New Faces Power Celina High School's Jump to 3A

Originally published in the October 2006 issue of the North Texas High School Sports Report. http://www.nortexsports.com

Despite winning the 2A Division II state championship last season, a number of challenges were waiting for Celina coming into the 2006 season. First and foremost, head coach Butch Ford had to find 16 new starters, eight each for the offense and defense. Second, he had to deal with a new classification: 3A. Third, all the expectations for success that came with playing in 2A did not go away. Celina is expected to contend this year, and there is not a single opponent on the schedule this year that is underestimating them.

Even with the return of All-State players Dru Prosser (Sr./FS) and Jamie Blatnick (Sr./OL), the Bobcats would have to rely on fresh faces to uphold the Celina's powerhouse tradition. Some of those fears were eased after the first game of the season, a decisive 42-14 win over a tough Robinson team, but Ford still saw room for improvement. "We were tickled with the game, but we saw a lot of things we need to improve."

Ford knows that, despite the new faces, the Bobcats have a big target on them, especially from district rivals Pilot Point and Prosper (whom Celina beat in the state final last year). "We're kind of overrated," Ford insists, since Celina lost 17 seniors, but he also knows that their history means they will always get a lot of attention. Even so, Coach Ford's goal for his team has not changed. "Our goal every year is to win a state championship. We set a high goal, and we try to accomplish it. Every season is made up of three smaller seasons: non-district, district, and the playoffs. We need to win each of those seasons to accomplish out goal."