Several Walters players look to make a tackle in a game against Empire last season. The Blue Devils look to build off a playoff appearance in 2016. Gerardo Bello/Staff
Buckle up, football fans. Class 2A District 3 could be a non-stop roller coaster ride this fall.
Community Christian will likely be the cellar dweller but every other team should contend.
Washington is the favorite, but Hobart could snatch the district title. Lindsay loses several key pieces from a dominant 11-1 team last year but should still be a force.
Dibble eclipsed a staggering 4,000 yards offensively last season in only 10 games and returns every offensive piece from a high-scoring 6-4 team. Frederick is the district dark horse and could see its win total grow by five or more as they eye a playoff spot.
Walters welcomes new coach Chuck Terry but appears poised for a playoff return.
In other words, this should be a fun ride.
High hopes for Hobart
On the Friday before Thanksgiving last year, Hobart was crushed by eventual State 2A champion Millwood, 66-0, in the second round of the playoffs.
On the following Monday, the Bearcats weren't feeling sorry for themselves.
Instead, the Bearcats hit the weights. They even kicked the basketball players out of the weight room.
Hobart head coach Colt Allison and his staff had been implementing strength training since their arrival before the 2016 season, and they felt like they had gained some ground. But following a painful loss to an overpowering Millwood team, Allison felt the team still wasn't where it needed to be strength-wise.
So the team stayed committed to strength training, and it poured over as the offseason wore on. The Bearcats skipped spring football this year and instead continued their intense strength and conditioning program.
"We didn't even mess with spring ball. We just hit the weights even harder," Allison said. "We believe in it and I think it's paid off. We are probably seven to 12 lbs. heavier per man across the board and as far as our strength level, it's not even close. It's off the charts from where we were last year. We feel like we are finally caught up to where we need to be."
Thanks to their dedication to strength training, this year's Hobart squad could take another big step forward in Allison's second year at the helm.
The Bearcats have come a long way from an abysmal 1-9 season in 2015. There were plenty of questions from the community and the kids, but Allison got the Bearcats to respond on the field as Hobart churned out an impressive 8-4 season and a second-round trip to the playoffs.
"There are high expectations in the community with the football program being successful considering the tradition they had back in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s," Allison said. "We knew there was some talent and athleticism in the program — we just had to find a way to get the kids to play hard and believe in themselves and believe that they could win. We were able to create that last year."
This year — thanks to their dedication to strength and conditioning and plenty of returning stars — the Bearcats will likely be even better.
Hobart returns seven starters on both offense and defense and has plenty of leadership from upperclassmen who know what to expect and are showing the younger guys the ropes.
"That's huge," Allison said. "When you have older guys that work hard, the younger guys just seem to fall in line where they are supposed to. It makes things go much smoother."
A lot of that leadership comes from the skill positions and the guys up front.
Hobart features one of the better offensive lines in the district this year -- one that is full of veterans — including left tackle Dillon Duff (6'1, 210, Sr.), right tackle Klayton Underwood (6'1, 215, Jr.), center Braden Jones (6'0, 295, Sr.), right guard Eric Walker (6'0, 205, Sr.) and tight end Trey Norris (6'2, 235, Sr.).
Most of these seniors were starters as sophomores before Allison arrived.
"They are gonna pave the way for us up front," Allison said. "They've got a lot of games under their belt. We believe we are gonna be better on the O-line this year than we were last year."
The backfield could be even more potent than last year when the team averaged around 6.0 yards per carry. Tailback T.J. McMurray (5'11, 190, Sr.) averaged nearly 7.0 yards per carry last season and led the team in touchdowns with 11, but he may surpass those numbers again with the improved offensive line.
Fullback Josh Molina (5'10, 180, Jr.) will also get plenty of touches this year as Allison called Molina both a "very electric runner and tough-nosed blocker."
The offense also features flanker Simon Chounlamany (5'9, 170, Jr.) who will get touches in both the passing and running game. Allison said the explosive Counlamany will get a little dosage of everything in the offense — utilizing him for slants, stops and fades in the passing game while taking reverses and misdirections in the running game.
Quarterback Alec Meinert (6'3, 180, Jr.) will take the reins of the offense and features a great arm and a great deep ball, coach Allison said. Meinert has the ideal deep ball target in wide receiver Luke Hollister (6'4, 190, Jr.) who is developing into a complete player.
"Hollister catches the ball well," Allison said. "But now I feel like he's blossoming as a wide receiver by competing for the football."
Meinert and Hollister will get their chances, but Hobart plans on utilizing its running game with its pro style I-formation offense. Throwing the ball between eight to 12 times a game will be the target range.
"If we throw it more than that, then we're probably not having the success running the ball that we want to," Allison said. "We want to throw it enough to keep the defense honest, though."
On defense, Hobart will implement its 5-2 defensive scheme to stop the run first and foremost. The Bearcats have plenty of big bodies up front to stuff anything up the middle.
Jones will disrupt the middle at nose tackle while Norris will wreak havoc beside him at defensive tackle. Walker, a hard hitting linebacker, will sniff out anything that gets past the front line.
Meinert and Hollister can throw the deep ball on offense, but they can break it up on defense as well as the pair will highlight the secondary as defensive backs.
Between offense and defense, Hobart has plenty of talent to finish first or second in the district, Allison believes. Doing so would give the Bearcats a great shot of a deep postseason run.
"Our goal is to be district champs and to be practicing on Thanksgiving," Allison said. "If we get past that it's obviously icing on the cake because only a handful of teams are playing at that time. Those are things we have our eyes set on."
Hobart first has its eyes set on Stratford who they welcome to town his Friday before a trio of road games at Mangum, Apache and Hinton to kick off what should be a long and thrilling season.
Frederick eager for next step forward
Bomb's away!
The Frederick Bombers should be drastically improved under second year coach Bret Tyler. Last year, the Bombers were young and inexperienced. Combine that with a new system and new coaches and Tyler said the 1-8 campaign was a learning experience.
Frederick returns a host of starters and has a large senior class. Only time will tell, but that will likely indicate a giant leap forward as the Bombers eye a return to the playoffs despite just one win in each of the past three seasons.
"We're obviously excited about taking a step forward," Tyler said. "Obviously we're gonna be better there's no doubt about that. Our main focus is to try and snag a playoff spot. We want to be a playoff team. "
To be a playoff team, the Bombers will need an explosive season from their backfield featuring a dynamic tandem of Jeremiah Adams (5'9, 180, Sr.) and Christian Reyes (5'8, 160, Sr.).
Those two will have plenty of breathing room behind a solid offensive line featuring left tackle Kent Treadwell (6'2, 245, Sr.), center Bryce Haynes (6'2, 230, Sr.), left guard Dylan Weber (6'0, 225, Sr.) and Houston Dean.
"We figure that's going to be the strength of our team," Tyler said.
Elsewhere on offense, Frederick features a pair of talented tight ends including Kemontre Wright (Soph.) and Ryder Ramirez (6'2, 215, Jr.), both of whom Tyler believes will have breakout seasons.
At quarterback, Travis Ibarra and Gustavo Gaytan are still battling for the starting spot under center. Regardless of who gets the starting job, Frederick figures to be more run-oriented to take the pressure off the quarterback — at least that's what Tyler wants for now.
Defensively, there is plenty returning but it's the pair of talented linebackers Alex Vera (5'11, 185, Sr.) and Dylan Sheffield (5'9, 175, Sr.) who will anchor Frederick's defense. Diego Reyes (6'1, 175, Jr.) will highlight the secondary at free safety and big things are expected of defensive tackle Heston Brown (6'1, 270, Sr.).
Basically, the Bombers have at least one stud at each level of the defense to keep things ship-shape.
"Defensively we're going to be pretty quick and athletic all over the field," Tyler said. "The strength of our defense is getting to the ball."
Frederick has a tough non-district schedule highlighted by a trip to Elk City (4A) in Week 2, but it'll get the Bombers ready for their relentless district schedule. Other challenging non-district games include Comanche in Class 3A (Aug. 25) and Electra, Texas (Sept. 8).
"Putting a team like Elk City on your schedule is tough," Tyler said. "That's the reason why they're on there, though. "You play someone like that which will help you down the road with your district opponents."
Changing of the guard in Walters
Like several other area schools, Walters welcomes a new head coach.
Chuck Terry takes over the Walters program following Faron Griffin's departure to Cache.
Last year, Walters finished 6-4 and suffered a 42-13 loss to Davis in the first round of the playoffs.
This year, the Blue Devils return their most explosive offensive players as they eye a return trip to the playoffs.
Running back Nick Gambardella (5'10, 170, Sr.) was a 1,000 yard rusher last season and could shatter that number this year. Quarterback Josh Munn (6'1, 175, Jr.), who threw for more than 1,110 yards last season, could do the same in Walters' spread offense.
Munn will have a pair of flashy targets at wide receiver in Remington White (5'8, 140, Jr.) and Devyn Holley (6'1, 150, Jr.). Gus Wrape (5'9, 155, Sr.) will join Gambardella in the backfield, capping off what should be an electrifying spread offense able to put up points in a frenzy.
Lawson Brown (6'0, 255, Sr.) is the leader on the offensive line and will look to mentor a younger group.
Defensively, six starters return for the Blue Devils — three of which make up the linebacker corps.
Nate Moiser (6'2, 225, So.) is the biggest linebacker of the bunch and one of the top linebackers in all of 2A. Mosier joins the running back tandem of Gambardella and Wrape. Meanwhile, defensive end Brayden Moiser (6'2, 195, Jr.) should disrupt plays on the edge and initiate playmaking for the linebacker trio.
Walters first travels to Apache this Friday before returning home to face Elmore City on Sept. 1.
2A-3 Crystal Ball Prediction
1. Washington
2. Hobart
3. Lindsay
4. Dibble
5. Walters
6. Frederick
7. Community Christian