GRIDIRON GLANCE ’24: Richland Springs Coyotes

August 19, 2024 at 7:44 am Derrick Stuckly

RICHLAND SPRINGS – A pair of turnovers at the opponents’ 2 yard line in the Class A Division II state semifinals this past December prevented the Richland Springs Coyotes from playing for a potential 10^th six-man state championship.

With the bulk of last year’s roster returning, along with some key new additions, the Coyotes – ranked No. 2 in the preseason by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football – have their eyes focused on Arlington and the program’s first state title since 2019.

“Our expectations are to improve every game, get back to that stage we were at, and hopefully have a little better defense and score on the 1 yard line without fumbling,” said Richland Springs head coach Shawn Rogers, who enters his second full season in charge of the program.

Richland Springs is coming off a 13-1 campaign with four offensive and defensive starters returning. The Coyotes are picked to win the revamped District 15-A Division II, and are ranked statewide only behind the lone team to defeat them last year – Oglesby.

Key returnees for the Coyotes include DCTF preseason district offensive MVP Hutton Rogers, along with Billy Perry, Gage Behrens, Cohen Ethridge, Hudson Tharp, Jim Eckermann, and Rush Norris. Newcomers to keep an eye on include Ethan Deeds and EJ Davila.

“We have a bunch of really good skill players, but defensively last year I felt like we didn’t get lined up right at times,” Rogers said. “We need to correct that and be more physical on defense. It’s funny how we’re physical on offense but not as physical on defense so we’re trying to change that. If we can stop people, we’re going to score this year.”

Prior to the start of district competition the Coyotes will tune up against Big Spring Charter, Bryan St. Joseph, Nueces Canyon, Burkeville, and Giddings Lone Star.

On the 15-A Division II slate, Cherokee – which ended the Coyotes’ run of 20 straight district championships in 2022 – is gone, replaced by Panther Creek. The rest of the league remains the same with Brookesmith, Lohn and Rochelle.

“It’s a nice change having Cherokee out of the district, but that just means we’ll play them earlier in the playoffs now,” Rogers said.

Regarding what it will take for Richland Springs to make a push for Arlington and add another state championship to the trophy case, Rogers said, “We just have to get better every game, get stronger in the weight room, and come together as a team. We’re working on being positive all the time and doing what we can every day to get better, and not worry so much about December right now, but work on September.”

***

RICHLAND SPRINGS COYOTES 2024 SCHEDULE

Aug. 30	Big Spring Charter	7 p.m.
Sept. 6	Bryan St. Joseph	7 p.m.
Sept. 13	at Nueces Canyon	7 p.m.
Sept. 20	at Burkeville	6 p.m.
Sept. 27	Giddings Lone Star	7 p.m.
Oct. 4	OPEN
Oct. 11	at Brookesmith*	7:30 p.m.
Oct. 18	OPEN
Oct. 25	Panther Creek#*	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 1	at Rochelle*	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 8	Lohn*	7:30 p.m.