GRIDIRON GLANCE: Bangs Dragons

August 22, 2020 at 8:16 am Derrick Stuckly

BANGS – Last year, the Bangs Dragons reached the playoffs for the first since time since 2014 and notched their first winning record since 2013.

With a roster filled with seniors, Bangs third-year head coach Kyle Maxfield believes the Dragons are poised to build on last season’s playoff appearance and return the program to the ranks of the area elite.

“I feel like the kids, you can just see it in their eyes and the way they act, their expectations are definitely higher,” Maxfield said. “I think right now we’re obviously in the beginning stages of the season but we’re practicing with a lot more confidence than what they have in the past and I think that just comes with having a little bit of success and believing in each other and the team. It’s been a good camp for us to get back in the groove and pick up where we left off and take it to the next level.”

The majority of the senior class have been members of the varsity roster since Maxfield’s arrival in Bangs, and their experience on the field as well as within the system has led to the head coach’s glowing outlook on the season.

“Our biggest strength is the senior class,” Maxfield said. “We have 12 or 13 which isn’t a big class, but they all contribute in a big way. They’re good kids and good leaders. A lot of them have a lot of experience on Friday nights dating all the way back to their freshman and sophomore years. That’s the biggest strength, their example and their leadership.

“We’ve also had some additions to the senior class that have helped in a lot of ways. It allows us to be more versatile on offense and gives us more depth on defense.”

While the roster is loaded with seniors, depth is a concern.

“Everyone wants to have more depth and that’s where our younger kids are coming into play” Maxfield said. “We’re trying to get them some experience and some snaps to spot these seniors up front on both sides of the ball so we can stay as fresh as possible.”

Bangs returns 14 of 22 lettermen, including eight offensive and seven defensive starters, from last year’s 6-5 playoff squad.

Defensively, Tony Cortez has been brought in as the new coordinator.

“We’ve been multiple on defense, going from Coach (Sam) Gillispie who was a 4-3 even front guy, while Coach (Aaron) Keesee went more to an odd front, 3-4,” Maxfield said. “We’re kind of basing more out of an even front this year. What’s been consistent is our technique and our overall philosophy on defense. Our schemes might be a little bit different but the techniques and philosophies are the same so we have to build on the foundation we laid the last couple of years.”

The coaching staff on the offensive side remains intact, but the philosophy is expected to change with the addition of move-in Ethan Cortez, who is taking over at quarterback.

“Going back to last year, Brayton Wedeman was probably our most improved player, who was very inexperienced on Friday nights,” Maxfield said. “The difference is Ethan Cortez has a lot of experience so that allowed Wedeman to go to receiver where we were thin. Now we’ve got at least six legitimate offensive weapons. We’ve done a good job in the past of running the ball and the quick passing game has been adequate. We’ve stretched the field horizontally and now we can stretch it vertically, so that’s the new dimension we have.”

Running back Ethan Sanchez (1,200 rushing yards, 18 TDs) is back to anchor the offense where he will be joined by Guy Powell (750 all-purpose yards) in the backfield. Wedemen, Damien Santillanes, Trevor Bowers and Wyatt Lykins will line up in the receiver spots, while the front line consists of Logan Bishop and Azreal Escebedo at left tackle, left guard Warren Theriaque, center Samuel Packer, right guard Trey Ivey, and right tackle Charlie Smith.

On the defensive side of the ball, Powell, Cortez and Wedeman will rotate at the safeties, while cornerbacks include Evan Belez, back after ACL tears in consecutive seasons, and Bowers. Trevor Lorah, Lykins, Santillanes and Sanchez (80 tackles) will man the linebacker positions, while the trenches will feature a combination of Donovan Ruiz, Braden Montogomery, Bishop, and Escobedo at the ends and Ivey, Smith, Packer, Theriaque and Luke Duncan at the tackles.

The Dragons will host Early on Friday, Aug. 28 in the season opener, while the rest of the pre-district slate includes Florence, Winters, Hamilton, and Hawley.

“Our first game, Early is coming to town and that’s a big rivalry,” Maxfield said. “It’s more competitive than it’s been in the past so it’s definitely going to be a big game. Florence is going to be big for us because we’re traveling for our first away game, plus we’re dealing with an unfamiliar opponent. Winters, you have to play disciplined and they do a good job with the Air Force option stuff. Hamilton is uncharted territory, their coach came from Brock and it’s his second year there. Hawley had a historic run last year and thumped us pretty good, so hopefully we can make it a competitive game. It’ll be a good test to see where we’re at compared to pre-district last year.”

Bangs is housed in the new District 2-3A Division II this year which features former league rivals Ballinger and Grape Creek, along with new additions Brady, Sonora and Ingram Moore. The Dragons are tabbed to finish third behind Ballinger and Sonora, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine.

“Ballinger, we’re familiar with them and they thumped us pretty good at their place,” Maxfield said. “They were 0-2 in district, we were 2-0 in district, so they were foaming at the mouth when we got over there and took it to us pretty good. The kids are excited to play them because last year we didn’t put our best foot forward.

“At Sonora, Coach (Kevin) Sherrill was with me in Shallowater. They’ll be hard-nosed and very well-coached. The same with Coach (Shay) Easterwood over at Brady, we’re not really familiar with their team, but more with the coaching staff. Ingram Moore, we don’t know much about them, and then Grape Creek, we’re also familiar with them from district last year. We just hope we’re in the mix there for a gold ball.”

Asked how good the Dragons could be in 2020, Maxfield responded, “I really don’t think we know what our ceiling is, but it’s definitely higher than it has been in the past. I know these kids want to make the Bangs fans proud and give it their best.

“My cousin Mel (Maxfield) is with us and he’s a very wise coach and he sees a lot of potential, and I always rely on his evaluation of things. We feel like we’re definitely in a good position to play some good football. A lot of it depends on staying healthy, and we need some guys to step up in some spots. The more success we have the more confidence we’re going to gain. The first year we made it big in Shallowater we started hitting our groove about midway through district and finished third but we got on a roll in the playoffs and went to the quarterfinals. That’s a long way down the line, and we have to develop some depth on both sides of the ball up front.”

BANGS DRAGONS

VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Early

Sept. 4 at Florence

Sept. 11 at Winters

Sept. 18 Hamilton

Sept. 25 Hawley

Oct. 2 OPEN

Oct. 9 at Grape Creek*

Oct. 16 Ingram Moore*

Oct. 23 at Sonora*

Oct. 30 at Ballinger*