SWEETWATER — Coming off a season filled with injuries, the Sweetwater Mustangs and new head coach Brian Hodnett have their fingers crossed that they can avoid the medical tent in 2025. 

If they succeed, SHS could be on the verge of challenging for a district title and/or a deep playoff push, with nine offensive and eight defensive starters back among 21 lettermen. 

“(The numbers) are very encouraging,” said Hodnett, a former head coach at both Haskell and Jacksboro who has been served former Sweetwater coach Russell Lucas as an assistant for the past four years. “In the years I’ve been here I think we’ve got more depth than we’ve ever had.”