Eagle Pass Eagles picked to finish Third in District 29-6A Football

By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

The mighty Eagle Pass High School Eagles varsity football team is picked to finish in third place in the new District 29-6A (formerly 5A) during the 2014 Texas high school football season, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.

The Eagles will remain in the same district alignment as last year (2013) except for C. C. Winn Mavericks realignment to District 29-5A. District 29-6A will include Del Rio High School Rams, Laredo Alexander High School Bulldogs, Laredo Johnson High School Wolves, Laredo United High School Longhorns, Laredo United South High School Panthers, and the Eagle Pass Eagles.

Texas Football Magazine picks Laredo United Longhorns to win District 29-6A, Laredo Alexander Bulldogs to finish second, the Eagle Pass Eagles to finish third, Laredo United South Panthers to finish fourth, Del Rams to finish fifth, and Laredo Johnson to finish in sixth place.

The Eagles are under the direction of Head Coach Tom Gonzalez. The Eagles will seek to improve their 4-6 overall season record from last year and bi-district finalist.

The Eagles will have 20 returning lettermen from last year’s playoff team with five starters on offense and seven starters on defense. Coach Gonzalez pointed out players to look out for include quarterback Ty Chisum; defensive back and running back DeShawn Franklin; outside linebacker R.J. Valdez; nose tackle Jesus Fernandez; middle line backer Armando Lopez; running back Mark Venegas; wide receiver Riche Gonzalez; outside line backer Saul Garcia; defensive end Steven Rivera; safety Jesse Mata; linebacker Luis Mendez; offensive lineman Iram Gaytan; split back Joey Flores; split back Ricky Medina; offensive lineman Adrian Rodriguez; and offensive lineman Jovan Garza.

Coach Gonzalez stated the Eagles strength is its staunch defense led by defensive back DeShawn Franklin who had 75 tackles and 5 interceptions last year, outside linebacker R.J. Valdez who had 92 tackles and 9 sacks, nose tackle Jesus Fernandez, and defensive end Steven Rivera. Coach Gonzalez noted the Eagles offense will be led by third year quarterback starter Ty Chisum, running backs Mark Venegas and DeShawn Franklin, and a group of wide receivers. The Eagles operate the Spread Offense when they have the football. Gonzalez believes the Eagles defense will be one of the best in the district.