Tuesday, August 26, 2014

2014 Football Preview 2014-8-26



2014 Football Preview

Nineteen years ago Coach David Wood accepted his first head coaching job with the Muleshoe Mules. He planned to stay a few years and move up the Texas high school coaching ladder and eventually have an opportunity to return to Canyon’s Randall Raiders as head coach.

“I came to Muleshoe planning to leave in the beginning,” said Coach Wood. “But plans changed as time went along. Thought I had found a coaching job but instead my family and I found a great place to live, raise a family and live.”

During those 18 years the Mules have amassed a record of 152 wins, 61 losses, a Texas State Championship and have made the playoffs 15 straight years. The Mules plan to carve another notch for Coach Wood in 2014 and they would like to make it a big deep notch.

“We seemed to have picked up right where we left off last season. With 23 of 28 kids coming back from last year the learning curve has not been near as steep. We are not having to explain every detail of every play so it has been a much easier during two-a-days.”

Not only are many of the Mules returning from last year so is the coaching staff. Not one of the football coaches left after last season and are handling the same responsibilities in 2014.

“We saw a lot of room for improvement during the scrimmages,” continued to Wood. “We were pretty plain vanilla against Idalou and opened up a little more in Seminole. We probably will not show some things even Friday night against Levelland.”

Mule fans would certainly agree with Coach Wood’s statement about holding a few things back. It seems that every season there are some plays and schemes that do not get revealed until the district, then more in the playoffs and in fact during the State Championship game in 2008 there were new plays still coming out in that game.

The Mules have their sights set high again this season and it starts Friday night when the Levelland Lobos visit Benny Douglas Stadium. The Lobos have not made the playoffs since 2007 but are looking to change that with the new realignment.

Lobo second year coach, Jared Sanderson, went 5-5 in his first season with the Lobos. With 12 returning starters and 16 returning lettermen the Lobos are looking to move into the post season this year.

“They have size up front and have changed to the Spread Offense,” said Wood. “Now they can spread out the defense and make that size even more effective. Sophomore quarterback, Nick Gerber, appears to be the real deal and he has some talented receivers to pick from.”

“The game should be a good one and should tell us a lot about ourselves. The kids are ready to play and they remember the final seconds of last year game.