Football season’s return often comes with a palpable buzz of excitement, as teams across the state make their final preparations for the season’s opener. Optimism is a given, and many treat a heaping plate of confidence like a necessary part of the food pyramid.

That sentiment is as present in the woods of Comal County as anywhere else in the state. No goal is too lofty; no dream is too ethereal; no opponent is too challenging.

“We should win every game,” head football coach Larry Hill said. “If (other people) don’t think we can, they need to get out of here. And I don’t mean that in an arrogant, flippant way, (but) our expectation is any opponent, anytime, anywhere. … There’s really a thousand reasons, but not one single good excuse, why we can’t win every time we go out there.”

His confidence is striking, but the team does appear to be on an upwards trajectory after a dramatic postseason victory over rival Reagan, as they earned their first playoff victory since 2017. It’s a young team, but one Hill thinks has a real chance to make noise this season.

The offense is spearheaded by Derek Mata, a first-year starter who impressed in limited playing time last season. He’s his own man, but his coach sees similarities to a certain Smithson Valley alum who plays quarterback for UTSA.

“(He’s) got a real live arm, very accurate arm, very reminiscent of the (Josh) Atkins kid we had four or five years ago in terms of style,” Hill said. “(He’s) very accurate, and he can get the ball up the field … You hate to use the word game manager, (because) the minute you say game manager, (people think) ‘okay, the kid doesn’t have any skills, he can’t run, doesn’t have any arm strength, but he’s a really smart guy.’ (But) he does a nice job of changing plays at the line. … He’s very sharp, really gets that part of it.”

Mata beat out Chase Senelick in a quarterback competition this summer, but that decision isn’t an indictment on Senelick.

“I think the biggest thing is that both quarterbacks have live arms and both of them are pretty accurate, but Derek is pretty uncanny,” Hill said. “I’d be surprised if he doesn’t throw for a high percentage. And it’s really just a case of, right now, today, we just feel like he needs to get the bulk of the snaps.”

He’ll be protected by a big offensive line, led by junior Colton Thomasson, a Texas A&M commit, and returning starter Britt Stolle. The rest of the line is experienced as well, particularly twin seniors Nick and Alex Freeman, both of whom received significant playing time down the stretch this past season.

The offensive arsenal is reloaded this year, especially in the passing game. Wide receiver Zack McDonald returns, and juniors Kyler Clarke and Brayden Bafidis (a former cornerback) could be in line for some creative touches as well.

“Zack McDonald … is back, a year older and better,” Hill said. “A lot of people have forgotten about Kyler Clarke. You know, how dynamic he was in that scrimmage and throughout the first three quarters of that Harker Heights game (before getting injured). … So, he gives you an element of being able to maybe score from anywhere on the field. He’s that quick. And Brayden Bafidis will be in that mix as well, moving over from defense.”

Meanwhile, Dylan Domel has scheme-altering talent at tight end.

“We’ve kind of expanded the tight end’s role,” Hill said. “(We’ve put) a little more emphasis on throwing it to (him), because he’s kind of got wide receiver skills in a tight end’s body. And so we feel pretty good about that.”

After taking 81 carries for 389 yards and 5 touchdowns a year ago, Travis McCracken is in line to start at running back. But he won’t be the only senior earning touches out of the backfield: linebacker Malachi Lane will likely spell McCracken at times, especially as the season progresses. And Lane won’t be the team’s only two-way player – defensive end Gavin Woods could see some time at tight end in 12 personnel.

The defense is talented, if inexperienced. Only three starters return, but as Thomasson and Nathan Moczygemba said on the “Two Linemen Buffet” podcast, defensive coordinator Craig Wersterfer “could make a good defense out of a bag of chips.”

Heading up the unit is Lane, whom Hill called the “acknowledged leader” of the linebacking corps. He led last year’s team in tackles, tackles for loss and fumble recoveries, and is the returning leader in hurries and forced fumbles.

“​​He’ll impact us a lot of ways,” Hill said. “And one of the biggest ways, I’ll take the football out of it, is just in the locker room and in the meeting room. He’s one of the leaders, (and) he impacts other players with how he practices, how he prepares and the high, high standard of performance that he holds himself to, and (his) high-standard behavior. I think that always matters, (but) it really matters if your more prominent players are that way, it really matters. And he exemplifies that.”

As big an impact as he’ll make off the field, though, he’ll certainly be a prominent figure on it. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football named him their preseason Defensive MVP for District 27-6A, and the coaching staff is working on getting him snaps at running back.

“He recognizes things defensively,” Hill said. “Formations, alignments of the backs, depth of the back, how the quarterback’s feet are – and then he gets our other players into calls at the line. Again, that doesn’t show up (to fans), ‘well, (the other team) ran a play and it didn’t make much.’ Well, the reason it didn’t make much is, he recognized the formation … (and changed) the defensive call at the line. 

“So in addition to playing his position well, in addition to maybe going over the offense and getting some carries and doing all the other things that he does for us, he impacts the team that way, as much as anything.”

Lane is the only returning starter in a young front seven. Senior linebackers Kolton Scheppler and Wyatt Hansen will bring playing experience, but Woods is the only defensive lineman on the two-deep with varsity experience.

The other three starters – senior Samuel Sifuentes-Shaffer and sophomores Jaxson Maynard and Douglas Lantz – will be tasked with replacing the tone-setting unit of a defense which racked up 96 tackles for loss and 22 sacks this past season.

“We got a lot of young, (and) we think pretty good, D-front guys, but who needs to play inside, who needs to play outside, (and) who needs to rotate in and out (is) still kind of working its way out, and probably will throughout the course of the early season,” Hill said. “Woods is back and will be kind of a stalwart, a ringleader of that group. … We got some talent coming with him, but it’s still working its way out.”

The back end is a bit more experienced, led by safeties Camden Egli and David DeHoyos, a junior who will occasionally slide down to cornerback depending on matchups. Garrison Eggleston, a former wide receiver, and sophomore Jackson Duffey will start at corner, and sophomore Zach Gingrich will man the slot.

And, as always, the special teams are a major focus. Sophomore kicker Clayton Amaya has all the makings of a long-term starter, and Hill said that punter Manny Osorio has “kind of taken over a little” in camp. On the other side, Clarke and Bafidis look like a dynamic returner duo.

A long season lies ahead for the Rangers, who will take on Warren on Friday at Gustafson Stadium at 7:30 p.m. But, if they play their cards right, anything is possible.

“Certainly (winning games) is tougher to do in our league than perhaps the others with a less ambitious schedule,” Hill said. “We’ll have a chance to win every game, but there wouldn’t be much difference between doing that and winnin’ about half of them. I mean, there’s not going to be much separation between those. And then, obviously if we’re able to win enough, and put ourselves in a position to play in the postseason, then at some point we’re going to have to solve the Austin problem. At some point. 

“(But) we’re not putting any limits on, ‘okay, you know, for us, this is going to be a good year.’ Or, ‘we’re gonna win, we’re gonna have a good game, but if we get to that point, that’s probably it.’ I mean, we don’t ever believe that around here. And if we don’t get where we think we need to go, then that’s our fault.”