The Compass Academy football team has an identity program.
The problem is, it does not have one.
New head coach Floyd White plans to change that … quickly.
“When I came in, the biggest thing, we have some culture issues and not just athletics,” said White, in his first year at the helm of the program.
“For us, from a football standpoint, we want to be the beacon for the direction we want to go.”
In order to do that, White is going to have to change everything the Cougars have done in the past.
Yes, Compass Academy has made the playoffs in each of its first two years as a varsity program.
That, however, was more about the strength of the district it played in and less about the overall talent level on the team.
So White has gone back to the basics with the team, working on spacing on the line of scrimmage, splits, the little things that when performed correctly, allow success on any given play.
“I’ve got to be able to see that,” White said. “Just them learning and then having game smarts.
“They have to make some adjustments and it’s on us as coaches to put them in a good position.”
A big adjustment for the Cougars will be the offense as White will be running the option.
All aspects of the options … mid-line, veer belly.
That puts an enormous amount of responsibility on the quarterback to not only be able to make the correct reads, but to make sure that he and his teammates take care of the football at the mesh points.
White has tabbed Diego Franco as his starter and is pleased with the amount of progress shown so far.
“He’s starting to figure things out, to get a good grasp on things,” White said. “That is hugely important.
“The quarterback mechanics, grasping something that y0u never had to do and then you come into a scheme that has rules you have to follow and then try to grasp it, it’s very difficult.”
Defensively, the Cougars will be led by linebackers Christian Stout and Abraham Davalos.
Davalos is White’s step-son and played at Midland Legacy last season where White was the defensive coordinator.
He had 88 tackles for the Rebels last season and earned All-District 2-6A honors in the process and will immediately upgrade the Cougars on that side of the football.
“He’s brought some of that intensity,” White said of Davalos. “He can call and check things during practice whenever I’m trying to teach other things.”
The Cougars are in the unique situation of playing a round-robin format against district opponents Crane, Alpine and Tornillo.
The four-team grouping means that everyone will make the playoffs, which takes a bit of pressure off White in his first season.
He is looking for more than just making the postseason, this year and beyond.
“We’ve got to have sustained success,” he said. “You need to see something beyond the regular season.
“To have a chance to get into the dance and play the tournament, it makes you fairly elite because only 64 teams each year get to do that. The Compass community, when you talk to people around here, they want us to be very successful; our kids are just as dedicated and tough-nosed as anyone around here.”
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COMPASS ACADEMY COUGARS
— COACHES —
>> Head coach: Floyd White.
>> Coach’s overall record: 0-0.
>> Coach’s record at school: 0-0.
>> Assistant coaches, duties: N/A.
— TEAM INFORMATION —
>> 2021 overall record: 1-10.
>> 2021 district record: 1-4 (Fourth).
>> Last district title: N/A.
>> Last playoff appearance: 2021 (lost to Sonora, 75-0, in bi-district).
>> Stadium name: King Memorial Stadium (Greenwood H.S.).
>> Base offense: Multiple.
>> Base defense: Multiple.
— PLAYERS —
>> Returning lettermen: 20.
>> Returning starters: 10 (5 offense, 5 defense).
>> Key returners: Abraham Davalos, 5-10, 195, Sr., LB/RB; Christian Stout, 6-1, 205, Sr., LB/TE; Ricardo Salinas, 6-1, 160, Jr., DB/WR; Tanner Gahr, 6-1, 155, Jr., DB/WR.
>> Key newcomers: Christian Davalos, 5-8, 155, Soph., DB/RB; JD Leyva, 6-1, 275, Sr., OL/DL.
