Monday, August, 1st officially started the 1st day of two-a-days throughout the state of Texas. It has been over eight months since the Armadillo football team has buckled up their chin straps and hit the gridiron. The 2022 squad looks to return to their winning ways as they have 15 returning letterman (5 offensive,5 Defensive) and new slate of opponents scheduled for the 2022 season. San Saba also moved from region 1 back to region 2 where they have had big playoff runs in the past. District 5-2A consist of San Saba, Coleman, Tolar, Hamilton, Goldthwaite, Bangs and DeLeon. Dave Campbell’s Magazine has the Dillos picked 5th in district play after coming off a 2-9 2021 campaign. We will have a more in depth look at each opponent as they come up on the schedule during the season.
We sat down with head coach Andres Aguirre and asked him a couple of questions about the upcoming season.
Tell us about your coaching staff and their coaching positions this year.
Aguirre - I am very excited about our football coaching staff. For the most part, we were able to keep most of the coaching staff from previous years intact. With the coaching and teaching shortage it’s always great to say we have a full staff. We did lose Coach Scott Hayes who was a tremendous asset to our staff. He took a job at Georgetown ISD, and we wish him nothing but the best. Coach Eudy did get out of coaching and took a different position within the district, and we wish him nothing but the best. This new position does allow him to have more time with his family, and he is excited about that. Our coaching staff has a wealth of knowledge. Three coaches on staff have previous head coaching experience and athletic director experience. Five coaches on staff have previous coordinator experience, but most importantly, all the coaches on the staff are excited to build positive relationships with our athletes and win a few ball games along the way. Our Coaches for 2022 will be:
Andreas Aguirre - Head Coach/ O-Line; Kevin Bryant - Co-Defensive Coordinator; Joseph Walts - Co-Defensive Coordinator/ILB’s; Roy Mejia - Special Teams Coordinator/WR’s/D-Line; Steve Taylor - Offensive Coodinator/QB’s; Mark Kyle - Defensive Backs; Wayne Lisenbee - OLB’s/O-Line; Cory Prew - D-Line/TE’s; Brian Rogers - O-Line/D-Line/Video; Ronnie Schulze - O-Line/D-Line Tell us about the protocol for equipment the first couple of days? (How many days in helmets, shoulder pads, when can you go full contact etc.).
Aguirre - Over the years, the rules have changed so much within the UIL. For the first couple of days, the UIL has designated those days as acclimation days so student athletes can become accustomed to the rigors of football practice. These first two days are only helmets and shorts. Starting on Wednesday, athletes can then add shoulder pads and do some work on sleds and blocking/tackling pads. Once we work ourselves into full pads on Friday, we can start to have full contact.
What are you looking/examining during the first week of two-a-days?
Aguirre - This summer we focused a lot on mobility, strength, and speed. So, during the first week, we need to focus on getting in game shape while learning the new terminology and components of our offense. Our offense will look slightly different because of the loss of so many good skill kids but we should be better up front, and our ability to run the ball should be better. It’s imperative we are able to run the ball, so we do not have to sling the ball around so much.
How many kids are on the varsity roster during the 1st couple of weeks? Any chance of the JV guys getting pulled up?
Aguirre - Right now, we have about five sophomores who are on the bubble and could play a pivotal role on our varsity squad if they show that they are ready. It’s important to me and our program that kids who are moved up play and not sit and watch. The JV level is crucial in development, so we never want to just pull a kid up to watch.
Now that your headed into year four as the athletic director at SS, do you see any changes to your prepping during the three weeks leading up to the regular season?
Aguirre - We are constantly changing things within our program to continue to refine it. Change is important because you never want to be stuck in the same routine. This is where complacency takes hold and programs become content with where they are, rather than trying to improve. Overall, we have made big changes to our offense to better fit our kids and the style of football we need to play in order to have a successful season. We have looked at scheduling to better fit both the middle school and high school teams. With that being said, one thing remains the same. We will continue to focus on our culture and continue to build on what we have done in previous years.