STERLING CITY, TX-- The Sterling City Eagles saw their season end in the Bi-District round of the 2017 playoffs to eventual State Champion Borden County.
The Eagles will look to avoid a similar route to that of 2017 since state power Balmorhea was placed in District 7-1A Division I, District 8’s Bi-District opponent. That’s easier said than done with No. 4 Garden City sitting atop their district.
“(Practice) has been a great start,” head coach Trey Sisco said. “The kids have been real upbeat. They’re confident in what they can do. I think that’s something we need to get started. We need to get off to a good start and get some confidence going.”
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Sisco, entering his third year at Sterling City, gets four starters back on offense and five on defense from last year.
“We’re not a young team,” Sisco said. “We’ve got seven seniors out here, but, as far as playing time goes, we’re a little younger. We started a couple of sophomores last year. Now they’re juniors.”
In Sisco’s eyes, that group of starters will help the Eagles get that confidence.
“It’s really cool to have those guys back,” Sisco said. “It’s a little deceiving because those are the same four or five guys on both sides of the ball. Hopefully we have a few guys step up so they don’t have to play both ways the whole game. If we have three or four guys going the whole game and a couple of guys who are fresh, I think we’ll be okay.”
Wyatt Sisco returns after a good season on both sides of the ball and looks to be a key athlete for the Eagles.
Tayvenn Rainor was the featured running back for the Eagles last year and has since graduated. That means Francisco Calderon will get more carries this year for Sterling City.
“(Calderon) is looking good coming in,” Sisco added.
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Above: Wyatt Sisco and Quinton McMullan work on shedding blocks. Aug. 6, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)
One of the now-juniors that stepped up last year was Quinton McMullan. Sisco sees big things coming for the linemen in 2018.
“When we lost one of our players last year, he had to step in and start on the line as a sophomore,” Sisco said. “Now he’s gained 20 pounds and he’s looking really good.”
The Eagles have had some of the toughest schedules over the last two years. Sisco wanted to mix it up in 2018 and give his guys a chance to develop that confidence while still being challenged on the field.
“Last year, we might have had the toughest schedule in the state,” Sisco said. “Scheduling, on my part, can hopefully get a little more confidence against teams that are good, but not as good as they have been in the past. Confidence is key to getting this season started right.”
No matter how the season shakes out down the road, it’s no secret the road to a district title parallels Highway 158 through Garden City.
“We talked about it when everyone got here yesterday; our goal is to win a district title,” Sisco said. “That goes through Garden City. They’ve had some great teams the last few years and they took it to us last year. So, that’s going to be a big game. Not to overlook everybody else, but they’ve won the district the last two or three years. So, they’re the ones on top and we’ve got to do something to take that spot.”
Sterling City begins their campaign on Aug. 31 against the Bastrop Tribe Warriors. Their home opener is the following week against Imperial Buena Vista.
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