West Grand Mustangs seek seventh league title
The West Grand Mustangs are accustomed to success. Coach Chris Brown and the team are coming off of a 9-2 season which saw them win their sixth Northwest 8-Man League title in seven years, and winning a playoff game. The perennial contenders are looking to take the final step, and translate their regular season dominance into a State Championship run.
The good news is that only four seniors graduated from the team this offseason. The bad news is that they represent the entire star offensive line and a starting tight end from last season, leaving Coach Brown to construct an entirely new offensive front.
“They were all our starting offensive line, and three of them played in the 8-Man All State Game, so it was a great senior group,” said Brown. “One of the big questions is if our new line is going to be stout enough to play with the big boys later on in the year.”
Offensive Guard and Defensive end Travis Etler, Guard and Linebacker Bruce Cordova and Tight End and Defensive Tackle Isaac Matson all participated in the 8-Man All State Game last year. The Mustangs also lost Center and Defensive End Cole Sammons.
Despite the potentially shaky line, West Grand is returning a plethora of star power to the field this season, highlighted by Junior Luis Dominguez.
Dominguez is coming off a monster year. He rushed for 1,030 yards on just 169 carries, averaging better than 6 yards per carry. His 16 rushing touchdowns and five 100 plus yard games were team leaders by a considerable amount. Dominguez also threw for for 219 yards and three touchdowns on 51 attempts last year, and took in 43 yards through the air on seven catches.
Dominguez is representative of the team’s biggest asset, speed and athleticism.
“We’ve got more experience and more speed than we’ve had in awhile,” said Brown. “I think our athletic ability is outstanding, even on the line. We move to the ball well, and we have a lot of tracksters in this group.”
Coach Brown said he expects the skill positions, defensive line and defensive backfield to be strengths of the team. The team’s focus at the moment is developing the offensive line and finding a linebacker.
“We have both our quarterbacks back, and we’ve got about four kids that could play varsity running back,” said Brown. “We’ve got to get them all on the field, and there’s only one football.”
Starting quarterback Brady Gore is returning for his senior season after throwing for 682 yards on 87 attempts in the run heavy zone read spread offense. He completed 41 percent of his passes, throwing for 11 touchdowns and ten interceptions.
The season begins September 1, at Sanford High School. The home opener will be September 15, against Nederland High School.
Brown said the team is planning a scrimmage with Dayspring Christian Academy and Sargent High School. West Grand defeated Dayspring in the first round of the state playoffs last year, before losing to Sargent 63-30 in the quarterfinals.
“We’re just going to see if we can get better every week,” said Brown.
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