DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

After multiple practices and three pre-season scrimmages, it is time for the games to start counting as the Van Vandals will begin their 2022 regular season football schedule with a trip to Longview to take on the Class 5A Pine Tree Pirates Friday, Aug. 26.

The regular season opener will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Pine Tree’s Pirate Stadium in Longview.

A number of starting positions were up for grabs during the three pre-season scrimmages for the Vandals and while most positions are filled now, there are still some opportunities for players to show that they are deserving of additional playing time as player evaluations will continue into the regular season, according to Moffatt.

“We have definitely reached some decisions on some positions, but we are still going to rotate some guys at some other positions,” pointed out Moffatt. “At this point, we will probably have at least five sophomores starting against Pine Tree Friday night (Aug. 26).”

Van’s regular season opening opponent, Pine Tree, will be competing in District 8-5A, Division 2, this season.

The Pirates are picked to finish fifth in their district according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.

Jason Bachman is in his first year as head coach at Pine Tree as he was promoted from serving as the team’s offensive coordinator. The Pirates were 4-6 overall including a 2-5 district record in 2021.

“Pine Tree scrimmaged Gilmer last week as I was impressed with how they looked against Gilmer,” said Moffatt, who is entering his 13th season as head coach of the Vandals with a 103-39 overall coaching record. “Pine Tree also has a new defensive coordinator. Defensively, they show multiple fronts. Their kids run hard to the football. Pine Tree has a really good receiver who made some plays against Gilmer. They have good running backs. I believe that they are a really solid football team. We will have to match their intensity. It will be a dogfight and we will really have to play well at their place to beat them Friday night (Aug. 26).”

Offensively, the Pirates have been a shotgun team previously but are getting under the center more this season, according to the Vandal head coach.

“They are a counter and power team,” summarized Moffatt. “They like to run the ball first. They can hurt you throwing and catching. Their quarterback can throw the deep ball well. They can make big plays in their passing game.”

Pine Tree tight end and defensive lineman Dealyn Evans (6-5, 265) runs a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash and is an early commitment to Texas A&M, according to Moffatt and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.

“He is a big kid, athletic, with good feet,” said Moffatt. “They like to move him around on the field. He also plays H-back and fullback on offense. If he is committed to A&M, you know that he is a talented football player. He lines up in a number of different spots on defense. He will probably line up over the center or the guard depending on what type of front they are in.”

The Vandal head coach said that he, his players, and coaches are anxious to get the 2022 regular season underway against the Pirates.

“I don’t want any more time to prepare for the season,” emphasized Moffatt. “After three straight weeks of practices, we are ready to play football games. Where we are as a team right now, well, I guess you can say that we are right where we should be but not where we want to be in the future. We will have to get a lot better in some key areas. We need playing time and experience. Until these guys get out there and play under the Friday night lights, we really have not done anything yet in a varsity football game. I am not sure how they are going to respond.”

Moffatt recalled his first varsity football game as a player when he was a tight end at Sulphur Springs High School.

“I am 46 years old, and I still remember playing against Lindale in 1992 as a junior in my first varsity football game,” recalled Moffatt. “I played tight end. I was sitting in the locker room at halftime, and I don’t even remember what happened in the first half. Everything happened so fast. That memory has always stuck with me. Everybody responds differently in that situation. Our guys just need to get comfortable with the speed of the game. There is no substitute for having done it before.”

Prior to the regular season opener at Pine Tree, the Vandals closed out their pre-season scrimmage schedule Aug. 18 hosting one of their Van Zandt County rivals, the Class 3A Grand Saline Indians.

“I thought we had a number of good things happen in our final scrimmage against Grand Saline, but we also had a couple of things that did not go so well,” summarized Moffatt. “I thought our first team defense played well overall. Offensively, we did well at times. We threw and caught the ball well early, but we missed some throws late in the scrimmage. Overall, I thought it was a good scrimmage for us. We got out of there healthy, which was important for us.”

Moffatt also had high praise for the Indians’ performance in the scrimmage. “Coach Drennon is in his third year at Grand Saline,” said Moffatt. “When they hired him, they could not have hired anyone better for that job. Their kids played real hard against us. They were physical and they really got after it. That is good to see on their side. They are doing what their coach is asking them to do and they are doing it well.”

The Vandal head coach discussed some individual performances that stood out for him on his team against Grand Saline in the Aug. 18 scrimmage finale.

“Our receivers, as a group, caught the ball well,” recalled Moffatt. “I thought Jaxon (Moffatt) threw the ball well early and then missed some throws at the end. He will need to play consistently good throughout. Our center, Kepler Multhaup, has played well in the last two scrimmages. Trae Derrick at left guard has done some good things for us. Defensively, we did not play a lot of starters a ton.”

The Vandal freshmen and junior varsity squads will host Pine Tree at Van’s Memorial Stadium to open their 2022 campaigns Thursday, Aug. 25, with the freshmen game starting at 5 pm followed by the junior varsity contest at 6:30 p.m.

Following the regular season opener at Pine Tree, the Vandals will begin their home schedule as the highly-regarded Chapel Hill Bulldogs visit Van’s Memorial Stadium in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Sept. 2.

For results of the 2022 regular season opener at Pine Tree and a preview of the Sept. 2 home opener against Chapel Hill, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.