Boerne Champion will kick off district play Thursday night when the Chargers host New Braunfels Canyon at BISD Stadium, 7 p.m.
The Chargers enter the contest undefeated and head coach Blane Ellis said he felt like his team had the potential to be 3-0 when the season started.
“We played good pre-district opponents, two good 6A programs and then Canyon Lake, which is a very good 4A program, but we felt if we did what we’re capable of doing, we should be able to go 3-0,” the coach said.
NB Canyon is 2-1 and coming off a 32-28 victory over New Braunfels in the Wurst Bowl.
In last year’s meeting between the Chargers and NB Canyon, the Cougars won 49-32 on its way to a 6-1 district record. The 49 points Champion surrendered tied for the most they gave up last year, but Ellis said he and the coaching staff are not taking the revenge angle.
“We want to be forward focused; our focus is on what we have to do to get better,” he said. “We haven’t not talked about it but it’s not our main focus.”
Ellis said NB Canyon has a new look this year. They graduated top receiver Xayvion Noland, while QB Deuce Adams and his brother and wide receiver Eli Adams transferred schools.
“They’re a different team offensively, I wouldn’t say they’re as explosive but they are disciplined and do a good job with what they run,” Ellis said. “Defensively, they look the same. They try to give you a lot of different looks up front and try to keep the lid on the back end.”
Ellis said their next three games vs. Canyon, Hays and Seguin will likely define their season.
“We feel like these next three are big for us,” he said. “We have to have a lot of success in these first three.”
Even so, Ellis said their only focus this week is playing the Cougars, but added that he likes how they’re playing as they enter this tough stretch.
“They’re playing well as a unit, we’ve moved some pieces around here and there but the kids have bought into that,” he said. “It’s fun to watch them progress and put a consistent, dominant game together. It’s a testament to those guys, they’ve made some adjustments.”
Defensively against Canyon Lake, Tony Graves intercepted a pass and Grant Menzies also had a pick that he returned for a touchdown.
Offensively, Jordan Ballin tossed three TD passes, two to Sawyer Bolli and another to Cole Riha. Bolli added a 51-yard touchdown run and Riha also rushed for a score.
One thing the Chargers did this year is move Bolli to offense to take advantage of his athleticism.
“As a staff, me and the coordinators, we like using him offensively, it makes him dynamic,” Ellis said. “It was a joint decision, everybody has known his explosiveness, so we had to use him on offense.”
Champion plays its second Thursday game of the season but Ellis said it’s not an issue going on a short week.
“I don’t mind a Thursday game at all,” he said. “We’ve already played a Thursday game this year, so it’s good.”
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