Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer
Warhorse Stadium will be rocking this Friday evening as Devine takes on Randolph to begin their 2024 march towards a district championship and a berth in the state playoffs. Two-a-days and scrimmages against Cotulla and Navarro have hopefully set the tone for Head Coach Paul Gomez and his team.
“I feel really good about where we are right now,” Gomez said while reflecting over the last four weeks. “We have shown marked improvement, and our work ethic has been great.”
The Horses had several chances to take the Cowboys to the woodshed in their initial scrimmage but were held back by minor mistakes that can be corrected as a season unfolds.
“Against Cotulla, we played well, and we were just one block away from having several big plays on offense while defensively, other than the second play where we missed some tackles and utilized poor technique, our defense was ahead of our offense, and we were pleased with that side of the ball.”
No offense to Cotulla, but Navarro is a different breed of football player and presents numerous challenges with athleticism and experience.
“We made great strides against the Panthers as far as execution and discipline are concerned. Our intensity was much better. Versus Cotulla, we were too quiet whereas against Navarro our intensity and physicality we much improved as we had to be extremely disciplined to have a shot to stop their nasty-slot-T offense.”
Devine’s first-team defense was more than up for the task as they did not allow a single touchdown in the controlled scrimmage while our offense put together 15-play drives for touchdowns.
Navarro found the end zone in the live quarter, but Gomez and his staff had already seen what they desired to see by that point.
“We are definitely in a good place to start the year, and we are going to put our heads down and put the work in to get ready for a very good Randolph team.”
Devine finished runner-up to Bandera in District 14-4A DII in 2023. Gomez expanded on what he believes the improvements have been since their season-ending bi-district loss to Lago Vista on November 10.
“The most noticeable improvement is our team chemistry. We are an extremely close group. These guys take it upon themselves to be the best that they can be for their teammates, which is an incredibly good thing. As coaches, we allowed for more player-led workouts, and we averaged 20-30 players on those workouts. That is impressive!”
Former Head Warhorse Coach Dean Bates used to say “the hay is in the barn” once practices were in the rearview mirror and the time to put on game-gear came around. There will be nerves and excitement as expected, so how does Gomez plan to balance those feelings in addition to his players successfully carrying out a game plan?
“We continually talk about our practices being intense and energetic. We must address and treat each practice like we would a game which is to give everything we have. One of my favorite quotes this year is from Vince Lombardi who said, ‘Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.’ We try to live like that every day. Yes, we are definitely excited about our first game but there is work to be done so that we can be at our best every Friday night.”
Randolph is an unfamiliar foe for the Horses but the need to set the tone for an entire season whether or not the final outcome produces a “W” or an “L.”
“We always talk about climbing that ladder; to keep improving. Yes, it is important to have a strong performance the first time out, especially since we will be playing at Warhorse Stadium. Our preparation for the Ro-Hawks started Monday, as did setting the tone for our season-opener.”
The numerous number of district championships and postseason gold balls won over the last quarter-century for Warhorse Football has expectations high every kickoff of every new year. While success in Devine is mostly measured in ‘gold balls,’ Warhorse Nation needs to appreciate the climb these players achieve over the course of the 2024 season.
“Warhorse Nation can expect to see a group of young men giving everything they got inside themselves to make our community proud. They are going to see one team with one heartbeat out there. They are going to see players and coaches that love each other and that care about making their town proud.”