Thursday, April 25, 2024
Granbury head coach Chad Zschiesche and his Pirate team know their 2-8 record last year wasn’t good enough to live up to their standards.
But they also know that record doesn’t adequately reflect Granbury’s quality in 2018. The Pirates were right there in the second half in nearly every game, but couldn’t get the job done.
That’s why Granbury’s offseason has boiled down to one word: “finish.”
“We gotta find a way to win those games,” Zschiesche said. “So our biggest push was ‘finish.’ And our kids bought in, and they understood why.”
Granbury lost its season opener to Weatherford 23-20 last year and had a chance to win or tie on the final possession, dominated Arlington Heights in terms of yardage and time of possession but lost 16-13 and led Brewer 14-0 at the half before losing 35-21. This year, those results need to flip the other way.
Zschiesche thinks he has the team to do it.
“If we can stay healthy, this team can be as good as they wanna be,” he said. “We have high expectations, and the kids know that, and they gotta go live up to it.
“It’s not going to be acceptable to just be in those games. We have to find a way to come out on top.”
Friday’s scrimmage against Stephenville – a rain-soaked affair that was delayed by more than two hours due to lightning – was encouraging on that front. Granbury started flat but held Stephenville scoreless over two running-clock quarters and moved the ball well on offense. Clayton Kracy punched in a touchdown from the one-yard line for the lone score of the two quarters, and the Pirates had another long drive that stalled in the red zone.
“I was proud of them Friday night for finishing,” Zschiesche said. “We were not happy with how we started, but we were certainly happy with how we finished that scrimmage.”
But the scrimmages are over now, and the first game of the season is Friday at home against the Weatherford Kangaroos.
Here’s a look at how Gran-bury will stack up this season.
OPTIONS ON OFFENSE
The Pirates return eight starters on offense, perhaps none more important than senior quarterback Kyler Gibson.
Gibson won the starting job last season and played well, though he missed much of the middle of the year with a concussion suffered against South Hills. This offseason he’s matured mentally and physically, Zschiesche said, and he’s added 15-20 pounds to his frame.
“This is his fourth year to be in the offense,” Zschiesche said. “He feels like he has a really good grasp on everything. I think he’s an overall more confident quarterback. We worked on him getting the ball out sooner to keep him healthy.”
Gibson can scramble as well, picking up what the Pirates call “hidden yards.” He wanted to run more in scrimmages, but was not allowed to for safety reasons.
But he’s not the only running threat for Granbury, as the Pirates return two starting running backs in senior Clayton Kracy and junior Zach Watson.
“We like what we have there,” Zschiesche said. “They’re two different types of runners, but both very effective.”
Kracy is “always falling forward,” and has the ability to “get skinny” and make defenders miss at the line of scrimmage. Watson is a speedster, but Zschiesche said he’ll be a “more physical runner” this season.
The two also have good chemistry, according to their coach, with each pulling for the other.
“It’s gonna be fun with those two,” Zschiesche said.
Don’t be surprised if the Pirates trot out both backs at once in a formation this season.
At the outside receiver position, seniors Tristan Morris and Bryan Williams are both 6-foot-plus with good speed. Senior Pete Brown takes over the slot receiver role from Zach McCreight, who set a program record for career catches.
“We just gotta find a way to keep (Brown) healthy, but he’s very agile and he’s probably put on 10 pounds of muscle,” Zschiesche said.
The other slot receiver spot is still up for grabs.
Senior Cash Deason is the leader of the offensive line at center, with classmate Grant McDuff at tackle bringing starting experience. Johnny Sutton will line up at guard after starting most of the season.
Spencer Moyer, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, will line up at left tackle for the Pirates. Zschiesche described him as a “good-looking kid, very athletic.”
Senior Afton Haayer is what happens when you “trust the system and continue to work,” Zschiesche said, and the 290-pound guard has earned a starting role at the other guard spot.
“We’ve got a chance to be as big as we’ve been up front since I’ve been here,” Zschiesche said.
EXPERIENCE UP FRONT
Keeton Derouen, Brandon Morris and Ayres Harris, all seniors, return to start at three of the four defensive linemen spots. Zschiesche said his line is quick and brings “some tenacity and pursuit to the football that bigger D-lines don’t give you.”
The flip side of that is that the Pirate defensive line is undersized, so Granbury will have to scheme around bigger offensive lines. The Pirates will do so by stunting and twisting their linemen to gain an advantage.
Dustin Jones, Jonathan Lopez and Cody Bratcher will rotate through the other spot on the line.
Brendan Chism and Riley McGee are back at linebacker after starting as juniors. Senior Nick Buckler, who played running back last year, has “blossomed” as a linebacker, and will see time as well.
Junior Nico Ramirez has been hampered by injury, but is a “seasoned veteran” in terms of time spent on the varsity in practice sessions, and he’ll also compete for a linebacker spot while playing some safety.
The defensive backfield features two guys from the offensive backfield, as Kracy and Watson will both play safety. Ramirez may see time at safety as well.
Mateo Tort, Pete Brown and Cezar Hernandez will compete for the corner spot opposite Bryan Williams, who returns as a starter. Tort, a senior, received praise for his play in the Stephenville scrimmage.
A STRONG OPENING TEST
The Pirate defense will be tested off the bat against Weatherford, which features a “very talented backfield.”
Quarterback Ken Seals is committed to Vanderbilt and is the No. 24 pro-style QB in the 2020 Class, according to 247Sports. He’s joined in the backfield by Dezmond Forrest, who is listed at 5-7 170 but is “as quick a running back as we’ll see all season,” according to Zschiesche.
Weatherford also has a standout wide receiver in Rey Huang and an offensive line that will be a problem for Granbury with its size.
The Kangaroos lose nine of their defensive starters, which should give the Pirates a leg up on offense. Granbury will have to string together scoring drives in order to keep up with Weatherford, which should make for an up-and-down offensive battle.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine predicts the Roos to finish sixth in the seven-team District 3-6A. (The Pirates are predicted to finish seventh in District 3-5A D1, which has nine teams.)
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Pirate Stadium.
grant@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 254
