BIG SPRING — A 5-4 record and trip to the area round of the playoffs may not seem like much to some. But for the Big Spring Steers, those accomplishments in 2020 represented significant improvement.

In posting their first winning season since going 9-3 in 2014 and earning just their second playoff win since that same year, coach Cannon McWilliams’ Steers put a forgettable five-year stretch in the rearview and restored a sense of hope and optimism to the program.

Now, with 28 lettermen returning from that squad, including nine offensive and eight defensive starters, the goal and expectation is to take the next step forward.