Last Playoff Appearance: 2001 (Lost,
DII
bi-district)
2001 Record: 8-2 overall (4-1 district)
Returning Letterman: 11
Offensive/Defensive Starters: 2/5
2002 Opener: Aug. 30 at Lytle
Key Game: Oct. 11 vs. Natalia
Offensive Backfield: Other than QB
Jared
Hobbs (6-0, 190, sr.), who returns
after
finishing with 1,113 total yards and 14
TDs
last season, everyone else is new,
beginning
with junior RB Tito Hidalgo.
Yeager
said this might be the fastest backfield
he’s
had.
Receivers: With a slot-T offense, there’s
not
much call for passing plays. When the
ball
does fly, it will be to WR Boyd
Brotherton
(5-8, 165, sr.) and TE Dietrich
Davis
(6-3, 210, jr.), both starters last year.
“If
we need to throw we’re capable,” Yeager
said.
“We like to establish the running game
first,
so we’re usually wide open when we
do
throw.”
Offensive Line: Only C Philip Munoz (6-
0,
200 sr.) returns to anchor a line that will
feature
four starters that were either backups
or
on the JV last season. Yeager said
running
the same offense for the third
straight
season will help establish continuity
on
offense.
Defensive Line: Tackles Doug Sanchez (6-
0,
210, sr.) and Terrell Freeman (6-0, 210, sr.)
give
the Tigers quickness in the middle, as do
ends
Davis and Eli Woolsey (6-0, 190, jr.) on
the
outside.
Linebackers: Yeager said inside linebackers
Glenn
Morgan (5-10, 200, jr.) and
Mark
Kesteloot (5-11, 165, soph.) are both
good
athletes, and Morgan returns with a
year
of experience as a starter.
Secondary: Juniors Jaime Puente (5-9,
165)
and Tony Rosetti (5-9, 165) will patrol
as
rovers outside the backers. Hobbs will
double
at FS, as will Brotherton at one CB
position.
Elliott Stone (5-10, 175, sr.) is slated
to
cover the other corner spot.
BRACKETVILLE SCHEDULE
Aug.
30.......at Lytle 7:30
Sept.
6........ Crystal City 7:30
Sept.
13......Sabinal 7:30
Sept.
20......at Cotulla 7:30
Sept.
27......at Sonora 7:30
Oct.
11........x-Natalia 7:30
Oct.
18........x-at George West 7:30
Oct.
25........x-Dilley 7:30
Nov.
1 .........x-at Three Rivers 7:30
Nov.
8 .........x-Freer 7:30
Dilley Wolves
Head Coach: Kelly Shull
Career Record: 115-73-2
Years at School: 19th
Record at School: 115-73-2
Enrollment: 249
Last District Title: 1996
Last Playoff Appearance: 1999 (Lost,
DII
bi-district)
2001 Record: 6-4 overall (1-4 district)
Returning Letterman: 12
Offensive/Defensive Starters: 5/6
2002 Opener: Sept. 6 vs. Lytle
Key Game: Oct. 11 at Three Rivers
Offensive Backfield: Dilley made the
playoffs
10 straight years, but hasn’t
returned
since the streak ended in 1999.
The
QB battle is between Mitch Carroll (5-
10,
150, sr.) and David Gonzales (5-9, 150,
sr.),
who shared time at the position last
season.
Four players, two sophomore and
two
juniors, are expected to share RB
duties,
with FB Jerry Gonzalez (5-8, 145)
leading
the way. Gonzalez is the top returning
rusher
with 90 carries for 492 yards.
Receivers: Joe Mark Flores (5-11, 140,
sr.)
is back and will have a trio of juniors,
Brett
McClevey, Douglas Brown and Jeff
Flores,
rounding out the receiving corps.
Offensive Line: Seniors B.J. Rodriguez
(5-10,
195) and Israel Zepeda return from
last
season. Though young, 240-pound
sophomores
Park Brown and Justin Galindo
add
size and strength to the line (both
squatted
more than 500 pounds as freshman),
while
fellow sophomore Benito
Aguilar
recorded a squat more than 400
pounds.
Defensive Line: Ends Rodriguez and
Zepeda
are tabbed to lead the play up front,
but
Shull plans to platoon as many young
players
as possible before district play. The
Wolves
have four reserves (Jessie Aranda,
D.J.
Bryant, Charles Polak, Carlos Tijerina)
at
end and another three (Juanito
Gonzales,
Danny Molina, George Molina) at
tackle.
Linebackers: After starting in the secondary
last
season, Gonzales is back, this time
as
a backer-rover. Gonzalez will also roam
the
middle for the Wolves.
Secondary: Carroll and Flores return to
their
spots at CB, the only positions locked
up
so far in the defensive backfield. Derek
Aguilar,
Jeff Clark, Davy Torres and Gus
Torres
are prospects at the safety and corner
positions.
Last Playoff Appearance: 2001 (Lost,
DII
bi-district)
2001 Record: 7-4 overall (3-2 district)
Returning Letterman: 14
Offensive/Defensive Starters: 4/4
2002 Opener: Sept. 6 vs. Hebbronville
Key Game: Oct. 11 at George West
season,
senior SE Arnold Perez (5-11, 165)
should
be busiest in the Buckaroos’ passing
game.
Perez finished with 525 yards receiving
with
12 TDs last season. J.B. De La
Garza
(5-11, 175, sr.) poses another threat if
he
isn’t carrying the ball out of the backfield.
Offensive Line: C Eric Ruiz (5-10, 195,
sr.)
is the only starter back on the line from
an
offense that averaged 273.8 total yards
and
nearly 30 points per game. The rest of
the
front will be made up of underclassmen,
three
juniors and a sophomore. Two of those
juniors,
tackles Dominic Bustamante and
Robert
Uribe, are both over 6 feet tall and
weigh
at least 240 pounds.
Defensive Line: Freer has three starters
back,
including Uribe. Nathan Frost (5-9,
165,
sr.) and Ferman Casas (5-9, 165, sr.)
are
notably smaller, but give the line some
speed
to plug the gaps. The Buckaroos gave
up
1,681 rushing yards during the regular
season,
more than 65 percent of the team’s
total
defense, numbers that will be hard to
shave
in another district that likes to run.
Linebackers: Three players with experience
return
to roam the middle for Freer:
Chris
Siprian (5-11, 180, sr.), who led the
defense
with 81 tackles last season, LeRoss
Garza
(5-10, 180, jr.) and senior Bobby Arce.
Secondary: Perez is the lone DB returning.
Lackey
played in the secondary last season,
but
won’t see much action there if he
becomes
the starting QB. Ford’s only solace
is
the greater depth for his defensive personnel.
FREER SCHEDULE
Sept.
6........Hebbronville 7:30
Sept.
13......San Diego 7:30
Sept.
20......at West Oso 7:30
Sept.
27......Bishop 7:30
Oct.
4..........at Benavides 7:30
Oct.
11........x-at George West 7:30
Oct.
18........x-Three Rivers 7:30
Oct.
25........x-at Natalia 7:30
Nov.
1 .........x-Dilley 7:30
Nov.
8 .........x-at Brackettville 7:30
George West Longhorns
Head Coach: Jay Hellums
Career Record: 2-8
Years at School: 2nd
Record at School: 2-8
Enrollment: 339
Last District Title: 1998
Last Playoff Appearance: 1999 (Lost, DII
bi-district
in 3A)
2001 Record: 2-8 overall (2-5 district)
Returning Letterman: 14
Offensive/Defensive Starters: 7/7
2002 Opener: Aug. 30 at Bishop
Key Game: Oct. 11 vs. Freer
Offensive Backfield: George West averaged
just
7.2 points per game in its final season
in
Class 3A, but Hellums hasn’t had to
do
much restructuring from last season.
Starting
QB Thomas Ham (5-9, 165, sr.) is
back
after struggling in his first year at the
position.
He rushed for nearly 800 yards in
George
West’s wishbone offense, and
Hellums
said he is much more comfortable
this
year. “It took him a while to pick up the
offense,”
Hellums said. “He’s in total command
of
it now. The last two games he really
started
picking it up and had 100 yards rushing
in
those.” Alex Lopez (5-8, 170, sr.)
returns
for his third straight season as FB.
“He’s
a great straight-ahead runner. If we
need
three yards, he’s getting the ball,”
Hellums
said.
Receivers: When the Longhorns do
decide
to throw, Hellums said TE Randy
McQueen
(6-3, 190, jr.) is the one Ham will
be
looking for. “He’s a great blocker and has
the
potential to catch because he’s so tall,”
he
said.
Offensive Line: Three of the starters back
on
offense are on the front line. C Brady Lee
(6-1,
215, sr.) leads the bunch with his “mistake-
free
play,” Hellums said. Returning to
their
spots on either side of Lee are LG Nick
Martinez
(5-10, 220, sr.) and RG Rory Garza
(5-8,
255). “They all had a good year last
season,
and they’re strong, which is going to
be
a key,” Hellums said.
Defensive Line: The Longhorns return all
four
starters on the line, ends Eric Cuevas (5-
9,
195, sr.) and Jeremy Zbranek (5-11, 200,
sr.),
and tackles Martinez and Harvey
Kullenberg
(5-11, 205, sr.).
Linebackers: Hellums said his team is the
most
inexperienced at LB and added that
prospects
Michael Krietsch, a sophomore,
and
David Gamez, a junior, must learn quickly
in
bolstering returning starter Lopez.
Secondary: The only starter back is CB
Clint
Saenz (5-8, 170, jr.), but Hellums isn’t
complaining.
Saenz finished with five interceptions
as
sophomore and still has one year
left.
FS Jeremy Wilhelm (5-10, 170, jr.) started
a
few games last season and has the
speed
to help on coverage.
GEORGE WEST SCHEDULE
Aug.
30.......at Bishop 7:30
Sept.
6........at Riviera 7:30
Sept.
13......Goliad 7:30
Sept.
20......Taft 7:30
Sept.
27......at Karnes City 7:30
Oct.
11........x-Freer 7:30
Oct.
18........x-Brackettville 7:30
Oct.
25........x-at Three Rivers 7:30
Nov.
1 .........x-Natalia 7:30
Nov.
8 .........x-at Dilley 7:30
Natalia Mustangs
Head Coach: Michael Fox
Career Record: 40-52-1
Years at School: 4th
Record at School: 8-22
Enrollment: 300
Last District Title:
/a
Last Playoff Appearance: 1989 (Lost, bidistrict)
2001 Record: 3-7 overall (1-4 district)
Returning Letterman: 13
Offensive/Defensive Starters: 4/6
2002 Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Stockdale
Key Game: Sept. 27 vs. Cotulla
Offensive Backfield: The Mustangs have
six
players set to take turns running the ball,
three
at FB (Luis Buentello, Ernie Peralta,
Chris
Walker) and three at TB (Johnny Ray
Marquez,
Marco Buentello, Mark Saldana).
“We
have some quickness in a couple, but
overall
more size and strength,” Fox said.
“The
majority of them will start on defense,
so
we’ll split their time on offense so that
they
can get a breather.” Two underclassmen
are
in line for the starting QB spot, junior
Brian
Clark and sophomore E.J. Hernandez.
With
a wing-T offense, whoever does get the
call
probably won’t be doing much throwing.
Receivers: Jose Cortinas and Cody Ricord
will
line up as wingbacks, while TEs Justin
Tolbert,
Andrew Edam and Jonathan
Williams
are there for mostly blocking support.
Offensive Line: The only returning starter
is
C Paul Ramsey, but Fox has already found
four
new bodies to fill the front: LG Andreas
Vega,
RG Edward Stuart, LT Mark Garcia
and
RT Michael Wehrheim, a two-time alldistrict
pick.
Fox said the big difference this
season
is strength and an average weight of
about
215 pounds.
Defensive Line: Of the offensive linemen,
Stuart
will see the most time going both ways
from
one end position. DTs Leonard Cruz
and
Chris Walker, and DE Nathan Banda
give
Natalia a speedier front to plug up gaps.
Linebackers: Ramsey is also a two-way
player
and will be responsible for protecting
the
middle defense. Roaming the outside
and
providing containment are backers
George
Alderete and Marco Buentello.
Secondary: Fox is hoping the speed has
with
the multitude of offense backs will help
in
the secondary. Clark is set to take one of
the
CB spots and Saldana the other, while
SS
Luis Buentello and FS Marquez give support.
Last Playoff Appearance: 2001 (Lost, DII
bi-district)
2001 Record: 5-6 overall (3-2 district)
Returning Letterman: 13
Offensive/Defensive Starters: 6/5
2002 Opener: Sept. 6 at Victoria St.
Joseph
Key Game: Oct. 18 at Freer
Offensive Backfield: Carrera said the
crew
of backups is “kind of thin,” but with two
starting
RBs returning, the third-year coach
isn’t
going to worry just yet. TB Samuel
Garcia
(5-9, 140, sr.) and FB Joe Juarez (5-
10,
190, jr.) shouldered most of the offensive
load
last season and are back to provide the
same
output. The rest of the potential ball
carriers
are JV players. Carrera isn’t sure
who’ll
be starting at QB yet, but it could end
up
being either Tyler Garcia (6-0, 140, sr.),
Justin
Perez (5-7, 140, sr.) or both. Garcia
saw
some time at the position last season
and
has the height to see the field, while
Perez
is making the move from split end.
Receivers: This is a position Carrera said
he
is still looking to fill, and with Garcia and
Juarez
in the backfield, the Bulldogs might
not
be doing that much passing. “We do want
to
throw the ball a little bit,” Carrera said.
“We
may have to adjust and move some
backs
into the wide out and slot positions.”
Offensive Line: What the offense does
accomplish
will be due to the front line, which
returns
three starters and averages about 6-
feet
and 210 pounds. Back from last season
is
C Andrew Jarratt (6-3, 220, jr.), G Shaun
Weber
(6-1, 230, sr.) and T Cody Ruiz (6-1,
240,
sr.). Also beefing up the line is blocking
TE
Dustin Odom (6-2, 190, sr.)
Defensive Line: With some of the offensive
size
clogging up the defensive front, teams
won’t
find much room to run through the middle.
Weber
sees double duty at DE and Ruiz
at
one of the tackle spots. The Bulldogs have
a
pair of underclassmen filling the rest of the
line,
sophomore Travis Johnston at end and
junior
Michael Baker at tackle.
Linebackers: The middle of the defense
belongs
to Juarez and Francisco DeLeon (5-
10,
160), who both started as sophomores last
season.
“They both can run and are leaders,”
Carrera said. “Plus, they’re a little mean.”
Odom
and
senior Daniel Fernandez are down to cover
from the OLB positions.
Secondary: Senior S Justin Perez is the only
returning
starter in the defensive backfield and
will
likely be joined by juniors Chris Salazar (5-8, 150)
and
Daniel Gonzales (5-10, 160).
Three Rivers Bulldogs Schedule
Sept.6..........at Victoria St. Joseph 7:30
Sept.13........at Karnes City 7:30
Sept.20........Jourdanton 7:30
Sept.27........Nixon-Smiley 7:30
Oct.4............Taft 7:30
Oct.11..........x-Dilley 7:30
Oct.18..........x-at Freer 7:30
Oct.25..........x-George West 7:30
Nov.1...........x-Brackettville 7:30
Nov.8...........x-at Natalia 7:30
