It’s a new season for the Wimberley Texans football team as they look to defend their 2021 district title.
Despite returning six offensive starters and two defensive starters, Wimberley remains the favorite to capture the Region IV title.
“I feel really good about them,” Head Football Coach Doug Warren said. “It was a great first day, and the kids came back in great shape and brought a whole lot of energy out there. There were a good number of kids out there, so it was a great first day.”
“As you know, each team takes on their own identity,” Warren continued. “This team will be no different. There are going to be some kids that are going to be really good football players that may have not had their names called out yet. I’ve been pleased by the way this team has stepped up for us. They will continue to do that and those leaders have taken charge of the team and will continue to do that.”
It also helps that the new leaders are becoming a positive influence on the younger players of the team.
“The thing that they do the most is that they teach the younger kids how to be a Wimberley Texan,” Warren said. “The attitudes, the work ethic, what you bring to the table. It’s not as much as vocal leadership even though that’s a part of it. It’s more so showing the younger kids what it takes to be really good.”
Despite returning just two defensive starters, the Code Red defense will remain a nightmare for opposing offenses due to having players who, despite not starting, have experience playing on varsity.
“We expect to be pretty solid defensively as we do every year ,” Warren said. “If you paid attention to us over the past few years, the way we play defense is to sub a lot of kids, so there are a lot of kids with that experience. I don’t expect to be a drop off in our defense. They are going to put pressure on opposing offenses, play fast and be physical. That is a trait that will always carry with us.”
Offensively for the Texans, Wimberley looks to fill in some holes at the running back and quarterback positions, especially after last year’s starting quarterback Cash McCollum moved to China Springs.
“When looking at some of those spots, we don’t have a lot of experience,” Warren said, “But we have kids that are working extremely hard that we feel very confident about… The quarterback spot will have two who are going to battle it out, and we will see who comes out on top. More than anything, we just want them to get out there and execute our offense. We are not asking them to go out there and win games or carry a huge burden but rather execute and lead our football team.”
With the Texans preparing for their team scrimmage on Saturday, Warren and the coaching staff will be looking for the players to play hard and play physical even if they make a mistake.
“What we are looking for the most is executing what we ask you to do,” Warren said. “Are you going to fly around and be fast and physical? There are going to be a lot of mistakes or blown assignments, but if we can get our kids to play fast and physical then the other stuff will be under control.”
But overall, there is nothing like the first day of practice to kickoff football season.
“It’s like being a kid on Christmas morning,” Warren said. “You go out there and everyone has an extra pep in their step. You see all the kiddos out there clapping for the first time, so it’s very exciting for me. Even though it’s tough and everyone has long days, that first day is always special. Being my 34th year, I’m just as excited now as I was starting year one back in 1989.”
