They hope an even tougher slate this year will do the same thing.
Salado, the two-time defending District 25-2A champion, opens its season at 7:30 tonight at West.
The Eagles face tough early tests, playing West, Franklin, McGregor and Robinson - all playoff teams last season - before beginning 25-2A play.
A chance to get better against quality competition, Salado coach Jeff Cheatham said, is a key to putting together another solid start.
“It’s huge,” he said. “You can’t describe how important it is. We’ve got four quality football teams. It’s really important for us.”
Though Salado lost several key starters from last year’s squad, but there’s plenty of returning experience.
Only four of the Eagles’ starters will be making their first varsity start tonight.
“That’s a big key,” Cheatham said. “A lot of those kids are going to be able to hit the ground running because they’re back.”
Salado’s defense, which returns seven starters, faces a tough task against West running back Troy Manolakis and new quarterback Kelvin Anthony.
Manolakis rushed for 791 yards and four touchdowns. Anthony has three solid targets downfield, including wide receiver Heath Harris and tight ends Mason Powledge and Ryan Wilcoxson, the 12-3A newcomer of the year.
West’s defense returns three all-district players - tackle Melvin Bell, end Joseph Matthews and back Jordan Grimm.
They’ll face a Salado offense that returns plenty of firepower.
Wide receivers Clayton Whitmire, Jerod Lutz and Tyler Wright are back to give first-year starting quarterback Garret Ward plenty of downfield targets.
The only question mark for the Eagles is their offensive line and running backs.
All-district lineman Chase Stuckey is the only returning starter on the offensive line. Seniors Justin Berumen and Logan Foster, both first-year starters at running back, will split time in the backfield.
Rogers begins Walker era
at home against Franklin
ROGERS - The Jeff Walker smash-mouth football era at Rogers is ready to launch.
Walker, the offensive mastermind behind Liberty Hill’s consecutive Class 3A state championships in 2006 and ’07, has implemented the vaunted ground-based Slot-T to an Eagles squad that has run a variation of the spread for the past 14 years.
The new scheme will be on display tonight as Walker makes his coaching debut when the Eagles host Franklin at 7:30 at Merk Field in the season opener for both teams.
Hired on July 2, Walker has had little time to relax in his efforts to overhaul the offense and restore a proud program that had a chaotic and disappointing 5-5 season a year ago.
“It’s just been so fast and furious,” Walker said. “We’re already going so fast. I hear everyone’s excited.”
With such little time to teach his system, Walker said his players have grasped about 50 percent of the sophisticated Slot-T but are gaining more each week.
“Unfortunately it’s only at that,” Walker said, “but it’s not from lack of trying. It’s real complicated. There are a lot of rules.”
Junior quarterback Chance Marek will be in charge of distributing the ball to running backs Jordan Sebek and E.J. Larkin.
Ironically, Walker’s first opponent will also be running the Slot-T. Franklin coach Mike Hedrick approached then-Liberty Hill offensive coordinator Walker in the offseason to gather some advice on how to run a successful Slot-T attack.
“They’re big physical kids,” Walker said. “They came down to Liberty Hill and talked to me, so you could say I’m pretty familiar with them.
“It’ll be interesting because I am teaching my players the Slot-T and now they’ll have to play against it in the first game. That might be really confusing.”
The Lions were 8-3 in 2007, going unbeaten in District 26-2A before a playoff loss to Lago Vista. Quarterback Jake Russ, running back Ross Bishop and fullback British Walker return for Franklin, which averaged 32 points per game.
With a few extra months to adjust to the new system, the Lions might have the advantage, but Walker is more concerned about his team’s improvement each week.
“I just want to see where we are at this point,” Walker said. “I’m not one who believes you have to win every game. We’re going to show up and play hard and we’ll see how it comes out Friday night.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
