Sterling City an intriguing unknown as it makes move to 11-man football
There are a lot of uncertainties surrounding the Sterling City High School football team, which makes the transition from a six-man title contender to an 11-man newcomer for the 2022 season.
But according to head coach Trey Sisco, one thing will always be certain.
“Football is football,” said Sisco, entering his 18th season with the Eagles, seventh as head coach.
“It’s still blocking and tackling, and putting athletes in space. I think we can still do those things, and hopefully we’ll be pretty successful at it.”
The Eagles have had plenty of success at the six-man level, reaching the postseason every year since 2010, and winning more than 100 games during that span.
Sterling City won the 1A Division I state championship in 2020, and made a run last year before getting knocked out by eventual champion Westbrook, 44-41, in the state quarterfinals.
“That’s probably the hardest part about the transition,” said Sisco, who made the move to six-man with the Eagles in 2008.
“Going from being one of the Top 5 teams in the state every year for the past several years, and then going somewhere we don’t know where we’re going to fit. ...
“We’re not going to be that Top 5 team that we probably would’ve been if we stayed six-man.”
However, Sterling City will have some advantages in making the move up.
Sisco played and got his start in coaching at the 11-man level, and offensive coordinator Josh Marler has 14 years of experience coaching it.
“As a coach, I’ve done both,” Sisco said. “I love six-man, but going back to 11-man, it’s a good change.
“Not saying I wouldn’t have enjoyed staying six-man, but the biggest thing is the kids’ perception of where we’re gonna be and how good we’re gonna be.
“But we still have good athletes.”
The Eagles return a lot of speed from last year’s team, which produced more than 4,500 yards of offense and averaged 57 points per game.
Defensively, Sterling City outscored opponents by an average of 30 points per game and limited them to 3,012 total yards for the season.
Tristan Himes, Johnny Monreal, River Kinsey and Adan Calderon will be some players to watch as the Eagles make the transition.
Sisco is also excited about Ty and Seth Turner, who moved in last year, as well as promising newcomers Santiago Beltran, Riley Barnes, Daniel Velez and Cameron Alexander.
“Offensively, we’re going to want to get to the edge and get outside of people, and use that speed to our advantage,” said Sisco, who along with Marler plan to use some Flexbone elements.
“I think it plays to our advantage because a lot of people don’t see it much anymore, and I think that’s why Wall has had some success with it.
“When you get good at something, and you're disciplined, like Navy, Air Force, Army, and those type teams, they can play with those bigger schools because they are so disciplined. The hard part is getting good at it real quick.”
Sisco says the offensive line is a point of emphasis for the Eagles since it is played so differently from the six-man game.
“Defensively, we’re going to try and use our speed to get to the ball quickly. We should be pretty good tacklers coming from six-man to 11-man. We should be able to get several people to the ball pretty quick," Sisco said.
While football is still football, Sterling City will have to shift its focus a little heading back into the 11-man game.
“Your expectations change a little,” said Sisco. “Our goal has been winning state championships, playing for them, getting there, trying to win them.
“Now our focus changed a little bit. Make the playoffs, win some playoff games, and who knows what happens after that.”
Sterling City Eagles
District: 5-2A Division II
Head coach: Trey Sisco (56-16; all at Sterling City)
Last year’s record: 10-3, 3-1 district
Last district title/playoff appearance: 2020/2021
Enrollment: 107
Stadium: Eagle Stadium
Returning lettermen: 6
Returning off./def. starters: 4/3
Base offense: I
Base defense: 4-3
Team strength: Speed
Team weakness: Size
Players to watch
OL/LB Tristan Himes, RB/DB Johnny Monreal, OL/DL Adan Calderon, RB/DB River Kinsey, OL/DL Cameron Alexander, OL/DL Daniel Velez
2022 schedule
Date Opponent
Aug. 26 Odessa Compass Academy
Sept. 2 at Miles
Sept. 9 Abilene TLCA
Sept. 16 at Roscoe
Sept. 23 Iraan*
Sept. 30 at McCamey*
Oct. 14 Midland TLCA*
Oct. 21 at Water Valley*
Oct. 28 Wink
Nov. 4 at Eldorado*
*District game
2021 results
Garden City W 56-42
May L 80-104
O'Donnell W 84-38
Borden County W 52-0
Happy W 58-8
Eden W 52-6
Bronte W 50-0
Highland W 62-8
Westbrook L 50-60
Robert Lee W 56-0
Hermleigh W 56-42
Van Horn W 46-0
Westbrook L 41-44
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Sterling City an intriguing unknown with move to 11-man football
