Queen City puts last season in the past
QUEEN CITY, Texas—After a one-win season, Queen City looks to turn the corner en route to a winning record in 2017.
The Bulldogs take football goals on a day to day basis and concentrate on improving.
“We try to have short sighted goals one is to get better each day,” Queen City head coach Justin Burk said. “The ultimate goal is to move forward and make the playoffs, but we want our kids to focus on the daily goal.”
‘It’s not about me’, or I.N.A.M. for short, is the Bulldogs’ team philosophy.
“It is about the offense and the defense doing its job, being unselfish, and not worrying about who gets what stats,” Burk said. “Our motto is about the team.”
Queen City lost several players to injuries last season, and it affected the team chemistry and the flow of the Bulldogs’ plays.
Being young last season and undersized also affected the outcome of some games for Queen City.
“There were a lot of good things that came out of last season,” Burk said. “There is always disappointment when you go 1-9, but young guys got a lot of valuable experience. We are excited about this year.”
The Bulldogs run a flexbone offense in which they do a lot of triple option and play action passing.
Dylan Scott (6-0, 150), a sophomore, is the starting quarterback. Scott competed for the position against two others and earned the job. He played two games for varsity last season.
“Dylan has a good arm, is smart, and does a great job with all of his reads and in what all we ask our quarterback to do,” Burk said.
Sophomore Kemya Hicks
(5-9, 155) will be one of the main running backs along with junior David Price (5-9, 155).
Junior Connor Bingham (5-10, 175), senior Trey Clayton (5-10, 205), senior Jesse Parker (5-10, 170), and junior Colton Davis (6-1, 195) will be rotated in at fullback. Fullback is a hardnosed, demanding position so Burk will rotate at the position in order to have fresh players.
“Kemya is fast, has good
vision, and has good acceleration,” Burk said. “We are excited about getting Kemya the ball in space.
“David is quick, and we want to get him to the outside edge. He has good breakaway speed and has good downfield vision.”
Seniors Tyler Adcock (5-10, 155) and Austin Lowe (6-4,
185) along with junior Hunter Farrington (6-3, 170) are the main receivers. Adcock, Lowe, and Farrington are fundamentally sound and have great hands and size.
One of Queen City’s strengths is the offensive line. The entire offensive line from last season is back.
Returning to the o-line are senior guard Dylan Savage (6-3, 250), senior guard Daniel Keene (6-0, 230), senior tackle Copeland Keener (6-1, 215), junior Kody Nichols (6-2,
205) and sophomore tackle Christian Fitzgerald (6-2, 190).
“We have a lot of experience on the offensive line and all of the starters are back, so we are really excited about that,” Burk said.
Challenges on offense for the Bulldogs will be in executing plays, playing assignment football, and not turning the ball over.
Each player on Queen City’s roster plays offense and defense.
The Bulldogs run a bear-front defense. One cover of this scheme allows the defense to out-number the offense in the box and use more skill players at the linebacker and safety positions. The chosen cover will depend on the offensive formation.
Savage, Keene, Nichols, Lowe and senior Ethan Hollis (6-3, 195) anchor the defensive line. Lowe and Hollis play defensive end, while Savage and Keene are tackles.
Bingham and Clayton will start at linebacker. Senior Dexter Burrow (5-8, 150), senior Bradley Norton (5-6, 145), Hicks, Price and senior Trevor Knod (5-10, 165) will rotate in the secondary.
“Our defense is going to involve a lot of flying around, pursuing the football,” Burk said. “As long as we make good tackles, we will be OK. When there are missed tackles, things start to go bad.”
Queen City’s reads and execution of plays have improved since last season. The Bullodgs lost just six players to graduation.
“Everyone has come back bigger, stronger, and faster,” Burk said. “The linemen have put on a lot of weight, and everyone has been working hard over the summer. The chemistry is really good with this group.
“I look forward to the competition and the growth. I enjoy seeing who is going to compete and step up in spots that we need. I like watching a kid become a young man, fulfill a role for us while doing a job for a teammate.”