Year one…
Howdy,
After living in College Station the past ten years, I really had no choice but to open with a “Howdy.” Another thing I brought with me from Aggieland was the passion to put together a football season preview magazine, like I had done the past ten years at KBTX-TV and another three years at a station I worked at in Kansas. I’ve covered high school athletics since I was a junior at Hardin-Simmons in 2003 and don’t see myself stopping any time soon.
As a kid I’d look at Athlon or The Sporting News college and pro football preview magazines for hours, and now I’m excited to present the first magazine I’ve produced “on my own.” Of course, I wasn’t alone, as my wife Allison and my father-in-law Charlie Shira were recruited to be on the sales team and my mother-in-law Terry Shira, a retired teacher, is a copy editing whiz. Also, thanks to my “team” (Creyton 7, Denson 6, Shira 3) for being patient with Daddy “always working on the magazine.” A huge thank you goes out to the area coaches who took a phone call from some guy they’d never met and shared the information that will hopefully give you something to read for a few hours.
It has been a strange offseason to say the least, which may end up making the 2020 season full of surprises and even more intriguing than usual. After realignment, teams like Anson, Cisco, Coleman, Colorado City and Eastland will move down a classification, while Haskell jumps up from 2A Division II to Division I. Will Cooper build off a great 2019 season and a deep playoff run? Can Wylie bounce back under new head coach Clay Martin? Will Abilene High return to the playoffs out of the newly re-formed Little Southwest Conference? Does Hamlin have a shot to get back to Arlington and win it all this time? Is there a six-man team in the area poised to break through with a big postseason run?
There will be plenty of new faces on the sidelines as well, as 10 coaches will lead new Big Country teams onto the field this fall. There is also a brand-new program, as TLCA Abilene jumps into UIL varsity football at the 1A level under Ryan Ward.
The college programs in the area have a chance to make it a memorable 2020 as well. ACU looks to rebound in year four under Adam Dorrel, Hardin-Simmons reloads and tries to challenge Mary Hardin-Baylor for the ASC crown, Howard Payne hopes to take the next step from a .500 club to a playoff contender, McMurry welcomes back an incredible 19 starters for year two with Jordan Neal, and Cisco begins a new era with new head coach Ryan Taylor.
Lastly, a huge thank you to the folks who advertised with us in this first edition. You’ll see Abilene Pediatric Dental on the front and back covers and throughout this magazine. We appreciate Dr. Seth Ardoin and company for believing in us and supporting us in year one.
See you at the game,
Cody Coil
Big Country Blitz
