Area teams open seasons tonight
by Jason Chlapek, Gonzales Inquirer Sports
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Gonzales Inquirer Article | St. Paul Cardinal Football | Return to Shiner Home Page
When the St. Paul and Pettus football teams face each other tonight, both teams will have new head coaches.
St. Paul football coach Jake Wachsmuth addresses his team after its preseason scrimmage at Nixon-Smiley Aug. 18. The Cardinals host Pettus at 7:30 p.m. today at Comanche Stadium in Shiner. Photo by Jason Chlapek
Dan Garza will coach the War Eagles, while the Cardinals will be under the direction of Jake Wachsmuth. The biggest difference is Garza is in his first tenure as Pettus’ head coach, while Wachsmuth returned to St. Paul after a one-year hiatus.
"The kids have done a good job of retention," Wachsmuth said. "They remember most of what we ran two years ago."
Wachsmuth last coached the Cardinals in 2010 -- when they won the TAPPS Division IV state championship. Tonight’s game, which kicks off at 7:30 at Comanche Field in Shiner, will mark the seventh year in a row that St. Paul and Pettus have opened their seasons against each other.
A year ago, both teams operated out of the spread offense. Wachsmuth will have the Cardinals operating out of multiple sets ranging from the spread to the stacked-I, and he also noted that the War Eagles have a different look.
"(Pettus) runs wing-T now," he said. "They’re going to be a different Pettus team than what we’ve seen the last few years, but they’ll still give us a competitive game."
Wachsmuth also noted that the War Eagles will operate out of a 50 front on defense with a 5-2 look.
St. Paul withdrew from a dual scrimmage against Flatonia and Hallettsville last week because of illness and injuries. But Wachsmuth reported that his team should have a clean bill of health tonight.
"We seem to be healthy and ready to go," he said.
© Copyright
BaerCom - Shiner, Texas 2012