Senior leadership carrying Valley Patriots into 2022 season
Valley coach John Stanaland is confident about his team heading into the new season.
With nine seniors returning from the 2021 Class 1A Six-Man Division I state quarterfinal team, and a quartet of athletes from their Class 1A state championship track and field team set to return to the gridiron this fall, Stanaland's confidence is well-warranted.
"We're really excited about our potential," Stanaland said. "We've got a lot of starting experience back with those seniors and we've got some good juniors that are going to step in and play a big role for us. The team is excited, the community is excited and we're ready to go."
The Patriots offense returns five starters and will be led by the senior playmaking trio of Blake Beard, Parker Hartman and Adrian Valdes. Those three were also pivotal to Valley's state title-winning track and field team last spring after victories in the 400 and 800-meter relays.
Beard is a lethal threat out of the backfield who rushed for 1,840 yards and 30 touchdowns last season. He will team up with Valdes to form a lightning quick duo in the backfield. The Patriots will also have senior fullback Canon Johnson, who stepped up big when injuries hampered the team during the later portion of the schedule.
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Stanaland also has 6-foot-1 senior Gunnar Bowles, the fourth-place finisher in state shot put, returning as a three-year starter at receiver. Bowles will line up as the receiver on the other side of the 6-foot-2 Hartman as the pairing will serve as big-bodied targets for senior quarterback Corbyn Standlee.
Standlee comes back for his senior season after completing 66-of-106 passes for 1,133 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2021.
"Those guys are phenomenal seniors for us," Stanaland said. "We've got a lot of experience. When I took the job four years ago I was super excited about the freshman class, which is these seniors now. They've done a phenomenal job of learning my system and growing in my system. We expect big things out of them. They bring great effort and energy every day."
On the line, 6-foot-3, 260-pound junior center Tucker Schlueter will return as a physically imposing and intimidating presence for Valley.
"We've got a really good core group," Stanaland said. "We've got a lot of speed but we also have some size and physicality up front that we're really excited about seeing on the field."
On the defensive side of the ball, Hartman will lead the Patriots after being selected as a first team All-State selection last fall following a season that included 111 tackles and 14 interceptions. He will work alongside All-State honorable mention cornerback Valdes in the secondary to lockdown top receivers they will face this season.
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Schlueter was a second team All-State defensive lineman will anchor the Valley front alongside second team All-Region selection Bowles. Schlueter totaled 102 tackles and five forced fumbles last year while Bowles added 82 tackles and six fumble recoveries.
The Valley defense produced some stellar collective performances last season that included a 49-0 shutout over previous district rival McLean and a 71-32 bi-district round win over Nazareth.
"Defense is what got us to win a lot of games last year," Stanaland said. "We hung or hat on making our defense the focal point of what we wanted to do last year and I feel like late in the year our defense won us a lot of games. For us to continue improving on that side of the ball is something we're hungry to do."
Valley will play an entirely new slate of district opponents this season with the move to District 4-1A Division I.
They will now play Knox City, Spur and Vernon Northside to finish off the regular season as they compete for a playoff spot as well as a district title. The Patriots defeated Spur last season 66-54 in the second round of the postseason, but will be facing a pair of complete unknowns in their other district contests.
"It's going to be a really fun district season for us. Our goals are big and we want the ultimate goal but we have to take things one day at a time," Stanaland said.
Valley has a roster filled with big-game experience and explosive athletes that can compete on both sides of the ball.
After falling just short of the state semifinals last fall, the core of the Patriots roster is back and ready to cap off their high school careers as the last team standing.
The journey to that point will not be easy, but Stanaland and his Patriots are preparing for the challenge.
"Every team starts with the goal to win a state championship," Stanaland said. "We've got smaller goals in place to hopefully help us get to that point. Our kids are hungry and they've tasted success and they want to continue that success. We're taking it one rep at a time but we're excited about the potential in front of us."
VALLEY PATRIOTS
Head coach: John Stanaland
2021 record: 9-4, 4-0 in district
Base offense: Jaybird
Base defense: 2021
Last playoff appearance: 2021
Returning Lettermen: 14
Top returners: Y/S Parker Hartman, X/DE Gunnar Bowles, RB/DE Blake Beard, RB/CB Adrian Valdes, QB/CB Corbyn Standlee, C/DE Tucker Schlueter
SCHEDULE
Aug. 26: vs. Garden City, at Jayton, 6 p.m.
Sep. 2: vs. Springlake-Earth, 7 p.m.
Sep. 9: vs. Whiteface, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 16: at Nazareth, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 23: vs. Petersburg, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 30: vs. Crowell, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7: vs. White Deer, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14: OPEN
Oct. 21: at Spur, 7:30 p.m.*
Oct. 28: at Knox City, 7:30 p.m.*
Nov. 3: vs. Vernon Northside, 7:30 p.m.*
* - Denotes district game
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Senior leadership expected to carry Patriots into fall season
