The first week of practice is in the books for the 2022 football season as the Wimberley Texans now look to their first scrimmage against Davenport.
Despite being a few more days into practice, the energy from the team has yet to go down according to Head Football Coach Doug Warren.
“I’ve been very pleased with the way things have gone so far,” Warren said. “I like the way this team approaches things, because they bring a ton of energy everyday. Sometimes when you are three or four days in, the energy tends to drag, but it hasn’t been that way. I like the leadership of our older kids. We’ve been talking about stacking days, building that foundation, and they have really bought into that.”
One big key for the Texans this year has been the senior leadership.
With 30 seniors on the team, the biggest class in Warren’s tenure, the Class of 2023 have taken charge early in the practice, which is a trait that has separated this group from the past teams.
“So far with this group, it’s been the leadership aspect early on during two-a-days,” Warren said. “The leadership aspect doesn’t show itself early on, but it really has with this group… There are 30 seniors on this team, which is the most on this team since I’ve been here; so they are the ones leading this team, and it really shows.”
When looking at the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line has been a strong point for the Texans with Shay Shroyer holding down the line at nose tackle.
“The defensive line is an obvious strength,” Warren said. “We have a couple of guys who are returners. You have a kid in Shay Shroyer who is at the nose tackle and is really tough to block, which you saw during the scrimmage. It’s not good for us on days like today, but it’s also good for us because he plays for us and is going to be doing that to other offenses.”
The secondary has some growing pains to work out but for Warren the group is also showing signs of improvement heading into the second week of practice.
“The secondary has some work to do,” Warren continued. “But they are coming into form. I like the way they compete on a daily basis. Overall, I like the makeup of this group, and they do things really well. They have been fun for this first week.”
Flipping to the offense, the receivers have been showing out during practice.
With Tru Couch, Ryan Shaw, Gabriel Wray and Jack Riser heading the group, one of the strengths of the group is their versatility.
“Right now, our receiving core has been doing the best,” Warren said. “There are a bunch of kids who can step in and play multiple roles. I’m really liking the versatility of this group. For our quarterbacks, I’m liking what they are doing so far. In the first week they are taking control of the offense, executing, and doing what we are asking them to do. We have some work to do up front, but that is always the case early on, especially facing a defense like ours.”
Though the offensive linemen are working out their kinks, the veterans have been helping the new lineman out and moving them forward.
“They are doing good even though they were starting at a different place than what the other groups were at,” Warren said. “Our newer guys are in some spots and then our veterans up there have really led and helped them to figure out the new things out. It’s a work in progress, like always, and we will look at the video and go from there.”
Looking at the quarterback position, both Cody Stoever and Dane Hennessee have shown some bright spots including both showcasing their leadership skills despite their different skill sets.
“I like both of their leadership qualities,” Warren said. “They have taken charge of the group and done things right. You look at Dane Hennessee who has a big arm and can really make the throws. Then you have Cody Stoever who can make plays with his feet and is a physical kid up there. Both have done a great job so far and we will continue to work both of them and see how it plays out. What both guys are lacking is the experience at the varsity level and the only way to do that is throw them out there.”
The Texans will travel to Davenport High School this Friday to battle the Wolves in the first scrimmage of the year.
The Wolves are playing their first football season in UIL competition and will provide a different challenge for the Texans who will be going up against someone that isn’t in Wimberley school colors.
“The good thing about going up against someone who is new or different is that you get a whole different level of competitiveness,” Warren said. “Our defense knows our offense’s checks and the offense knows their stunts and what they run, which makes it tough on both groups but we are not going to know that come Friday night. Davenport is going to be very well coached and is an up-and-coming team. It’s going to be a really good scrimmage Friday night.”
