DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

After five non-district games and a 3-2 overall record, the Van Vandals are more than ready for a break as they will enjoy some rest and relaxation before preparing for their challenging District 7-4A, Division 2, schedule.

The Vandals will open district play in a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday, Oct. 10 at Spring Hill against the Spring Hill Panthers.

“We were in school Monday (Sept. 29) and Tuesday (Sept. 30) before the start of Fall Break,” pointed out Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt. “The students were out of school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (Oct. 1-3). We worked out Monday and Tuesday. We won’t see the players again until Monday, Oct. 6. While there is some time you lose that you could be practicing, at this point, I think it is good for our players to get away from the routine a little bit. We do need to heal up.”

Vandal starting defensive lineman Waylon King, who missed the Sunnyvale game Sept. 19 due to a should injury, was held out of the Homecoming game against Brownsboro Sept. 26.

King is expected to return to the lineup in time for the district opener at Spring Hill Oct. 10.

The Vandals welcomed back starting running back/cornerback Da’Quavion Williams and linebacker Carter Admire to the lineup Sept. 26 against Brownsboro after both players missed the previous week’s game against Sunnyvale due to injuries.

Moffatt also assessed the overall performance of his team after five non-district contests.

“I feel good about where we are right now,” emphasized Moffatt. “We came into this season with a lot of question marks after graduating 20 seniors off of last year’s team. We had questions to answer and I think they are being answered. 

“Of course, during the season, new issues arise,” continued Moffatt. “We have had a number of injuries to deal with. In evaluating where we are right now, I am very proud of this team. I am pleased where we are. There are no moral victories. We have lost two football games. The two teams that we lost to were Lindale, who is undefeated, and Sunnyvale, who just lost their first game of the season to state-ranked Texarkana Pleasant Grove. We had chances to win those games. We have also won some close games earlier in the season. 

“I know that we have not played our best football yet moving forward,” emphasized the Vandal head coach. “We are not playing to the best of our potential and our ability yet. That is encouraging, but we have to get there. We are halfway through our season. We are running out of time to keep saying that we haven’t played our best football yet. 

“For us, we have to eliminate some foolish penalties and just keep making the plays that have to be made,” summarized Moffatt. “We cannot waste downs on either side of the ball. We must execute. If we can do those things, we have the parts on our team that we need to compete with the teams on our schedule. We know that there are some tough teams left on our schedule in district. I know that we can improve and get better, and I know that we will have to do that in order to beat the teams that are left on our schedule.”

In addition to the players, Moffatt said that the coaching staff is enjoying an opportunity to take a break from their responsibilities as well.

“As I get older, I believe more and more that the bye week might be my favorite part of the season,” summarized Moffatt. “People don’t really understand sometimes just how hard our coaches work each and every week during the season. These guys have worked seven days a week since August. They also work at home. The amount of time to get a football team ready to play at a high level and at their best each and every week is what we do here. They put in lots of hours. This bye week is coming at a good time for all of us. All of us have a chance now to take a deep breath and relax before preparing for district play.”

For more information and a preview of the District 7-4A, Division 2, opener at Spring Hill Friday, Oct. 10, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.