Though the Dublin club is still relatively young, with several juniors expected to see playing time, DHS returns 18 lettermen with seven offensive and six defensive starters among them.
“We had about 10 sophomores who got a lot of playing time last year,” Dublin coach Greg Hardcastle said. “So now they’re juniors and they’re a year older and we’re expecting them to improve, as well as some of those seniors who played a bunch as juniors last year.”
Despite its youth, Dublin does have its share of strengths, beginning with a capable set of skill personnel.
Top returning skill players for the Lions include senior running back Cameron Patton (628 yards rushing, five TDs), junior quarterback Kaden Gaitan (78 of 159, 882 yards, seven TDs, 314 yards rushing, four TDs), junior receiver Francisco Garcia (13 catches, 134 yards), junior receiver Sev Ruiz (23 catches, 301 yards, two TDs) and sophomore receiver Kyson Gilman (six catches, 85 yards).
The Lions should be sturdy up front as well, with four of five positions occupied by returning starters Caige Balvantin (6-2, 215, Jr.), Jake Southall (6-0, 200, Jr.), Edgar Ortiz (6-2, 260, Sr.) and fireplug center Alonso Moreno (5-8, 165, Jr.).
On the defensive side, the Lions allowed nearly 50 points per game a year ago with an inexperienced, undersized group. But Hardcastle is hopeful that increasing maturity will gradually bring about improvement in all phases of the game.
The Lions are bigger, stronger and faster than a year ago, though the team will still have a heavy junior influence.
“Just another year of experience with those guys being older,” Hardcastle said about the keys to defensive improvement. “We really didn’t have a lot of seniors (last year) and we’ve got several juniors this year who got a lot of experience on that side of the ball last season.”
OUTLOOK: MODERATE. While the Lions should field a better product in 2023, the fact of the matter is, they are still quite young and likely a year away from regaining a spot in postseason play. If, however, they can remain healthy heading into district play, they will need two wins to see the playoffs, which will be tough, but not an impossibility. The window of opportunity, however, will be narrow, given that Comanche and Jacksboro appear to be a head and shoulders above the rest of the district.
GAME OF THE YEAR: A home date with Merkel on Oct. 6 stands as the single most important game of the year for the Lions, who must find a way to get two wins in three crucial league games: Merkel, Millsap and/or Eastland. A loss to Merkel will force Dublin to gain an upset of Millsap on the road, which will be a tall order at this stage. So a win over the Badgers will likely be a must.
dublin QUICK FACTS
- Head Coach: Greg Hardcastle (11-12 overall, all at Dublin)
- Last Season’s Record: 2-8 overall, 0-5 district
- Lettermen Returning/Lost: 18/11
- Offensive Starters Returning: 7
- Defensive Starters Returning: 6
- Base Offense: Spread
- Base Defense: 3-4