After the first two weeks of two-a-day practices, Brownwood High School Athletic Director and Head Coach Chuck Howard stated he is pleased with the effort and accomplishments of his Lions.
Twenty-eight players have made the varsity team so far with additions to be made in the next week, after the Marble Falls scrimmage, according to Howard.
“I am extremely pleased with the effort our players are putting forth in practice. They are invested in our program and it shows by their effort,” said Howard. “We want to win one day at a time and feel that if we can do that we will have a successful season.”
Howard’s first year as head coach promises to be exciting as he has a large number of seniors returning to play this year, bringing skill and confidence to the team.
“I feel good about our senior leadership as a whole. Any good team I have been a part of has had tremendous leadership and it is something we talk about on a daily basis,” said Howard. “Chris Keesee has had a tremendous summer and it has shown in the first two weeks of two-a-days. His arm strength has greatly improved from last year as well as his confidence. Braxton Kilgo, Kaimon Ontiveros, Bryan Johnson, Kyle Steele, Matt Lewis, Elijah Salazar, Jaylon Bocknite, Devante Stredic, John Geiss, Henry Rivas, Dylan Lewis, Connor Vara, Ceth Hardy, Austin Chick, Matt Gomez, Mackey Gibson and Jared Crouch are all seniors we are expecting to play well this season.”
In addition to returning players, new coaches Jarod Kay, Roger Masters, Herb Rios, Lonnie Hines, Freddie Stoglin, Eddie Pettit and Marcus Draper are all additions to the staff. Each having their own unique personality and qualities they bring to the team; however, one trait they all have in common, according to Howard, is being “men of character and integrity.”
Friday, the Lions faced their first opponents of the preseason at a scrimmage against the 2A Division 1 Godley Wildcats. The Lions were able to outscore the Wildcats and pleased Howard in the way they played.
“I am pleased with the effort and tenacity with which our kids played. We executed well on offense, scoring on each offensive series. I thought we played fast and ran to the ball on defense,” Howard stated.
Although pleased with their efforts, Howard stated that there was still room for improvement for the Lions.
“I thought we were physical on both sides of the ball but have much room for improvement,” Howard said. “We need to eliminate mental errors on both sides of the ball which include false starts, being misaligned and holding penalties.”
The Lions will face opponents Burnet, Lampasas, Liberty Hill, Gateville, and Llano in 3A Region I District 8 this season. Howard states he has high hopes for the team’s success this year, but will focus on this one step at a time and no one particular game is more important to the team than any other game.
“I am excited about all of our games. Each one is an opportunity for us to compete and play this great game at a high level and improve as a team,” explained Howard. “Obviously we are using the first five games to prepare for district opponents. Our first goal is to win the district championship and then ultimately play for it all.”
There are some promising young players that are getting some attention. According to Howard, some may even see some game time on Friday nights with the varsity team.
“We have eight to ten younger players we are hoping can play for us on Friday night that we are excited about,” said Howard. “We are equally as excited about many of our young players who will play JV that will have bright futures as Brownwood Lions. We will know more after the second scrimmage.”
Although most focus is typically directed toward Friday nights and varsity play, Howard reminds Lions fans that all of the teams are working hard and the coaches are very proud of them.
“All of our players, 9th grade and up are working hard. They deserve our respect and support. We are proud to be their coaches and to have the opportunity to work with them on a daily basis,” said Howard. “It would be easy for them to be sitting at home during two-a-days but they have chosen to put themselves on the line everyday in order to represent this great community and to protect the tradition of the Brownwood Lions.”
The Brownwood Lions will face Marble Falls in a scrimmage at Gordon Wood Stadium on Friday, August 23rd. Non-district play will begin with a home game against Fort Worth All Saints on August 30th.
For a full schedule of the 2013 Lions football schedule, click here.
Pictured above is BHS Athletic Director and Head Coach Chuck Howard giving some advice during the first week of two-a-days.
