June 13, 2008 11:57 pm
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Today is June 14, which means what? The College World Series gets under way, the NBA Finals are nearly over and it’s time to start talking about football.
What?
Football?
Already?
You bet. Practice starts in six weeks, plus the 49th edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine hits newsstands across the state Monday.
Every year, Texas Football magazine provides a comprehensive look at the sport that stirs such passion in people all across the state. The folks at Texas Football examine private and parochial schools, the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and everything in between.
The Huntsville Item received an advance copy of the magazine on Wednesday, and without giving a lot away, here’s are a few of the juicy tidbits to kick off this summer’s coffee-shop talk.
What do the experts think about the Huntsville Hornets?
For the third year in a row, Texas Football picks Huntsville to finish behind Brenham as the District 18-4A runner-up. This time, coach Mitchell Coey believes his Hornets are going to meet, and possibly exceed, those expectations.
“I have to agree with their picks this year,” Coey said Thursday. “This is my group. They’ve been in the program for four years, and basically we’ve been doing the same thing the last four years. This is the first time in a long time that a group hasn’t had a new coach every couple of years. This group has had the same head coach for the last four years.
“Most of our seniors actually started as sophomores, so they’re experienced. We’re loaded with seniors and juniors that have actually played, so it’ll be hard for sophomores to make the team this year. We lost a lot of offensive linemen off last year’s team, but I was tremendously pleased in the spring with the progress of our offensive line. Those kids stepped up and they’re working hard.”
Texas Football talks about the “green” Hornet defense, which has only three starters returning. Huntsville will need veteran leaders like Kirby Ennis (a Super Team linebacker in 2008) and James Davidson to step up this fall. They’ll get some help from Brys Baggett, Shaquille Ross, Kevin Butcher, Anthony Griffin and Forbes Baggett.
The magazine also mentions junior quarterback Justin Gilbert (1,341 yards passing and 9 touchdowns in 2007), along with wide receivers Howard Brown and George Perry and running back Lonny Lipscomb.
In one of the magazine’s new features called “texasfootball.com’s take,” the writers point out that the Hornets are looking for a little payback after losing a four-quarter war at Brenham last year.
Coey said that’s correct. He remembers his team’s wild comeback that put them in front of the Cubs in the fourth quarter last fall. And he still can’t sleep some nights thinking about the turnover Brenham converted into the game-winning touchdown.
“Bent on revenge, that’s pretty accurate right there,” Coey said of the magazine’s description of this year’s game between the Hornets and Cubs. “That’s an old rivalry, Huntsville and Brenham. The team to beat right now is Brenham. They’re the kingpin until somebody beats them.”
Brenham is not ranked in the State Farm/Texas Football Class 4A Top 25 this season, but the Cubs are picked to win another district title despite losing all but two offensive and four defensive starters from last year’s team that went 8-3 and ran the table in 18-4A.
Waller, which advanced to the Region III finals last fall, is picked third, ahead of Caney Creek, Magnolia, Montgomery, Willis and Magnolia West.
What about the Bearkats?
It looks like Sam Houston State has a chance to sneak up on some people this fall. Picked fifth in the Southland Conference by Texas Football’s Bill Harrison, the Bearkats are hoping for a much better finish in 2008.
Quarterback Rhett Bomar is healthy again and back for his senior season. The Kats also have a productive running back or two in Chris Poullard (1,038 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2007) and TyMagic Robinson, plus they added a potential big-play threat in transfer wide receiver Jason Madkins.
A playmaker is what the Kats needed most, according to head coach Todd Whitten. Last year, SHSU averaged 26.6 points and nearly 420 yards of offense during a 7-4 campaign. Had the Bearkats been able to break more big plays, they may have posted an even better record and qualified for the postseason.
“We’ve got to be more explosive,” Whitten told Texas Football. “We’re going to try to spruce up our play-action game, try to get some more shots down the field, try to get the ball in the hands of playmakers. We made 420 yards a game last year. That’s productive, but to be great, you got to hit some home runs.”
The Bearkats ended the 2007 season on a five-game winning streak. Linebacker Nolan Bucek, who led the Southland in tackles (88) last season, believes the Kats can keep the momentum moving forward this fall with seven offensive and six defensive starters returning.
“I expect us to do well,” Bucek told Texas Football. “We have a lot of seniors and we had a lot last year, and that’s a big reason we won five straight.”
Texas Football selects Central Arkansas as the team to beat in the Southland Conference. McNeese State, Northwestern State and Texas State will finish ahead of SHSU, according to the magazine. NIcholls State, Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin will battle to stay out of the cellar.
How about the Bulldogs, Mustangs and Tigers?
Playoffs, playoffs and a near miss. That’s how Dave Campbell’s experts see New Waverly, Madisonville and Trinity high schools in 2008.
Grouped in the new District 21-2A with the likes of Corrigan-Camden, Groveton and Centerville, New Waverly and Trinity are expected to tussle over the third-place playoff spot this season. The Bulldogs return nine offensive and eight defensive starters, players who are ready to make a postseason push, according to their head coach.
“We turned the corner in the last football season,” New Waverly coach Ken Craig said Friday. “We were so close, and still we were playing a lot of young kids. That’s the bad thing, that we were playing so many young kids. It’s also a good thing because they have all grown up a bunch.
“Our expectation is, we will be in the playoffs. Whether we’re district champs, the second-place team or third-place team, I don’t know. But we’re definitely shooting for a district championship.”
The Dogs may be able to accomplish that goal with guys like Sir. Horace Saulsberry, Rhett Bohannon, Tyren and Kyren Watts, Chase Collins, X’Zavious Harrison and Joseph Carrington leading the charge. Watts rushed for 1,466 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Bohannon threw for 889 yards and four scores for the 4-6 Bulldogs last season. Saulsberry caught 25 passes and made 70 tackles; Carrington picked off four passes.
Over in Trinity, coach Robert Davis says his Tigers will be much improved in the offensive line. He’s got tackles Bo Jackson (6-2, 295 pounds) and Josh Ivy, along with center Jessie Valenta (6-0, 275), up front this fall. Behind those three are halfback Kevin Cossey, fullback Dez Alexander, tailback Michael Byerly and the team’s probable new quarterback Jay Johnson.
Corrigan-Camden is picked to win the District 21-2A title, with Groveton slated second. New Waverly and Trinity are picked ahead of Centerville and Buffalo.
Up in the new District 24-3A, Madisonville will have its hands full with the likes of Navasota and tailback Dexter Pratt (2,054 yards and 20 touchdowns in ’07), Rockdale, Cameron Yoe and Caldwell. The Mustangs lost 31 seniors from a team that posted a 9-2 record last fall and captured a district championship.
Coach Greg Morgan still has one or two potent weapons in the Mustangs’ arsenal. Senior tailback Chris Whaley returns after rushing for 2,119 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2007. Speedster receiver Brock Taylor is also back, but Madisonville must find a quarterback who can get Taylor the ball.
Whaley, who the magazine says has committed verbally to Texas, landed a spot on the Super Team Offense. Texas Football calls Whaley “the best running back in East Texas since Adrian Peterson was in high school.” At 6-3 and 220 pounds, Madisonville’s talented senior has the size and speed (4.4-second 40) to back up that kind of claim.
The writers at Dave Campbell’s magazine believe Whaley, Taylor, tight end Randy Lewis, defensive lineman Donald Schweter, offensive lineman Dionicio Castillo, linebacker Josh Cobb and defensive back Howard Harris have what it takes to lead Madisonville back to the playoffs.
The Mustangs are picked third behind Navasota and Rockdale. Cameron Yoe, Caldwell, Taylor and Bryan Rudder round out the District 24-3A predictions.
It won’t be long now
Football season will be here before we know it. Two-a-days are scheduled to start Aug. 4 for most schools. Huntsville kicks off its summer practice a week later because the Hornets worked out after school this spring.
The opening weekend for the ’08 season is Aug. 28-30, with the Bearkats starting at home on Thursday night against East Central Oklahoma. Huntsville kicks off Sept. 6 at College Park in The Woodlands.
Until then, fans will have plenty of ammunition, thanks to the latest Texas Football magazine.
“Everybody’s got dreams and hopes and goals at this time of the year, and Texas Football magazine starts addressing some of that,” Coey said. “It focuses people’s attention on football, and high school football. Of course, that book has never won or lost a game, but it does create excitement and that’s a good thing.”
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