Mavs use spring to right fall’s ship
Missing playoffs last year motivated Morton Ranch during early practices
Morton Ranch managed to fit its spring game in last Thursday between rain storms, capping a wet but productive month.
The weather kept the crowd small, but it was a big game for the players.
“We’d already seen everything we wanted to see in scrimmages up to that point, so it was for them,” coach Dave Meadows said. “We get better film because we have the high press box to get a better angle, but it’s really just a chance to show off a little bit.”
The Mavericks are hoping to show up in the postseason again this year.
They’ve gone every other year the last few seasons, and they missed out last year, finishing 3-4 in District 19-6A.
“We didn’t have a good feeling about how it ended last year,” Meadows said.
“We felt like we really did ourselves in. And I’m not saying the other teams weren’t quality teams.
They were. But we felt we should have been in a whole lot better shape playoff-wise than we were.”
Meadows said the Mavs had plenty of holes to fill going into spring practice.
They also worked on using the option game even more and welcomed a new defensive coordinator in Shawn Hurd.
“It was a typical spring, with lots of stuff do to and questions to be answered,” Meadows said.
Meadows said they’re delving further into the option offense this season because of their quarterback personnel.
The Mavs have two young, speedy QBs in freshman Austin Richardson and sophomore Nic Hernandez.
“We’re going to run (the option) more and use some three-back sets, where we have an extra blocker, to hopefully get the quarterback out a little bit more often with the ball,” Meadows said. “And, of course, we’re going to throw the ball off of play-action passes with it more than we have.”
Richardson quarterbacked the JV team as a freshman. Hernandez was a varsity backup.
“They’re both really quick, they’re smart and their mechanics are good, but like any young kids we still need a million more reps to get to where we’re solid every time with the mechanics of it,” Meadows said.
Hernandez played the second half of the season finale with Seven Lakes, so he has slightly more experience.
But Meadows said they’re neck-and-neck coming out of the spring.
“If we played this week they’d both play,” he said.
“I’d just as soon we land on one who’s clearly ahead of the other, but at this point they’re still fairly even.”
Last year’s starting QB, Jacob Taul, is moving to strong safety.
“He feels really good about it,” Meadows said. “He’s a football-smart guy, and having played quarterback he can see the plays develop and no what’s going to happen. He’s very physical. He’s a big, strong kid.”
New DC Hurd replaces Ted Day, who retired from education.
Hurd was Meadows’ cornerbacks coach in DeSoto for six years and spent the last several seasons at Lewisville Hebron.
“It’s a new day, a new opportunity, and we’re going to look the same when we line up, but the technique’s going to be somewhat different,” Meadows said.
“We’re probably going to slant a little bit more than we have in the past, and move guys around a little more.”
Meadows expects linebacker Kievan Boudreaux to lead the Mavericks’ new defense.
The Mavs were concerned about filling a void at corner, but athletic basketball crossovers Ryon Holmes and Tavion Jamerson stepped up.
“They haven’t played football for a while but they’re earning recognition every day,” Meadows said.
They’re also excited about Elijah Dean’s potential at fullback this fall.