After getting a taste of December football last year, the Dripping Springs Tigers hope to get the full entrée in 2017.
That’s the goal for Tiger head coach Galen Zimmerman and his squad as they completed the first of two weeks of preseason practices, which lead up to the team’s Sept. 1 home opener against Bastrop.
For a team that returns 13 total starters from a year ago, maintaining the focus and avoiding complacency will be the keys to success.
“Right now, we’re trying to keep everyone focused,” Zimmerman said. “They know what to do and it’s stuff they’ve done before. We’re trying to keep them from getting relaxed.”
Leading the Tigers is an offense that returns a bevy of talent at the skill positions. Wide receivers Johnny Hoyle, Reed Beverly and Curt Raymond, along with running back Joe Cox, will be the arsenal surrounding quarterback Trevor Greenman.
While Greenman’s last experience at quarterback was at the junior varsity level, he was able to see the varsity field on the defensive side last season.
Cox rushed for 743 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Hoyle snagged 1,053 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2016, while Beverly finished with 450 yards and four touchdowns. Raymond had the third highest receiving yard total with 431 yards.
“He’s got experience and he played last year at another position,” Zimmerman said. “I’m confident in him and we’ve got confidence in him.”
On the defensive side, Dripping Springs brings back several key players, including Lane Dominey, Enzo Arnold, Matthew O’Neal and Josh Embry.
While there are a few new spots to fill, primarily on the defensive line, Zimmerman said the players are getting acclimated to the tempo of the game. Getting used to the tempo of how a play moves, and being able to process what’s happening on the field, must be a habit for the new players, Zimmerman said.
“They’re doing a good job,” he said. “They’re getting used to the speed of the game. There will be some mistakes, but as long as we can learn and get better, we can take it.”
But with the experience comes a limited learning curve for the returning athletes. Zimmerman said the team has been able to a “lot of different things” in the first week of practice than in the last few years.
Keeping up the intensity is what he hopes to instill as the lights officially come on for the first time at the new Tiger Stadium.
“We’ve slowed some things down, but it’s hard for them to change between slowing down for teaching and running up-tempo,” Zimmerman said. “But they’re doing a good job. We like what we see, but we have to get better.”
