By Zach Duncan, special to Big Country Preps

Andy Howard knew Goldthwaite would be much improved this season. 

A second year in new schemes, tremendous mental growth and defensive progress were all reasons for the Eagles’ development. 

It didn’t take long for Howard’s beliefs to be verified. Playing highly ranked Crawford within 14 points in Week 1 didn’t snap Goldthwaite’s losing streak, but it proved to be the start of the turnaround. 

“Going into that Friday night, our motto was to believe,” Howard said. “I felt like we had a high-caliber team, but you’ve got to go out there and prove it. Our kids believed all week and kids executed at a high level. I’m not big on moral victories, but we wanted to continue to use that momentum and apply it for the last two weeks.”