Posted: 12:00 PM Aug 16, 2012 Reporter: KBTX Sports
Hometown Heroes: Leon Cougars
JEWETT, TX -- The Cougars make the move to 1A football with plenty of returning talent and are poised to put together a solid regular season and make a run to the playoffs after missing out in 2011.
Coach Sitton said, “We hope to build on a strong finish and very good spring. The drop to 1A has generated a great deal of excitement among our kids and we feel we have the opportunity to be very successful if we stay healthy and have some younger players fill some roles for us.”
One of the spots needing filled is the most important on offense: quarterback.
Tyler Morris has the inside track at replacing Kirby Watson, who started the past three seasons for Leon. The new signal-caller will have four returning starters back on the line, two that earned all-district honors in Nathan Salazar and Sagar Raja.
In Leon’s Wing-T scheme the tight end position is also key, and the Cougars are set there with all-district returnees Drake Jones and Brock Brown.
Seven starters are back on defense, five on the line and two linebackers. Although Leon moves from 2A to 1A their district will be a tough one. Axtell (5-6 in 2011), Bosqueville (7-4 in 2011), Mart (12-3, state semifinals in 2011), and Valley Mills (9-3 in 2011) all made the playoffs a year ago.
2012 SCHEDULE 8/31 Normangee 9/7 @ Bremond 9/14 @ Buffalo 9/21 Somerville 9/28 @ Grapeland 10/5 Lovelady 10/12 Valley Mills 10/19 @ Bosqueville 10/26 Mart 11/2 @ Axtell 11/9 OPEN