GRIDIRON GLANCE: Zephyr Bulldogs

August 20, 2020 at 7:49 am Derrick Stuckly

ZEPHYR – In Jeremy Phillips’ first season at Zephyr in 2019, the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs after shockingly missing the postseason the year prior. With fewer numbers on the roster in 2020, the task could be a little harder as the Bulldogs target a second straight playoff berth.

A plus for Zephyr, however, is the new District 15-A Division I features the same three league foes the Bulldogs faced the last two seasons – Evant, Lometa and No. 2 Jonesboro.

“The district didn’t change, it just reordered the schedule,” Phillips said. “We get the beast out of the gate. Jonesboro is always super tough and we start with them. We just want to get better every week. When we get to district we’ll get to test ourselves against the best of the best.”

The Bulldogs’ roster consisted of just 11 players during preseason practices, but eight were seniors.

“Having a big group of seniors, most of them know the system since it’s the second year of the system,” Phillips said. “We have some good running backs, so our run game is what we lean on, along with our senior leadership.”

Among the players to keep an eye on are Kannon Eoff, Jayden Millican and Bryson Gibbs.

“Kannon Eoff and Jayden Millican are the ones that put in the most time over the summer and we’re excited about them,” Phillips said. “Bryson Gibbs is another kid that should be big for us. We have a lot of them that we hope will improve and help the team, but those are the ones that stand out so far.”

Prior to the start of district competition, the Bulldogs will square off against Sidney, Veribest, Stephenville Faith, Blanket, Paint Rock, Cherokee and Fort Worth Covenant Classical.

“We just need to get better every week,” Phillips said regarding the early season goals. “We’re missing some key kids from last year so kids are having to move positions. We just want to get familiar with our new positions and improve every week.”

Once the district portion of the schedule arrives, the keys to a playoff push, according to Phillips, include, “We have to get better on defense. Coming out of last year that’s where we want to improve the most. That and our passing game. Those are the two things we’re going to focus on a lot. I feel like we have some running backs, but we have to get better at stopping people and throwing the ball down the field.”

ZEPHYR BULLDOGS

VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sidney

Sept. 4 Veribest

Sept. 11 Stephenville Faith

Sept. 18 at Blanket

Sept. 25 at Paint Rock

Oct. 2 Cherokee

Oct. 9 at FW Covenant Classical

Oct. 16 OPEN

Oct. 23 Jonesboro*

Oct. 30 at Evant*