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.
