Coming off a 12-1 season and ranked fourth in Class 2A Division I by Texas Football magazine, the De Leon Bearcats have every reason to be excited about the 2018 campaign.

Coach David Yeager’s team brings back a strong nucleus of 14 lettermen, including one of the top small-school quarterbacks in the state in Yeager’s son, Kevin. And realignment moved the only team that beat the Bearcats last season — the eventual state champion Mart Panthers — out of their bracket and into 2A DII.

While those facts and others have many around the state viewing De Leon as a legitimate state championship contender, Coach Yeager wants his team focused on more immediate goals. And that starts with putting the preseason hype in the proper perspective.