by JASON GORDON
Hays senior receiver Michael Romero leaps between two defenders to grab a pass last season. Rebel head coach Bob Shelton is pleased with the progress his team made this spring. (Photo by Joel San Miguel)
Despite the fact the competition level will certainly be difficult in Hays’ new district, longtime head coach Bob Shelton is pleased with the strides his team made in the offseason.
During spring football classes, the returning and new Rebel varsity team members began the task of making a strong comeback after Hays suffered its first non-winning season in 25 years in 2009.
Coming off a 4-7 season competing in a district that included teams with recent poor football traditions like Manor and Elgin, Hays will now have to face off against the likes of Smithson Valley, Alamo Heights, Clemens and New Braunfels Canyon, along with Lockhart and Lehman in the new District 27-4A.
“We really feel good about how things went in the offseason,” Shelton said. “We feel like we made a lot of progress.”
Hays will return only three starters on offense, running back Torrance Smith, offensive lineman Alex Rocco and running back Tony Garza; and two on defense, nose guard Austin Reyes and defensive lineman Alan Marin, but the Rebels will have a total of 30 seniors.
Smith also started in the defensive backfield last year, but Shelton said the game plan is to currently use the speedster exclusively on offense this fall.
“It looks like we’ll also have about 20 sophomores and juniors on varsity, along with our 30 seniors,” Shelton said. “It should give us a good mix of players that know what it’s like to play on that level and some guys that will have to get used to playing at the increased speed of a varsity game.”
The quarterback race should be a good one between junior Mason Cervenka, who was the varsity backup last year, and sophomore Caleb Kimbro, who led the freshman team to a 9-0-1 record and district championship last season and was also named first-team all-district on the varsity basketball team this spring.
“Right now, it’s a pretty even race,” Shelton said. “It’s been back and forth. One day, one will look better, and the next day the other one will. The competition is making both of them better and that’s a good thing. If the season started today, I think both of them would play a lot, but the scrimmages we have in August may change that.”
Cervenka and Kimbro both said they aren’t concerned with who wins the quarterback battle.
“No matter who starts we’ll still be really good friends like we are now,” Cervenka said. “I just want to win. I’ll play running back if that’s where they decide they need me.”
Kimbro agreed that winning is what matters most.
“No matter who gets the job we both want to win,” Kimbro said. “If I’m not playing quarterback, I want to be somewhere else on the field that helps the team.”
Shelton is pleased with Hays’ choice of captains for the 2010 season: tight end Billy Tabor, linebacker Jordan Jennings, Rocco and Reyes, who will all be seniors this fall.
“All four are extremely hard workers and players who lead by example,” Shelton said. “They all do a good job in the classroom, and are the kind of student-athletes that make us proud at Hays.”
Shelton said there’s no doubt his team will have to raise its level of play in the new District 27-4A.
“We’ve talked about the fact we’re going to have to step it up,” Shelton said. “Our players understand what we need to do.”
Summer workouts begin Aug. 2, and Hays will scrimmage twice during the summer, Aug. 14 at Del Valle and Aug. 21 at home against Temple before opening the regular season Aug. 27 against Akins at Burger Stadium. The Rebels begin District 27-4A play against Lehman at Shelton Stadium on Sept. 24.
