High school football: First day of practice begins for area teams

Aug. 2—PALESTINE — Monday was the first official day of the 2021 high school football season in Texas. It was the first day University Interscholastic League teams were allowed to practice, which they'll do for the next few weeks before scrimmaging on Aug. 13 and playing preseason games on Aug. 26.

The Palestine Wildcats begin their season in familiar territory — as underdogs. Head coach Lance Angel guided his team to a second consecutive playoff berth in 2020 and a 4-2 district record, yet they are projected by a few outlets to finish fourth in District 9-4A DI.

"We relish being in that underdog role," Angel said. "Our guys have to go out and continue to prove it. Our goal is to continue building a successful program that people will expect to be great."

The Wildcats continue practice throughout the week. They'll host their first scrimmage Aug. 13 against Hallsville.

The Westwood Panthers used Monday to knock off some of the rust for their players, but began two-a-day workouts Monday beginning at 6:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

The Panthers introduced nearly an entire new coaching staff under head coach Richard Bishop in 2020. They spent much of that time allowing players to get acclimated to new faces with time cut short due to COVID-19.

Creating team chemistry will be essential for the Panthers as they fill in new starters. Westwood graduated a chunk of their all-district players from 2020 so there are opportunities for young players all over the field. They'll use the practices to offset losses of former key players Coy Elton, Deanthony Thomas, Devonte Downie, Donovan Barrett (UMHB), Jakob Brown and Tyler Johnson.

However, a few notable names such as linemen Matthew Gomez and Kamran Savage, along with running backs Kylance Parish and Tremelle Rhodes return as vested starters under Bishop's tenure.

Westwood hosts Cayuga Aug.13 for their first scrimmage.

The Elkhart Elks prepare for their second season under head coach Luke Goode. The Elks were young and breaking in a new coach a year ago, but a ton of starters return on both sides of the ball — led by three-year starter Conner Walker (65 tackles). Tyler Stafford — who produced 85 tackles and 250 rushing yards — is a hard-nosed runner and solid defender.

The Elks travel to Centerville Aug. 13 for their first scrimmage of the season.

The Frankston Indians lost key players Brink Bizzell and Tyler Fridinger to graduation, but return a group of players who have experienced the playoff atmosphere. Clayton Merritt, Alex Oxford, Jared Cook and Kaymon Davis are a few notable names to watch for early as they reestablish their presence among this young Frankston group.

Frankston's first scrimmage will be Aug. 13 at home against San Augustine.

Grapeland is attempting to get acclimated to first-year Sandies' head coach Jordan Woods.

"I see a lot of potential in this group," Woods said. "Grapeland is known to have good athletes and they got to experience what is was like to be in 'big 2A' last year. It's exciting seeing what we have on the field."

Grapeland finished fourth in District 11-2A DI last year and took a bi-district loss to Hearne. Though 22 varsity players return, they'll attempt to replace the production of former quarterback BJ Lamb.

They'll host an inter squad scrimmage Saturday at 8 a.m. before traveling to scrimmage at Cushing Aug. 13.

The Cayuga Wildcats also introduced a new face at the top of their coaching ranks in Jacob Magee. Magee has already began to win over his new locker room. Wildcats Chase Hearell and Jadan Henry spoke earlier this summer on how much better they feel they will be this year.

"The coaches are stressing perfection," Henry said. "And we're striving for that. Every step matters. Every practice matters. We're invested."

The Oakwood Panthers have a year of development under head coach Paul Johnston as he guided them to another playoff appearance in 2020. The Panthers have a solid core back from a playoff squad and are hungry to make a postseason run after going through what Johnston expects to be a tighter district race.