This is the 10th of The Athlete’s Connection’s 30 football previews in 30 days leading up to the season-opening games beginning Thursday, Aug. 28. Today, Athlete’s Connection sportswriter Chad Washington takes a look at Hastings and a few teams from District 18-5A.

There’s a new look over on High Star Road in Alief. The Alief ISD is renovating not only its administration building, but Crump Stadium as well. New bricks, new restrooms and a brand new scoreboard are some of the touch-ups at the 34-year-old stadium.

There’s also a new start for the Hastings football team, who move away from a tough district with the Katy ISD teams into one with Spring Branch ISD teams and Strake Jesuit. Head coach Greg Alexander isn’t going to say that things will be easier in the new District 18-5A, but is confident in the Bears to make a run in district play.

“We’re excited because every game is closer to home, so that’s a good point,” he said. “I’m not going to downplay our new opponents because they’re good too. They may not have the overall success and state championships as Katy, but Memorial, Stratford and Strake Jesuit are very good, well-rounded teams. We still have to go out and play our best or they’ll beat us just like Katy beat us.”

Hastings came one game short of making the playoffs last year, as a 30-20 loss to Cinco Ranch in the last game of the season dashed the Bears’ hopes. Another tough loss came against rival Elsik, when the Rams rallied late in the game to pull out a 35-28 win.

One loss that was positive was against the eventual state champs, as Hastings stood toe-to-toe with Katy, losing 24-13. That was the only close game the Tigers played all year.

Alexander also points out to great workouts in the spring and in summer conditioning have got him and his staff excited about what the Bears can do this season, which would be nothing less than a playoff spot.

“We worked hard in the spring and the kids have done just as well in the summer,” Alexander said. “We’re excited and optimistic, and we’re just going out there and practice hard and let the cards fall where they may.”

Hastings will be tough offensively, with a core group of offensive linemen like tackle Blake Shelton, guard Jonathan Ajayi and tackle Nicolaus Cousby. The main offensive weapon will be speeding wideout Shaquille Tubman, who runs a 4.3 and had 588 yards in 2007. There will be speed in the backfield as well, as Alvin Mitchell moves from wide receiver to quarterback, joining running back Tavares Williams.

“Alvin had a great spring,” Alexander said. “He’s a playmaker. When the ball is in his hands, he makes things happen.”

The defense should be decent, with five returning starters like defensive tackles Jonathan Johnson, Tim Ford, linebackers Desmond Griffin, Brandon Ragan, and safety Brian Thomas.

Hastings will be tested right off to bat against Atascocita on Aug. 30, then hosts Madison on Sept. 19. The Bears get their rival games out the way early, playing Elsik and Alief Taylor on back-to-back weeks to open district play, but their biggest district games will be at Strake Jesuit on Oct. 24 and home against Memorial on Nov. 1.

Here’s some capsules on the other District 18-5A teams:

ALIEF TAYLOR
Nickname: Lions
Colors: Red and Blue
Enrollment: 2,797
2007 record: 3-7, 1-6
Coach: Trevor White
Returning lettermen: 15

Now that the Katy schools are out of their district, Alief Taylor should be a little bit better than last year, which saw them lose seven of eight games after a 2-0 start.

 The Lions will have talent in some positions, but lacking in others. For example, the quarterback position should be strong with Rodney Owens ready to step up as the starter, with sophomore Jordan Are as his backup. But besides Demarcus Dennis, depth at running back maybe a problem.

The defense should be strong, with strong returning players like defensive end Emerson Evans, defensive tackle De’Aires Cotton, linebacker Kelvin King and defensive back Alex Gordon.

ELSIK
Nickname: Rams
Colors: Blue and White
Enrollment: 4,516
2007 record: 4-7 (Division I Region III bi-district finalists, lost to Cy Ridge 35-7), 4-2
Coach: Bill Barron
Returning lettermen: 20

It will be mostly a rebuilding job for Elsik, as only three starters return on both sides of the ball. Two of those returning starters are offensive linemen Emone Bailey and Emmanuel Olorunyomi, meaning that both the offense and defense will have to rely on its youth, like sophomore quarterback Kurt Lambert, running back Woodrow Turner, and linebackers Marcus Johnson, C.J. Garley, Danny Bromwell and Brandon Brignac.

The Rams will face a tough non-district schedule with games against Nimitz, Eisenhower and Westside, then opens district play against rival Hastings on Sept. 26.

SPRING WOODS
Nickname: Tigers
Colors: Black and Gold
Enrollment: 2,117
2007 record: 1-9, 1-6
Coach: Dwayne Eggerman
Returning lettermen: 24

Things don’t get any easier for Spring Woods, who haven’t seen a winning season in 11 years. The Tigers are hoping that the running back duo of Donald Brooks and Joel Wright can pace the offense, while junior quarterback Cody Jarbuc takes the reins behind a veteran offensive line.

The defense will try to improve with dept at linebacker with returners Garrett Goven, Jon Anthony Reyna and Josh Rincon. But the secondary will be a problem, especially after giving up 32.5 points per game last year.

The Tigers could get off to a good start if they can beat New Caney, Bush and C.E. King in non-district play and faces Northbrook in the district opener.

NORTHBROOK
Nickname: Raiders
Colors: Maroon and White
Enrollment: 2,129
2007 record: 3-7, 0-7
Coach: Craig Cripps
Returning lettermen: 12

The rebuilding effort (or just building since Northbrook hasn’t had a winning season since 1993) is continuing at Northbrook, as coach Craig Cripps hopes that his team can improve and break a couple of streaks that the Raiders are currently carrying.

Northbrook has lost 42 consecutive district games dating back to 2001, and also have competed the most consecutive seasons without qualifying for the playoffs of any current 5A team, going 34 years straight since the Raiders’ first game back in 1974. To break those streaks, Northbrook will have to have a strong running game led by Derrick Rainey, who had 726 rushing yards and 277 receiving yards last year. Defensively, look for defensive lineman Andrew Spencer to be the leader.

The Raiders look to repeat its 3-0 non-district record from last year with games against Milby, Waltrip and Seven Lakes. Then Northbrook looks to break the district losing streak on Sept. 26 against Spring Woods.

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