Lehman High School quarterback Jeremy Schilhab drops back to throw a pass during a Lobos’ spring practice session in May.
(photo by Moses Leos III)
by MOSES LEOS III
Some call it the epitome of all football magazines. Others define it as the go-to guide for everything about the state of football in Texas. A select few simply call it, “The Bible of Texas Football.”
Whatever you call it, “Dave Campbell’s Texas Football” (DCTF) magazine is on store shelves, and is re-igniting the long dormant football debate.
2013 is no different, as the “Dave Campbell’s” staff has put together a cornucopia of statistics and insight into how they believe the football season will play out.
Which brings us to the high school portion, and what rankings the DCTF staff believes will happen in District 27-4A: 1. Kerrville Tivy; 2. Alamo Heights; 3. Hays; 4. Boerne Champion; 5. Seguin; 6. Schertz Clemens; 7. Lehman; 8. Lockhart.
Yet, in a district as deep as 27-4A, the victor come November could be just about anyone.
LEHMAN
Despite acquiring a seventh place prediction, which puts Lehman out of the playoff picture, head coach Todd Raymond is optimistic for the upcoming season.
After all, he understands there is much parity in a talent-rich district like 27-4A.
“I believe our seventh place finish is more a statement of the depth of our district than it is us,” Raymond said. “[27-4A] is an especially deep district.”
Raymond agreed with DCTF that Tivy and Heights are top two teams to beat in the district this year. Yet, he feels the rest of the district is wide open.
“This is such a competitive district,” Raymond said. “Clemens will play much better this year, Champion is changing their offense, Hays has gone through a coaching change and had a strong class graduate and Seguin also lost a lot of talent to graduation. This year, the bottom half will be wide open.”
Yet, Raymond, who will coach in his second season at Lehman in 2013, knows the Lobos have a lot to prove.
“We have not done anything to get respect yet,” Raymond said. “However, I also like flying under the radar. People may overlook us. We will use that to motivate our kids.”
The Lobos bring quite a bit of experience back for 2013. Lehman has eight returning starters on offense, five on defense; they also have 24 lettermen returning, losing only 15.
Experience is necessary, but more so is the ability to catch on to the Raymond way.
“Our group has bought into our staff’s work ethic,” Raymond said. “We asked a lot of our kids during a tough spring practice session.”
Raymond knows his team has question marks. However, he believes experienced players such as linebackers Tyler Hyss and Connor Baird help alleviate any issues.
“Connor had a great off-season – he transitioned from defensive back to the SAM linebacker spot in spring ball,” Raymond said. “He got bigger and stronger. As did Hyss, who moved to linebacker as well. Both are intelligent and give confidence to our defense.”
Naming Jeremy Schilhab starter also played a big role in maintaining team confidence. His quiet confidence made an impression on the Lobos coach.
“Jeremy is unflappable. He holds himself accountable, and when we explain things to him, he never takes it personally,” Raymond said. “He is the kind of kid where you ask him a question, he’ll give you an honest answer. He is secure and confident in his position; he’s a great kid.”
Overall, Raymond knows the uphill climb Lehman faces to reach its goals. The Lobos open on the road against Round Rock Cedar Ridge, then host Elgin. The days of the meek, woe-be-gone Lobos team must go by the wayside.
“We have to raise the bar of our program,” Raymond said. “We have the potential to do great things. Our offense will be more explosive, which will give our defense more flexibility. We just have to step up.”
Rebel quarterback Jared Self shakes off a defender during spring practice in May. The Rebels are slated to finish third in district and make another playoff appearance in 2013.
(photo by Moses Leos III)
HAYS
Change is the name of the game for the Rebels in 2013
It all began in January, when former head coach Blake Feldt made a shocking exit for Odessa Permian High School. After an exhaustive search, the district hired Neal La Hue from San Antonio Roosevelt to become only the third head coach in program history.
He takes over a team that has held high marks for consistent play over the years. During the three-year tenure under Feldt, the Rebels made the playoffs all three seasons, winning back-to-back district championships in 2011 and 2012. The last time Hays failed to make the playoffs was in 2007.
The consistent nature of the Hays High football machine led to their projected finish of third in 27-4A.
La Hue was humbled by the recognition, yet was weary of the preseason prognostication.
“I like (DCTF), and read it, but I don’t really pay any attention to it,” La Hue said. “It is hard to gauge. The game is won on the field, not in a magazine.”
That mindset helps La Hue focus on the season at hand, rather than allow his players to dwell on the past.
“I understand the decades of tradition at Hays; the kids know that as well,” La Hue said. “However, we can’t control how things have gone in the past. We can only control how hard we work at this moment. We will use that as motivation. If we do that, good things will happen.”
The Rebels will be asked to look forward, as the team lost a tremendous amount of talent from 2012.
Gone are quarterback Caleb Kimbro and running backs Taven Mayberry and Marco Solis. All three accounted for 4,588 of the 5,267 total yards gained by the Rebels last year.
In fact, on the offensive side, Hays only returns four starters.
Despite the lack of experience, the Rebels will maintain a semblance of the tempo on offense.
La Hue brings from Roosevelt an up-tempo style of play, which will be played out of the “Pistol” formation, a variation of the “Shotgun.”
With a new system in place, the quarterback position will garner the largest amount of questions. According to La Hue, senior Jeffrey Jordan and sophomore Hayden Cagle are the front-runners for the starting spot.
“All of our quarterbacks did a great job during spring ball,” La Hue said. “All of them improved on everything, from picking up our offense to running the no-huddle efficiently. We want them to realize they don’t have to carry our team. We want our quarterback to run our offense, not carry it.”
In the backfield, La Hue hopes to use a one-and-two back set to aid the rush attack. The race to earn starter status is a wide-open one, with fullbacks Holt Dickerson and J.R. Gonzalez, tailbacks Dylan Kasper, Cody Gandy and hybrid back Adam Castro all in the running.
Defense will be the strong point of the Rebels, as they return five starters from a year ago.
Seniors Daniel Minor and Cole Camey will bolster the defensive front seven for the Rebels.
Ultimately, La Hue realizes how much parity will take place in the district; he also believed Tivy was correctly tabbed as the preseason favorite.
Yet, La Hue and his team are ready to prove what they can do on the field.
“We are excited for the start of summer workouts. Many of our kids are working hard in our strength and conditioning camps to prepare for it,” La Hue said. “Hays graduated a great senior class last year. However, for this year’s seniors, now is their time.’”
Texas Football Magazine’s end-of-season predicted standings
1. Kerrville Tivy
2. Alamo Heights
3. Hays
4. Boerne Champion
5. Seguin
6. Schertz Clemens
7. Lehman
8. Lockhart
