyare moving up a level from a recruitingstandpoint.”

Challenge No. 3: Build a larger fan base

One of the biggest benefits of UNT’smove to C-USA is that it could help theschool address what has long been one ofits biggest issues — building its fan base.

UNT has invested heavily in its pro-gram over the last decade, from buildingApogee and the Mean Green AthleticCenter to raising coaching salaries.

McCarney’s base salary and guaranteedincentives total $545,000 under his originalcontract at UNT, a number nearly 85 per-cent higher than predecessor Todd Dodge.

UNT has seen those moves pay off interms of attendance, which has continuedto climb despite the program’s lack of suc-cess over the last seven years.

The crowd of 28,075 fans for UNT’sgame against Houston to open ApogeeStadium last season ranks third in pro-gram history for an on-campus game.Seven of the top 10 crowds for on-campusgames at UNT have been for gamesplayed since 2005.

UNT officials believe that the school’sfan base and attendance will grow quick-ly if the program improves, especially fol-lowing its move to C-USA.

“We will have local rivalries, and wealso have a long-term contract with SMUin place,” Villarreal said. “That will helpwith ticket sales. We will have SouthernMiss, Rice and Tulsa coming here. Wehave seen that we attract great crowdswhen those teams come here.”

Those rivalries could help UNT addresssome of the problems that are apparentwhen one looks closely at the program’shistory.

McCarney set a goal to sell out the first

game at Apogee when he took over atUNT and spent the summer promotingthe team, only to see more than 2,000empty seats at the 30,850-seat stadiumfor the Houston game.

The program’s attendance average of18,864 in 2011 also represented only anominal increase over previous seasons.UNT averaged more than 17,000 fans pergame in three of the four seasons beforeApogee opened.

Of the 12 teams scheduled to play in C-USA in 2013, only Rice, UAB and FloridaInternational averaged fewer fans pergame last season.

The new rivals UNT will face in C-USAshould help the program address thatproblem.

Of the top 10 crowds UNT has drawnfor on-campus games, three were forgames against future C-USA opponentsTulsa and Rice. Only two of the crowds inthe top 10 were not for games againstTexas schools or Tulsa. Both were forgames against service academies thathave large national followings.

McCarney said the bump in attendancelast season helped UNT in a number ofways, including in recruiting. He listedthe atmosphere at home games as one ofthe bigger selling points for recruits.

Bob Furay is among the longtime UNTfans who expect that atmosphere toimprove as the program makes the transi-tion to C-USA.

“The bottom line is the rivalries,” saidFuray, who has been going to UNT gamessince he enrolled at the school in 1970.“We have more of a connection with Rice,Tulsa, Louisiana Tech and Tulane.Playing those teams will bring more peo-ple to the stadium. Those are teams peo-

ple can relate to.”Boosting attendance also would bolster

one of UNT’s key revenue streams, ticketsales, during football season.

“Selling tickets helps the bottom lineand gives you extra things that you cando,” Villarreal said. “We don’t do without alot, but there are always extra things youcan do. But more than anything, it’s aboutbuilding a following.”

UNT’s players are well aware of thebenefits that would come from increasedattendance and want to do their part.

“We are going into the second season ina new stadium, which will help,” UNTrunning back Brandin Byrd said. “But thekey to it is for us to win games like we aresupposed to. If we do that, we will be ableto bring more fans out.”

That’s just part of the challenge UNTfaces as it prepares for arguably the mostanticipated and important move in thehistory of its athletic program.

8 August 30, 2012 DRC Football SUN BELT HISTORY

The following are the 2011 home atten-dance averages for the schools that will bemembers of C-USA in 2013:School Games AttendanceEast Carolina Six 50,012Texas-San Antonio Six 35,521Southern Miss Six 28,400UTEP Six 26,498Marshall Five 25,874Tulsa Six 22,541Louisiana Tech Five 21,518Tulane Six 19,726North Texas Six 18,864Florida International Six 18,411Rice Five 17,329UAB Five 16,579* Charlotte, which will be the 13th memberof the C-USA has yet to field a team.

2011 attendanceC-USA


North Texas fans stand and watch the video replay screen at Apogee Stadium.

UNT is aiming to build its attendance as it prepares to move to Conference USA.

The following is a list of the top 10 crowdsfor North Texas home games both at FoutsField and Apogee Stadium.Opponent Season AttendanceBaylor 2003 29,437Baylor 2000 28,318Houston* 2011 28,075Navy 2007 26,012SMU 2006 25,231Rice 2010 23,743Army 2009 23,647Tulsa 2005 23,112TCU 2001 22,837Tulsa 2008 22,785SMU 1990 22,750* Game played at Apogee Stadium

Top home crowdsUNT

From Page 7

Cover story

DRC Football August 30, 2012 9SUN BELT HISTORY


The end of an era in North Texas histo-ry is just weeks way.

After its 12th season in the Sun BeltConference this fall, UNT will head to anew home in Conference USA, a placewhere the Mean Green will enjoy rivalriesagainst Texas schools it now lacks.

UNT has spent the weeks and monthssince the announcement in May that ithad accepted a bid to join a league thatwill include Rice, UTEP and Texas-SanAntonio looking forward to the 2013 sea-son and a new begin-ning.

But before UNT clos-es a chapter in its histo-ry, it’s also worth takinga look back. There wereplenty of highs, and afew lows as well, duringa time of unprecedent-ed growth for the program in the SunBelt.

UNT opened Apogee Stadium, its $79million football stadium that is just a yearold, and went to four straight NewOrleans Bowls beginning in 2001 whileplaying in the Sun Belt.

The Mean Green reached several othermilestones along the way, including hav-ing back-to-back national rushing cham-pions in Patrick Cobbs and JamarioThomas.

The Sun Belt helped make it all possi-ble.

“The Sun Belt gave us a tremendousplatform to play and display who wewere,” UNT athletic director RickVillarreal said. “We went to four straightbowl games right out of the box. Withoutthose bowl games, I don’t know that wewould have had the momentum we need-ed to build this athletic center. That wasthe impetus for a lot of other things wehave done here.

“That step from the Big West [UNT’sprevious conference] to the Sun Belt, Idon’t know if people realize how big itwas. It was very instrumental in theprogress we made and the step we aregetting ready to take into ConferenceUSA.”

UNT still has a year left and an oppor-tunity to create a few more memories togo along with those from the school’s first11 years in the Sun Belt.

Here are the best of those memories sofar:

1. Sun Belt winning streak/bowl runWinning a conference title is an impor-

tant milestone in the history of any pro-gram.

Winning it twice is even more impres-sive, but doing it four straight times andbeing perfect in the process is nearlyunheard of in college athletics.

That’s what made UNT’s four-yearreign in the Sun Belt so impressive. TheMean Green lost its first Sun Belt gamein 2001 and then didn’t lose a leaguegame again until after it had won 26straight, not to mention four leaguetitles.

UNT received a $1 million donationfrom Houston businessman JimMcIngvale that helped fund constructionof a new athletic center, had Cobbs andThomas grace the cover of USA Todaytogether after winning their rushing titlesand experienced unprecedented growthduring that winning streak.

UNT struggled in nonconference play,largely because of a brutal schedule, butthere is no denying the Mean Greenwouldn’t be where it is today without thatrun of success.

Villarreal credited that bowl run forraising the profile of the program andhelping make fundraising easier.

“Any time you are in a bowl game, all of

the sudden you are in every newspaper fortwo weeks and on TV commercials,”Villarreal said. “All of the sudden peopleknow who you are. When you do thatonce, it has an impact. When you do ittwice, the impact gets bigger. When youdo it four times in a row, then people say,‘Hey, wait a minute there is somethinggoing on there.’”

There was something going on — oneof the best eras in program history.

2. The move to Apogee from FoutsWhen it comes to long-term impact,

there might not have been a bigger eventat UNT during the Sun Belt era than theaddition of Apogee Stadium.

UNT’s $79 million venue was years inthe making and immediately injected lifeinto a program in need of an upgrade interms of facilities late in the Fouts Fieldera. UNT started playing in Fouts in 1952and rarely invested in its upkeep.

By the time UNT played its final gameat Fouts in 2010, it was clearly the worstcollege football venue used by a FootballBowl Subdivision program in Texas.

One could make the argument thatApogee is among the best in the state now,even though it is far from being thebiggest.

UNT’s final game at Fouts Field againstKansas State and its opener at Apogeewere an emotional and historic time inprogram history.

3. Cobbs, Thomas win rushing titlesUNT made national headlines in

2003 and 2004 when Cobbs andThomas sparked the Mean Green’s run-based offense under head coach DarrellDickey.

Cobbs powered through opposingdefenses in 2003 and won the nationalrushing title by averaging 152.7 yards agame. The fact that UNT hammeredBaylor 52-14 and won the Sun Belt titleonly increased the attention the MeanGreen received during Cobbs’ record sea-son.

Cobbs was injured early in 2004, forc-ing UNT to turn to Thomas in the thirdgame of the season. The former LongviewSpring Hill standout scored on a 57-yardrun on his first carry at Colorado, rushedfor 200 yards in five straight games andwon UNT’s second straight national rush-ing title.

UNT was squarely in the national spot-light a year later when both returned,marking the first time in college footballhistory that two national rushing champi-ons shared the same backfield.

Sun Belt years full of memories for UNT

UNT tops Cincinnati in New Orleans Bowl� Mean Green finished off one of best sea-sons in recent history with 2002 bowl win.UNT beats MTSU to begin turnaround � Middle Tennessee was 5-0 with a winover Vanderbilt heading into a 2001 gameagainst UNT, which was trying to recoverfrom an 0-5 start. UNT won 24-21, spark-ing a five-game winning streak that led toits appearance in the 2001 New OrleansBowl, the Mean Green’s first bowl appear-ance since the 1959 Sun Bowl and thefirst of four straight.UNT hires Dan McCarney as head coach� UNT landed an experienced coach whoguided Iowa State to five bowl games in sixseasons from 2000-2005.UNT ranks among nation’s elite defenses � Mean Green allowed just 14.8 points agame in 2002, despite playing Texas andAlabama on way to New Orleans Bowl.Spencer selected in the NFL Draft� UNT linebacker began solid NFL careerby being selected in the sixth round by theOakland Raiders.Fitzgerald leads the nation in receptions � Casey Fitzgerald, a former walk-on, leadsnation in receptions with an average of9.42 per game in 2008, sparking UNT’sspread offense.

File photo

North Texas players, from left, Don McGee, Craig Jones and Cody Spencer join

head coach Darrell Dickey in lifting the championship trophy following a 24-19

win over Cincinnati in the 2002 New Orleans Bowl in the Superdome.Villarreal

Other milestonesSBC ERA

10 August 30, 2012 DRC Football NORTH TEXAS

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Derek Thompson knew the challenge hefaced was pretty simple heading into hisfirst full season as North Texas’ quarter-back last year.

The instructions from offensive coordi-nator Mike Canales essentially came downto a basic task: Don’t mess it up.

UNT had a star running back in LanceDunbar, a proven guy backing him up inJames Hamilton and an experienced offen-sive line.

As Thompson prepares for his secondyear as a starter, the situation has changed.He still has to manage UNT’s offense effec-tively. He just needs to do so while alsobeing UNT’s leader.

How Thompson handles that changecould determine how UNT fares.

“It was a learning experience for me lastyear, but I grew as a quarterback,”Thompson said. “I’m ready to step into thatrole as the leader of this offense. I’m not shyabout it and expect big things as far asbeing an offensive playmaker this year.”

Thompson showed that ability near theend of last season when he threw for 331and 332 yards, respectively, in wins overTroy and Louisiana-Monroe. Those per-formances helped the former Glen Rosestandout rack up 1,759 passing yards onthe season, despite missing one game, play-ing only sparingly in another and handingthe ball off over and over in season-endingwin over Middle Tennessee in which heonly threw seven passes.

The experience Thompson gainedshould help him develop into the playerUNT needs during a season in which it willhave to break in several new skill positionplayers. The Mean Green lost Dunbar, whorushed for 1,115 yards and Hamilton, whoadded 406.

The pair helped make the play-actionpassing game, in which Thompsonexcelled, work.

UNT will need Thompson to continue toplay well without those players behind himand manage the game. He finished with an11-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratiolast season.

“Derek is tough and knows what we

expect,” UNT head coach Dan McCarneysaid. “He’s got a great arm and good feet.”

Thompson’s teammates believe he ismore than prepared to take on addedresponsibility, both as a player and leader.

“We feel good about Derek,” said BrelanChancellor, UNT’s leading returning widereceiver. “He’s been doing well this sum-mer. We have been getting our timingdown during 7-on-7. We are comfortablewith him. We know where the ball is goingto be and he knows where we want the balland how to get it to us.”

Thompson believes that is all he needs todo.

“I don’t need to do too much,” Thompsonsaid. “[Canales] has taught me that. Youjust have to be a distributor of the football.

I don’t have to be the playmaker and makeall the plays myself. I just have to take careof the football.”

Thompson takes that role just as serious-ly as he does that of being a team leader.

UNT lost several players who filled lead-ership roles last season, including Dunbarand offensive lineman Matt Tomlinson.

Chancellor and running back BrandinByrd credited Thompson for helping fillthe void.

“Derek has been a leader this wholesummer,” Chancellor said. “He got us outthere to play 7-on-7 even when we didn’twant to or were tired. He keeps us going.”

That’s a new role for Thompson. So far,it’s one McCarney and his teammates thinkhe is handling well.

Quick factsConference: Sun Belt

2011 record: 5-7 (4-4Sun Belt)Coach: Dan McCarney(5-7 in one season atUNT; 61-92 in 13 seasons overall)Returning starters: Nine on offense, six ondefenseKey players: QB Derek Thompson, OL CyrilLemon, OL Aaron Fortenberry, DE BrandonMcCoy, LB Zach Orr, WR Brelan ChancellorReturning lettermen: 35Offense: SpreadDefense: 4-3School enrollment: 34,155Stadium: Apogee Stadium

Thompson stepping into a larger role


NORTH TEXAS: A NEW DIRECTION

How Derek Thompson would fare in his first full season as a starter was one of the biggest questions North Texasfaced heading into last season. Thompson played well, but will have to do even more this season for the MeanGreen after the departure of several key skill position players, including record-setting running back Lance Dunbar.

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season

Arguably the strength of UNT’s team isits offensive line. UNT has four startersreturning, including center AaronFortenberry, who has 21 career starts,more than any player on the team.

Other than punter Will Atterberry,sophomore guard Cyril Lemon wasUNT’s only player on the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team.

UNT head coach Dan McCarney and

offensive coordinatorMike Canales have saidduring the off-season thatthe Mean Green also hasmore proven depth thanit had last season.

UNT will need itsoffensive line to providestability in a season in which it will bebreaking in a series of new running

backs. Protecting quarter-

back Derek Thompson,who has a history ofserious injuries, will alsobe critical.

UNT will have a muchbetter chance to post a

winning season if its line lives up toexpectations.


John Skladany will be North Texas’ third defensive coordinator in three seasons. Skladany was head coach Dan

McCarney’s defensive coordinator at Iowa State, which could help him make the transition to guiding the Mean Green’s

defense that will have several holes to fill this fall after the graduation of key players.

UNT has had no continuity when itcomes to leadership on the defensive sideof the ball over the last three seasons,when the Mean Green has had three dif-ferent defensive coordinators.

Former Central Florida defensive coor-dinator John Skladany became the thirdcoach to step in during the off-season andwill face an immediate challenge.Skladany will not only have to replaceClint Bowen, who left for Kansas, he willalso have to find a way to rebuild a unitthat allowed 30.7 points a game and lost

seven starters.Skladany joined UNT’s staff before the

beginning of spring practice and has beenhappy with the progress the Mean Greenhas made heading into the season.

“I thought we made some strides in thespring and the players had a good sum-mer in terms of their conditioning andstrength,” Skladany said. “They seemeager and ready to go.”

One factor that could help UNT is thebackground Skladany and head coachDan McCarney share. Skladany was

McCarney’s defensive coordinator for adecade at Iowa State.

“When you spend a decade togetherand accomplish what we did and then geta chance to reunite at a place John lovesto come to work in a town and a commu-nity he likes, it’s a lot of fun,” McCarneysaid. “He has made adjustments in gamesand knows how to teach. He knows thereare going to be highs and lows and to notget too high or too low. It’s a great feelingof security for me as a head coach to knowthat he is with me.”

QUICKLY ADJUST TO JOHN SKLADANY, UNT’S THIRD DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR IN THREE YEARS

The early stages of the season are his-torically a tough time for UNT due to aschedule that often includes showdownswith major conference competition.

This season won’t beany different with gamesat LSU and Kansas State,not to mention Houston,in the first six weeks.

What will make thisseason even more chal-lenging for UNT is thefact it lost seven defensivestarters and was hit bythe injury bug in the off-season. Starting corner-back Freddie Warner isout until October with aknee injury and startingdefensive tackle RyanBoutwell will miss at leastthe first two games of the year with a tornpectoral muscle.

The schedule lightens up considerablyhalfway through the season. The key forUNT is to get to the midpoint of the sea-son and still have a realistic shot of reach-ing six wins and becoming bowl eligible.

SURVIVE EARLY-SEASON SLATE

CAPITALIZE ON HAVING A STRONG OFFENSIVE LINE THAT INCLUDES FOUR RETURNING STARTERS

Lemon Fortenberry

One of the main storylines of springpractice and the off-season in general wasfinding new playmakers after the depar-ture of several top skill position players.

UNT’s career rushing leader LanceDunbar and backup James Hamiltongraduated after rushingfor 1,115 and 406 yards,respectively. UNT’s lead-ing returning rusherother than quarterbackDerek Thompson isBrandin Byrd, who post-ed 83 yards last season.

UNT’s top three widereceivers return in BrelanChancellor, Chris Bynesand Ivan Delgado, but thethree players listed as thetop backups on the depthchart combined for onecatch last season.

“We have players whoare just as good as last year at runningback and the receivers that we have withme, Delgado and Bynes, we can playwith anybody,” Chancellor said. “I thinkwe will still be able to produce as anoffense.”

FIND NEW PLAYMAKERS

Boutwell

Chancellor

Byrd

Warner


When Louisiana-Lafayette head coachMark Hudspeth looked ahead to the2012 season this summer he saw a lot offamiliar faces when it came to quarter-backs in the Sun Belt Conference.

There’s Arkansas State’s Ryan Aplin,last season’s Sun Belt Player of the Year,and Troy’s Corey Robinson, who led theleague in passing, not to mention hisown quarterback Blaine Gautier, wholed the Ragin’ Cajuns to athrilling win over SanDiego State in the NewOrleans Bowl.

And those players arejust the beginning of thestory this season in theSun Belt, where nine ofthe 10 teams in theleague, including new-comer South Alabama,return a quarterbackwith extensive experi-ence as a starter.

“I would put our quar-terbacks up there withany conference in thecountry,” Hudspeth said.“Our guys are provenand have big-play ability.Our quarterbacks couldplay anywhere in thecountry.”

How they fare thisyear in the Sun Belt willgo a long way towarddetermining how what is expected to bea tight league race shapes up. The SunBelt had three teams play in bowl gameslast season — ULL, ASU and FloridaInternational — and a fourth with sevenwins passed over for a bowl bid inWestern Kentucky.

All four of those teams have theirquarterbacks returning.

“I’m definitely impressed with thisyear’s lineup,” Gautier said. “Right herein our conference, we have guys who cango play on Sundays. They are going tohave great seasons.”

That expectation is one reason fourteams received first-place votes in theSun Belt’s preseason coaches’ poll. ASU,ULL and WKU, which returns KawaunJakes at quarterback, all received first-place votes.

The only team in the conference thatdoes not return its starting quarterbackis FIU, which was picked to win theleague.

The Sun Belt’s coaches expect theleague race to be a fight to the finish, just

like it was last season.“It can be a really good year for the

Sun Belt,” North Texas head coach DanMcCarney said. “You see the teams thatwent to bowl games. They are going tobe really good again and you see some of

the up-and-coming teams that are show-ing improvement. There are some of usthat are going to be sold short. It makesfor a really good race.”

The quality of quarterback play in theleague could make it even better.

14 August 30, 2012 DRC Football SUN BELT PREVIEW

Coaches’ pollThe following is the Sun Belt Conference’sPreseason Coaches’ Poll. First-place votesare in parentheses:1. Florida International (5) . . . . . . . . . .92 2. Arkansas State (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 3. Louisiana-Lafayette (2) . . . . . . . . . . .81 4. Western Kentucky (1) . . . . . . . . . . . .70 5. Troy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .606. Louisiana-Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .477. Middle Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428. North Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369. Florida Atlantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2310. South Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

SBC

Sun Belt features top returning QBs

All-conference teamThe following is the All-Sun Belt Conferenceteam as selected by the league’s headcoaches and select media members:

OFFENSERyan Aplin (Arkansas State, Sr., QB);Kedrick Rhodes (Florida International, Jr.,RB); Alonzo Harris (Louisiana-Lafayette, So.,RB); Josh Jarboe (Arkansas State, Sr., WR);Javone Lawson (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr.,WR); Eric Thomas (Troy, Jr., WR); Jack Doyle(Western Kentucky, Sr., TE); Zack McKnight(Arkansas State, Sr., OL); Rupert Bryan(Florida International, Sr., OL); CaylinHauptmann (Florida International, Sr., OL);Leonardo Bates (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr.,OL); Cyril Lemon (North Texas, So., OL)

DEFENSEIsame Faciane (Florida International, Jr.,DL); Tourek Williams (Florida International,Sr., DL); Tony Davis (Troy, Sr., DL); QuanterusSmith (Western Kentucky, Sr., DL); WinstonFraser (Florida International, Sr., LB);Kanorris Davis (Troy, Sr., LB); AndrewJackson (Western Kentucky, Jr., LB); DonJones (Arkansas State, Sr., DB); JonathanCyprien (Florida International, Sr., DB);Melvin White (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., DB);Brynden Trawick (Troy, Sr., DB)

SPECIAL TEAMSBrett Baer (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr. K); WillAtterberry (North Texas, Sr., P); John Evans(WKU, So., Return Specialist)Preseason Offensive Player of the YearRyan Aplin (Arkansas State, Sr., QB)Preseason Defensive Player of the YearTourek Williams (Florida International, Sr.,DL)

SBC

Nine of the 10 teams in the Sun Belt Conference have quarterbacks with extensive startingexperience returning this season. The following is a look at each:Arkansas State — Ryan Aplin led the Sun Belt in total offense with an average of 321.2 yardsa game as a junior and was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year.Florida Atlantic — Graham Wilbert threw for 1,459 yards as a junior and recorded six of hisseven touchdown passes during Sun Belt play.Louisiana-Lafayette — Blaine Gautier set ULL records for passing yards (2,958), passingtouchdowns (23) and completion percentage (62.8) as a junior.Louisiana-Monroe — Kolton Browning finished with 2,926 yards of total offense, just 40 yardsshort of the school record as a sophomore. He threw for 2,483 yards.Middle Tennessee — Logan Kilgore threw a 33-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left togive MTSU a win over in-state rival Memphis and posted 2,231 passing yards as a junior.North Texas — Derek Thompson threw for more than 250 yards in three of the last five gamesof the season as a sophomore and finished with 1,759 passing yards, despite missing nearlytwo full games due to injuries.South Alabama — C.J. Bennett threw for 1,640 yards as a freshman for Sun Belt newcomerUSA.Troy — Corey Robinson led the Sun Belt with an average of 284.2 passing yards a game, threw21 touchdown passes and posted more than 300 passing yards in seven games as a sopho-more.Western Kentucky — Kawaun Jakes threw for 1,854 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior,when he posted 231 yards and three touchdowns in a win over UNT.

Returning startersSUN BELT QUARTERBACKS

Aplin

Robinson

Jakes

Associated Press/Brody Schmidt

Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Blaine Gautier, right, eludes Oklahoma

State defensive end Jamie Blatnick last season in Stillwater, Okla. Gautier is

one of several experienced quarterbacks returning in the Sun Belt this year.


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ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES

Coach: Gus Malzahn (first season as a headcoach)Team: 52 lettermen, six offensive starters, fourdefensive starters, no specialists return from a10-3 team (8-0 in Sun Belt,first place), 26 lettermen lost.Key player: Senior quarter-back Ryan Aplin was namedthe Preseason Sun BeltConference Offensive Player ofthe Year after throwing for2,246 yards last season.Outlook: ASU made a splashin the off-season by hiring GusMalzahn after Hugh Freeze left for Ole Miss.Malzahn was the offensive coordinator for threeseasons at Auburn, where he helped lead theTigers to the 2011 national championship. Theimpact of Malzahn’s hiring was evident when ASUsigned what was widely considered to be the SunBelt’s best recruiting class. The key to ASU’s sea-son could be how much help that class providesa defense with just four returning starters.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLSCoach: Carl Pelini (first season as a head coach)Team: 46 lettermen, seven offensive starters,eight defensive starters, two specialists returnfrom a 1-11 team (0-8 in Sun Belt, ninth place),16 lettermen lost.Key player: Senior linebacker David Hinds willreturn to lead a rebuilding project at FAU. Hindsfinished with 110 tackles onthe season and ranked sec-ond in the Sun Belt with anaverage of 9.2 stops a game.Outlook: FAU finished winlessin Sun Belt Conference playlast season, which turned outto be the final chapter in theHoward Schnellenberger era.The longtime FAU coachannounced his retirement before the end of theseason and handed the program over to formerNebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini. FAU’snew head coach will face a huge challenge. TheOwls didn’t have a player named to thePreseason All-Sun Belt team.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONALGOLDEN PANTHERS

Coach: Mario Cristobal (24-38 in five seasonsat FIU)Team: 51 lettermen, eight offensive starters, 10defensive starters, two specialists return from an8-5 team (5-3 in Sun Belt, fourth place), 12 let-termen lost.Key player: Tourek Williamswas named the PreseasonSun Belt Defensive Player ofthe Year after finishing with 13tackles for loss last season.Outlook: Cristobal has turnedwhat was a floundering FIUprogram into a Sun Belt powerand turned himself into a hotcoaching commodity in the process. FIU went 0-12 in 2006 and 1-11 in his first season at the

school in 2007. Cristobal led the Owls to a winover Toledo in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl threeyears later and had FIU in the Beef O’Brady’sBowl last season. Pittsburgh and Rutgers tried tolure Cristobal away, but he elected to return andhas 18 starters back.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE RAGIN’ CAJUNS

Coach: Mark Hudspeth (9-4 in one season atULL; 75-25 in eight seasons overall)Team: 39 lettermen, nine offensive starters, fourdefensive starters, two specialists return from a9-4 team (6-2 in Sun Belt, third place), 21 let-termen lost.Key player: Blaine Gautierthrew for 2,958 yards andranked 14th nationally inpassing efficiency with a rat-ing of 153.6 last season.Outlook: Hudspeth had aremarkable first season atULL, taking a team that went3-9 in 2010 to a 9-4 finishand a win over San Diego State in the NewOrleans Bowl. The Ragin’ Cajuns return almost allof their key offensive players, including preseasonAll-Sun Belt picks in running back Alonzo Harrisand wide receiver Javone Lawson. The Ragin’Cajuns could contend for the conference title iffive incoming junior college recruits pan out.

LOUISIANA-MONROEWARHAWKS

Coach: Todd Berry (9-15 in two seasons atULM; 38-75 in 10 seasons overall)Team: 41 lettermen, eight offensive starters, fivedefensive starters, two specialists return from a4-8 team (3-5 in Sun Belt,sixth place), 19 lettermenlost.Key player: Kolton Browningthrew for 2,483 yards to goalong with 443 rushing yardslast season.Outlook: ULM will look backat last season with a tinge ofregret after losing close gamesto Arkansas State (24-19), Western Kentucky(31-28 in overtime) and Louisiana-Lafayette (36-35). Wins in two of those games would havemade the Warhawks bowl-eligible. ULM returnsmost of its key offensive players and could makea run at becoming bowl-eligible.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS

Coach: Rick Stockstill (35-40 in five seasons atMTSU)Team: 40 lettermen, six offen-sive starters, six defensivestarters, one specialist returnfrom a 2-10 team (1-7 inSun Belt, eighth place), 27lettermen lost.Key player: Logan Kilgorethrew for 2,231 yards and 18touchdowns last season andshould be the Blue Raiders’ top offensive player.Outlook: MTSU suffered through a stunning fall

from the top of the Sun Belt after consecutivebowl appearances in 2011, when the BlueRaiders finished 2-10. MTSU has six startersreturning on each side of the ball, but couldhave a tough time bouncing back. The BlueRaiders didn’t have a player named to thePreseason All-Sun Belt team.

SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARSCoach: Joey Jones (23-4 in three seasons atUSA; 26-11 in four seasons overall)Team: 44 lettermen, five offensive starters, ninedefensive starters, one specialist return from a 6-4 team (first year in Sun Belt), 20 lettermen lost.Key player: C.J. Bennett threwfor 1,640 yards in his secondseason as USA’s starting quar-terback.Outlook: USA is not bowl-eli-gible as it continues to makethe transition to playing at theFootball Bowl Subdivisionlevel, but the games it playsagainst other Sun Belt schoolswill count in the league standings. How theJaguars fare this year will indicate how long theymight need to be competitive in the Sun Belt.

TROY TROJANSCoach: Larry Blakeney (164-91-1 in 21 sea-sons at Troy)Team: 49 lettermen, 10 offensive starters, sixdefensive starters, no specialists return from a3-9 team (2-6 in Sun Belt, seventh place), 23lettermen lost.

Key player: Corey Robinson led the Sun Beltwith an average of 284.2 passing yards a gameand finished second in touch-down passes with 21.Outlook: Troy’s five-year run ofwinning at least a share of theSun Belt title ended last sea-son, when the Trojans crashedto a 3-9 finish. Troy has sever-al of its key players back, butits destiny will depend onwhether it can improve defen-sively after allowing 33.7 points a game n 2011.

WESTERN KENTUCKYHILLTOPPERS

Coach: Willie Taggart (9-15 in two seasons at WKU)Team: 48 lettermen, 10 offensive starters, eightdefensive starters, one specialist return from a7-5 team (7-1 in the Sun Belt, second place),10 lettermen lost.Key player: QuarterbackKawaun Jakes completed just55.4 percent of his passes for1,854 yards and threw moreinterceptions (12) than touch-downs (10). Jakes must bebetter for WKU to contend inthe Sun Belt.Outlook: WKU was passed overfor a bowl berth despite finish-ing with seven wins last season and could bepoised for a run at the postseason this year. TheHilltoppers must replace star running back BobbyRainey, but have three Preseason All-Sun Belt picks.

— Brett Vito

DRC Football August 30, 2012 17SUN BELT PREVIEW

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The course of Aaron Fortenberry’s life,not to mention his football career,changed on a nondescript weekday nightduring practice — basketball practice —back in 2008.

Fortenberry was amultisport standout inEra, a tiny town formerNorth Texas assistantcoach Spencer Leftwichvisited often to see family.

Leftwich stopped bythe gym that night andsaw something in Fortenberry, who hadcommitted to sign with Division IIMidwestern State and looked nothing likea major college offensive lineman.Fortenberry weighed just 235 pounds.

“He offered me a preferred walk-onspot,” Fortenberry said. “I always wantedto play [Division I]. My dad convincedme to do it.”

Those humble beginnings seem like along time ago now for Fortenberry, whohas developed into one of UNT’s best line-men. The 6-4, 306-pound senior is enter-ing his third year as a starter and is expect-ed to anchor UNT’s offensive line thatshould be its biggest asset this season.

Fortenberry is one of four starters UNThas returning on its offensive front,including sophomore Cyril Lemon, aPreseason All-Sun Belt Conference pick.

“He is a communicator and a leader,”UNT head coach Dan McCarney said ofhis starting center. “I really have highhopes for him. No one talks about himwhen they talk about preseason all-confer-ence teams. I have a feeling that he is goingto have a really special senior year. He hasit in him to be an all-conference player.”

The fact that Fortenberry is playing onthe Football Bowl Subdivision level at allis something of a surprise.

There were only 137 students at Erawhen Fortenberry was a senior, including22 in his class.

Fortenberry thrived in that smallschool environment and was a first-teamall-state selection as an offensive lineman

in addition to being a second-team pick asa defensive lineman.

MSU was one of the only schools torecruit Fortenberry. It’s where he wouldhave ended up had Leftwich not come inand offered him an alternative.

Fortenberry had to wait two yearsbefore earning a scholarship. He becamean impact player at about the same time.

He shared the Phillip Armour Awardgiven to UNT’s top offensive lineman withKelvin Drake and Esteban Santiago fol-lowing his sophomore season.

Fortenberry will enter his final cam-paign at UNT with a team-best streak ofconsecutive starts and games startedoverall at 21.

“Aaron is a guy I have tremendousrespect for,” senior offensive linemanColeman Feeley said. “He came from a tinyschool and weighed 235. He started andplayed at four positions on the offensiveline before he even was on scholarship. Heis the classic walk-on story. He walked on,gained weight and got big. In my opinion,he’s the best offensive lineman we have.”

That compliment carries weight con-sidering UNT has several experiencedlinemen. Lemon and Mason Y’Barbohave started 12 games in their careers,while Antonio Johnson has started 11.

“I have seen them playing better rightnow than at any time last season,”McCarney said of his offensive linemen.

Even Fortenberry is amazed at the pathhe took to join that group.

“It’s pretty ridiculous coming from a 1Ahigh school to becoming a starter at aDivision I program,” Fortenberry said. “Ialways had a lot of people help me, and Iworked really hard. I had to gain a lot ofweight. It was a lot of eating. CoachLeftwich told me after every practice to getto the cafeteria and drink Muscle Milk.”

Former walk-on nowa key player for UNTFortenberry finds home asanchor of solid offensive line North Texas has four starters returning on

its offensive line this season. The followingis a look at each and how many careerstarts they have heading into the year:C Aaron Fortenberry, Sr. . . . . . . . . . .21RG Cyril Lemon, So. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12LG Mason Y’Barbo, So. . . . . . . . . . . . .12LT Antonio Johnson, So. . . . . . . . . . .11

Fortenberry

Career startsUNT O-LINE

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MEAN GREEN RosterNo. Player . . . . . . . . . .Pos. . . Ht. . .Wt. . .Cl.1 Andrew Power . . . . . . .TE . . 6-5 .265 . .Sr.2 D.Q. Johnson . . . . . . .DB . 5-11 .185 . . .Jr.3 Brelan Chancellor . . .WR . . 5-9 .183 . . .Jr.4 Mark Lewis . . . . . . . .RB . 5-10 .217 . .Fr.5 David Busby . . . . . . .DB . 5-11 .189 . .Fr.5 Andrew McNulty . . . . .QB . . 6-1 .202 . .So.6 Jordan Gill . . . . . . . . .QB . . 6-0 .180 . .Fr.6 Hilbert Jackson . . . . . .DB . . 6-1 .187 . . .Jr.7 Devante Davis . . . . . .DB . 5-11 .167 . .Fr.7 Derek Thompson . . . .QB . . 6-4 .226 . . .Jr.8 Cooper Jones . . . . . . .TE . . 6-4 .224 . .Fr.8 Marcus Trice . . . . . . . .DB . . 5-8 .197 . . .Jr.9 Carlos Harris . . . . . . .WR . . 5-8 .173 . .Fr.10 Ivan Delgado . . . . . .WR . . 6-2 .209 . .Sr.11 Brent Osborn . . . . . .QB . . 6-4 .224 . . .Jr.11 Will Wright . . . . . . . .LB . . 6-2 .221 . . .Jr.13 Mike Stojkovic . . . . . .LB . . 6-2 .211 . .So.14 Chaz Sampson . . . .WR . . 6-5 .191 . .Fr.15 Mike Marshall . . . . .DB . . 6-0 .203 . .So.15 Darius Terrell . . . . . .WR . . 6-3 .220 . . .Jr.16 Derrick Teegarden . .WR . . 6-0 .187 . .So.17 Kevin Maduka . . . . .DB . 5-10 .170 . .Sr.17 Lynrick Pleasant . . .WR . . 6-2 .200 . . .Jr.18 Jamal Marshall . . . . .DB . . 6-3 .193 . .Fr.19 Brandon Allen . . . . .DB . . 6-0 .183 . .Fr.19 John Dodson . . . . . .QB . . 6-0 .186 . .Sr.20 Jeremy Brown . . . . . .RB . . 5-8 .180 . .Sr.20 Rex Rollins . . . . . . .DB . . 6-1 .195 . .Fr.21 Freddie Warner . . . . .DB . 5-10 .176 . .So.22 Antoinne Jimmerson .RB . . 5-9 .219 . .Fr.23 Willie Hubbard . . . .WR . 5-10 .170 . .So.23 Zac Whitfield . . . . . .DB . . 5-9 .180 . .Fr.24 Brandin Byrd . . . . . .RB . 5-10 .216 . . .Jr.25 Xavier Kelly . . . . . . .DB . 5-11 .165 . .Fr.26 Ty Miles . . . . . . . . . .DB . . 6-1 .195 .Unk.26 Dimitri Wilhite . . . . . .RB . . 5-8 .203 . . .Jr.27 Lairamie Lee . . . . . .DB . 5-10 .189 . .So.29 Spencer Cowley . . . .DB . . 6-1 .190 . .Fr.29 Brock Squier . . . . . .DB . . 5-9 .194 . .Fr.30 Jarrian Roberts . . . . .LB . . 6-2 .238 . .Fr.31 Kenny Buyers . . . . . .DB . 5-11 .174 . .Fr.31 Zach Paul . . . . . . . . . .K . . 5-9 .175 . .Fr.32 Jamarcus Jarvis . . . .RB . 5-10 .203 . .Fr.34 Reggie Pegram . . . . .RB . . 5-9 .215 . . .Jr.35 Zach Orr . . . . . . . . . .LB . . 6-0 .223 . . .Jr.36 Brandon Davis . . . . .LB . . 6-0 .215 . .Fr.37 Joseph Igboeli . . . . .DB . . 6-2 .180 . . .Jr.37 Zach Olen . . . . . . . . . .K . 5-10 .228 . . .Jr.38 Brendan Campbell . .LB . . 6-2 .201 . .Fr.38 Bryan Monroe . . . . . .RB . . 5-8 .192 . . .Jr.39 Konockus Sashington RB . . 6-1 .214 . .So.40 Blake Macek . . . . . . . .P . . 5-9 .180 . .Fr.41 Will Atterberry . . . . . . .P . 5-11 .200 . .Sr.42 Chad Polk . . . . . . . . .LB . . 6-0 .226 . .Fr.44 Aaron Bellazin . . . . .DE . . 6-2 .244 . . .Jr.45 Jeremy Phillips . . . . .LB . . 6-3 .223 . .Sr.46 Brad Horton . . . . . . .DE . . 6-6 .240 . .Fr.47 Dustin Clark . . . . . . .LB . . 6-1 .202 . .Fr.48 K.C. Obi . . . . . . . . . .DE . . 6-2 .251 . .Sr.49 Daryl Mason . . . . . . .DE . . 6-3 .233 . .So.50 Kaydon Kirby . . . . . .OL . . 6-3 .300 . .Fr.

50 Robert Lewis . . . . . . .LB . . 6-0 .217 . . .Jr.51 Boone Feldt . . . . . . .OL . . 6-3 .277 . .Fr.52 Derek Akunne . . . . . .LB . . 6-0 .238 . .So.53 Kendall Washington . .LB . . 6-2 .220 . .Fr.54 Blake Dunham . . . . .LB . . 6-1 .215 . .So.56 Malik Dilonga . . . . . .DE . . 6-4 .248 . .Fr.57 Mason Y’Barbo . . . . .OL . . 6-2 .309 . .So.58 Tony Johnson . . . . . .OL . . 6-1 .210 . .Fr.60 Aaron Fortenberry . . .OL . . 6-4 .308 . .Sr.62 Cyril Lemon . . . . . . .OL . . 6-3 .321 . .So.63 Nicolas Summerfield .OL . . 6-1 .276 . .Sr.64 LaChris Anyiam . . . . .OL . . 6-4 .296 . . .Jr.65 Micah Thompson . . .OL . . 6-4 .308 . .So.67 Bo Keane . . . . . . . . .OL . . 6-3 .255 . .Fr.68 Grant Shaw . . . . . . . .OL . . 6-5 .302 . .Fr.69 Joe Astorga . . . . . . . .DT . . 6-1 .272 . .So.70 Coleman Feeley . . . .OL . . 6-5 .287 . .Sr.70 Sir Calvin Wallace . . .DT . . 6-2 .308 . .Fr.71 Antonio Johnson . . . .OL . . 6-5 .311 . .So.72 Ryan Rentfro . . . . . . .OL . . 6-4 .309 . .Fr.74 Cam Feldt . . . . . . . . .OL . . 6-5 .299 . .So.77 Travis Ellard . . . . . . . .OL . . 6-3 .285 . .Fr.78 Connor Trussell . . . . .OL . . 6-5 .295 . .Fr.80 Darnell Smith . . . . .WR . . 6-1 .208 . . .Jr.81 Chris Bynes . . . . . . .WR . . 6-1 .215 . .Sr.82 Nick Schrapps . . . . .WR . . 6-3 .202 . .Fr.83 Carl Caldwell . . . . . .WR . 5-10 .169 . . .Jr.84 Marcus Smith . . . . . .TE . . 6-4 .238 . .Fr.85 Roderick Lancaster .WR . . 6-2 .200 . .Fr.86 Drew Miller . . . . . . . .TE . . 6-1 .260 . . .Jr.87 Brett Renger . . . . . .WR . 5-11 .202 . .So.88 Tanner Smith . . . . . . .TE . . 6-3 .234 . .So.89 Daniel Prior . . . . . . . .TE . . 6-2 .240 . .Sr.90 Ryan Boutwell . . . . . .DT . . 6-3 .269 . . .Jr.91 Michael Ladner . . . . .TE . 5-11 .250 . . .Jr.91 Austin Orr . . . . . . . . DT . . 6-4 .268 . .Fr.92 Raymond Burks . . . . .TE . . 6-3 .255 . .Sr.92 LaJaylin Smith . . . . . .LB . . 6-0 .228 . .Fr.93 Brandon McCoy . . . .DE . . 6-2 .257 . . .Jr.94 Mustafa Haboul . . . .DT . . 6-0 .241 . .Fr.95 Alexander Lincoln . . .DE . . 6-2 .266 . .So.96 Tevinn Cantly . . . . . . .DT . . 6-4 .333 . .Sr.97 Richard Abbe . . . . . .DT . . 6-4 .315 . . .Jr.98 Jarrod Lynn . . . . . . . .TE . . 6-0 .235 . .Fr.98 Dutton Watson . . . . .DE . . 6-3 .261 . .Fr.99 Dylan McDorman . . .DT . . 6-2 .302 . .Fr.

ScheduleUNTDate Opponent TimeSept. 1 at LSU 6 p.m.Sept. 8 Texas Southern 6 p.m.Sept. 15 at Kansas State 6 p.m.Sept. 22 Troy* 6 p.m.Sept. 29 at Florida Atlantic* TBAOct. 6 at Houston 6 p.m.Oct. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette* 8 p.m.Oct. 27 at Middle Tennessee* 2:30 p.m.Nov. 3 Arkansas State* 4 p.m.Nov. 10 South Alabama* 4 p.m.Nov. 17 at Louisiana-Monroe* TBANov. 24 at Western Kentucky* Noon* Sun Belt Conference game


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Trice ready to make presence felt


Safety Marcus Trice is known for more than his trademark dreadlocks at North Texas. Since transferring in from

Oklahoma, Trice has developed into a leader for the Mean Green and will play a key role for the team this season.


Marcus Trice first showed signs ofdeveloping into a key player for NorthTexas last fall, when few people otherthan his coaches and teammates werearound to notice.

The way Trice directed traffic in thesecondary, made plays on the ball fromhis safety spot and encouraged theyoung players around him made animpression on head coach DanMcCarney, even though the formerMesquite standout was only serving as ascout team player after transferringfrom Oklahoma.

Trice had to sit out a year and wait tobecome eligible at UNT.

The 5-8 junior’s first chance to makean impact for the Mean Green willcome this fall when he is expected tostart and serve as the voice of experi-ence for a young secondary that isamong UNT’s biggest concerns heading

See TRICE on 21

into its season opener at LSU.The job is one he takes seriously.“It is great to be playing and exciting to

have responsibility,” Trice said. “You haveit on the scout team, but it’s not the same.It’s going to be exciting to go out there andhelp my team win.”

How Trice — and UNT’s secondary —fare will be a key storyline for the MeanGreen, especially early in the season.

UNT lost seven of the eight players onits two-deep depth chart in the defensivesecondary for its season finale a year agoto graduation, and then suffered a seriousblow in the off-season when FreddieWarner went down with a knee injury inspring practice.

Warner, UNT’s top returning corner-back and the only player on the roster tostart a game in the secondary last year, isout until at least October.

New defensive coordinator JohnSkladany said UNT’s coaches have spentthe off-season trying to get a host of youngplayers ready to play.

Trice has helped throughout thatprocess.

“He already has [become a leader],”McCarney said. “You can already can seethat he wants to put those DBs under hiswing, ‘Follow me, follow my work ethic, myattitude and my physicality.’ I have tremen-dous respect for him and think he has achance to be one of the bright shining starsof our program the next couple of years.”

Trice seemed destined to be that type ofplayer when he was a senior at Mesquite.He was rated among the top 250 playersin the country by just about every recruit-ing service and was also a second-teamselection on Dave Campbell’s TexasFootball magazine’s Super Team consist-ing of the top players in the state as a cor-nerback.

Trice signed with Oklahoma and playedfor the Sooners as a backup safety in addi-tion to contributing on special teams, butnever secured the major role he envi-sioned filling on the college level.

Trice decided to transfer and ended up

at UNT, partly because of the close friend-ship McCarney has with Oklahoma headcoach Bob Stoops.

Stoops gave McCarney a shiningendorsement of Trice as a person andplayer.

McCarney said Trice has been every-thing UNT’s coaches hoped he would bewhen he joined the team. He has alsomade an impression on his teammates.

“Marcus is a good leader and pushesus,” said D.Q. Johnson, a cornerback whotransferred to UNT in December fromIowa Western Community College.“When I came in, he helped me out a lotwith the transition from junior college.We are going to need him to set the tone.He has that enthusiasm and energy.”

Trice has been looking for an opportu-nity to fill that type of role ever since hegraduated from Mesquite.

He feels like he will finally have thatchance this fall following a two-year stintat Oklahoma and a year on the scout teamwith the Mean Green.

“No matter what program I chose out ofhigh school, I wanted to become a guy myteammates relied on and become animpact player and a playmaker,” Tricesaid. “I want to be a part of a lot of wins.That’s what I came here for.”

DRC Football August 30, 2012 21NORTH TEXAS

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From Page 20

Trice “I want to be a part of a

lot of wins. That’s what

I came here for.”

— North Texas safety Marcus Trice


North Texas safety Marcus Trice

waits for the snap during the Mean

Green’s spring game. Trice will start

this season and has found a home

after transferring from Oklahoma.

22 August 30, 2012 DRC Football

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A time of changeA time of changeGuyer, Denton, Ryan face ...

Denton high schools

By Adam BoedekerStaff Writer

New Denton head coach KevinAtkinson was recently working on arequest for more football equipmentbecause he didn’t have enough for every-one who had come out for fall workouts.

The old thought at Denton might havebeen something along the lines of “woe isme” or “here we go again.”

But in this case, Atkinson, in a way, isthrilled.

In his first season at Denton after 10seasons as the head coach at Keller,Atkinson has 200 kids out for football —give or take a few — a far cry from the pro-gram’s recent past which hit an all-timelow in 2008. That season, the Broncossuited up somewhere in the neighborhoodof 20 players, depending on who’s asked,for a game against Guyer, a minisculenumber for a Class 4A program.

Now, with the season on the horizon,the Broncos have numbers in their pro-gram, and much of that credit can begiven to the new blood Atkinson hasinjected into the once-proud program.

“We have a lot of kids out, and hopeful-ly they’ll all stick and find a home here,”said Atkinson, who also spent two seasonsas Ryan’s offensive coordinator in theRaiders’ early-2000s glory years. “It’s areally exciting time.”

Atkinson is employing many tactics toraise interest levels that have waned inrecent years when former head coachRandy Patzkowski finished his seven-yeartenure with a 12-59 record and one play-off appearance.

One of those tactics is the incorporationof successful Denton players into his cur-rent program, as Atkinson has brought informer decorated players such as EmilioGonzalez, Ian Gaines and current assis-tant coach and former NFL player MarkBehning to speak to his players. He alsobrought in Denton ISD middle schoolathletic coordinator Russ Reeves, whocoached at DHS as did his father during

some of the more successful seasons atDenton’s oldest high school.

“Most of our kids right now have for-gotten about those teams,” Atkinson said.“The last seven years haven’t been realsuccessful. You count back as a sopho-more and that’s like third grade. You kindof grow up and there’s nothing positiveyou can really speak about, but reallyDHS has a great tradition. In the early90s, when I was at [Flower Mound]Marcus, that was a battle. You didn’t likeplaying those guys. They got after it.

“I just wanted to remind these kids thatthere is a rich tradition here, and we canget back to that.”

Gonzalez, a former Marine who is nowthe general manager of a semi-pro team

called the North Texas Fighters, graduat-ed from Denton in 1987 and was an all-district and all-area cornerback on a teamthat went 10-1-1. He played his final foot-ball game in Texas Stadium in front of20,000 people and made a point to let thecurrent Denton players know what got heand his teammates there.

“I just told the kids that we didn’t haveany superstars on our team,” Gonzalezsaid. “The reason we were successful wasbecause we worked hard and we workedtogether. The main thing I remember wasa sign in our locker room that said, ‘Thedesire to win is useless without the desireto prepare.’”

Atkinson is not the only head coach inDenton ISD heading in a new direction,

but the other two are heading up estab-lished programs heading into new territo-ry.

At Guyer, John Walsh is entering hisseventh season as the only head coach inthe program’s history. And while Guyerhad some lean years of its own, going 1-19in 2006 and 2007, the Wildcats havetaken off since.

Guyer made two straight Class 4ADivision I state semifinal appearancesbefore being bumped up to Class 5A. Atthe state’s largest classification, theWildcats went to the 5A Division II statechampionship game in 2010 before a sec-ond-round playoff exit last season.

Now, Guyer is back in Class 4A and theWildcats enter the season as the No. 1team in Texas according to the AssociatedPress preseason state poll. That’s not aconcern for Walsh.

“We kind of expected the expectationsthat are out there,” Walsh said. “We’vetalked to our kids about it already.

“We talk about winning state champi-onships and we do every year, and that’snot changing. Just because people arepicking us No. 1 doesn’t mean we’re goingto warn against it.”

Across town at Ryan sits the DISDcoach with the most skins on the wall,

24 August 30, 2012 DRC Football COVER STORY

Local programs head in new directionsON THE COVER


Guyer defensive back John

Schilleci, left, Denton offensive

lineman Gage Hoadley, center,

and Ryan wide receiver Xavier

Gray will all star for teams head-

ed in new directions this season.


Kevin Atkinson moved into his new office and locker room in the off-season,

when he took over as Denton’s head coach. All three Denton programs will be

heading in a new direction this season.

Atkinson aimsfor turnaroundwith Broncos

See DISD on 56

DRC Football August 30, 2012 25RYAN

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By Ben BabyStaff Writer

There’s an aura surrounding the Ryanfootball program, an aura built by its headcoach and by the players he’s coached overthe last 12 years.

High on the wall above JoeyFlorence’s desk are the five medals fromthe five state championships he’s beento with Ryan, framed with the signa-tures of his players, and displayed in alltheir glory.

Last season, Ryan had rolled throughthe first two rounds of the playoffs and theRaiders seemed primed for their secondstraight appearance in the Class 4ADivision I state championship game.

Ryan had five Football BowlSubdivision players on its roster, didn’tallow an offensive touchdown to WacoMidway and yet the Raiders still lost inthe 2011 Class 4A Division I regionalsemifinals. The talent and stars broughtmedia hype from all over the nation anda lack of cohesiveness in the lockerroom.

Coming into 2012 and one of thetoughest seasons Florence will have faced,the shift in the program’s mindset may beas big a story as the move up from 4A to5A.

The motto for this season is “othersbefore self,” the gospel of Florence beingindoctrinated into his players and repeat-ed daily. The edict comes from a coachwho doesn’t read blogs or recruiting sitesbut reads the newspaper and his Bibledaily, all while he’s out to dispel the falseprophets who hype unproven young menevery fall.

“I’ll be honest with you, the reason I’mstill [coaching] right now is I thinkthere’s a need for old-school coacheswho are still trying to show kids not to beselfish, that it’s not about them, that it’sabout playing for each other,” Florencesaid. “I just think there’s a need for that.I think we’re living in an entitlementsociety, and what a great way to teachkids.”

Leading Ryan’s charge into this seasonis junior quarterback Mitchell Bridges,

who stands 5-9, weighs around 185pounds and might be the shortest quar-terback in the district. Bridges played insome short-yardage situations last yearand played through a torn labrum formuch of the season.

Bridges, along with wideouts XavierGray and Reynal Caldwell, will leadRyan’s offense through what Florencesaid is the toughest schedule Ryan’splayed in the last 12 years. The Raiderswill open against Corsicana and WichitaFalls Rider, games that will surelyendanger Ryan’s 24-game regular sea-son winning streak which dates back to2009.

Ryan’s coaching staff has told Bridgesit’s his turn to play the role of leader and

build on last year. Bridges said last year’slocker room became divided, and thatsome players wanted the state champi-onship, while others played for them-selves.

“Everyone knows their role,” Bridgessaid. “This is not just about them, it’sabout the team. If we’re going to make arun for it, everyone has to put everythinginto it and do what the coaches need themto, which is what everyone seems to bedoing.”

Last season, Caldwell filled in at run-ning back after Jerrick Harvey suffered aseason-ending knee injury. This season,the coaching staff asked Caldwell to

Quick factsDistrict: 5-5A2011 record: 12-1 (6-0,District 4-4A)Coach: Joey Florence(136-29 in 12 years atRyan)Returning starters: Five on offense, two ondefenseKey players: WR Xavier Gray, QB MitchellBridges, WR Reynal Caldwell, DL DesmondOliver, DL J.T. Williams, OL Matt Griffin, KMark Orozco, DE Sekou ClarkOffense: SpreadDefense: 4-2-5School enrollment: 2,125Stadium: C.H. Collins Athletic Complex

Ryan hoping team-first motto pays off


RYAN: A NEW DIRECTION

Reynal Caldwell, left, and Mitchell Bridges will both take on new roles for Ryan this season. Bridges will be in his firstyear as the Raiders’ starting quarterback, while Caldwell will move from running back to wide receiver. Ryan will look tothe pair to lead the way as it moves up from Class 4A to Class 5A this fall.

RAIDERS

See RYAN on 28





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www.northsidebarber.com940-382-3003

Ryan Raiders Varsity2011 Football ScheduleRyan Raiders Varsity

2011 Football Schedule

Aug. 31 Corsicana 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 Wichita Falls Rider 7:30 p.m.Sept. 14 Wylie East 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 at McKinney 7:30 p.m.Oct. 4 xxx 7:30 p.m.Oct. 12 x-Marcus 7:30 p.m.Oct. 19 x-Hebron 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 x-at Lewisville 7:30 p.m.Nov. 1 x-Coppell 7:30 p.m.Nov. 9 x-at Flower Mound 7:30 p.m.

X – District 5-5A games

Date Opponent Time

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transition from running back to widereceiver, making way for A.J. Anderson.Caldwell accepted the change withouthesitation.

The change comes easily and effortlesslyfor someone who has bought into what thecoaches have been preaching, a messagethe congregation has heartily accepted.Caldwell said this year’s team is out toprove a point, out to top the 12-1 overallrecord and spotless district record set bylast year’s team.

“Even though we lost all the [Division I]

players, we’re still going to win, and we’restill going to be the Denton Ryan Raidersthat everybody knows,” Caldwell said.

Florence knows jumping up to 5A andits increase in competition will be chal-lenging. Still, Florence remains firm inwhat his team expects for the season.

“We still want to go win a state champi-onship,” Florence said. “If you cometogether, play together and get lucky, it’scertainly possible. But we’re not going tokid ourselves. It’s going to be a tough roadahead. It’s a tough league.”

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.

1 Xavier Gray WR 5-10 170 Jr.

2 Shomari Cann DB 5-8 140 So.

3 Robert Conner WR 5-8 150 Jr.

4 Dayvon Sanders DB 5-6 145 Sr.

5 J.T. Williams DL 6-2 240 Jr.

6 Tyrone Williams LB 6-1 190 Jr.

7 B.J. Floyd DB 6-3 190 Sr.

8 Randalle Williams DB 6-0 150 Jr.

9 Mitchell Bridges QB 5-9 185 Jr.

10 Kevin Ray Jr. WR 5-10 150 Sr.

11 Daniel Telaneus WR 6-0 185 Sr.

12 Marc Orozco K/P 5-9 180 Jr.

13 Kyeem Turner DB 5-9 150 Sr.

14 Jarrett Jackson DB 5-6 140 Sr.

15 Devante Thomas DB. 5-7 150 Sr.

16 Preston Compton QB 6-0 180 Jr.

17 Nolan Robinson DL 6-1 190 Jr.

18 Alex Funches DL 6-2 195 Jr.

19 Reynal Caldwell WR 5-8 150 Sr.

20 A.J. Anderson RB 5-9 200 Jr.

21 Trent Willis WR 5-10 200 Jr.

22 Sekou Clark DE 6-4 230 Jr.

23 Reese Strait LB 6-2 240 Jr.

24 Zac Black DB 5-10 145 Jr.

25 Corbin Forest DB 6-1 180 Sr.

26 Danny Meza WR 5-9 165 Jr.

28 Maurice Gordon RB 5-10 170 So.

29 Jonathan Jackson LB 5-8 190 Sr.

30 Carson Beard LB 5-10 175 Sr.

31 Rashaad Traylor RB 5-3 120 Sr.

32 Elijah Allen DB 5-10 150 So.

33 Amir Mohamed LB 6-2 190 Jr.

34 Damien Green DB 6-1 180 Sr.

35 Justin Grisham DB 5-9 170 Sr.

37 Michael Luckett DB 5-6 150 Sr.

38 Yareth Ugarte WR 5-11 170 Sr.

40 Hunter Rickert DL 6-1 150 Sr.

42 Arian Burdge K 6-0 160 Sr.

43 Tederick Williams DL 5-11 230 Jr.

44 Jovanta Williams DL 5-11 230 Sr.

50 Jordan Lamb OL 5-11 230 Sr.

52 Maurice Arterberry OL 5-10 250 Jr.

55 Tucker Cross OL 6-3 290 Jr.

56 Reilly Martinez OL 5-10 190 Jr.

57 Kody West OL 6-2 235 Jr.

58 Anthony Young OL 5-10 190 So.

62 Austin Coker OL 5-6 240 Sr.

63 Reuben Acton OL 5-10 230 Jr.

65 Matt Griffin OL 6-3 290 Sr.

68 Jake Hays OL 5-10 240 Sr.

73 Tristan Brown OL 5-11 300 So.

75 Will Parlett OL 6-5 240 Sr.

76 Dakota Laws OL 6-4 270 So.

77 A.J. Ballard OL 6-2 260 Sr.

78 Danny Molina OL 6-3 300 Sr.

81 Alec Burton WR 5-9 150 Sr.

94 Desmond Oliver DL 6-1 250 Sr.

28 August 30, 2012 DRC Football RYAN

FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season RAIDERS RosterScheduleRYAN

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 31 Corsicana 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 Wichita Falls Rider 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 Wylie East 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 at McKinney 7:30 p.m.

Oct.4 Flower Mound Marcus* 7:30 p.m.

Oct.12 Hebron* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Lewisville* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 Coppell* 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 at Flower Mound* 7:30 p.m.

*District 5-5A game

PROTECT THE BALLTurnovers cost Ryan dearly last year in

their Class 4A Division I regional semifi-nal loss to Waco Midway. Losing a gamewhile not allowing an offensive touch-down might be one of the most demoral-izing ways to lose. Junior quarterbackMitchell Bridges will take over as thestarter and can’t afford to throw intercep-tions. Bridges is more likely to tuck theball and run before forcing a throw, ahabit Ryan will value.

OVERCOME LACK OF DEPTHRyan returns Desmond Oliver and J.T.

Williams to its defensive line and addsSekou Clark, meaningthe Raiders will onceagain have a formidabledefensive front. Theoffensive line will bebuilt around MattGriffin. But being asmall 5A school, Ryanlacks the depth on thelines that other schools possess. The linesmust remain strong in order to competewith the likes of Hebron and Coppell.

WIN KEY GAMES AT HOMERyan head coach Joey Florence had a

tough time scheduling games for nondis-trict play, and was forcedinto scheduling sometough 4A teams inCorsicana and WichitaFalls Rider. The Raidersare also only playingnine games instead of10. But six of those ninegames will be at home,including three of five district games.Winning at home will set the Raiders upfor a good seed heading into the playoffs.

HELP THE DEFENSEDefense has historically been Ryan’s

strong point, but the Raiders’ offensemust be productive and give the defensesome cushion. Bridges, Xavier Gray andReynal Caldwell will be the focal point ofthe offense, along with running back A.J.Anderson. Junior kicker Mark Orozco hasa college-caliber leg and will be huge onspecial teams. But if the offense doesn’tfind a way to score points, it could be along season.

From Page 25

Ryan

Oliver

Florence


There’s one play from last season thatshows you everything you need to knowabout Ryan junior quarterback MitchellBridges.

Fourteen days after hesuffered a torn shoulderlabrum, a secret he keptfrom Ryan’s coachingstaff, the Raiders foundthemselves in doubleovertime againstMesquite with the scoretied at 22 and Ryan’s regular-season winstreak on the line.

Two yards away from the goal line,Bridges took the snap, faked a handoffand spun out to his right, running into anoasis of turf and a seemingly easy touch-down.

He leaped for the touchdown and was

met in mid-air by two Mesquite players.His body resembled a helicopter propelleras he spun in the air before crossing thegoal line and earning Ryan the win.

Now as Ryan’s starter, he’ll need to domore than a little bit of running in short-yardage situations, and the Raiders’offense will need to do more than it hasthe last couple of seasons.

“Mitchell’s a winner,” Ryan head coachJoey Florence said. “I’ve known Mitchellsince he was a little kid. We’re going toplay the best player at quarterback. But Idon’t doubt Mitchell at all. I believe inMitchell Bridges.”

Bridges won the starting quarterbackspot in the spring and takes over anoffense without the same weapons avail-able last season. The guy he won the spotfrom was his best friend and current wide

Ryan turns offenseover to QB Bridges

Bridges

See BRIDGES on 38

DRC Football August 30, 2012 29DENTON

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By Patrick HayslipStaff Writer

They go by Thunder and Lightning.Sophomore Tre’Von “Thunder”

Jackson prefers to run inside the tackles,while junior Deavonte “Lightning”Doucet likes to get into space.

The combination of running backs isone new Denton head coach KevinAtkinson hopes will spark his new spreadoffense and help the Broncos return totheir successful ways now years in thepast.

Denton finished 1-9 last year and didn’twin a district game.

“I think that’s something that I kind oftagged them with,” said Atkinson, who isentering his 11th season as a head coach.“They liked it, and they easily knew whichone was ‘Lighting’ and which one was‘Thunder.’”

Both Jackson and Doucet are amongDenton’s players thrust into differentroles. Those changes, along with a switchin head coaches, led to some low expecta-tions.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football projectsthe Broncos to finish in the eighth and lastspot in Distinct 5-4A.

Doucet took exception to the rankingand plans on using it as fuel for the fire.

“We expected the rankings to be closeto where they were,” Doucet said, “Butlast? We shouldn’t be last. That justmakes me want to prove to them evenmore that we are more than what we werelast year. Last year was way in the past.”

Guyer is projected to win the district,but Jackson said he has circled the show-down with the Wildcats on his calendar.

“I’m looking forward to beating ourrivals and winning more games,” Jacksonsaid. “The coaches want us to win moreand they have high expectations for us.Everybody is going to get used to the newcoaches, and we are going to win moregames.”

Doucet, who is a cousin of ArizonaCardinals wide receiver Early Doucet, willalso play the wide-out spot in the newspread formation, which should allowDenton to utilize his quickness and versa-

tility. “It feels pretty good knowing that I’m

going to be a part of something that’sabout to be really big,” Doucet said. “I’mjust excited to see what we are going to do.I want to turn people’s heads. We areready for anything and everything.”

Doucet said he can tell this season willbe different by the resistance the defenseprovides for him during practice.

“Just taking it from my experience, lastyear it wasn’t as hard to get by mydefense,” Doucet said. “Now, I have to play[harder] to get by my defense. That’sgood because they are making me betterand I’m making them better. At the end ofthe day, both offense and defense aregoing to perform how they should.”

Atkinson has instituted a motto for thisyear’s Bronco squad called “win the day.”The abbreviation “WTD” is displayed oneach player’s helmet as a reminder forhow the players need to go about theirwork.

When asked what the motto meant tohim, Jackson described it as a way of life.

“Take everything seriously and doeverything like a champion,” Jackson said.

Atkinson thinks if his team can work offof that motto and improve little by littlethroughout the year, the Broncos will bewhere their head coach wants them to beat the end of the season.

The 2011 season is in the past to

Quick factsDistrict: District 5-4A

2011 record: 1-9 (0-6 inDistrict 4-4A)Coach: Kevin Atkinson(First season at Denton,51-54 in 10 seasons overall)Returning starters: Three on offense, twoon defenseKey players: OT Gage Hoadley, DeavonteDoucet, RB Tre’Von Jackson, QB Cy Ward, LBRyan Duggan, LB Kyle Hubbert

Offense: SpreadDefense: 3-4

School enrollment: 1,851

Stadium: Bronco Field

Running back combo to power Denton


DENTON: A NEW DIRECTION

Running backs Tre’Von Jackson, left, and Deavonte Doucet will step into critical roles for Denton this season while split-ting time at running back under new head coach Kevin Atkinson, who left Keller to take over the program in the off-sea-son. Denton’s hopes to improve on a 1-9 record last season will rest largely with the duo.

BRONCOS

See DENTON on 32


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Denton Broncos Varsity2011 Football Schedule

Aug. 31 Bishop Lynch 7 p.m.Sept. 6 at R. L. Turner 7 p.m.Sept. 14 FW Western Hills 7 p.m.Sept. 28 x-at Lake Dallas 7 p.m.Aug. 5 x-Guyer* 7 p.m.Oct. 12 x-at Wichita Falls 7 p.m.Oct. 19 x—FW Brewer 7 p.m.Oct. 26 x-at Azle 7 p.m.Nov. 2 x-at Wichita Falls Rider 7 p.m.Nov. 9 x-Byron Nelson 7 p.m.

X – District 5-4A game*-- at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex

Date Opponent Time

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No. Player Pos. Yr.2 Tre’Von Jackson RB So.3 Michael Husbands LB Jr.4 Chris McGee DB Sr.5 Charles Boosa LB Sr.6 Ryan Daniels WR Sr.7 Tyler Villegas DB Sr.8 Ryan Duggan LB Sr.9 Zac Muthiani LB Jr.10 Luke Satterfield QB Sr.11 Monroe Huband DB Sr.12 Cy Ward QB Jr.13 Adarian Harris WR Jr.14 Ke’Von Buris WR Jr.15 Deandre Coleman WR Jr.16 Daniel Wilson WR Sr.18 Josh Hardin DL Sr.19 Key’andre Hearvey WR So.20 Jordan Dempsey DB Sr.21 Erik Dixon DL Sr.22 Deavonte Doucet RB Jr.23 Jake Cleveland LB Jr.24 Hector Delgado LB Sr.26 Malik Fugett DB Sr.27 Michael Hollis DB Sr.28 Dantrell Forte DB Sr.29 Itoro Afia DL Sr.30 Marlon Johnson DL Sr.31 Robert Salinas DB Sr.32 Lucas Munoz DL Sr.33 Dylan Tekell DL Jr.34 Leon Atkinson DB Sr.35 Jose Rodriguez DL Sr.36 Michael Tucker LB Sr.37 David Lanzi DB Sr.39 Wendell Williams WR Sr.

40 Dan Tinsley LB Sr.41 Avery McCormick WR Sr.43 Dailon Holmes DL So.45 Kyle Hubbert LB Jr.46 Fred Williams DL Sr.50 Connor Disbrow OL Sr.52 Cameron Pharr OL Sr.54 Rowdy Clark OL So.55 Cameron Brown OL Sr.56 Seong Jung OL So.57 David Deramee OL So.60 Juan Rodriguez OL Sr.62 Dorian Adams OL Sr.64 Precious Nwanehiudu OL Sr.65 Gage Hoadley OL Sr.76 Charlie Terry OL So.77 Trace Wilcox OL Sr.80 Roberto Gonzales DB Sr.85 Ivan Galvan WR Sr.

32 August 30, 2012 DRC Football DENTON

FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season BRONCOS Roster

ScheduleDENTONDate Opponent TimeAug. 31 Bishop Lynch 7 p.m.Sept. 6 at R.L. Turner 7 p.m.Sept. 14 FW Western Hills 7 p.m.Sept. 28 at Lake Dallas* 7 p.m.Oct. 5 Guyer*^ 7 p.m.Oct. 12 at Wichita Falls* 7 p.m.Oct. 19 FW Brewer* 7 p.m.Oct. 26 at Azle* 7 p.m.Nov. 2 at WF Rider* 7 p.m.Nov. 9 Byron Nelson* 7 p.m.* District 5-4A game^ at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex

CONTROL FIELD POSITION Denton head coach Kevin Atkinson is

actually fond of giving the ball away, butonly when it’s the right play choice.Instead of forcing a passplay and potentially turn-ing the ball over,Atkinson advocates mak-ing the smart play onthird down. “The rule Ilike to have is reserve theright to punt. Sometimespunting isn’t bad. Sometimes you’re goingto go three-and-out. The biggest thing Ithink kids need to learn is the game offield position. If you get the ball inside the10, I’m looking to get two first downs andplay defense and force a turnover.”

CAPITALIZE ON HOME FIELDThe Broncos will play at least one home

game at C.H. Collins, but the majority oftheir home games will be at Bronco Field.Atkinson wants to bring the tradition andhistory back to Denton. “We want to winon our home field and make it difficult tocome here and play. We want to representthe stadium and the history that it brings.If we had to go to C.H. Collins everygame, then that would be like an awaygame even if we’re home. If you can walk

right out your back door, there is some-thing special about that.”

LEAN ON LINEBACKERSWith just two returning starters on

defense, the Broncos will need to play totheir strengths and put the upperclass-men such as senior linebacker RyanDuggan and junior Kyle Hubbert in aposition to make the biggest impact.“We’ve got two solid inside linebackerswith Duggan and Kyle Hubbert,”Atkinson said. “Duggan is going to be abig factor and Lucas Munoz is going to bea big factor at defensive line. We’ve gotmore depth at our defensive line and weare a little light depth-wise at linebacker.”

MAINTAIN FOCUSWith the availability of players with a

significant amount of playing time at aminimum, Atkinson has instilled a philos-ophy that requires each player to focus ontheir individual assignments. Where theremight be a player with significant experi-ence there are several players with an equalamount of inexperience, and Atkinson isusing the individual responsibility as a req-uisite for playing time. “If they all will knowhow to execute their assignments, they willall play,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson, so much so that he didn’t both-er to look back at last year’s team as aguide for this year.

“I didn’t watch one clip of last year’sDenton Bronco team,” Atkinson said.

“That’s why your windshield is so bigand your rearview mirror is so small. Youneed to spend more time looking atwhere you’re going than where you’vebeen.”

From Page 29

Denton

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dentonrc.

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Atkinson

Building depth willbe vital for Broncos By Patrick HayslipStaff Writer

Like many coaches around the state,Denton’s Kevin Atkinson wants his newteam to be its best when it counts — at theend of the season, duringdistrict play, where playoffberths are won and lost.

Atkinson understandsthe Broncos may struggleearly in the year, and hedoesn’t care.

“I’ve been callingoffenses for 16 years and for 16 years I cantell you this — we start slow and finishstrong,” Atkinson said. “We aren’t going torush things or panic. We are going to staywith our system and be patient and get alittle better every week. We don’t want to

be clicking on all cylinders Week 1 or elseyou’ll peak too early. We want our lastgame to be our best game.”

Atkinson will rotate players throughvarious positions early on as he attemptsto find a way to lift the Broncos out of theirrecent struggles and lead them back to theplayoffs for the first time since 2010.

Denton has a multitude of widereceivers to use in its revamped spreadoffense, but Atkinson remains cautiouswhen it comes to their development.

Several receivers will compete for start-ing spots, but Atkinson will maintain a con-stant rotation of players, mainly becauseeach receiver has their own skill set.

“Ke’Von Buris is our speed guy,”

Buris

See PATIENCE on 39

34 August 30, 2012 DRC Football GUYER

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Throughout Guyer’s four-year stretchof making deep playoff runs after twofutile seasons of starting up its footballprogram, the Wildcats have alwaysrelied on an offense with a bit of an old-school feel in today’s age of wide-openpassing attacks.

A group of standout running backshas made that approach possible.

Guyer had Jamaine Wilhite, thenTreavon Walton and finally SebastainWilliams powering its ground game thelast four seasons.

For the third time in as many years,there will be a new feature back inGuyer’s offense, and this time aroundhead coach John Walsh believes hemight have his best yet.

D.J. Breedlove started one game lastseason when Williams was injuredand, in limited time, ran for 168 yardson 45 carries with two touchdowns anda receiving touchdown. Now, theoffense will go through the versatilejunior.

“The combination of everything —change of direction, vision and good ballskills — plus his work ethic is stellar,”Walsh said. “When you put that workethic with all that talent, you know youhave something special.

“I’m not gonna lie, tailbacks are usu-ally the prima donnas that you kind ofhave to push and press buttons for, andyou don’t have to press buttons withD.J. He’s ready to go.”

Breedlove won’t be asked to play inthe backfield all the time. He’ll sharetime behind quarterback Jerrod Heardwith senior Richard Whitaker. Andwhen Whitaker is lined up in the back-field, it’s a safe bet to assume Breedlovewon’t be on the bench. That’s becausehe’ll see a lot of time as a slot receiver, aswell.

“I found out I was gonna play slotreceiver too, so that’s been a lot of learn-ing,” Breedlove said. “I was kind of con-fused during the first practice, but asdays went by I studied a lot, and now

I’m getting the hang of it. It’s fun.”Walsh said it was a no-brainer to put

Breedlove in different spots on the field,if for no other reason than to keepopposing defenses on their toes.

“He’s going to be the full package,”Walsh said. “His ball skills are so goodthat when we’re in four-wide[receivers], he’ll be in that inside slot.He won’t come off the field.

“We don’t run the ball much out offour-wide so we have to put our bestplayers where the ball is going. It’s nosecret he’s one of those guys.”

Heard cited short-yardage situationsas being one of the offense’s biggestissues in 2011, saying there were manyinstances when drives were killed at the

worst possible times.He added that those situations should

not be problematic for the Wildcats in2012.

“When we need that first down, we’llalways look for D.J.,” Heard said. “He’sgoing to be big for us there, and also atthe goal line when we’re looking to getin the end zone. That was a problem forus last year. He’s going to be the guywe’re looking for when we need thosefew yards.

“He’s very powerful and elusive, andhe’s just very hard to bring down.”

Looking back on the past three run-ning backs to don a Guyer jersey,

Quick factsDistrict: 5-4A

2011 record: 8-4 (5-2,District 7-5A)Coach: John Walsh (47-31 in six seasons atGuyer)Returning starters: Seven on offense, fouron defenseKey players: QB Jerrod Heard, WR EllisJefferson, OL Patrick Morris, DB JohnSchilleci, RB D.J. Breedlove, LB TerenceBelton

Offense: MultipleDefense: Multiple

School enrollment: 2,064

Stadium: C.H. Collins Athletic Complex

Breedlove next in line of top Guyer RBs


GUYER: A NEW DIRECTION

Guyer running back D.J. Breedlove is the next in line to be a primary ball carrier in the Wildcats’ powerful running attack.Breedlove was a backup as a sophomore and will step into a critical role in Guyer’s offense in a season when theWildcats will make the move down to Class 4A. Guyer is ranked No. 1 in the state after two successful years in Class 5A.

WILDCATS

See GUYER on 37

36 August 30, 2012 DRC Football




Guyer Wildcats 2011Football Schedule

Aug. 30 Cedar Hill 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Colleyville Heritage 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Flower Mound Marcus 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 x-Azle 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 x-Denton 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 x-Byron Nelson 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 x-at Lake Dallas 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 x-Wichita Falls Rider 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 x-Wichita Falls 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 x-at FW Brewer 7 p.m.

x—District 5-4A games

Date Opponent Time

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No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.

1 Josh Harris WR/DB 5-10 170 Sr.

2 Jerrod Heard QB 6-3 190 Jr.

3 D.J. Breedlove RB 5-8 170 Jr.

4 Kyle Walsh WR/DB 5-11 170 Sr.

5 Tavi Sanches WR/DB 5-10 180 Sr.

6 Demontrie Taylor LB 5-9 180 Jr.

7 Terrell Singleton LB 5-10 180 Sr.

8 Trey Woods RB/DB 5-9 170 So.

9 Tripp Reed WR 6-3 175 Jr.

10 Austin Seago DB 5-10 170 So.

11 John Schilleci DB 6-1 190 Sr.

12 Mason McKnight QB/LB 6-1 195 Sr.

13 Logan Helal WR 5-10 175 Jr.

14 Tyler Smith WR 5-9 165 Jr.

15 Preston Thrailkill WR 5-9 160 Sr.

16 David Haynes QB 6-1 175 So.

17 Thomas Ferguson TE/DE 6-1 220 Jr.

18 Derek Watson DE 6-3 205 So.

19 Ellis Jefferson WR 6-4 200 Sr.

20 Connor McCown DB 5-10 165 Sr.

21 Will Sanders DB 5-11 175 Jr.

22 Adam Scott WR/DB 5-8 150 So.

23 Marcel Thomas DB 5-10 185 Jr.

24 Terence Belton LB 6-1 200 Sr.

25 Tristan Tovar RB/LB 5-9 180 Sr.

26 Tanner Hunt P/K 6-3 180 Sr.

27 Greg Peterson WR 6-0 180 Jr.

28 Skylar Harris DB 5-10 170 Sr.

29 Chandler Jennette DB 5-10 165 Sr.

30 Tyrone Bass DE 5-10 205 Sr.

31 Luke Bush DE 6-3 180 Sr.

32 Ryan Griffin DE 6-3 190 So.

33 Nate Maki RB/LB 5-10 185 Jr.

35 Zach Lauer TE 6-1 175 Sr.

36 Richard Whitaker RB 5-10 170 Sr.

37 Brad Grimms K 5-9 160 Jr.

38 Colby Laird FB 5-9 180 Sr.

39 Anthony Taylor RB 5-10 180 So.

41 Robert Champion DL 5-9 175 Sr.

42 Domenic Pickering DL 5-9 210 Sr.

43 Ian Kies DL 6-3 225 Sr.

44 Connor Allens LB 6-1 210 Sr.

45 Greg MacAllister DL 5-10 180 Sr.

46 Isiah Correa DL 5-10 240 So.

47 Cort Owens LB 5-10 175 Sr.

48 Carl Thompson DL 6-2 220 So.

53 Blake Timmons OL 6-1 240 Jr.

54 Hunter Krastin OL 5-10 250 Jr.

55 Jordan Thompson OL 6-2 225 Jr.

56 Patrick Morris OL/DL 6-2 280 Sr.

58 Ryan Starr OL 6-0 250 Sr.

59 Wade Austin OL 6-2 250 Sr.

60 Zach Colpean OL 5-10 235 Sr.

63 Kyle Jaskulske OL 6-2 240 Jr.

70 Bryan Barrett OL 6-1 285 Jr.

71 Kenta Hargis DL 6-2 280 Sr.

72 Tyler Loya-Hundley OL 5-10 190 Sr.

75 Ryan Felan OL 6-1 280 Sr.

82 Kyle Soltero TE 6-1 230 Jr.

83 Jonathan Pershall TE 5-10 215 Jr.

88 Mark Hickey TE 6-1 205 Sr.

92 Fabian Najera DE 5-9 200 Sr.

DRC Football August 30, 2012 37GUYER

FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season WILDCATS RosterScheduleGUYER

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 30 Cedar Hill 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Colleyville Heritage 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Flower Mound Marcus 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 Azle* 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Denton* 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 Byron Nelson* 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Lake Dallas* 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 Wichita Falls Rider* 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 Wichita Falls* 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 at Fort Worth Brewer* 7 p.m.

*District 5-4A game

Walsh’s prediction that Breedlove willbe the best of the bunch goes a long waywhen looking at the numbers.

Last season, Williams rushed for1,149 yards and 13 scores in 11 games. In2010, Walton had 1,396 yards and 19scores in 16 games, and in the two sea-sons before that, Wilhite totaled 3,320

yards and 46 touchdowns.And Breedlove understands the grav-

ity of Walsh’s comment.“It puts a little bit of pressure on me,”

Breedlove said. “But I like that he’s giv-ing me confidence and believing I canbe the best. I’m just thankful for his con-fidence.”

From Page 34

Guyer

DON’T SNOOZE ON CLASS 4AGuyer should know as well as anyone

that Class 4A has some talented teams.The Wildcats went from a top-flight 4Aschool straight to the Class 5A Division IIstate championship game in 2010, andnow they’re back in 4A with a No. 1 pre-season ranking. There’s no questionteams will be out to beat the Wildcats,who will have a giant target squarely ontheir backs throughout the season.

CONTINUE TO IMPROVEJerrod Heard played the best game of

his brief career as a starting quarterbackin the Wildcats’ playoff win over Hebronbefore he and his team faltered in a sec-ond-round loss to Mansfield. Butthroughout his sophomore season, Heardcontinued to make strides as a quarter-back. Now committed to Texas, Heardcan still improve on many aspects of hisgame as a junior and appears poised to dojust that while leading Guyer on a deeppostseason run in its return to Class 4A.

BE THE GO-TO GUYEllis Jefferson had a big summer. The 6-

4, 200-pound senior receiver committed

to Arizona State back in July, following inthe footsteps of Guyer’s go-to receiverfrom 2011, ConnerCrane (Stanford), bygoing to a Pac-12 school.Now, the Wildcats arehoping Jefferson canduplicate what Crane didon the high school stageand have a standout sen-ior year. Crane went over1,000 yards and caught 16 touchdownpasses last year while Jefferson had 677yards and five scores. He’ll need to haveCrane-like numbers for the Wildcats to besuccessful.

FRESH FRONT SEVENGuyer has always prided itself on stop-

ping the run defensively. The Wildcatsdon’t plan on changing that approach thisseason, but time will tell as they arebreaking in an entirely new starting frontseven. Four new starters on the defensiveline, led by tackle Domenic Pickering andend Thomas Ferguson, and three newlinebackers, led by Terrell Singleton, willlook to continue a tradition of stuffing therun for Guyer’s defense.

Jefferson

Morris leads loadedGuyer offensive line By Adam BoedekerStaff Writer

Guyer running back D.J. Breedlove hasno reason to fear for his starting job, buthis quarterback thinks there is someoneelse on the team whocould possibly tote theball for the Wildcats,and it’s not who you’dthink.

There are videos onYouTube of Guyer lefttackle Patrick Morrispower-cleaning 385pounds in the spring, snatching a weight-ed bar from the floor to his shoulders. Heis also quick on his feet and fast for his 6-2, 280-pound frame.

Yes, the TCU commit is that good —just ask his quarterback.

“The all-around best we have would

probably be Patrick Morris,” said juniorquarterback Jerrod Heard, who has com-mitted to Texas. “I don’t know anythinghe couldn’t do. Honestly, he could proba-bly play running back and do pretty good.”

Breedlove laughed at the notion, sayinghe doesn’t fear a sudden battle for thestarting job with his primary protector,but he agreed with the sentiment thatMorris is one of the best players on theteam and anchors perhaps the best singleunit on the team — the offensive line.

It goes without saying the guys up frontare a strength of Guyer’s team. Head coachJohn Walsh even went as far as to say thesix players, including returning tight endKyle Soltero, make up the best offensiveline he’s coached at Guyer. That says a lotgoing back to a stout 2010 unit and

Morris

See MORRIS on 38

38 August 30, 2012 DRC Football HIGH SCHOOLS

receiver, Xavier Gray. Gray, along with wide receiver Reynal

Caldwell and running back A.J.Anderson, will be options Bridges willhave at his disposal as the Raiders moveup to Class 5A for the second time inFlorence’s 12 years as Ryan’s head coach.

The last time Ryan was in 5A, theRaiders went a combined 19-6 in the2004 and 2005 seasons. Ryan was in thesame district as Southlake Carroll during-some of the Dragons’ best years.

This season, Ryan will once again havean imposing defensive line despite losing

Dominique Banks (Baylor) and MarioEdwards (Florida State). The offensereturns five starters, including offensivelineman Matt Griffin. Last year Ryan hadno problem scoring points, but theRaiders averaged 327 yards per game,which did not rank among the top 40teams that will be in 5A this season.

It’ll be up to Bridges and his teammatesto remedy the situation.

“We expect more out of our offense thisyear,” Florence said. “There’s no doubt, nodoubt.”

If it hasn’t already been made clear,Florence’s confidence in his new startingquarterback is unwavering. When Bridgesessentially played the entire season withthe torn labrum, it told Florence about the

5-9, 185-pound junior’s character. “The thing that shocked me about that

is that I never knew he was hurt,”Florence said. “That tells you how tough akid he is. ... He never complained. Henever used that as an excuse. And I’velearned that in coaching, that winnerscome in a lot of different forms, and that’sjust a winner’s mentality.”

Ryan’s offensive coaches, led by offen-sive coordinator Conroy Hines, haveemphasized getting the offense goingearly and doing more this season thanwhat’s been done in the past.

Bridges is aware of the new leadershiprole he’s taken and what a strong offensiveattack will mean for Ryan this season.

“It benefits us a lot,” Bridges said. “We

have a good defense, and if our offensehelps us a little bit more, I think we havea good chance of making a run for it.”

Bridges will be asked to protect the balland not commit turnovers, somethingthat cost Ryan in its Class 4A Division Iregional semifinal loss to Waco Midway.

“He has got to not turn the footballover,” Florence said. “That’s going to bethe No. 1 thing. Mitchell’s a tough kid, andthat’s what I want in a good leader.Obviously, your team will go as your quar-terback goes.”

And if things go according to plan,Ryan may need Bridges to leap across theend zone come playoff time, hoping thejunior can lead the program in a yearfilled with uncertainty.

one from 2008 that had two Big 12signees at tackle and a guard who is nowstarting at Stephen F. Austin.

But Walsh is confident in the state-ment, and he chalks his confidence up tothe overall play from left tackle down theline to right tackle.

“There’s three things — strength,mobility and intelligence,” Walsh said.“Each year we’ve been solid up front, butthere’s always been one or two guys wehave to bring along that are a little lesser.We have five solids, and we have starpower in Morris. He’s legit. And [juniorright tackle Bryan] Barrett will have thosesame [Football Bowl Subdivision] offers.We have our [FBS] guys and the otherguys are really good and really strong.”

Ryan Felan, Guyer’s right guard who isone of the line’s four returning starters,said hearing that compliment from hishead coach doesn’t add any pressureheading into the regular season but justadds to the unit’s confidence.

“I think it builds up our confidencemore,” Felan said. “Pressure-wise, there’snot really any more pressure. We just worktogether and try to do as well as we can.”

Morris, the unit’s only three-yearstarter, said this year’s group is the closesthe’s been a part of, making the grind offall practice a little bit easier.

“We’re just communicating better thanwe ever have,” Morris said. “Our teamchemistry is just really strong, and we’reall so close. It’s been like this before, butit’s never been quite like this. Practice hasnever been this fun, and it’s because we alllike each other.”

The camaraderie extends beyond theoffensive line, too. Breedlove said he isfriends with all of the linemen and hangs outwith them outside of school and football.

“They’re just getting better each andevery day at practice,” he said. “I love run-ning behind them and I’m pretty sure theylove blocking for me. I owe them a lot.”

The one lineman who is not a returningstarter is senior center Zach Colpean.Having a new face at perhaps the most

important position on the line could be aconcern for many coaches, but not forWalsh. After all, Colpean is a valedictori-an at Guyer and possesses the intelligencerequired to make all the proper line callsat the last second.

“He runs the whole show down there,”Walsh said. “He keeps everything straight.It’s good when your one new guy is thesmartest guy on your football team.”

With the compliments flowing from

their head coach, all that is left now is to seeif the unit can live up to lofty expectations.

“Last year, our inexperience went a longway toward our failure because we alwayshad one guy not knowing the assign-ment,” Morris said of the unit’s relativeinexperience that contributed to a sec-ond-round playoff exit. “We know if we allcommunicate and we account for thoseseven defensive guys we’ll be OK. It does-n’t matter how it gets done.”

From Page 28

Bridges

From Page 37

Morris


Guyer offensive lineman Patrick Morris throws a block during a game against Cedar Hill in the Kirk Herbstreit National

Kickoff Classic last season at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Morris is one of Guyer’s top offensive linemen, largely

because of his unusual athletic ability for a lineman.

Here is The Associated Press 2012 preseasonTexas high school football poll, with first-placevotes in parentheses, 2011 records, pointsbased on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, and last year’sfinal regular-season ranking, if any:

CCllaassss 55AA2011 Points Prv

1. Southlake Carroll (8) (16-0) 218 72. Lake Travis (9) (16-0) 206 1(4A)3. Dallas Skyline (7) (14-1) 199 54. Katy (1) (12-1) 170 15. Cibolo Steele (15-1) 117 46. Euless Trinity (12-1) 103 37. DeSoto (10-2) 71 88. Allen (11-1) 65 29. Longview (11-2) 63 610. Abilene (10-4) 47 —Others receiving votes: 11, Arlington Martin 41.12, Manvel 18. 13, Pearland 15. 14, SAMadison 11. 15, The Woodlands 10. 16, SpringDeKaney 9. 17, La Porte 5. 18, Austin Westlake3. 19, Hewitt Midway 2. 20, Lufkin 1. 20,Smithson Valley 1.


1. Guyer (13) (8-4) 228 —2. Cedar Park (3) (11-3) 199 93. Tyler John Tyler (6) (11-4) 196 —4. Pearland Dawson (12-3) 146 —5. Dallas Highland Park (12-1) 130 46. Aledo (3) (14-2) 108 8

7. Leander (8-4) 90 —8. WF Rider (10-4) 89 —9. Angleton (13-1) 74 710. CC Calallen (13-2) 46 —Others receiving votes: 11, Brenham 16. 12,Nederland 15. 13, Wichita Falls 11. 14, KerrvilleTivy 9. 15, Dallas Kimball 8. 16, Amarillo 3. 16,Wolfforth Frenship 3. 18, Sulphur Springs 2. 19,Sherman 1. 19, Corsicana 1.


1. Stephenville (15) (11-3) 227 —2. La Marque (5) (11-3) 202 —3. Carthage (2) (9-4) 167 —4. Coldspring-Oakhurst (1) (14-1) 130 3T5. Navasota (1) (11-2) 125 —T5. Wimberley (1) (15-0) 125 27. Argyle (14-2) 89 88. Waco La Vega (11-1) 74 10T9. Alvarado (14-1) 42 6T9. Celina (11-1) 42 5Others receiving votes: 11, Henderson 36. 12,Tyler Chapel Hill 32. 12, Gilmer 32. 14,Monahans 14. 15, West Columbia 13. 16, Sealy9. 17, Bellville 6. 18, Abilene Wylie 5. 19,Kennedale 2. 19, Kilgore 2. 21, Melissa 1.


1. Refugio (17) (15-0) 217 12. Cameron Yoe (3) (6-5) 176 —3. Daingerfield (3) (10-4) 166 —

4. Newton (1) (9-3) 152 —5. Lexington (11-3) 125 —6. Tatum (12-3) 119 —7. Cisco (14-1) 106 —8. Wall (11-1) 73 49. Hempstead (1) (14-1) 51 310. Muleshoe (12-2) 39 —Others receiving votes: 11, Arp 38. 12,Corsicana Mildred 30. 13, East Bernard 23. 14,Crockett 17. 15, Littlefield 11. 15, Rogers 11.17, Franklin 8. 18, Garrison 6. 19, Clarksville 2.19, Commerce 2. 21, Elysian Fields 1. 21,Idalou 1. 21, New Boston 1.

CCllaassss AA2011 Points Prv

1. Mart (11) (11-3) 220 —

2. Stamford (7) (13-3) 211 —3. Munday (4) (13-3) 195 —4. Tenaha (2) (14-0) 142 25. Falls City (10-3) 114 —6. San Augustine (8-3) 108 —7. Mason (1) (15-0) 101 38. Burton (12-3) 52 —9. Windthorst (11-2) 46 710. Goldthwaite (7-5) 44 —Others receiving votes: 11, Wellington 37. 12,Shiner 23. 13, Hubbard 16. 14, Ganado 14. 15,Albany 10. 15, Lindsay 10. 17, Alto 7. 17, Italy7. 19, Muenster 6. 20, Joaquin 4. 21, Sunray 3.22, Mount Enterprise 2. 22, Panhandle 2. 24,Stratford 1.

40 August 30, 2012 DRC Football HIGH SCHOOLS

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By Steve GamelFor the Denton Record-Chronicle

Lake Dallas sported the No. 1 passoffense in Class 4A last year, and with astingy defense, soared to the third roundof the playoffs. Even with that success,head coach Michael Young is pushing forchange.

When the Falcons open the season athome on Aug. 30, against RichardsonPearce, the defense will line up in the 3-4.The offense will be more dedicated tocontrolling the clock and a solid run gamewith the pistol formation. They will stilluse variations of last year’s spread, but itwill be a different look.

Lake Dallas threw for 4,014 yards ayear ago while rushing for 1,981 yards.With many of last year’s players no longerwith the Falcons, Young will adapt his sys-tem around this year’s team as it hopes tomake another deep playoff run.

“It’s important to have the right plan inplace to match your players’ skill set,”Young said. “Last year we had five first-team all-district wide receivers and we feltlike we could spread people out and scorefrom anywhere. We have playmakers left.But it’s a different game for us now.”

Tying it together is quarterbackMarshall Dominy. Lake Dallas hasbecome a hot bed for quarterbacks inrecent years, and Dominy is no exception.Young said Dominy is perfect for the newpistol offense because he is a dual threat.

“Marshall is a great athlete who is dan-gerous with his feet,” Young said. “If hecan get on the same page with a youngergroup of wide receivers, he’s going to havea great year.”

Young isn’t down on his team, but hedid say this was the hardest his programhas been hit by graduation in eight years.Gone are 27 lettermen, including quarter-back Dalyn Williams, standout runningback Dontonio Jordan and the widereceiver trio of Tyler Vance, Tre Dickersonand Ferrando Joseph.

But there is optimism. The Falcons’offensive and defensive lines may be thebest they’ve had with a trio of returnerson both lines. Emilio Hernandez moves

from guard to right tackle and is flankedby John Laubacher and Joe Williamson.

Grayson Schantz posted 12 sacks lastyear. Luke Medlicott and Colton Livelycould also have breakout seasons.

Young said he’s also excited about sev-eral guys he deems “big playmakers,”including junior Josh Jackson.

At 6-feet, 175 pounds, Jackson could beone of the best cornerbacks in District 5-4A. That says a lot considering RomanMitchell also returns. Mitchell snaggedfour interceptions a year ago.

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking abouthim [Josh] and how to get him involvedon both sides of the ball,” Young said.“He’s so athletic that if he works hardenough, his talent alone would make him

the best athlete we’ve ever had.”Expect Jackson to get between eight

and 10 touches per game. “I feel like wherever they play me, I can

be a threat,” Jackson added. “I’ll do what-ever it takes.”

So will others. Mitchell will see time atwide receiver and running back. Schantzwill play some tight end while Lively addsdepth at defensive line, fullback and H-back.

But for the Falcons to succeed, Dominymust play a huge role. And like any signalcaller, Dominy is focused on the team.

“I think with the way we’ve pickedthings up, and the way our defense hasbeen playing, we match up perfect witheveryone else in the district,” Dominysaid. “I see us finishing right on top.”

Quick factsDistrict: 5-4A2011 record: 9-4 (4-2,District 5-4A)Coach: Michael Young(57-23 in seven seasonsat Lake Dallas)Returning starters: Three on offense, fiveon defenseKey players: QB Marshall Dominy, RB TonyGreen, DL Grayson Schantz, DB RomanMitchell, DB Josh Jackson, OL JohnLaubacher, OL Joe WilliamsonOffense: Multiple-set spread (pistol)Defense: 3-4School enrollment: 1,230Stadium: Falcon Stadium

Falcons plan to ramp up running game


LAKE DALLAS: A NEW DIRECTION

Marshall Dominy will try to carry on the tradition of great quarterbacks at Lake Dallas that includes current Missouri starterJames Franklin and last year’s starter Dalyn Williams. Dominy is a dual-threat quarterback and has the ability to makeplays running and throwing the ball. Dominy must fare well in his new role for Lake Dallas to succeed as a team.

FALC0NS

DRC Football August 30, 2012 61LAKE DALLAS

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season FALCONS RosterNo. Player Pos Ht. Wt. Yr.1 Tyler Hull WR 6-2 180 Sr.2 Brandt Graham DB 5-10 175 Sr.3 Josh Jackson DB 6-1 180 Jr.4 Jamal Carter DB 5-9 170 Jr.5 Dante Basher DB 5-9 175 Sr.6 Roman Mitchell DB 6-0 200 Sr.7 Kaleb Adkins DB 5-9 155 Sr.8 Brandon Simpson WR 6-0 185 Jr.9 Andrew Craig DB 5-11 175 Jr.10 Bryce Williams TE 6-3 230 Sr.11 William Tollett WR 6-0 195 Sr.12 Marshall Dominy QB 6-0 200 Sr.13 Logan Stewart K 5-9 150 Jr.14 Juan Campos DB 5-9 155 So.15 Juan Lerma DB 5-9 155 Sr.16 Ty Boggs WR 5-10 170 So.19 Mason Hite LB 5-10 205 Jr.20 Styles Dyer LB 5-11 190 Sr.21 C.J. Harris WR 5-10 180 Jr.22 Joseph Oppong LB 5-11 205 Jr.23 Matt Hillard LB 6-0 200 Sr.24 Mark Contreras RB 5-9 175 Jr.25 Tony Green RB 6-1 190 Jr.27 Eloy Vela III LB 6-0 205 Sr.28 Miguel Morales RB 5-9 180 Sr.33 Graysen Ortez DB 5-10 170 Sr.35 Grayson Schantz DL 6-3 245 Sr.36 Jacob Jones LB 5-11 200 Sr.37 Brandon Horton LB 6-0 200 Sr.43 Kyle Ables LB 6-3 195 Sr.44 Tim Williams LB 6-1 205 Sr.45 Josiah Tauaefa TE 6-1 225 So.48 Marcus Girma DL 6-1 225 Jr.54 Cody Carroll OL 5-10 210 Jr.55 Luke Medicott DL 6-1 250 Sr.

56 Joe Williamson OL 5-11 250 Sr.58 Jonathan Chambers OL 6-0 230 Sr.61 Cody Shipman OL 6-3 300 Jr.62 Mitchell Withrow DL 6-0 220 Jr.65 Emilio Hernandez OL 6-0 245 Jr.66 Brody Rausch OL 5-10 205 Sr.70 Basilio Hernandez OL 6-1 215 Sr.71 Rico Morales DL 6-2 240 Jr.73 Matthew Dvoracek OL 6-0 290 Sr.75 John Laubacher OL 6-5 310 Sr.78 Jason Heer OL 6-0 260 Sr.79 Dalton Montgomery OL 6-5 220 So.80 Eric Walsh TE 5-11 200 Sr.81 Tyler Estep WR 6-2 180 Sr.82 Roman Albanese WR 6-0 190 So.84 Colton Lively DL 6-1 235 Sr.85 Garrett Shakleford WR 6-1 180 So.

GRIND IT OUTDalyn Williams and Dontonio Jordan

were amazing in the run game last year,but the Falcons’ offensewas built to throw thefootball (4,014 yardspassing). Head coachMichael Young is goingwith the pistol offense,which allows for morevariety and to help con-trol the clock in a tough District 5-4A.Running back Tony Green is seen as asuperstar in the making and is prototypi-cal for this type of system (taller, bigshoulders, physical runner). Green gottouches during last year’s postseason,averaging 4.05 yards per carry on 19 car-ries.

CALLING ALL PLAYMAKERSWhile the coaching staff is gushing over

wide receiver Josh Jackson, Young won’tput his eggs in one basket. Last year, theFalcons’ offense had five experienced widereceivers, making it harder on defenses tokey on one person. Quarterback MarshallDominy has to be a dual threat and find a

rhythm with new receivers. RomanMitchell, Grayson Schantz and ColtonLively must bring their talents to bothsides of the football.

PROTECT THIS HOUSELake Dallas plays host in four of its

seven District 5-4A games, including anOct. 12 date with Wichita Falls Rider.Guyer travels to Falcon Stadium on Oct.19. Three of their first four district gamesare at home. Historically the Falcons playwell at home, including a 4-1 mark lastyear.

BE SOLID UP FRONTYoung says this might be the best

offensive-defensive line combinationhe’s had at Lake Dallas. Schantz(Newcomer of the Year) had 13 sacks in2011. He is flanked by Luke Medlicottand Lively in a revamped 3-4 defense.Offensively, if linemen John Laubacher,Joe Williamson and Emilio Hernandezare as good as advertised, Green willreap the rewards. Young said a solidgroup up front could mean contendingwith Guyer and Rider.

Green

ScheduleLAKE DALLASDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 Richardson Pearce 7 p.m.Sept. 6 at Frisco Centennial 7 p.m.Sept. 14 at C. Newman Smith 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 Denton* 7 p.m.Oct. 5 at Byron Nelson* 7 p.m.Oct. 12 Wichita Falls Rider* 7 p.m.Oct. 19 Guyer* 7 p.m.Oct. 25 at Wichita Falls* 7 p.m.Nov. 2 Fort Worth Brewer* 7 p.m.Nov. 9 at Azle* 7 p.m.* District 5-4A

62 August 30, 2012 DRC Football ARGYLE

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Argyle fans will long remember the wayLayton Lowry finished his high schoolcareer in 2010.

After splitting time as a junior as amember of a running back-by-committeesetup, Lowry was one of the biggest work-horses in the area as a senior, rushing for1,811 yards and 22 touchdowns whileaveraging nearly 18 carries per game.

Last season when Argyle made it to theClass 3A Division II state championshipgame, the Eagles had another solid run-ning back in Tyler Eveleth, who rushedfor 1,297 yards and eight touchdownswhile several other players contributed tothe ground game that amassed nearly3,000 yards over the course of a 16-gameseason.

This season might prove to be more like2010 when it comes to Argyle’s runninggame, and it’s looking to all fall on theshoulders of a sophomore.

Nick Ralston was called up from thefreshman team before district play beganlast season and went on to rush for 259yards and three scores in 11 games.

“I kind of like the pressure of that,”Ralston said of knowing the runninggame will fall on his shoulders. “It makesme play harder. I kind of want to step upto the challenge and take it on.”

Argyle head coach Todd Rodgers hasseen that quality in Ralston for a while now.

He said the Argyle coaching staffpegged Ralston early last season as a guywho could come up to the varsity level andcontribute.

“It really, truly was in the plans [to callhim up],” Rodgers said. “We thought hehad a lot of upside and the potential toacclimate over the course of the year.

“We weren’t sure about the pace atwhich he’d be ready but he showed greatvision, understanding of the offense and awillingness to carry the burden of theoffense at the ninth-grade level.”

But the varsity game was a differentstory. Ralston quickly figured that outwhen he made his first varsity appearancein last year’s district opener against Aubrey.

He took one square hit and immediate-ly realized he wasn’t on the freshmanteam anymore.

“It only took about three plays,” Ralstonsaid. “The size and speed of the game wasthe biggest difference.”

At 5-11, 200 pounds, Ralston should beable to handle the grind of a varsity season,and of all the running backs who haveplayed key roles in Argyle’s offense overrecent years, Rodgers compared him to theone who put up the best numbers of any.

“He’s got the foot speed and quicknessto be great,” Rodgers said. “He’s a slashingtype running back, but he also hastremendous strength and power. He’ll beone of the bigger backs we’ve had. He’snot quite as big as Layton, but he has sim-

ilar skills.”Rodgers stressed the fact that aside

from Ralston’s obvious football skill, healso the right ingredients mentally to be agreat high school running back for thenext three seasons.

“He does whatever he has to,” Rodgerssaid. “You tell him, ‘Here’s a prescriptionfor success,’ and he’ll follow the prescrip-tion. He’s all about being successful andall about the team being successful.”

And that mixture means a happy headcoach in Rodgers.

“Big, fast running backs are rare,”Rodgers said. “To have a kid that’s thatcommitted to improving himself andcommitted to the success of his team is aperfect scenario for a head coach.”

Quick factsDistrict: 10-3A2011 record: 14-2 (5-0District 9-3A)Coach: Todd Rodgers(89-28 in nine seasonsat Argyle)Returning starters: Four on offense, threeon defenseKey players: WR Ian Sadler, K ColeHedlund, RB Nick Ralston, LB SamSizelove, QB Brandon Boyzuick, DB ReeseThompsonOffense: SpreadDefense: 3-4School enrollment: 668Stadium: Eagle Stadium

Ralston aims to extend Argyle tradition


ARGYLE: A NEW DIRECTION

Nick Ralston was called up to the varsity team midway through last season and rushed for 259 yards in limited action.The sophomore will take on a much larger role this fall, when he is expected to be a workhorse for the Eagles’ offense.Argyle will have a different look in 2012 after quarterback Austin Aune graduated following last season.

EAGLES

No. Player Pos. Yr.2 Dalton Ledford WR Jr.3 Brandon Boyzuick QB Jr.4 Reese Thompson DB Jr.5 Ian Sadler WR Jr.6 Jon Pucciarello WR Jr.8 Hunter Treadwell QB Jr.9 Brian Kanzaki LB Sr.10 Colton Katzen DB Jr.11 Connor Wilson DB Jr.12 Cole Hedlund K Jr.15 Dean Eddy DB Sr.19 Chase Green WR Jr.22 Nick Ralston RB So.23 Chance Bode WR Jr.27 Wood Speed DL Sr.30 Brayden Helliker RB Jr.32 Cody Phillips DB Jr.33 Jimmy Manos DB Jr.35 Terry Moore RB Jr.36 Ricky Poole TE Jr.40 Colton Hinnrichs LB Jr.41 Sam Sizelove LB Jr.42 Blake Lyle TE Sr.44 Seth Jones LB Sr.45 Michael McConnell TE Sr.48 Jake Weaver TE Jr.52 Christian Hackney LB Jr.53 Jon Brittenum LB Jr.

55 Micah Capra DL Jr.

56 Hayden Hood OL Jr.

58 Reagen Page LB Jr.

61 Jett Monroe OL So.

62 Austin Bergstrom OL So.

64 Hunter Stewart DL Jr.

65 Trevor Jones OL Sr.

66 Zach Benson OL Jr.

70 Tanner Fought OL Sr.

72 Jordan Deagen OL Sr.

73 Matt Hiter DL So.

75 Zach Mahon OL So.

64 August 30, 2012 DRC Football ARGYLE

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season EAGLES RosterScheduleARGYLE

Date Opponent TimeAug. 31 Abilene Wylie 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 at Fort Worth Nolan 7:30 p.m.Sept. 14 at Paris 7:30 p.m.Sept. 21 Kennedale 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 Wilmer-Hutchins 7:30 p.m.Oct. 5 at Dallas Madison 7:30 p.m.Oct. 19 Carrollton Ranchview* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 at Frisco Lone Star* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 2 Aubrey* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 9 at Celina* 7:30 p.m.*District 10-3A game

GET SOLID QB PLAYBrandon Boyzuick was a big part of

Argyle’s JV squad lastseason, contributing allover the field, includingas a Wildcat quarter-back. Hunter Treadwell,also a junior, is a move-in from Grapevine. Oneof them, most likelyBoyzuick, will have tostep under center andlead Argyle’s offensewhile trying to fill theshoes left by three-yearstarter Austin Aune,who is now in the NewYork Yankees system.Aune was a proven win-ner and had the “it” factor people look forin quarterbacks.

BE BIG UP FRONTThe biggest question mark for the

Eagles is the play they’ll receive from sev-eral defensive linemenlooking to step into start-ing roles. Last season, theEagles allowed 122 yardsper game on the groundand will look to do thesame with a new cast ofcharacters in 2012.Several are being counted on to fill keyroles, including Wood Speed, Micah

Capra, Reagen Page and Hunter Stewart.

RECEIVING GREATNESSLast season, junior Ian Sadler took 3A

by storm when he caught 54 balls for1,124 and 12 touchdowns while also beinga big part of Argyle’sreturn game. He’s movingto an inside receiver spotthis season and will beflanked on the outside byChance Bode and eitherDalton Ledford or ChaseGreen. Sadler will draw alot of coverage, meaning other, less expe-rienced players will have to capitalize onopportunities.

THROUGH THE UPRIGHTSCole Hedlund emerged on the scene

last season when he set a national recordfor field goals made in aseason with 25. This sea-son, the junior will becalled upon to lead theEagles’ kicking game notonly with his efficiencyon field goals and extrapoints (25-of-30 on fieldgoals, 72-of-74 on extrapoints) but also on kickoffs. Last season,he had 17 touchbacks to help out Argyle’sdefense and that number should contin-ue to grow as Hedlund gets stronger withage.

A LOOK BACK 2011 district standings

Boyzuick

District 7-5AOverall District

Southlake Carroll 16-0 7-0Keller Central 8-3 5-2Guyer 8-4 5-2Keller Fossil Ridge 6-5 4-3Coppell 6-4 3-4Justin Northwest 4-6 3-4Keller 2-8 1-6Saginaw 1-9 0-7


Ryan 12-1 6-0Lake Dallas 9-4 4-2Wichita Falls Rider 7-4 4-2Little Elm 6-5 3-3The Colony 4-6 2-4Wichita Falls 3-7 2-4Denton 1-9 0-6


Argyle 14-2 5-0

Sanger 9-2 4-1Whitesboro 7-4 3-2Aubrey 4-6 2-3Pilot Point 2-7 1-4Gainesville 2-8 0-5

District 5-2A (DI)Overall District

Pottsboro 9-2 5-0Boyd 9-3 4-1Callisburg 2-9 2-3Ponder 5-5 2-3Paradise 5-5 1-4Howe 2-8 1-4

TAAPS District 1-IOverall District

Fort Worth Nolan 13-1 5-1Plano Prestonwood 9-3 5-1Liberty Christian 6-5 3-3Dallas Bishop Lynch 6-5 3-3TCA-Addison 6-6 3-3Dallas Bishop Dunne 3-8 2-4Dallas John Paul II 3-7 0-6

Sadler

Hedlund

Treadwell

Speed

DRC Football August 30, 2012 65AUBREY

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By Dave RogersFor the Denton Record-Chronicle

If the Aubrey Chaparrals don’t returnto the playoffs this season, it won’t bebecause the quarterback had troubleremembering the plays.

“I’ve been seeing and running the sameoffense since kindergarten,” junior KyleLynn said. “When I was in the sixth gradein Celina, I was already calling audiblesand hot routes. Growing up in thisoffense, I’ve always felt like I was one stepahead, mentally.”

Lynn is the grandson of the legendaryG.A. Moore Jr., the winningest highschool football coach in Texas schoolboyhistory. Moore, 73, was Lynn’s high schoolcoach until May, when Moore announcedhe was retiring after a 45-year career thatincludes eight state championships.

Lynn’s first memories revolve aroundhis grandfather and winning teams atPilot Point and Celina.

“I’ve been up at his two-a-days ever sinceI could walk,” said the 5-10, 170-pounder. “Iwas waterboy at Pilot Point forever andwhen he retired from coaching the firsttime [in 2004], I just came up here.”

Moore followed in 2009, leadingAubrey to an 11-2 record that first seasonbefore back-to-back 4-6 seasons.

Lynn was a backup quarterback whocompleted 51 percent of his passes for 319yards and two touchdowns last year. Buthis three rushing touchdowns seem morerelevant. Aubrey’s offense never relied ona big passing game under Moore.

Nor will it under his successor, MikeSegleski.

“We try to overpower whoever we’re fac-ing,” Lynn said, “exactly how my granddaddid it. Nothing’s much changed.”

Segleski, 40, knows about growing upin a coaching family. His father coachedhim at Comfort.

He’s no stranger to Lynn and the rest ofthe Chap players, either. He’s been atAubrey since 2008 and was on Moore’sstaff at Pilot Point. Aubrey’s defensivecoordinator from 2008-2011, Segleskihas kept the coaching staff intact.

“There’s not much difference,” Lynn

said. “There’s no guy in a cowboy hat[Moore’s trademark] out there yelling atyou, but we’ve got good coaches.”

Aubrey’s coaches plan to feature 6-4,240-pound tight end/defensive endCollin Scribner. After making the all-dis-trict team as a sophomore, he blew out hisknee and missed the 2011 season.

“Not having Collin made a huge differ-ence in what we could do,” Segleski said.“Without him, defenses put nine men onthe line of scrimmage and dared us tothrow the football. He can stretch the field.”

Aubrey’s cast of marquee charactershas turned over, as most of the team’s topball-handlers from a year ago are gone.

Halfback Daniel Longhenry, whorushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns

while averaging 4.4 yards per carry, hasthe best stats among returners.

Offensive linemen Weston Osterman,Jacob Ortolani, Jordan Gullette andJacob Johnson also return. They will lookto add punch to a team that averaged 20points, 211 rushing yards and 286 totalyards per game last year.

“They’re smart, and they’re also meanand nasty,” Segleski said. “That’s perfectfor what we’re trying to do, which is tocram the ball down your throat.”

Defensive back Nick Shovlin and line-backer Anthony Alford are back to leadAubrey’s defense.

“Our goals are to run the football andplay defense,” Segleski said. “We aim to dothose two things and do them well.”

Quick factsDistrict: 10-3A2011 record: 4-6 (2-3District 9-3A)Coach: Mike Segleski(first season)Returning starters: Seven on offense, fiveon defenseKey players: RB/DB Robert DeLaTorre,WR/DB Nick Shovlin, QB/DB Kyle Lynn,RB/LB Sam Heath, RB/LB Anthony Alford,OL/DT Jacob Ortolani, OL/DT JordanGullette, TE/DT Collin ScribnerOffense: Pro-styleDefense: MultipleSchool enrollment: 516Stadium: Chaparral Stadium

Aubrey to lean on legend’s grandson


AUBREY: A NEW DIRECTION

Aubrey quarterback Kyle Lynn was a backup last season and will be stepping into a larger role this year as theChaparrals’ starter. He has bloodlines that seem to indicate he has what it takes to handle the job. His grandfather isG.A. Moore Jr., who won eight state titles during a 45-year coaching career, including his last stop at Aubrey.

CHAPARRALS

68 August 30, 2012 DRC Football KRUM

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By Randy CummingsFor the Denton Record-Chronicle

Krum has been on a four-year journeyto establish itself among the state’s foot-ball-playing fraternity, making history atevery juncture of the trip. And this fall,the Bobcats reach their destination, withopportunities to write even more history.

Finally, the Bobcats will compete in aUIL district. With that transition comesthe chance for the school’s football pro-gram to win its first district game, seek adistrict title, earn individual league hon-ors and, ultimately, reach the state play-offs.

“It’s real exciting,” said senior defensiveend Leo Sanchez, smiling and stating theobvious.

With Krum’s increased enrollmentcame the move to a new classification andDistrict 9-3A along with established pro-grams at Decatur, Sanger and Gainesville.

But with a squad of players that essen-tially has been playing together the pastfour years — all 11 offensive and defensivestarters from the last two seasons are back— head coach Gary Robinson believes theBobcats are ready to make more history.

“We can go back to 2008 — these jun-iors and seniors were seventh- andeighth-graders — and from the verybeginning they’ve been making history,”Robinson said. “The first time we hadpractice at 6:30 in the morning with thatbunch of seventh-graders, they made his-tory. The first time we won a ballgame,they made history then.

“Then when they became ninth-graders, we won our first high schoolgame. Then two years ago we beat Rangerin a varsity game and made history. Lastyear was the first time we’d ever played 10varsity games.”

Junior quarterback Caz Wojciak, a two-year starter who passed for 1,096 yardsand 11 touchdowns in Krum’s 6-4 seasonlast year as an independent, calls theupcoming season “the opportunity of alifetime.”

“Four years ago we were playing sev-enth-grade ball on a cow pasture and nowwe’re going to be playing 3A ball and are

in a district,” he said. “This is where wewanted to be.”

Krum’s players have not only gainedexperience, they have also grown physi-cally, putting them on an equal playingfield with their opponents.

The Bobcats return their top two rush-ers from a year ago in senior Reed Flores(745 yards, 9 TDs) and sophomore DaneWhite (631 yards, 7 TDs). The team’sthree leading receivers from 2011 alsoreturn, including senior team leader ZackHughes (357 yards receiving, 7 TDs).

Robinson is equally excited about anoffensive line led by seniors Aaron Gilmore(6-3, 240) and Josh Reeves (6-0, 200).

“We’ve got a smart offensive line that real-ly understands our blocking schemes,”

Robinson said. “They can do it in their sleep.”Defensive lineman Leo Sanchez was

the Bobcats’ leading tackler last seasonwith 60 stops, but Krum’s strength ondefense appears to be in its linebackersand secondary.

Junior linebacker Dylan Coffin was oneof two players to finish with 55 tackles(Wojciak, as a defensive back, was theother). Senior Travis White (6-1, 170) ledthe team with his three interceptionsfrom the secondary.

“There’s nobody in the state of Texasthat’s in the position we’re in,” saidRobinson. “There’s nobody about to playdistrict games for the first time and moveup from 2A to 3A. We’re sitting rightwhere we can do something great.”


2011 record: 6-4(Independent)Coach: Gary Robinson(16-11 in four seasons atKrum)Returning starters: 11 on offense, 11 ondefenseKey players: QB Caz Wojciak, RB ReedFlores, WR Zack Hughes, RB Brennan Ellis,OL Aaron Gilmore, DL Leo Sanchez, DBTravis White, LB Dylan Coffin

Offense: MultipleDefense: 3-4

School enrollment: 475

Stadium: Bobcat Stadium

Krum ready to make history yet again


KRUM: A NEW DIRECTION

Krum junior quarterback Caz Wojciak, left, and senior defensive lineman Leo Sanchez will lead Krum into its first sea-son in a district this fall. The shift will make the Bobcats eligible for the playoffs for the first time in the four-year historyof the program. Wojciak, who threw for 1,096 yards last year, called this season, “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

BOBCATS

No. Name Position Ht. Wt. Cl.

1 Brennan Ellis WR/FS 5-11 167 Jr.

2 Jake Fleckenstein WR/FS 5-11 168 Sr.

4 Riley Marshall WR/CB 5-10 155 So.

5 Caz Wojciak QB/FS 5-10 165 Jr.

7 Charles Eneh RB/MLB 6-0 190 Sr.

8 Angel Martinez WR/CB 5-9 141 Sr.

9 Travis White WR/CB 6-0 172 Sr.

11 Zack Hughes WR/OLB 6-3 190 Sr.

12 Gavin Noack WR/CB 5-11 158 Jr.

18 Ian Concepcion WR/CB 5-8 147 Jr.

21 Juan Campuzano WR/CB 5-11 160 Sr.

22 Reed Flores RB/OLB 5-6 154 Sr.

23 Dane White RB/OLB 5-10 187 So.

28 Dylan Coffin TE/OLB 6-1 217 Jr.

32 Morgan Spraberry RB/OLB 6-0 195 Jr.

33 Tanner Rankin WR/CB 6-2 177 Sr.

36 Jacob Olivarez FB/MLB 5-5 225 Sr.

42 Jayce Tredway T/MLB 5-9 157 Sr.

44 Leo Sanchez T/DE 6-3 243 Sr.

48 Justin Graham FB/MLB 5-10 220 Sr.

50 Carlton Kutas G/DE 5-11 212 Jr.

55 Josh Reeves C/MLB 5-11 202 Sr.

56 Hunter Howard T/DE 6-0 247 Jr.

62 Aaron Bower G/NT 5-8 172 Sr.

63 Dustin Richards G/NT 5-10 190 Sr.

65 Logan Shipley T/DE 6-1 186 Jr.

67 Aaron Gilmore T/DE 6-3 250 Sr.

72 Colton Richards T/NT 6-2 256 So.

74 Billy Morgan G/NT 6-4 290 Sr.

78 Steven Martinez G/NT 5-10 258 Sr.

85 Trevor Enis TE/DE 6-5 220 Sr.

88 Romario Hernandez WR/CB 5-5 130 Sr.

70 August 30, 2012 DRC Football KRUM

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season BOBCATS RosterScheduleKRUM

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 31 at Caddo Mills 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Farmersville 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 Alvord 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 Paradise 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 Wichita Falls Hirschi 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Burkburnett 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 Bridgeport* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Decatur* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 Sanger* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 at Gainesville* 7:30 p.m.

* District 9-3A game

EARN RESPECT FROM ALLThe long, steady process of building a

program from the ground up is about toreach its anticipated conclusion. Now theBobcats — players,coaches and all involved— are ready to earn a lit-tle respect for whatthey’ve accomplished.They’re out to provethey’ve got a solid pro-gram that’s ready tocompete. “Our No. 1 goalis to earn respect from the other teams inour district, from other schools in the areaand from the state,” head coach GaryRobinson said. By the end of the season,Krum hopes to have established itself onthe varsity level.

FIGHT FROM START TO FINISHOne way the Bobcats can earn the

aforementioned respect, Robinson notes,is by being competitive in every minute ofevery game. “We want to be competitivein every game we play from the openingkickoff to the last play,” he said. “We’re notgoing to stop fighting, no matter what.”

ADJUST TO DISTRICT PLAYLast season, the Bobcats played a 10-

game schedule as an independent againstan assortment of opponents, hoping topost a winning record. That goal stillstands, although in 2012 Krum will, forthe first time, be facing a true districtschedule with an upgrade to Class 3Acompetition. “We want to have a winningseason and get to the playoffs,” seniordefensive lineman Leo Sanchez said. “Wewant to shock everybody.”

KEEP PLAYOFF GOAL IN SIGHTSpeaking of the playoffs, the Bobcats

believe that’s another dream they canmake come true. Krum has posted win-ning seasons the last two years, so thenext goal is reaching the playoffs. “We’venever had a playoff to look forward to atthe end of a season,” quarterback CazWojciak said. “Now that we’re at thispoint, we finally can try to make a run andshock some people. It’s exciting.”Qualifying for the postseason is anotherchallenge, but Krum’s players and coach-es having been conquering challengeswhile building the program for four years.

Robinson

DRC Football August 30, 2012 71SANGER

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Sanger running back Derek Shelbyremembers exactly where he was duringthe Indians’ games last season.

It wasn’t in the backfield. It wasn’t onthe bench. It was behind then-runningbacks coach Jim Cain, tugging at his shirt,making the coach aware of his presence.

“Coach, I’m right behind you if youneed me,” Shelby would say to Cain on aregular basis.

Shelby was the backup for BrockSquier, Sanger’s all-district running backand 9-3A’s co-offensive player of the year.The voice called upon Cain if Sanger’soffense had overpowered its opponent, aregular occurrence last season. Mosttimes Shelby asked to enter the game, hewas told to wait until the next series.

This season, Shelby will be called uponto lead Sanger through a period of transi-tion and youth. Sanger’s switching fromthe spread offense to the hybrid Wing-T,shifting the offense’s emphasis from thepass to the run. There won’t be muchwaiting around on the sidelines this yearfor the junior tailback.

“I kind of feel like I was missing out alittle bit, but I expect to be great this year,”Shelby said.

Shelby’s the kind of kid who was in theweight room all summer and liftedweights religiously, and he’s not the typeto miss workouts either. His work ethichas turned him into one of Sanger’sbiggest and strongest players.

The Indians need Shelby’s enthusiasmand skills to help carry an offense return-ing junior offensive lineman KyleScheffler as the only senior, and Scheffler’sstatus heading into the season is in ques-tion due to injury.

The last two seasons, Sanger’s relied onits passing attack, led by Dane Evans, whomay have been one of the best quarter-backs in the state last season and went onto Tulsa. Dane’s father, Damon Evans, wasthe team’s offensive coordinator but leftthe school over the summer for an assis-tant coaching job at Arlington Lamar.

Cain stepped in and installed a new

offense Sanger hopes will help the Indiansclaim their first district title since 1999.The offense plans on using motion, sweepsand misdirection plays. Sanger head coachChuck Galbreath described the new sys-tem as an attacking and downhill offense.The sixth-year head coach said he stillplans on throwing the ball, but not withthe same frequency as in previous seasons.

“We just feel like it fits our personnelbetter,” Galbreath said. “We want to havea little different mentality on offense. Wewant to play hard and fast, and we feellike we can do that in this offense.”

Junior Wyatt Broxson and sophomoreBrandon Mann will split time as theteam’s starting quarterback.

Behind Broxson and Mann in the back-

field is Brice Escobedo, who will be askedto help lead Sanger’s defense as a line-backer as one of four returning starters.Contrary to his reserved and respectfulpersona, Escobedo said he’s fonder of hit-ting people than he is of running into them.

“We need Brice to certainly step up andlead our defense,” Galbreath said. “Thatwill be his main role on this team. He willplay some running back, but certainly hismain role, the way I see it, is to be a greatleader on defense, kind of be the quarter-back of the defense and show great lead-ership, and we need great play out of him.He needs to be a playmaker.”

The Indians will need great play out ofboth Escobedo and Shelby if Sanger hopesto be a contender for the district crown.


2011 record: 9-2 (4-1,District 9-3A)Coach: Chuck Galbreath(33-19 in five seasons atSanger)Returning starters: One on offense, four ondefenseKey players: RB Derek Shelby, LB/RB BriceEscobedo, OL Kyle Scheffler, QB/CB WyattBroxson, QB Brandon Mann, DB BrennanBloom

Offense: Hybrid Wing-TDefense: 4-2-5


Stadium: Indian Stadium

Shelby moves into key role for Sanger


SANGER: A NEW DIRECTION

Running back Derek Shelby, left, and linebacker Brice Escobedo will play huge roles for Sanger this season. Shelby willreceive the bulk of the carries as Sanger switches from the spread to the hybrid Wing-T following the departure of quar-terback Dane Evans, while Escobedo will become the focal point of a defense that returns four starters.

INDIANS

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.1 Connor Martin WR/DB 5-10 160 Sr.2 Wyatt Broxson QB/DB 6-3 180 Jr.4 Dylan Hennan RB/LB 5-10 170 Jr.5 Levi Schofield WR/DB 5-7 140 Sr.6 Kion Evans SB/DB 5-7 150 Jr.7 Ted Wisdom P 6-0 160 Jr.8 Dalton Hassell TE/DE 5-11 180 Jr.9 Houston Wyatt WR/DB 5-9 160 Sr.11 Brennan Bloom WR/DB 6-1 170 Jr.12 Cody Sampley TE/DE 6-1 190 Sr.13 Tanner Thomas WR/DB 6-1 170 Jr.14 Ty Scott SB/LB 5-9 160 Jr.15 David Bibb TE/LB 6-2 185 So.17 Michael Swanson WR/DB 6-0 150 Sr.18 Brandon Mann QB/LB 6-1 205 So.20 Michael Page WR/DB 6-1 185 Sr.21 Tyler Krahl TE/DE 6-2 190 Jr.22 Brice Escobedo TB/LB 5-11 190 Sr.24 Derek Shelby RB/DE 6-0 190 Jr.25 Kyle Link SB/DB 5-9 160 So.30 Logan Reedy WR/DB 5-10 160 Sr.35 Andrew Martinez SB/DB 5-8 150 Sr.36 Devin Teeters SB/DB 5-10 180 Sr.41 Will Carter SB/LB 5-7 150 Jr.50 Dylan Claytor OL/DE 6-2 220 Jr.51 Collin Jones OL/LB 5-10 190 So.52 Austen Lange OL/LB 6-0 205 So.53 Jacobi Verdin OL/LB 5-8 170 Jr.54 Brandon Gehrke OL/DE 5-11 210 So.

55 Brance Watts OL/DT 6-3 250 So.56 Ben Williams OL/DT 5-8 170 Sr.58 Andrew Bradley OL/DT 6-0 190 Sr.59 Kyle Johnson K 6-0 180 Jr.60 Jacob Anderson OL/DL 6-0 200 Sr.62 Max Chick OL/DL 6-0 215 Sr.64 Kyle Scheffler OL/DL 6-0 260 Jr.70 Albert Sanchez OL/DL 6-1 265 Jr.71 Colby Robare OL/DL 6-0 250 Sr.72 Daniel Kennedy OL/DL 6-0 220 Sr.75 Hayes Adams OL/DL 6-0 190 Jr.76 Clay Worthey OL/DE 6-4 220 So.77 Zack Morris OL/DL 6-5 240 So.

DRC Football August 30, 2012 73SANGER

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2012-2013 Game Schedule11-17 Denton vs SFA

12-1 Denton vs Fort Sill

12-8 Denton vs Grand Prairie

1-26 Denton vs Diablos

2-16 Denton vs Frisco

3-2 Denton vs SFA

3-9 Denton vs Fort Sill

3-23 Denton vs Frisco

4-6 Denton vs Grand Prairie

4-13 Denton vs Diablos

FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season INDIANS RosterScheduleSANGER

Date Opponent TimeAug. 31 Dallas Madison 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 at Liberty Christian 7:30 p.m.Sept. 14 at Pilot Point 7:30 p.m.Sept. 21 Boyd 7:30 p.m.Sept.28 Aubrey 7:30 p.m.Oct. 4 Frisco Lone Star^ 7 p.m.Oct. 19 Gainesville* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 at Krum* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 2 Bridgeport* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 9 at Decatur* 7:30 p.m.*District 9-3A Game^Game played at FC Dallas Stadium

TWO QBS, ONE ROLESanger is using two quarterbacks to fill

the void left by Dane Evans, who is now afreshman at Tulsa. JuniorWyatt Broxson and soph-omore Brandon Mannwill split time at quarter-back. Indians head coachChuck Galbreath saidboth will see plenty ofaction. Mann has a strongarm, while Broxson stands at 6-3, 190pounds and can run well. Broxson willalso play cornerback and is one of fourreturning starters on defense.

LEARN THE SYSTEMWith Jim Cain taking over for

Damon Evans as the team’s offensivecoordinator, Sanger’s going to need toadapt to the new hybrid Wing-T offenseCain is installing. The new offense isbuilt to cater to its current group ofplayers, including starting runningback Derek Shelby. A successful groundgame will make passing the ball thatmuch easier, and it also helps teamshoard the ball and keep their defense

cool on the sidelines.

FEAST ON PARITYWith Argyle and Celina grouped in

District 10-3A, the chase for the 9-3Acrown is going to be wide open with thelikes of Gainesville, Krum, Decatur andBridgeport. Krum moves up to Class 3Afrom 2A, Gainesville missed the playoffslast year and like Sanger, Decatur andBridgeport were both bounced out of theplayoffs in the first round. A few key dis-trict wins could set Sanger up for a shot atthe district title.

PEAK AT THE FINISHThe season may start on Aug. 31

against Dallas Madison, but the key sec-tion of the schedule really doesn’t beginuntil Oct. 19. That’s when Sanger opensits District 9-3A schedule at home againstGainesville, marking the beginning of afour-week stretch of district play. Withthe low number of district games, it’simperative the Indians play their bestfootball in those final four weeks, wherethe margin separating teams from theplayoffs is very slim.

Galbreath

74 August 30, 2012 DRC Football PILOT POINT

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By Dave RogersFor the Denton Record-Chronicle

A concussion caused Beau Ewton tomiss Pilot Point’s final football game in2011. But it was his choice to miss thefirst five days of 2012 preseason practice,having decided to concentrate his athletictalents solely on baseball as a senior.

That notion was short-lived.On the sixth day of practice, the 5-11,

210-pound senior missed football somuch he rejoined the guys he had playedwith since third grade, convinced his goalof being a Division I college baseball play-er could wait until the spring.

“I woke up and it was just weird with-out football,” Ewton said. “I knew theywere out here and I wanted to be withthem. I came out to watch the first day ofpractice in pads and it was too much. Imissed hitting people.”

During his one Friday as a preseasonpractice spectator, Ewton was encouragedby his cousin, Bearcat defensive backAustin Trinklein, other teammates, fansand even one texting-during-practice assis-tant coach to ask second-year head coachRob Best for permission to rejoin the team.

He was suited up and back on the fieldthe next day.

“We’ve got a winning tradition here,and we need to start it back,” Ewton said.

Ewton was named a second-team All-District 9-3A linebacker last season, thesecond straight year the Bearcats missedthe playoffs.

Coming on the heels of Pilot Point’sunbeaten 2009 Class 2A state champi-onship, the playoff absence — and com-bined 6-13 record — would be shocking.

The recent struggles are less astound-ing considering they came after theBearcats were kicked up to Class 3A,where their mid-400s high school enroll-ment left them several hundred studentsshort of the numbers several of their dis-trict opponents had to choose from.

The preseason excitement at Pilot Pointthis summer has a lot to do with theschool having been placed back in the 2Aranks by the University InterscholasticLeague’s biennial realignment.

“Last year’s schedule was tough, and weknew it would be coming into the season,because we’d played all those teams thatyear before,” said Trinklein, one of fivereturning defensive starters looking totighten up a unit that allowed 40 pointsper game in last year’s 2-7 campaign.

Bearcat quarterback Travis Garrett, a 5-11, 170-pound sophomore, went 0-5 as afreshman starter last year, completing 49percent of his passes for 227 yards andtwo scores while running for 150 yardsand two more touchdowns.

“Getting to know the speed of 3A and howfast it was, I think it will help me and all theother kids coming up, too,” Garrett said.

The Bearcats have better depth than ayear ago. Best looks for Garrett, junior

running back Tristen Jurecka and seniorreceivers Jacob Lock and Mason Richeyto spark the offense with some big plays.

Jurecka rushed for 297 yards and twoscores last year while Richey caught 12passes for 149 yards and Lock hauled in14 balls for 77 yards. Ewton could help theBearcat offense at fullback or tight end.

“Garrett was pressed into duty at quar-terback because of injury, and he strug-gled some,” Best said. “But he got valuableexperience. He’s an outstanding athlete.”

Bowie, Boyd, Callisburg, Paradise, Ponderand Whitesboro join Pilot Point in District5-2A (DI) for the next couple of seasons.

“It’s still a formidable schedule,” Bestsaid. “But it’s one that’s more in line withwhere we are.”

Quick factsDistrict: 5-2A (DI)

2011 record: 2-7 (1-4District 9-3A)Coach: Rob Best (2-7 inone season at Pilot Point)Returning starters: Six on offense, five ondefenseKey players: QB Travis Garrett, WR/DBJacob Lock, WR/DB Mason Richey, RB/LBTristen Jurecka, TE/DE Beau Ewton, OL/DLMatthew Poursoltani, WR/DB Jason Juarez

Offense: SpreadDefense: 4-2-5


Stadium: Massey Stadium

Ewton’s return could help Pilot Point


PILOT POINT: A NEW DIRECTION

Linebacker Beau Ewton decided to give up playing football to concentrate on developing his skills as a baseball player,despite being one of the Bearcats’ top players a year ago. Ewton changed his mind this fall and rejoined the Bearcats,bolstering their hopes of ending a two-year playoff drought in their return to the Class 2A level.

BEARCATS

No.Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.

1 Travis Garrett QB/DB 6-0 170 So.

2 Matt Greenwood WR/DB 5-11 155 So.

3 Juan-Carlos Juarez WR/DB/K 5-10 150 Jr.

4 Austin Trinklein SR/DB 5-10 170 Sr.

5 Creed Bright SR/DB 5-9 150 So.

7 Enos Baltazar RB/LB 5-6 165 Jr.

8 Byron Whittfield WR/DB 6-1 160 So.

9 Xavier Alexander QB/DB 5-6 140 Jr.

10 John Groff RB/LB 5-10 195 So.

11 Derek McGee SR/DB 5-6 125 Jr.

12 Jacob David OL/LB 5-11 179 So.

15 Zac Hairell WR/DB 5-10 160 Jr.

18 Jason Juarez SR/DB 5-8 145 Sr.

19 Eugenio Soto WR/DB 5-10 140 Sr.

20 Tristen Jurecka RB/LB 5-8 193 Jr.

21 Jarrett Wilson TE/LB 5-7 160 Jr.

22 Jacob Lock SR/DB 5-6 145 Sr.

24 Jonah Fritz TE/DE 6-0 185 So.

30 Fred Roman TE/LB 5-8 180 Sr.

32 Steven Castorena RB/LB 5-9 165 Jr.

34 Cody Beathard WR/LB 5-9 165 Jr.

35 Austin Rider RB/LB 5-7 165 Sr.

40 Luke Greenwood TE/DE 6-2 195 So.

45 Beau Ewton TE/LB 5-11 210 Sr.

47 Brandon Walker TE/DE 5-9 165 Sr.

50 Coyt Kimbrell OL/DL 6-0 205 Sr.51 Jake Allen OL/DL 6-2 220 Fr.53 Clayton Spraberry OL/DL 5-10 175 Jr.54 Matthew Poursoltani OL/DL 5-9 275 Sr.56 Clint Lawson OL/DL 5-11 190 Jr.61 Chance Holman OL/DE 6-4 180 Sr.62 Zachary Buckmeier OL/DL 6-1 265 Sr.65 Riley Stottle OL/DL 5-8 240 Sr.72 Eric Zepeda OL/DL 5-11 215 Jr.77 Rigoberto Benavidez OL/DL 5-10 315 So.81 Josh Wardle WR/DB 6-0 160 Jr.85 Toby Alexander TE/DE 6-1 200 Jr.

88 Mason Richey WR/DB 6-3 185 Sr.

76 August 30, 2012 DRC Football PILOT POINT

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season BEARCATS RosterSchedulePILOT POINT

Date Opponent TimeAug. 31 at Bonham 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 at Lindsay 7:30 p.m.Sept. 14 Sanger 7:30 p.m.Sept. 21 at Aubrey 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 Callisburg* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 5 at Boyd* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 12 Ponder* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 19 at Paradise* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 Whitesboro* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 2 at Bowie* 7:30 p.m.* District 5-2A (DI) game

SEE OFFENSIVE LINE MATUREThe success of the Pilot Point offense

will depend to a great extent on how fastthe team’s offensive linematures. A group ofblockers led by seniorreturning starters CoytKimbrell (6-0, 205) andZach Buckmeier (6-1,265) won’t be short onsize, just experience.Freshman Jake Allen (6-2, 220) joins sen-ior Riley Stottle (5-8, 240) and junior EricZepeda (5-11, 215) as newcomers up front.

STEP UP, SHUT DOWNIn senior defensive tackle Matthew

Poursoltani, the Bearcats have a rock soliddefensive anchor. The 5-9, 275-pounderset a state all-classifications bench pressrecord of 570 pounds during last year’spowerlifting season. A defense that alsoincludes returning starters Beau Ewton,Austin Rider, Jason Juarez and AustinTrinklein needs to cut down on oppo-nents’ big plays like those that helped foesaverage 40 points per game last year. TheBearcats will have a better chance of

returning to the playoffs if its defenseimproves.

ENJOY THE SCENERYAfter winning just three district games

in two years of 9-3A membership, theBearcats are back in Class2A, where they won the2009 state title, adding totheir back-to-back titles in1980 and 1981. “Most ofPilot Point’s history hastaken place at the 2Alevel,” second-year headcoach Rob Best said. “We’re really a 2Aprogram. The community feels best at thatlevel. There are no guarantees going to 2A,just opportunities. It’s our team’s job totake advantage of the opportunities.”

STAY STURDY LATE IN GAMESEight Bearcat starters missed a com-

bined 32 games last year, which meantmost of the remaining players rarely cameoff the field, even when they ran out of gaslate in games. This year’s team will openthe season with less than a handful oftwo-way starters.

Kimbrell

Best

DRC Football August 30, 2012 77PONDER

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New Ponder head football coach RussPhillips is a man of high energy who willneed every bit of it to handle everythingon his plate this fall.

First of all, the longtime assistant, whofor the last two seasons has served as theLions’ receivers coach, is adjusting to hisnew position.

He’s also facing the challenge of leadingthe Lions to the next step — a winningseason and the playoffs — in the thirdyear of building the school’s football pro-gram.

Certainly, he’s been busy since Aprilwhen he was named head coach followingthe departure of Rubin Covington. But it’salso been exciting, he says, settling intothe role of head coach.

“It’s a whole other world,” said Phillips,who spent 13 years on the coaching staffat Lewisville before arriving at Ponderprior to the 2010 season. “But it’s whatI’ve wanted to do for awhile. I like thechallenge and taking on that responsibili-ty. It’s been a great learning process forme.”

While Phillips is new as the program’shead coach, there’s also plenty of continu-ity with the Lions. Phillips retained all oflast year’s coaching staff and added justone newcomer to the staff to fill his oldspot.

He’s tried to gradually put his imprinton the program — see the team actionphotos and inspirational posters in theathletic complex hallways and weightroom — but for the players the gameremains basically the same in terms of X’sand O’s.

Other than relying a little more on apassing attack that was rarely utilized lastseason, the Lions want to build off lastseason’s 5-5 record in which they finishedtied for third place in District 5-2A (DI)and narrowly missed qualifying for theplayoffs.

“We’re trying to go more fast tempowith our offense,” said Phillips. “And weare going to throw the ball a little bit morethan we have in the past. We feel we’ve got

six receivers that we can get the ball to.And our quarterback throws the ballwell.”

The return of quarterback ReidSanders, a 6-1, 195-pound senior, is piv-otal to the Lions successfully moving theball through the air.

Sanders, who shared starting QB dutiesfor the Lions as a sophomore in 2010, suf-fered a preseason knee injury last sum-mer and was forced to sit out the entire2011 season.

“Getting him back out there and gettinghim moving has been a big part of ouroffensive work,” said Phillips. “We’ve gotto get him healthy. That’s going to be thekey to our success, getting him healthyand keeping him on the field.”

Four seniors and a junior return toform the core of the Lions’ receivinggroup. Nick King, Austin Leveridge,Tanner Yeager and Dylan Nichelson areback for their final season at wide receiv-er while Christian Worthington, a 5-11junior, is also expected to get plenty ofopportunities to contribute to the passinggame.

Senior Brennan Sooter, who rushed fornearly 900 yards last season, returns asthe Lions’ primary weapon on theground.

On defense, the Lions have to fill someholes on the line, but should be strongwith seniors Jack Beer and John Yurttasfilling key roles both at linebacker and inthe secondary, respectively.

Quick factsDistrict: 5-2A (DI)

2011 record: 5-5 (2-3,5-2A (DI) Coach: Russ Phillips (firstseason as head coach)Returning starters: 7 on offense, 6 ondefenseKey players: QB/DB Reid Sanders, RBBrennan Sooter, WR/DB Tanner Yeager,WR/DB Nick King, WR/DB Austin Leveridge,WR/DB Dylan Nichelson, OL/LB Jack Beer,OL/DE Coleman James Offense: SpreadDefense: 3-4School enrollment: 347Stadium: Ponder Field

Ponder adjusts to playing for Phillips


PONDER: A NEW DIRECTION

Reid Sanders saw time at quarterback for Ponder as a sophomore before missing his entire junior season with a kneeinjury. Sanders returns this year and will face a new challenge as he settles back not only into the starting quarterbackjob, but also becomes a leader for the Lions, who are aiming for a winning season and a playoff berth.

LIONS

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.3 Austin Leveridge WR/DB 5-9 152 Sr.5 Dylan Nichelson WR/DB 5-9 157 Sr.7 John Yurttas WR/DB 5-10 188 Sr.8 Brandon Dodson RB/LB 5-10 170 Jr.10 Christian Worthington WR/DB 5-11 157 Jr.11 Tanner Yeager WR/DB 5-6 152 Sr.12 Spencer Waldo WR/DB 6-1 162 Jr.17 Reid Sanders QB/DB 6-1 215 Sr.21 Brennan Sooter RB/LB 5-6 170 Sr.22 Trey Dunlap RB/LB 6-1 159 So.50 Chrid Sivaliotis OL/DL 5-11 241 So.51 Mike Privitt OL/LB 6-0 175 Sr.52 Ryder Perry OL/LB 6-1 204 So.54 Jack Beer OL/LB 6-0 202 Sr.55 Coleman James OL/DL 6-2 209 Sr.59 Gerardo Rivera OL/DL 5-11 218 Sr.62 Taylor Littleton OL/LB 5-11 190 Sr.65 Dakota Jones OL/DL 6-2 202 Sr.

66 Zach Turner OL/DL 5-11 160 Jr.67 Christian Daughtery OL/DL 6-3 311 Jr.71 Nick Thompson OL/DL 6-2 210 So.73 Junior Rivera OL/DL 5-8 215 Jr.89 Nick King WR/DB 5-10 152 Sr.

DRC Football August 30, 2012 79PONDER

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season LIONS RosterSchedulePONDER

Date Opponent TimeAug. 31 Muenster 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 at Alvord 7:30 p.m.Sept. 14 FW Castleberry 7:30 p.m.Sept. 21 at Nocona 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 at Whitesboro* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 5 Bowie* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 12 at Pilot Point* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 19 Callisburg* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 at Boyd* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 9 Paradise* 7:30 p.m.* District 5-2A (D1) game

STRIVE TO IMPROVE One of the first things first-year head

coach Russ Phillips did after being namedthe Lions’ new boss was to do a little dec-orating around the hallsof Ponder’s athletic facili-ty and in the weightroom. In hopes of creat-ing some renewed excite-ment and enthusiasmamong the players, heplaced framed, poster-sized color action photographs along thehallways and hung performance charts inthe weight room. “The kids can go inthere on a daily basis and see what theyneed to do to get better,” said Phillips. “Wecan get better everyday at what we do andthat’s what we’re striving to do.”

KEEP QUARTERBACK HEALTHYThe importance of having a healthy,

experienced quarterback can never beunderstated. Last year then-junior ReidSanders was penciled in as the Lions’ sig-nal caller before a preseason knee injuryabruptly ended that plan. Now lookingtoward his senior season, Sanders has hada full year to recover from that injury. His

healthy return, and the team’s ability tokeep him healthy and on the field, figuresto be a big key to any success the Lionsachieve this fall.

MOVE IT THROUGH THE AIRSanders’ injury forced the Lions to rely

heavily on its rushing attack last season.This year, however, the plan is for theLions to attack more through the air withthe return of four seniors and a juniorproviding solid experience and depth atthe receiver position. Phillips said hisgroup of receivers is the strength of theLions’ offense and he hopes to be morebalanced on that side of the ball.

PREPARE FOR A DOGFIGHTThe challenges of district competition

become even more daunting for the Lionsas they compete in a retooled District 5-2A (DI). Realignment puts the Lions inwith three former 3A schools, includingPilot Point, Whitesboro and Bowie, alongwith Boyd, Paradise and Callisburg froma year ago. “I think week in and week outit will be one of the toughest 2A districtsin the state,” said Phillips. “It’s going to bea dogfight for everybody.”

Phillips

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80 August 30, 2012 DRC Football LIBERTY

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The moment last season ended forLiberty Christian, a hole at perhaps themost important position on the fieldinstantly opened up. Finding a replace-ment for a departing senior quarterbackbecame priority No. 1 for the Warriors.

But fourth-year head coach Greg Pricenever fretted over who would be his start-ing signal caller this season.

From the time off-season preparationstarted, Price, his coaching staff and hisreturning players all knew that FosterFord would be handed the reins to theWarriors’ offense. Though Ford hasn’tplayed a series at quarterback in a game —contributing last year to LibertyChristian’s 6-5 season mainly as a receiver— he has the confidence of those aroundhim that he’s ready to take over the job.

“It was never a question of who ourquarterback was going to be,” Price said.“He’s stepped up very comfortably. I thinkhe has the confidence of all the kids. Andhis ability to do things with his feet is what’sgoing to make him really dangerous.

“He can throw the ball well, but he’sgoing to be very dangerous with his feet.He’s fast and has the ability to make thequick move and get into the secondary.”

The 6-1, 195-pound senior is the son ofa high school football coach. Ford tookpractice reps at the position all last year asthe Warriors’ backup quarterback behindJosh Cousins. He spent the off-seasonbuilding up his strength and working outwith his group of receivers, so he’s excitedabout his move to quarterback.

“I think we’ve got good chemistry as ateam,” Ford said. “We’ve got speed andwe’ve got some big guys. I think we’ve gota good chance to be real good this year.”

The Warriors return six starters onoffense, led by senior running backsCamron Cornett and Dylan Sprock. Upfront, massive junior lineman BradLundblade (6-3, 280) anchors the offen-sive line along with veterans JakeNewman and Micah Stateson.

When Liberty opts to pass the ball, agood group of receivers will be led by

Graham Richardson and Hunter Griffith.“Our offense looks almost completely

different from last year and it’s improvedgreatly,” Richardson said. “We’ve beenstretching it downfield, more than usual,and we can get to the outside quickly withour running backs.”

Liberty has all four of its starters backin the secondary to lead a defense withseven starters returning overall.Richardson and Christian Burks, bothseniors, head a defensive backfield that isexperienced and possesses plenty of speedand quickness.

In fact, it is the Warriors’ overall teamspeed that Price believes can be used totheir advantage this season. LibertyChristian won a state championship in

track last spring and now Price gets to uti-lize that speed on his team.

“We have a lot of team speed and it’svery obvious out on the field,” Price said.“I think it’s going to be one of the thingsthat gives us a chance to be successful.”

To reach the playoffs the Warriors willhave to survive perhaps the toughestTAPPS district in the state. Defendingstate champion Fort Worth Nolan comesfrom the same District 1 and hasappeared in the last four state title games.

“Most likely, if you’re going to win astate championship, you’re going to playtwo opponents from our district in thelatter rounds of the playoffs,” said Price. “Alot of schools in our district will make theplayoffs and we intend to be one of them.”

Quick factsDistrict: TAPPS Division1-1

2011 record: 6-5 (3-3 inDistrict 1)Coach: Greg Price (25-12in three seasons at Liberty)Returning starters: 6 on offense, 7 ondefenseKey players: OL Brad Lundblade, RBCamron Cornett, RB Dylan Sprock, WR/DBGraham Richardson, QB/DB Foster Ford,WR/DB Christian Burks, OL/DL Hunter Reece

Offense: I-formationDefense: 3-4


Stadium: Bowles Stadium

Liberty turns to Ford to guide offense


LIBERTY: A NEW DIRECTION

Foster Ford spent last season playing a critical role for Liberty Christian as a wide receiver. He will take on an even big-ger responsibility this year as Liberty’s starting quarterback. Ford has not played a series at quarterback in a varsitygame, but has earned the trust of his coaches and teammates through his dedication in the off-season.

WARRIORS

DRC Football August 30, 2012 83CALVARY

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Have a great Season,DentonCalvaryLions!

By Patrick HayslipStaff Writer

What was once a young, unprovenbatch of players at Calvary has maturedheading into the 2012 season.

Calvary’s core group has led the Lionsto the playoffs in each of the last two sea-sons.

Now Calvary is back for more under theleadership of a new coaching staff.

New co-head coaches Bernard Danieland Lionel Gillespie are set to put theirstamp on a core group of players andbuild their identity not just as winners,but as champions.

“Any good coach would say you want towin a championship, but we are taking itone game at a time,” Gillespie said.“Winning the championship is the ulti-mate goal, but right now it’s about puttingyour team in the best position to win.”

Last season’s playoff run ended abrupt-ly as the Lions surrendered nine touch-downs to Dallas Tyler Street running backCristian Ponce, losing 68-44 in the firstround.

Calvary will look to replicate Ponce’sperformance by relying on a heavy groundattack with junior quarterback JustinRush setting the mold with his play on thefield and his attitude off it.

“Justin is the leader of this team and weexpect him on every snap to make theright reads, encourage his teammates andalso be able to set the tempo for this team,”Gillespie said. “He’s a great kid and a veryintelligent kid. He knows his football stufflike the back of his hand, but at the sametime he needs to know how to incorporatethose things to game-time situations.”

The role of a quarterback in six-manfootball may be slightly different than atraditional 11-man quarterback, butDaniel thinks the position yields a certaintype of character on any level.

“Any great team you see in college or inthe pros has that leader at quarterback,”Daniel said. “If he leads, everyone else isgoing to follow. Ultimately, when thingsget rough, Justin will have the ability torub off on his team. That’s what we aretrying to instill in him. He knows he will

naturally have to fill that role.” Change surrounds the Lions with new

head coaches and a move from TAPPS Six-Man Division II to Division I, but integrat-ing a new offensive system while building aculture and rapport with the leaders of theteam is something Daniel and Gillespiestill work at, especially with Rush.

“He’s very competitive, but sometimeshe does run a little low on gas and Ibelieve that will grow with age and he’ll beable to push through those situations,”Gillespie said. “That’s why we ride himvery hard.”

With Rush returning for his third yearas a starter, Daniel and Gillespie areimploring their team to look toward Rushfor leadership while insisting that leader-

ship is a team effort.“That’s what we are trying to get him

towards, but not just him,” Daniel said.“We have Jessie Wells and Matt Hood. Wehave leaders that we need our youngerguys to look to. It will definitely help takesome of the pressure off Justin. Jessie andMatt are both seniors and they know whatit will take for them to finish their highschool career off on a high note.”

With most of last year’s starters return-ing, Calvary is again primed for a playoffappearance. The benefits of a new divi-sion and new coaches with new strategieswill allow the Lions to take some teams bysurprise, but success for this year’s teamwill hinge on a heavy dose of rushing andleadership.

Quick factsDistrict: TAPPS Six-Man,Division 1-2)

2011 record: 7-4 (4-3,TAPPS Six-Man, Division I,District II)Co-Coaches: Bernard Daniel and LionelGillespie (First season at Calvary)Returning starters: Five on offense, five ondefenseKey players: QB Justin Rush, WR/RB/CBJessie Wells, RB Matt Hood

Offense: I-formationDefense: Multiple


Stadium: Bronco Field

Calvary maturing into playoff power


CALVARY: A NEW DIRECTION

Justin Rush is entering his third season as Calvary’s starting quarterback and will be a player Calvary will look to forleadership on the field. Rush’s role will be all the more important considering the Lions are making the transition toplaying under new co-head coaches Bernard Daniel and Lionel Gillespie.

LIONS

Name Yr.Joe Autwell Jr.Brandon Eaton So.Ty Grant Jr.Matthew Hood Sr.Brayden Humphrey Fr.Gavin Mercer Fr.Joseph Peters Jr.Christian Raney Sr.Justin Rush Jr.Matt Schaefer Fr.Jake Tanis Fr.Jesse Wells Sr.Drew White So.

DRC Football August 30, 2012 85CALVARY

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FOUR DOWNS Keys to a historic season LIONS Roster

ScheduleCALVARYDate Opponent TimeSept. 1 at Lucas 2 p.m.Sept. 8 Austin Veritas 1 p.m.Sept. 14 at Austin Hill Country 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 Carrollton Harmony 7:30 p.m.Oct. 6 at Irving Universal 3 p.m.Oct. 12 Greenville* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 19 at Watauga* 7:30 p.m.Oct. 27 at Dallas Covenant* 1 p.m.Nov. 2 at Rockwall Heritage* 7:30 p.m.Nov. 10 Dallas Tyler Street* 1 p.m.* TAPPS Six-Man Division I-2Note — Home games played at Bronco Field

RUN THE BALL EFFECTIVELYPrevious Calvary teams

showed a balanced attackof run and pass plays, butCalvary co-head coachesBernard Daniel andLionel Gillespie insistthat it’s the combinationof a heavy ground attackwith a stout defense thatwill drive this year’s team.“That’s the great basis toevery team,” Daniel said.“If you can set foot on thefield and run the footballdown somebody’s throat,then you don’t even haveto run your best pass play.It opens up so many things you can do.”

ADAPT TO A NEW STAFFCalvary’s team chemistry is in a state of

flux. The players are familiar with eachother, but not the new offensive system.Daniel and Gillespie promise this year’steam will be built on intensity. “Right nowwe are an average team intensity-wise,but it will pick up because we are brand

new coaches and we plan on dictating theintensity and mashing it into their headsthat you have to be intense every singleplay to be a great team,” Gillespie said.

START, FINISH STRONGThe Lions began last season on a blister-

ing offensive pace, rattling off five straightwins, eclipsing the 50-point plateau eachgame. Calvary then finished the seasonlosing three of their last five games, so theywill need to be running on all cylinderslate in the season to make it back to theplayoffs for the third straight year.

CONTROL THE CLOCKAfter allowing 49.6 points per game

last season, the defense must improve ifCalvary is going to control the clock andlean on a dominant rushing offense.Daniel and Gillespie are hoping this strat-egy becomes synonymous with Calvary.“When people think of Denton Calvarywe want them to think; they control theclock and they get their offense the ballback in a hurry,” Daniel said. “We wantour offense to have way more plays thanour defense.”

Daniel

Gillespie www.dentonrc.comwww.dentonrc.comwww.dentonrc.comwww.dentonrc.comwww.dentonrc.com

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