Shamrock football is gearing up for 2022 season in second year under Jeff Caffey
SHAMROCK — Shamrock's Jeff Caffey is grateful for the position that he is in.
On the field, the second-year head football coach of the Irish has a talented group of skill players returning that possess a ton of speed. Caffey and Shamrock also have a brand new state-of-the-art renovated turf field and an equally impressive track to surround El Paso Field.
Not to be forgotten is the impressive new weight room that occupies one full side of their indoor multi-use practice facility.
With his father, Stan, serving as his offensive coordinator, a pair of good assistant coaches in Thomas Hays and Garrett Bennett, a superintendent in Kenneth Shields that has thrown his full support behind the athletics program, and a combo of senior playmakers returning to lead the way — the Irish's coach is surrounded by people determined to make Shamrock a consistent winning program.
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"I feel really good about this year because we got a lot of experience and then increased our depth coming into this year," Caffey said. "That's a big deal at a school our size. They've paid the price and spent some time getting ready for it, and we've taken some steps from where we were a year ago today. It's fixing to pay off."
Caffey and the football team have been putting in serious work on both the field and in the weight room during the first week of fall practice.
Senior quarterback Kit Macina and senior running back Caden Peevey return to lead the fast-paced multiple spread offense that continued to improve through the end of the 2021 season.
Macina, a dual-threat athlete, completed 68-of-127 passes last season for 1,294 yards and 14 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He used his speed and ability to cut on a dime to also be a force on the ground that ended his junior year with a team-high 131 carries for 987 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Peevey tied Macina for the team-high in rushing yards (987) and tied graduated playmaker Sean Wright in rushing touchdowns (14) on 127 carries last fall. He proved to be a threat through the air as well, finishing third with 15 catches for 242 yards and one score.
Other offensive weapons that contributed last season for the Irish include junior wideouts Braxton Allen (16 receptions, 420 yards, 3 TD) and Rodney Holmes (3 receptions, 68 yards, TD) as well as junior running back Terry Menefield (6 carries, 34 yards).
"In what we do there's a lot of play-action pass and spreading the ball around," Caffey said. "We have clicked really well offensively and we have big play capability. Finding our identity last season took a little while, but once we found it we just kept building on it."
Shamrock will run a 4-2-5 base defense with Macina and Peevey leading the way on that side of the ball as well.
Peevey lines up as an inside linebacker for the Irish and used his quickness to collect a team-high 94 tackles and five tackles for loss while also nabbing two interceptions and forcing two fumbles in the 2021 season.
Macina was second on the squad with 72 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble from his cornerback spot. Allen and Holmes will join Macina in the secondary while Menefield and a projected breakout player in senior outside linebacker Hunter Stroope will join Peevey in the front six.
"Right now we're firing on all cylinders and they see the game so much better as a defense," Caffey said. "We're more mature and we should play great defense this year."
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Following their first winning season since 2013, the excitement throughout and around the Shamrock program is buzzing. The Irish outscored their opponents 386-98 in their seven victories last season and lost to three top-tier Class 2A D-II programs in Clarendon (42-41), Wellington (44-14) and Gruver twice (35-7, 63-40).
With that in mind, Caffey knows now is the time to show that last season's progression was no fluke as the program chases its first district title since 1995.
"I expect us to compete for a share of the district title," Caffey said. "We were one inch away from being tied for first last year and nobody expected that out of us. This year is going to be different and people are going to expect us to compete harder than we did last year. I expect us to be in the mix."
SHAMROCK IRISH
Head coach: Jeff Caffey
2021 record: 7-4, 2-2 in district
Base offense: Multiple Spread
Base defense: 4-2-5
Last playoff appearance: 2021
Returning Lettermen: 24
Top returners: QB Kit Macina, RB Caden Peevey, WR/DB Braxton Allen, RB/LB Terry Menefield
SCHEDULE
Aug. 25: vs. Sundown, 7 p.m., at Canyon
Sep. 2: vs. West Texas High, 7 p.m.
Sep. 9: at Highland Park, 7 p.m.
Sep. 16: at Sanford-Fritch, 7 p.m.
Sep. 23: vs. Bovina, 7 p.m.
Sep. 30: OPEN
Oct. 7: at Wellington, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 14: vs. Wheeler, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 21: at Quanah, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 28: vs. Clarendon, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 4: at Memphis, 7 p.m.*
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Shamrock football gearing up for second season under Jeff Caffey
