High expectations for the Brackett Tigers

By Aaron HarrisLIVE! SportsOn a mid-July afternoon in the film room adjacent to the Brackett Tigers’ coaching office the projector rolls and reveals a familiar sight to people who watch the team play regularly. Three yards... then four... then two... then they break one for a whopping twelve... all the while methodically breaking the will of their opponents.Many onlookers would yawn at the lack of “mixing it up” in play-calling. Greg Voyles doesn’t.“Some people around here have said our offense is boring. In my opinion, winning is never boring. 10-win seasons are never boring,” said Voyles, the Tigers’ second year head coach. “We have a lot of fun running it down people’s throats, and that’s all that matters.”Make no mistake about it: there are no surprises in what Brackett does – they run the ball right at you, with compromising power and finesse out of a simple slot-t formation, right into the heart of their opponent’s defense – and usually you can’t stop it. Three yards a play is what they aim for, and they might throw the ball three times a game.Brackett Tigers at a Glance An undefeated season? Another unblemished District Championship run? It’s all within the grasp of the mighty Tigers. The physical Brackett team this year has plenty of talented players coming back – which should make them dominant in ’06. 2005 Record: 10-2, 4-0 District 29-1A2006 District 29-1A Prediction: 1ST Head Coach: Greg Voyles (Sul Ross University) - 2nd SeasonRecord at Brackett: 10-2Offense: Slot-t Defense: 3-4Returning starters: Offense – 7 Defense – 7Game of the YearBrackett at RockspringsOctober 20While Brackett at Sonora in Week 1 may be the sexy match-up of the year, the trip north to Rocksprings holds the Tigers’ biggest hurdle in district play. The Angoras will be ready. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.That projector reveals plays from a touchdown drive in the game between Brackett and Rocksprings last season – a contest that the Tigers dominated to the unsightly tune of 47-14. The longstanding rivalry between those two Southwest Texas teams takes a whole new meaning this season, as they will fight for the same district crown after mirroring undefeated District Championship seasons in 2005.Who, you may ask, were the interested spectators of a game film almost a year old, and over three months preceding this year’s district battle between the rival Tigers and Angoras? Not Greg Voyles, or any of his coaching staff – but Robert Davis and Ivan Pinales, the returning senior leaders for the Brackett Tigers.While many high school kids, and football players alike, spend their summers having fun in the sun and getting in all of the recreation time possible before two-a-days start, Davis and Pinales have got football on the brain – and continuing their district dominance in a new, tougher District 29-1A.Moreover, the Brackett stars have Rocksprings on the brain. There seems to be no love loss between the new district foes, and –at least in Voyles’ and his players’ view – the team from 61 miles to the north presents the biggest threat to the Tigers’ district dominance and another unblemished league crown.“I really think it’s going to come down to us and Rocksprings in the district,” Voyles said. “But we’re not going to change anything we do.”The two senior team-captains for the Tigers have a slightly different, more self-motivating approach.“Those guys like to talk a lot, and run their mouths, even though we showed we’re the better team,” Pinales said. “We’re going to do the same thing to them this year, and I’m glad they are in our district now.”2006 Schedule Sep 1 Dilley 7:30 PM Sep. 8 at Sonora 7:30 PM Sep. 15 Charlotte 7:30 PM Sep. 29 Natalia 7:30 PM Oct. 6 at Ben Bolt 7:30 PM Oct. 13 D’Hanis* 7:30 PM Oct. 20 at Rocksprings* 7:30 PM Oct. 27 Sabinal* 7:30 PM Nov. 3 at Nueces Canyon* 7:30 PM Nov. 10 La Pryor* 7:30 PM *Denotes District GameAny brash talk coming from the Brackett star is not devoid of a strong devotion to getting better, as evidenced by the midsummer film session for Davis and Pinales. QB Davis seconds the confident sentiments of his rushing partner about the rivalry moving to district play – albeit a little less vociferously.“Rocksprings is going to be really good since they have a lot of guys coming back,” Davis, the Tigers’ senior signal-caller said. “We’ve got a lot coming back too, and I think we’ve still got the edge.”Indeed, on offense the Tigers have an abundance of talent coming back in 2005. With seven total starters returning from a regional semifinal team, Brackett only loses one starter from the dominant offensive line of last year. Although the Tigers lose 1,500 and 500-yard rushers to graduation, 900-yard rusher Pinales and 500-yard rusher Davis (both with 11 touchdowns each last season) will continue to run the ball behind standout linemen John Moore (Sr. OG) and Junior Adams (Sr. C).Turning around to the ‘D’, it will be more of the same for the Tigers as well, with the same number of returners as the offense from their dominant defensive team of 2005, seven. Junior Fermin Villanueva along with Pinales man the linebacking brigade, and two-way threat Davis and Travis Bonner are expected to make plays in the secondary.For Coach Voyles, with the Brackett Tigers there is no big secret to what they do – just continued room for improvement. That just doesn’t apply players’ performances, according to the coach who is coming off his rookie year as a head man.“We’re going to run the football, and we look for Ivan and Robert to have great years doing that,” Voyles said. “With a year under my belt, I will be a better coach. I’ve got about a five-page list of things I can do better this year.”Improving on recent successes this season will be a challenge for Brackett in their new district, but could lead them to another championship, and another deep playoff run.