Mustangs set for opening scrimmage vs. Brackett

After weeks of two-a-day practices, Natalia hosts the Brackett Tigers in a scrimmage this Friday, August 17.

With the largest numbers out in program history, the Natalia Mustang Football program entered week two of their workouts with full pads and helmets strapped on Monday afternoon. The boys in blue under Head Coach Ilyan Martinez, are making final adjustments to their game plan, as they prepare to hit someone other than themselves this coming Friday evening at home as the Brackett Tigers come to town for scrimmage #1.
“We have had one of the best first weeks since I have been a part of this program,” Coach Ilyan Martinez said. “It’s really nice to have so much depth and retained knowledge from every position. It makes installing new schemes a lot easier when our kids understand football the way they do.”
Martinez was asked his thoughts on what appear to be areas of strength as well as areas of concern after a full six days of practice. He had the following to say:
Areas of strength: “Depth continues to be our strength,” Martinez said. “Practice is competitive with so many guys trying to earn a spot. I think one thing that often gets overlooked as well is the shape of our team. Our kids are in the best shape they’ve ever been. They had a great summer and spring and it’s really showing.”
Areas of concern: “When you have a young team and new schemes, growing pains will always be an area of concern,” Martinez said. “I think our staff has done a great job of monitoring progress and making adjustments to make sure our kids aren’t overwhelmed.”
Brackett Scrimmage
The Brackett Tigers come to town for a scrimmage this Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Mustang Stadium. This will mark the second year in a row the former district foes (from the 70s-early 2000s) will match up on the football field once again. Brackett is coming off a 4-7 season (1-3 district) in which they fell to Thrall 40-13 in the Bi-District Round of the Playoffs. They compete in District 142A-Division I with state ranked Mason, Harper, Junction, Sabinal and Center Point.
“We are ready for another great week of work and we are excited to see how we do against Brackett Friday evening,” Martinez said. #TTP #ChampionshipCulture
Donations will be accepted for “Our Day to Shine” Texas High School Coaches Education Foundation. See the press release in the Devine News to learn more about this program.
Natalia round out scrimmage play next week as they travel to Uvalde County for a match-up against another long time district competitor who is also now in Class 2A, Sabinal.
By Eric Smith