EAST TEXAS – The Tatum Eagles (0-0) led by head coach Andy Evans (134-46) will kick off the 20-11 football season against the Diboll Lumberjacks (0-0). Tatum returns star RB and all disrtict performer B.J. Allen. Allen rushed for 1,700 yards last year with 22 touchdowns. He will share the load with senior RB Brandon Woodard who carried the ball for 1,200 yards. Coach Andy Evans tells nextlevelathlete.com his team must establish a balance attack to be successful this season. He says QB Jalen Overstreet will be the guy who will determine that. The junior ‘s main target will be returning WR 6-0 182 Desmond Fite. This year’s offensive line is a load, which includes OG Justin Farrell, Jr., 6-6, 302 Tatum’s athleticism will be the key versus Friday’s opponent, Diboll Lumberjacks. However, if the jacks keep the ball…in the hands of running back Kamran McCollum this maybe a tough one. “ They have a great running back, who will sign a division I scholarship, we need to keep him under 100 yards to have a chance to win this game,” said Evans. This task will weigh on the shoulders of the Eagles defense. “Our defensive end Cullen Stone, Robert Lockridge (LB) , Hunter Lyles (LB), and (DE) Laderion Johnson have prepared all week for Diboll’s running game,” says Evans. “Today we will brush up on a few things with those guys, before tomorrow’s game.” Diboll failed to make the playoffs last year and hope that is not the case this year. The Eagles are projected to win district 9-2A DivisionI and is ranked no. 6th in class 2A.

- Shavonne Herndon (East Texas Analyst)

NORTH TEXAS – When the sun sets behind the west gate at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls tonight, the Hirschi Huskies will tee it up against the Sanger Indians, hopingto make a fast and memorable start. The Huskies have lost 25 of their last 26 games since getting off to a 3-0 start in 2007. Head coach Neil Searcy knows
that his team has to contain the Sanger quarterback, Dane Evans, who threw for
2,313 yards and 21 touchdowns last year.  “He is a talent, and he has great receivers,” said Searcy, who scouted Sanger last week after scrimmaging them in two previous seasons.

The Huskies will be led tonight by Trey Thomas, who completed 15 of 42 passes
for 170 yards last season. His primary task will be to hand the ball off to
Shane Clement, the Huskies’ leading rusher last season with 57 carries for 276
yards and two touchdowns.

In the past few seasons, the Huskies have stumbled out of the gate, which has led to another lengthy losing streak for the Huskies. However, in the new
District 5-3A, nobody looks to have a distinct advantage to begin the season. I think Hirschi will play hard tonight, and might even make it a close contest, but I think Sanger wins it in the end.

Patrick Lowe – (North Texas Analyst)