Harvey hit Orangefield about as hard as it did any area in Texas last year. The Bobcats bounced back from the disaster and had a good season even making the playoffs again. Head Coach Josh Smalley is very proud of those players and their excellent effort.
Coach Smalley is glad to have some of them back on offense for Orangefield this year. It all starts with the signal caller in quarterback Mason Gonzales. The senior has played on the varsity since he was a freshman and has come into two-a-days in real good shape at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. The coach is excited to have a player with experience at quarterback.
Another senior who has been playing on the varsity since he was a freshman is Blake Bradley. He will be back at the key fullback position in the Bobcats offensive scheme.
The rest of the Orangefield backfield will be by committee. Kent Michael, Kadeon Evans, Heston Puckett, and Quy Tsan all played halfback some last year. At tailback Kade Grozier, Clayson Choate, and Chase Broussard will play. “We actually have a little bit of depth there this year,” Smalley analyzed.
On defense Smalley will look to some of the same faces to start for the Bobcats. Bradley returns at middle linebacker where he was all-district last season. Gonzales will be at defensive end where he has played the last three campaigns. With his role at quarterback, Gonzales may see limited time on defense.
At the other defensive end Lane Rach is back. Mason’s little brother Colby Gonzales returns as an all-district defensive lineman.
The two outside linebackers Michael and Evans both played a lot last year. Choate is in the secondary returning as an all-district safety. Cade Brown and Tsan will play some cornerback for Orangefield. Smalley pointed out, “We actually got some returning guys in the linebacker and secondary positions too.”
Coach Smalley and his staff will be looking for players to fill holes in the offensive and defensive lines. Orangefield graduated five linemen from last year. Jonah Landry was all-district last season and returns at center for the Bobcats. Logan Gipson, Aaron Gordon, and Rach will see time at tight end. At tackle the coaches are looking at Gabe Statum, Brendon Roberts, Treyte Kuenstler, and Xander Steele. Working to be starters at the guard positions are Brady Bellow, Trip Leger, and Mason Sampson. Smalley admits, “These scrimmages are real big for us, our three non-district games are real big for us, because those guys up front don’t have a whole lot of experience and they’ve got to get ready in a hurry.”
The coach also wants to find wide receivers. The Bobcats may open up their Slot T offense a little more this season to keep opposing defenses from loading the box with seven and eight defenders.
Orangefield has dropped in classification, and Coach Smalley is excited to get rid of the title as the smallest 4A school in the state. The new district for the Bobcats will be no pushover according to Smalley. Woodville and East Chambers have strong programs. Buna and Kirbyville have been very competitive in recent seasons as well. Anahuac, Warren, and Hardin round out a very solid district. Smalley evaluated, “The district from top to bottom, I think, is a very quality district and any team that gets in is definitely going to earn that.”
The change in classification has caused a drastic change in scheduling as this year the Bobcats only have three non-district games instead of six like the last few seasons in 4A to get prepared for district opponents. “We’ve got three games to prepare our kids, find the match ups, and figure out the positions so when we start off at Buna in the first district game that were clicking on all cylinders,” Smalley concluded.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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