The football team will play its first home game against the No. 4 ranked Southlake Carroll Dragons on Sept. 6 in Brian Brazil Stadium at 7 p.m.
Hebron is currently ranked No.119 in the state and Southlake Carroll ranked fourth. The team opened the season with a 48-31 win against Dallas Jesuit last friday.; linebacker Luke Sharp said that starting the season out strong and making a statement to those who doubt them is important to the team.
“Going into this game after a good win in a game that a lot of people thought we were supposed to lose motivates us, especially since we have nothing to lose going into this week,” Sharp said. “Southlake is one of the best teams in the state, and we’re not supposed to win, but it’s an opportunity for us to go out and make a statement.”
The game marks the first time Hebron will play Southlake Carroll since 2017, where the Hawks won 36-31. Even though it is a tough matchup, Sharp said, if the team prepares well enough, it will be an interesting game.
“[Southlake] is a very good team,” Sharp said. “We know they’re going to be faster, stronger and well-coached. We just need to stay true to our fundamentals and work hard throughout the week. If we keep playing with each other, if we work hard throughout the week and we really do prepare, we can put out a good product on Friday night.”
Head coach John Towels said one of the biggest takeaways from the Jesuit game was the team’s ability to bring its energy to “weather the storm.” He also said that continuing to bring that energy going into a game against a ranked team in Southlake Carroll will be key.
“Southlake is a traditional powerhouse team, so they’re going to do what they do,” Towels said. “For us, it’s still a ‘let’s find out’ game. Let’s find out how far we’ve come and [what we] still need to learn. We want to go play the best so we can be the best.”
Even though it will be a tough game, Towels said it is exciting to get in front of a home crowd. He elaborated that the home crowd not only affects opposing teams, but invigorates the team to perform better.
“I think our guys are going to feed off of that,” Towels said. “[We] can feel the energy on the field. When [the crowd] goes quiet and just stops and starts watching, holding their breath — we can feel that too. ”
Hebron is currently ranked No.119 in the state and Southlake Carroll ranked fourth. Co-captain and defensive end Clay Lindmark said prior to the game against Jesuit last week, he showed the team a poster the band had made for the team, emphasizing its symbolism as a reminder of who the team plays for.
“Seeing the fans up there week in [and] week out in the stands — it’s a reminder that we’re not just playing for us,” Lindmark said. “We’re representing our school, and that gives us even more energy to go out there and win on Friday nights.”
