The team will play against Denton Broncos at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 at home. This season’s new head coach, Mathew Zimmerman, will be leading the team.

“Thankfully, after coach [Taylor] Baca left last year, it’s been an easy transition,” Zimmerman said. “I’ve been with coach Baca for the last year and a half, and [he] and I had the same beliefs as far as how the program should be run. I would say the biggest difference [with me being the new head coach] will be how the game is played, like what formations are used or how we do things within those formations. For the kids themselves, we have so many experienced players at this point that it’s a pretty seamless transition for them to be able to switch either formations or how to run the formations the way I want them to.”

The team lost senior players from last year, so instead of playing on the offensive end, Zimmerman is planning to counterattack more often.

“As far as talent goes, it is a good class, but we are going to change the overall style of play we are going to do,” Zimmerman said. “I think this year’s team is going to need to take [its] chances well, and we’re going to have to defend better than we would have had to last year. I think goals will be a lot tougher to come by this year.”

According to Zimmerman, the team’s greatest weakness this year is its opponents and game schedule. In the district, there are two state semi finalists from last year and four teams that are ranked top nine in the region. However, he said the team’s greatest strengths are in its numbers.

“We have a lot of guys who can step up this year,” Zimmerman said. “We might not have the high-end talent that we had last year, but as far as a unit goes, we are a strong unit together. The guys like playing with each other; they show up every day and they play for each other rather than for themselves. For us to be successful this year, they are going to have to come together and play as a team rather than a bunch of individuals.”

Zimmerman said he has set lofty goals for the team this year; the ultimate prize, he said, is winning a state championship.

“I like [Zimmerman] as the new head coach,” junior Owen Passmore said. “I think he has a really good understanding of the game and a good personal bond with each of us. I think that he is going to help us go far this year. For this season, I think as long as we stay focused and work hard, we can make it into the playoffs and hopefully go far.”

The Denton game is the first home game of the year. Zimmerman said this game will be a good early season gauge to see where the team is.

“It’s an opponent we’ve had for the past couple of years, so we are familiar with them,” Zimmerman said. “We enjoy having them on our schedule because they are a quality program. It’s not a team we can take lightly. It’ll be interesting to see how our boys come out and react [playing] at home.”