DeKalb belives it’s ready to ‘take that next step’
DEKALB, Texas—The Bears are counting on their experience from last season to propel them to the top of District 7-3A.
DeKalb had a big sophomore class last season and has its eyes set on a district championship, with the fate on the shoulders of the upper classmen.
“We think it’s time to take that next step,” Bears head coach Eddy May said. “If we can stay free from injuries, I think we can be pretty good. The kids have worked hard all spring and this is our second year of running the same offense. Our goal is to compete for the district championship. We have a chance to improve this year and that is what I expect.”
DeKalb runs a power gun offense in which an h-back will be used often. The team’s motto is ‘All in’.
“Our motto reflects that it is going to take all of us to reach our goals,” May said. “Either the players are all in, doing like it needs to be done, or they are out. There is no middle ground.”
May was not satisfied with last year’s 5-6 season, but the Bears had just four seniors. DeKalb defeated Hooks, 35-20, late in the season to help secure a playoff spot.
“There was some success in last year’s season,” May said. “We lost to Edgewood in our playoff game by three points, and we had the ball close to the end zone toward the end of the game with a chance to score. We kept improving, and I think that we can continue that this year. We are as far along in our first two weeks this year as we were halfway through the season last year.”
Tristen Jamison, a junior, is the starting quarterback. Jamison started all 11 games for DeKalb last season. He threw for 1,325 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Tristen has a very strong arm and is a leader in the huddle,” May said. “He gets us in the right sets, and we believe he can be special if he continues to improve; we believe he will do that.”
Senior JaQuan Jackson played at inside receiver last season but will get the bulk of the carries this year at running back. Jackson grabbed 54 catches for 693 yards, ran for 834 yards and totaled 13 TDs.
“We are going to give JaQuan the ball as many times as we can,” May said. “He is a very strong and fast runner. JaQuan competed in the 100-yard dash last year at the state track meet. He is excited to be our running back.”
DeKalb has a pair of receivers who did not play last season due to injury. Juniors Jason Jackson and Logan Corbett will start. Senior Elliot Almond and sophomore Mike Wherry will also get playing time at receiver.
“Jason has great hands and runs good routes,” May said. “Logan is a tall kid, about
6-foot-5, and runs well for his size. Elliot did well for us last year, and Mike has good speed. We feel like we have some players who can catch it, and once they catch it they can run with it.”
Seniors Garrison McKinnie, at left guard, and Dakota Kizer, at right guard, anchor the offensive line. McKinnie and Kizer started in all 11 games last season.
The Bears have a sophomore center in Christopher McDaniel (6-4, 250). Junior Clayton Graef will start at tackle along with fellow junior Ty Brown (6-2, 210).
“We feel like we can be pretty good on the offensive line,” May said. “All five are smart kids, and they have picked up the schemes really well. We hope that the offensive line will be one of our strong points.”
DeKalb runs a 3-4 defense, and its leading tackler from last year, senior D.J. Gray, is back. Gray made 104 tackles last season at inside linebacker. Gray will be moved to outside linebacker this season.
Daniel Hendricks is back for his senior season and starts at inside linebacker. Hendricks was the Bears’ second leading tackler from last year.
Dalton Hanna starts at defensive end and played all 11 games last season. Jason Jackson will start at cornerback, while Corbett will start at outside linebacker.
Almond will start at safety, while sophomore Riley Starrit will more than likely start at safety. Sophomore Timon Proby will likely start at cornerback.
Junior Alex Clark will make the move from safety to inside linebacker, and sophomore Kole Dooley will rotate in at inside linebacker.
“The biggest challenge defensively is filling the spots on the front,” May said. “We lost all three to graduation, and we are trying to find a rotation of kids there.”
Coach May complimented all of the players’ work ethics and is excited about the new season.
“We have some of the best kids that I have ever been around,” May said. “The kids are easy to coach, they work as hard as they can, and they have a good time doing it. They always try to do the best they can. We don’t have any bad kids in our program, and it’s a compliment to the parents and our community.
“We think we can be as good this years as we have since we have been here. I think we are going to win some games and surprise some people. It’s going to be a fun season, and the DeKalb community is going to be proud of what we put on the field.”