With the varsity football season kicking off Aug. 29, editor Kristin Nicole talked with head coach Joshua Mann about this season.

What have you noticed is different from this team than last year’s?
We have a bunch more seniors. That usually means a bit more leadership and discipline going into the season versus last year.
 
Who have you seen step up to a leadership position?
Chris Hoad, pretty much all of our captains have for sure. There’s just so many. A lot of people have stepped up this year. Almost the entire senior class.

How do you feel about playing San Antonio Brennan right out of the gate?
I love it, it’s a huge challenge. You know, every year we play a great team. The past few years we’ve played Hendrickson and Liberty Hill.

Has there been any change from the preparation for the season, moving up to 6A?
Not really. It’s business as usual. We’re just trying to get better each week.

We have a tough non-district schedule. How will that help the team prepare for district games?
It’s gonna show us our strengths and weaknesses. We have to play tough teams this year to find our mistakes so that we can fix them before district.

What district game are you looking forward to the most?
Pflugerville because it’s the first test right off the bat. Knowing who you’re playing and their style takes a lot of weight off our backs.

What will be the toughest in district game?
They’re all going to be tough, but week 1o with Hendrickson is going to be tough. They’re the favorite going in to win it. If we have any shot, we have to beat them.

You’ve been to playoffs two years in a row, what is your ultimate goal for this season?
The ultimate goal would be to get back into playoffs. However, we measure it more on making a difference on and off the field. If the win comes with that, that’s great, but at the end of the day we want to make our boys into great men.

VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Aug. 29                 Brennan              @Brennan          7:30 p.m.
Sept. 5                  Cedar Park          @Bible                  7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12                Leander               @Bible                  7:30 p.m.
Sept. 19                Pflugerville         @Bible                  7 p.m.
Sept. 26                Westwood          @KRAC                7 p.m.
Oct. 10                  Round Rock        @Dragon             7 p.m.
Oct. 17                  McNeil                  @Bible                  7 p.m.
Oct. 24                  Cedar Ridge        @Dragon             7 p.m.
Oct. 31                  Stony Point         @Bible                  7 p.m.
Nov. 7                   Hendrickson       @Hendrickson  7 p.m.