Vandals host Pine Tree to open 2023 regular season Aug. 25
DAVID BARBER
After nearly three weeks of practices and scrimmages dealing with the heat, it appears that the hot weather will not be going away when the Van Vandals open their 2023 regular season schedule against the Class 5A Pine Tree Pirates in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Aug. 25 at Van’s Memorial Stadium.
Coach Jared Moffatt’s Vandals finished the 2022 campaign with an overall record of 6-5, placing third in District 8-4A, Division 2, behind state champion Carthage and Center.
The Pirates, competing in Class 8-5A, Division 2, are coming off a 2-8 season under second year head coach Jason Bachman as they return eight starters on offense and nine on defense.
Other teams in Pine Tree’s district include Texas High, Whitehouse, Marshall, Hallsville, Mount Pleasant, and Nacogdoches.
“We are now focusing on our first real game against a good opponent,” pointed out Moffatt, who is entering his 14th season at Van. “They will be keeping score in this one for sure.”
Moffatt shared that his team is not where they want to be yet, but they are at the point where he anticipated his squad to be entering the regular season opener.
“We have to keep improving,” shared Moffatt. “We are playing a talented team Friday night. I feel good about where we are at this point. We do have a few players that will be playing in their first varsity game. Asher Hawkins and Wyatt Dale return after missing all of last season due to injuries. We will have a better feel of where we are at after we play Pine Tree.”
The battles for playing time at some positions have become somewhat solidified, according to the Vandal head coach.
“We have Luke Horton that is going to play one of our outside linebacker spots Friday night,” said Moffatt. “He was a slot receiver last year. He has had a really good summer entering his senior year. He will be playing more defense than offense this season.”
Colton Miller, who also plays defensive end, will be seeing a lot of playing time at running back on offense.
“Colton is running the football really well,” said Moffatt. “Austin Moffatt, DaQuavius Williams, Chris Fabian, Wyatt Dale, and Cannon Rainey will also see playing time as well. It will be interesting to see how that all unfolds especially early in the season.”
The Vandals defeated the Pirates, 28-14, in last season’s opener in Longview and Jared Moffatt is anticipating a highly competitive matchup against Pine Tree Aug. 25 in Van.
“Pine Tree is a very talented football team,” emphasized Jared Moffatt. “Their defensive line is very talented. One of their defensive tackles is a Texas A&M commitment. They have two other defensive line guys that can really play well. They are athletic. Their defensive front is the strength of their defense. They like to mix up coverages in their secondary. They will show ‘Cover-2,’ ‘Cover 3,’ and ‘Man-free,’ They do different things in the secondary which makes them difficult to attack. They disguise their coverages well. Pine Tree will also show four or five different fronts defensively.
“I have been impressed with them in their scrimmages against Henderson and Gilmer,” continued Jared Moffatt. “Those are talented football teams that did not do much offensively against Pine Tree’s defense. Their defense runs hard to the ball.”
Offensively, the Pirates will show a lot of ‘I-formation’ looks, according to the Vandal head coach. “Their running back is a really good player,” said Jared Moffatt. “Their receivers are making plays for them. Their quarterback is different from last year. He has been impressive for them. Pine Tree is a run-first team and they do a really good job with their play-action game.”
Heat has been quite a topic of conversation during practices and scrimmages throughout the month of August and Jared Moffatt discussed the hot weather entering the regular season opener Aug. 25.
“At this time of the season, you always have some concerns about the heat,” pointed out Jared Moffatt. “Although we have been practicing and scrimmaging in the heat, it is different when you are talking about an actual game. It is a different pace for sure. Kids have to play their way into game shape.
“The heat is a factor, but we all know that there is going to be heat in August in Texas,” continued Jared Moffatt. “I would agree that this year has been a little hotter than normal. We have to manage and prepare for that. This is an outdoor sport. The elements are a part of the game. Our kids are mentally and physically tough.”
Jared Moffatt acknowledged that the subject of moving the kickoff time back Aug. 25 due to the heat was discussed but never seriously considered.
The Vandal head coach expressed his appreciation to the school district’s maintenance staff for keeping the grass practice fields in good shape so that the team could prepare outdoors during the week.
The Vandals concluded their pre-season scrimmage schedule Aug. 17 when they visited one of their Van Zandt County rivals, the Class 3A Grand Saline Indians.
“It was real hot,” recalled Moffatt. “We did not get a whole lot of work done. We did not put our first group out there at the end. I was happy with the plays that we did run. Caden Rowe has made good catches in both scrimmages. Our running game was good. Overall, I was real pleased. Our defense played hard. Everybody came out of that scrimmage healthy.”
For results of the regular season opener against Pine Tree and a look ahead to Van’s first road game at Chapel Hill Sept. 1, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.