San Saba Armadillos more mobile and mature after tough 2021 football season
The 2021 high school football season left a bitter taste for the San Saba Armadillos, but they think they’re better for it.
The Armadillos faced a gauntlet of games in the last year of a two-year schedule built for a team with lots of returning experience.
The problem was that last year, head coach Andreas Aguirre’s team was hit hard by graduation and he was starting many athletes for the first time as juniors against a pre-district schedule that included three eventual playoff teams, two of them in 3A Division II. They opened the season with a winnable game against 2A Division II Eldorado, but the 2021 Eagles were a highly experienced team embarking on what turned out to be their most successful season in 71 years.
“We’ve already turned the page on last year,” said Aguirre, who is going into his fourth season leading the Dillo program. “The kids weren’t ready for that kind of scheduling. That was a bunch of big Top 10 teams and it wore us down.”
San Saba lost six consecutive games including the district opener to longtime rival Goldthwaite before the Dillos notched one in the win column. Aguirre’s team of mostly new starters won one more game against a similarly stacked district slate, and it was enough to finish in fourth place. But the Dillos lost their last three games by a combined score of 151-23, including a 56-9 loss to Hawley in the first round of the playoffs. It was San Saba’s first bidistrict loss in four consecutive postseason appearances.
“They were thrown into the fire,” Aguirre said. “We’ve had some successful runs and then boom, they’re young and thrown into the fire. We went against some good teams and they did some good things last year and we’re hoping to build on that. We focused on mobility and strength in offseason and over the summer, and that’s been big for us.
“We’ve just been focusing on ourselves and getting better.”
Aguirre said his team is a year older and wiser and buoyed by success after they survived football season. The Dillos won a district basketball championship and a playoff game, a regional powerlifting title, went to the regional quarterfinals in baseball and had multiple regional qualifiers in track.
“Spring was good for us and then we hit the weight room hard and worked on speed and explosiveness, and it’s been great for us,” the coach said.
Four returning all-district selections highlight the 2022 San Saba team. Quarterback Lance Taylor, wide receiver Tyler Johnson as well as linemen Dylan Ware and Christian Ramirez are all seniors and will be leaned on heavily on both sides of the ball. Taylor, Ware and Ramirez have been on varsity since 2020.
“The game’s slowed down for (Taylor),” Aguirre said. “He’s been a better leader, he’s handling adversity better, he’s been a leader in the weight room and working hard off the field and getting better. He’s seeing the field more and taking control of the offense, understanding more of what we’re doing and guiding people down the right path.”
Taylor has better chemistry after a year playing with Johnson and Ware, who will catch passes from his tight end position. He’ll also have some “good young cats who can catch the ball and do something with it. The main thing is to get him some protection and time.”
Ware literally stands out among the group because he’s 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds and being recruited by some top Division I programs. He’s also athletic enough to earn All-West Texas honors last year in basketball.
Aguirre said experience will help along the offensive and defensive lines, as well.
“We’ve changed up some coaching up front for those guys, some of the terminology and how we're going to attack teams, and the kids have been receptive,” the coach said. “Ware and Ramirez have been taking control of those groups and leading those boys. They’re a year older and more mature.”
Senior Zuri Herrera as well as juniors Ethan Gonzales and Jesus Gonzales will also figure into the mix for the Dillos, who return 15 lettermen, losing just seven.
Aguirre’s coaching staff continues to add experience, bringing in Kevin Bryant and Corey Prew to add to a staff that includes Mark Kyle, Roy Mejia, Wayne Lisenbe, Brian Rogers, Steve Taylor, Joseph Walts and Ronnie Schulze.
San Saba will play Florence, Junction, Johnson City and Eldorado in nondistrict play, which will be a little more manageable because there will be new faces in the starting lineup for the Dillos.
While San Saba’s district last year included powerhouses Coleman and Cisco, District 5-2A Division I won’t be much different or easier. Back in Region II after two years in Region I, the Dillos face two top teams in Coleman and Tolar, both in the preseason Top 25 by Texas Football magazine.
Another new district opponent is Hamilton, while the Dillos will meet familiar foe Goldthwaite once again. The district is rounded out by Bangs and De Leon.
Aguirre said he expects the Dillos to contend for a playoff spot.
“We’ve got to take care of business though,” he said. “We’ve got one of the toughest districts in 2A, especially in the region. A lot of well-coached teams, a lot of tradition and rich history in every program, some great coaching. We’ve got to get better each and every day. We can’t afford to stay the same or have any drop offs.”
San Saba Armadillos
District: 5-2A Division I
Head coach: Andreas Aguirre (23-13; all at San Saba)
Last year’s record: 2-9, 1-4 district
Last district title/playoff appearance: 2019/2021
Enrollment: 211
Stadium: Rogan Field (The Graveyard)
Returning lettermen: 15
Returning off./def. starters: 5/5
Base offense: Spread
Base defense: 4-2-5
Team strength: Returning experience
Team weakness: Depth
Players to watch
QB Lance Taylor, WR/DB Tyler Johnson, RB/LB Zuriel Herrera, OL/DL Christian Ramirez, TE/DL Dylan Ware, OL/DL Daylon Smith, WR/DB Ethan Gonzales, OL/DL Jesus Gonzales, LB Winton Lackey, WR/LB Lane King, OL/DL Janci Cuevas, WR/DB Jaxson Mask
2022 schedule
Date Opponent
Aug. 26 Florence
Sept. 2 at Junction
Sept. 9 at Johnson City
Sept. 16 at Eldorado
Sept. 23 at Hamilton*
Sept. 30 Coleman*
Oct. 7 at De Leon*
Oct. 14 Bangs*
Oct. 21 at Goldthwaite*
Nov. 4 Tolar*
*District game
2021 results
Eldorado L 20-42
Rogers L 14-46
Mason L 28-35
Llano L 18-48
Dublin L 24-38
Goldthwaite L 26-28
Winters W 44-12
De Leon W 45-14
Coleman L 7-49
Cisco L 7-46
Hawley L 9-56
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Saba Armadillos football team looks to bounce back in 2022
