After being reclassified to Class 1A, the Van Horn football team made a quick impact in its first season playing six-man football last year.
The Eagles had a 4-3 overall record, picking up convincing wins over conference foes Buena Vista and Marfa.
Their performance was strong enough to help them clinch a spot in the 2020 playoffs, until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Eagles to forfeit a bi-district matchup against Rankin.
It was one of two games Van Horn had to concede last season, including a regular-season district showdown with Fort Davis in October.
Senior quarterback Jermaine Corralez believes those losses put a chip on his team’s shoulder.
“Knowing that we could have made a run in the playoffs, we really just want to bounce back from last year,” Corralez said.
The quarterback will look to lead the team with a full year of six-man competition under his belt.
He’ll be accompanied by 10 other returners, including running back and defensive back Elijah Gaines.
When they switched to having six men on the field instead of 11, the Eagles needed to adjust their speed at every position.
Gaines focused on getting faster and leaning more on his teammates to get over the hurdle of having less substitutes available.
“We got to play more as a team and it’s definitely more tiring because we don’t have a lot of numbers,” Gaines said. “We still get it done.”
Along with the Eagles’ veteran returners, some newcomers have made a quick impact in the few practices they have been in.
Some of the team’s newest members are joining in after playing the six-man game at the junior high level.
Now that nobody on the team is new to playing with less people on the field, head coach Brock Tyrrell said the areas to focus on are the pace of the game and playing through contact.
Gaines said he has no issue passing down some lessons to his younger teammates and he wants to see the squad nail down its conditioning drills to make up for its lack of depth.
For Tyrrell, the key for his team to achieve regular season and playoff success is to stay healthy.
While the head coach said last year’s COVID-19 situation was out of his team’s control, he believes the effort the players put in every week is something they can maintain a firm grasp on.
If the team plays every game like it’s the biggest of the season, then the pressure won’t be too much when contests have larger implications later in the season.
“It’ll feel just like all the other ones do,” Tyrrell said.
As Tyrrell enters his 11th season at Van Horn, he realizes the hard work the students in the community put in to keep the football team competitive.
With virus uncertainties still taking place across the country, Tyrrell wants his players to be grateful for the moments they have on the field.
“We’re following the guidelines that our district gives us,” he said. “We’re just taking it day by day and we’re not taking for granted any time that we get together.
“That time that we get together, we’re going to make sure we put to good use and that way at the end of the day or week, no matter how long it lasts we know we can be proud of what we put in.”
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VAN HORN EAGLES
— COACHES —
>> Head coach: Brock Tyrrell.
>> Coach’s overall record: 13-27.
>> Coach’s record at school: 13-27.
>> Assistant coaches, duties: Luis Garcia, defensive coordinator; Armando Ortega, offensive coordinator; James Davis; Fabian Baeza.
— TEAM INFORMATION —
>> 2020 overall record: 4-3.
>> 2020 district record: 2-1 (Second, District 5-1A)
>> Last district title: 1992.
>> Last playoff appearance: 2020 (bi-district).
>> Stadium name: Eagle Field (2,500).
>> Base offense: J-Bird.
>> Base defense: 3-2.
— PLAYERS —
>> Returning lettermen: 11.
>> Returning starters: 6 (3 offense, 3 defense).
>> Key returners: Jermaine Corralez, Sr., QB; Elijah Gains, Jr., RB; Bryce Virdell, Jr., RB; Ethan Hinojos, Jr., RB..
>> Key newcomers: N/A.
VAN HORN EAGLES
Date Opponent Time Site
Aug. 13 Fort Davis/Dell City* 10 a.m. Van Horn
Aug. 20 Sanderson* TBD Sanderson
Aug. 27 Fort Hancock 3 p.m. Sul Ross
Sept. 3 Balmorhea 7:30 p.m. Van Horn
Sept. 10 Dell City 7 p.m. Dell City
Sept. 17 Sanderson 7:30 p.m. Sanderson
Sept. 24 Garden City 7:30 p.m. Van Horn
Oct. 1 Grandfalls-Royalty 7:30 p.m. Grandfalls
Oct. 8 Sierra Blanca 7:30 p.m. Van Horn
Oct. 15 Open
Oct. 22 Buena Vista 7:30 p.m. Imperial
Oct. 29 Fort Davis 7:30 p.m. Van Horn
Nov. 5 Marfa 7:30 p.m. Marfa
*-scrimmage
