COMFORT – When the UIL realigned the football districts last February for the next two years, they put Comfort in a league with teams the Bobcats aren’t familiar with or have any kind of history with.
Because of that, it’s fair to call it a fresh start for Comfort, but a new beginning just might be what the Bobcats need this season.
Comfort went 1-9 last year and 0-4 in district and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season.
The good news is the Bobcats return nine starters on each side of the ball and have dropped from DI to DII in the 3A ranks.
Bobcats coach Brandon Easterly said he and the team are excited about the new year and new district and have been working hard preparing for the upcoming season.
“They did a great job this summer of consistently being here and grew close as a team,” he said. “I’m really proud of the guys that have committed to the process.”
A look at the district
In District 15-3A DII along with Comfort is Nixon-Smiley, Natalia, Karnes City, Dilley, Poth and West Campus, teams that haven’t been on the Bobcats schedule in a while, if ever.
“The district is very solid all around,” Easterly said. “Poth and Natalia have had some real good years lately, Karnes City is very talented, Nixon-Smiley and Dilley play a tough-nose brand of football and West Campus is starting fresh and I’m sure they’ll be excited about playing in a new district.”
Texas Football magazine has the Bobcats finishing fourth in the district, which would mean a playoff spot for Comfort since the top four teams advance.
Easterly said he isn’t worried about where the magazine has them picked.
“I don’t put too much stock in that just because you never know what is going to happen week-to-week with teams and how they are going to improve or be decimated by injuries by the time district starts,” Easterly said.
While Comfort’s district schedule will have some unfamiliar opponents, the same can’t be said about the Bobcats’ non-district schedule.
Included in non-league play are familiar foes Johnson City, Ingram, Blanco and Brackett, all teams they played consistently over the years.
A look at the team
The Bobcats didn’t make the playoffs in 2018 or in 2021 but the 2019 and 2020 seasons were good for them. In 19, they went three rounds before falling to East Bernard and in 20, they lost in the opening round to Jourdanton.
Texas Football magazine list players to watch as Isaac Duran, Tony Ybarra, Tristan Crawford, Santos Hernandez, Mason West, Fabian Neri, Landon Aguirre, Juan Zarate, Noah Bohnert, Sam Tucker, Adolfo Campos, Martin Hernandez, Colten Hidalgo, Eli Hernandez, Ty Matter, Caleb Van Geffen and Jack Werner. They’ve also received at least one move in that should help the team.
Easterly said the team is ready to get after it and is taking a simple approach.
“We just want to improve every day and compete,” he said.
Comfort Football Schedule 2022
Friday, Aug. 26, Johnson City at Comfort, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 2, Ingram at Comfort, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 9, Comfort at Blanco, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16, Comfort at Brackett, 7:30 p.m.
*Friday, Sept. 23, Nixon-Smiley at Comfort, 7:30 p.m.
*Friday, Sept. 30, Comfort at Natalia, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7, no game
*Friday, Oct. 14, Karnes City at Comfort, 7:30 p.m.
*Friday, Oct. 21, Comfort at Dilley, 7:30 p.m.
*Friday, Oct. 28, Poth at Comfort, 7:30 p.m.
*Friday, Nov. 4, Comfort at West Campus, 7:30 p.m.
*district games
Comment
Comments