Craig Slaughter’s first year as Wall’s head football coach was a rousing success. The Hawks went 13-2 and pushed three-time defending state champion Gunter deep into the fourth quarter before eventually seeing their season end in the Class 3A Division II state semifinals.

Entering Year 2 with a strong core back from that squad, the former WHS defensive coordinator and current head man is hoping for even bigger things this fall.

For that goal to be achieved, the Hawks will need to successfully rebuild a defense that returns just four starters. But an offense that brings back seven regulars could be even better than the version that averaged 42.2 points per game in its first year running the spread.