Young Mustang defense ready to blossom
Walking the sideline one year ago this week, Mustang coach Jeremy Dombek remembers feeling optimistic.
Looking out at the black shirts on defense for the Broncos, especially the four sophomores he was going to have to rely on, Dombek said he knew immediate could be rough, but the future looked bright.
“We took our lumps,” Dombek said. “To go with that many starting sophomores at the Division 6A-1 level, that’s probably unheard of. But those guys are back and we are bigger, stronger and faster. They know the system better and they are more confident.
“We expect big things out of that side of the ball.”
Mustang’s 5-5 finish last year kept it them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Despite giving up more than 31 points per game, Dombek said he really thinks things started to click late in the season.
“Last two or three games we took some steps,” he said.
“That attitude and effort carried through the offseason and they just continue to click.”
Leading the way for Mustang is senior defensive back Dominik Venegas, who accounted for 35 tackles and three interceptions last season and is ranked No. 20 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 rankings.
Venegas, who has a scholarship offer from Memphis, said with the amount of returning starters the Broncos have, the sky’s the limit.
“We’ve got nine returning starters and we are going to get after it,” Venegas said. “We gotta play fast and physical and we’ve got the guys to do that.”
One player who was thrust into the starting lineup as a sophomore is safety Liam Krivanek.
“It was nerve wracking, but I knew my team needed me.” Krivanek said. “I think it helped me a lot. I’m way more up to date. I know the technique and what our opponents like to do and I’ve been in those big moments.”
Big moments like against Tulsa Union when Krivanek finished with a team-high 21 tackles.
Krivanek has been in the weight room this summer, he’s added 35 pounds and is excited by the possibilities of what the Broncos can do on defense.
“We are just going to have to see how good we can be,” Krivanek said. “We just gotta go out there and play. Nothing to do other than that.”
This time around, Dombek said they have holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball. He has a two-way quarterback battle between senior Hayden Harper and junior Hayden Conrad.
The Broncos are also looking to fill the hole at running back left by the graduation of Carlos Thompson.
But even with those things needing to be addressed, Dombek said he feels more comfortable knowing that his defense is set.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel this time,” Dombek said. “We think we were a play or two away from getting in the playoff race last year. This year we think we’ll get back on track.”