After a 2017 state championship year and before District 10-3A, Division I season begins the 2018 Rockdale High School Tigers football team will be in search of a new identity.
A big part of that search includes filling 14 starting positions, according to Jeff Miller, head football coach and athletic director of RHS.
After losing the Class 3A Division I Most Valuable Player Torry Locklin, standout Jaquayln Crawford, who is now a member of the University of Oklahoma Sooners football team, and all three starting linebackers to graduation, the team will have to make quite a few adjustments and decisions, he said.
This year’s team has eight returning starters from last year’s squad including linemen Cayden McBride and Jackson Perry, defensive backs Nathan Newlin and Will Story and defensive end Josh Davenport on defense. Returning offensive players are McBride and fellow linemen Carson Offield, along with Quentin Hughes at receiver.
There are two good prospects for the starting quarterback position in junior Ross Loth and sophomore Jace Robinson, according to Miller. Loth was a wide receiver on last year’s team, and Robinson was the quarterback on Rockdale’s freshman team. Millers’ approach to this season will be similar to the last couple of seasons.
“I think it’s important not to look at this season any differently when it comes to preparation,” said Miller. “The last four or five seasons, we’ve been very competitive.”
The Tigers will face district opponents with a lot of maturity. Perennial power and rival Cameron Yoe High School has a lot of players coming back and will be a good team, he said. In addition to the Yoemen, Miller said, Troy High School will also have many of their starters back on the field, Lago Vista High School is good every year and Little River-Academy High School is always well coached.
Rockdale coaches will also be looking to form a new core of linebackers. Coaches will be looking to players like Brandon Hernandez, Cam’ron Valdez, Ty Mayberry, and Kesean Raven to replace valuable seniors that graduated this past May, he said.
Two-a-days start on Monday, Aug. 6 with equipment pickup, 8 a.m.-noon at the field house and practice at 5-8 p.m. outside the field house. The Tigers hope to begin district play at the renovated Tiger Stadium with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Manor New Tech Titans on Friday, Oct. 5.
Practice schedule: Aug. 6-10, 8 a.m.-noon, equipment pickup and 5-8 p.m., practice; Aug. 9, 3:30-5 p.m., pictures (all but varsity); Aug. 11, 8-9:30 a.m., practice and 10 a.m., pictures (varsity and moms); Aug. 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m., practice and 6:30 p.m., Meet the Tigers (HS gym); Aug. 14-16, 4:30-6:30 p.m., practice; Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m., scrimmage @ Groesbeck; Aug. 20, first day of school.
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