Vandal football team begins 2023 practices July 31

DAVID BARBER

Sports Correspondent

It is time for another high school football season as the Van Vandals begin preparations for a new campaign starting Monday, July 31, at Van’s Memorial Stadium.

Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt is entering his 14th season as the leader of the Vandal program. His overall coaching record with the Vandals is 109-44.

“We are looking at our rosters now,” said Moffatt. “Right now, we could have over 50 freshmen this season which is really a large group. In all of my years at Van, I think we had 50 freshmen or more one other time. Our total numbers for grades 9-12 will be around 120 players. Our numbers have varied from 115-130 each season for the last 10 years.”

Moffatt said that he has been pleased with the participation and work ethic of his players throughout the off-season program which included the summer months as well.

“These players have grown up in this system,” pointed out Moffatt. “Our seniors this year were probably in kindergarten when I got to Van. That makes things run pretty stable. These kids don’t know anything different from what they have been doing over the last several years. Our kids work out during the summer, and they work hard. They have most of the month of July away from us as coaches. The players and the coaches have had a little break from each other. We will get cranked up July 31.”

The Vandal freshmen will practice from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday for the first two and a half weeks starting July 31 prior to school starting on Thursday, Aug. 17.

The varsity and junior varsity Vandals will work out in the evenings from 6:30-9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesdays, practice will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Our practice schedule for the varsity and the junior varsity has changed a little bit,” pointed out Moffatt. “In the past, we would do an hour-long practice, come inside, watch some film, and then go back outside to finish up. When COVID came, you could not do that. COVID changed a lot of things. We have not gone back to our pre-COVID practice schedule.

“We pretty much have stayed with what we have now,” continued Moffatt. “We decided to go to one practice. If we had to, our kids could be here on Monday and be ready to play an actual football game on Friday if we had to. Back when I played 30 years ago, we actually had real two-a-day practices, one in the morning and one in the evening. Times have changed. We do so much more work now in the spring and summer now compared to 30 years ago.”

The Vandals return 28 lettermen including eight offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s team that finished 6-5 overall.

Van was third in District 8-4A, Division 2, last season behind district champion and state champion Carthage and district runner-up Center.

Key returning players for the Vandals include senior offensive linemen Jose Suarez and Ace Bostick, senior defensive end Colton Miller, senior defensive end/offensive tackle Logan Fattig, junior quarterback Jaxon Moffatt, junior receiver Easton Hinch, junior receiver Caden Rowe, and free safety Cannon Rainey.

Other players to watch include senior defensive end Tuff Arozamena, senior receiver Luke Horton, senior receiver/cornerback Gabriel Bachert, senior defensive tackle Reggie Johnson, senior offensive lineman Trae Derrick, junior receiver/safety Asher Hawkins, junior linebackers Wyatt Dale and Landon Smith, junior offensive linemen Cooper Hullum and Justice Anderson, junior receiver/safety Austin Moffatt, and sophomore running back/cornerback Da’Quavian Williams.

The Vandals will have their annual Red/White intersquad scrimmage starting at approximately 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at Van’s Memorial Stadium.

Media Day for the Vandals will be at 6:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 11. Later that day, Van will travel to Spring Hill to take on the Spring Hill Panthers in a pre-season scrimmage.

Van will close out its pre-season scrimmage schedule with a visit to Grand Saline Thursday, Aug. 17 to take on their Van Zandt County rival, the Grand Saline Indians.

The Vandals will open their 2023 regular season schedule at home against the Class 5A Pine Tree Pirates in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Aug. 25 at Van’s Memorial Stadium.

District 8-4A, Division 2, play will open for the Vandals with a trip to Brownsboro to take on one of their chief rivals, the Brownsboro Bears, in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Sept. 22.

Van will once again be competing in District 8-4A, Division 2, with Carthage, Center, Canton, Brownsboro, Rusk, and Bullard.

For more information about the Vandals’ pre-season practices and a preview of the annual Red/White intersquad scrimmage, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.

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