The Texas High Tigers prepare to return to Tiger Stadium, riding a wave of momentum and focusing on bigger goals. After a hard-fought season, the Tigers secured first place in their district, earning a well-deserved spot in the playoffs. As the intensity ramps up, every practice and game counts more than ever in their drive to make a deep postseason run.
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record, their only loss being against Midlothian Heritage High School. With an undefeated 6-0 district mark, the Tigers showed dominance on the field. Athletic director and head football coach Gerry Stanford shared insights on what fueled the team’s success and their mindset heading into the playoffs.
“I think tradition goes a long way,” Stanford said. “We’ve been able to kind of establish ourselves as the team to beat in our district.”
The Tigers set the standard by becoming the team that other teams look forward to playing. Everyone brings their best game against Texas High, which pushes them to perform at their highest level.
”I think our kids really stepped up,” Stanford said. “We’re playing consistent football right now, coming out of Jacksonville and Nacogdoches. I think [this is] some of the best football we’ve played this year, going into the playoffs.”
Focusing on what lies ahead remains their biggest offset. Overlooking the first round because of players’ excitement holds potential to cause upsetting results, and block advancement to state for the Tigers.
”I think the first round is one of the more nerve wracking rounds, [but] not to say they get any easier,” Stanford said. “[We] want to play well that first game [because] we’ve got a tough opponent here.”
The first round of playoffs will be against Lake Creek High School. The Tigers get home field advantage and plan to set the tone early.
“They’ve got a new team too this year, and we [are] different than we were last year,” Stanford said. “We want to take advantage of those things and do a lot of diligent studying on them, and [I’m] hoping we don’t take advantage of some of those things.”
Stanford aims to capitalize on their opponents’ weaknesses and highlights the significance of an effective run game, giving the Tigers a greater chance of securing the win.
“There’s a lot of things in a football game that take place, but the reality is, when you can run the football and stop the run, it gives you a greater opportunity to win,” Stanford said. “Outside of that, we’re really focusing on not turning the ball over and creating good field position.”
Heading into the upcoming match, the Tigers watch film and practice improving their weaknesses. They work hard in the weight room and on the field, focusing on previous games, fully aware they will meet the same teams further in the playoffs.
“If we are capable of winning this one, we think we’d see Midlothian Heritage High School again in the second round,” Stanford said. “We’ll go from there [possibly ending up playing] Port Neches-Grove High School (PNG) again in [the] third round.”
Senior wide receiver Xavier Powell explains that strong team chemistry and the ability to execute at a high level separate the Tigers from other teams in the district. He also describes this year’s playoffs as an opportunity for the Tigers to reclaim wins taken from them last year.
”[In the] second round we’ve got Midlothian. That’s really a get-back [game] because we lost to them [earlier this season],” Powell said. “Third round [is] supposed to be PNG. That’s another get-back game.”
During practices, the Tigers concentrate on reducing penalty calls and completing their main mission, which Powell describes as catching the ball, securing the first down and distributing the ball evenly to prevent the opposing team from targeting a single player. Seniors step up, proving themselves worthy of a state run.
“People are more in love with the sport [and] going full speed every play,” Powell said. “Us seniors are making more leadership moves. We’re trying to convince the little kids that we do have a shot in state.”
The entire team focuses on reaching state as their ultimate goal. The Tigers remain trained on the end goal and take one step at a time.
“Everybody is more locked in,” senior running back Tradarian Ball said. “We just [have] to take it one step at a time and knock off one team at a time.”
