Spring Football 2009 Preview

Posted by KT2000 at April 6, 2009

Spring football will kick off in earnest across the state within a few short weeks.  The back-to-back Division II State Champion Tigers went back to work in January following a triumphant 13-3 season in 2008.

The incoming varsity group is much more experienced than it was at this time last year.  The Tigers return varsity experience at every position except place kicker.  The spring practice sessions will be a time for the coaches to evaluate off-season moves that have already been made and perhaps contemplate a few more.  It will also be an opportunity to tweak the depth chart ahead of the season start in August. 

A challenging non-district slate will launch the season with immediate force.  Nine of this year’s 10 regular season games will take place at Rhodes Stadium.  The lone road game is in the neutral confines of Waco ISD Stadium versus FM Marcus. 

The key areas for depth are always the offensive and defensive lines.  Every team battles to stay fit in the trenches, and it always proves crucial to have options across the entire roster.  The Tigers encountered this again last season when some starters missed significant time and others had to step up.

The outside expectations of this group will be higher because of the experience, but the goals within the field house will remain the same.  It would not be surprising to see several pre-season polls, both state and national, slot the Tigers highly this summer. 

Seniors Sam Holl (DB) and Shep Klinke (OT) were the first captains elected by the team early this off-season.  Two more will be elected by the Red-White game on May 19th.

Rhodes is actually unavailable as a base of operations this spring due to stadium renovations.  The team will be working out primarily on campus and the Red-White game is scheduled at Tully Stadium.

Tune into this space a few weeks from now as the pads are dusted off and the 2009 Tigers take the practice field.