Every year has gotten a little bit better for the Atascocita Eagles since Craig Stump starting coaching there in 2012.
The Eagles went 5-5 that year and narrowly missed the playoffs. Since then, Atascocita has gone 43-8 over four seasons with a playoff appearance each year.
They made it to the state quarterfinals in 2015 and went one round deeper last fall, only losing to eventual 6A Division I state champion Lake Travis.
Over the last two seasons, having nine extra playoff games means nine extra weeks of practice — nearly an entire regular season worth of extra practices and games under the belts for this year’s seniors. That means the underclassmen are battle-tested, and the extra weeks of practice give them a decided advantage going into 2017.
Atascocita finished the 2016 with a 12-2 record, but the playoff run was quite impressive. After a convincing 56-17 win over Deer Park in the Bi-District round, the Eagles thumped perennial power Pearland 35-14 in the Area Round. They held on for a one-point win over a dangerous Houston Lamar squad and avenged their only regular-season loss by beating North Shore 33-27 in overtime to advance to the state semifinal.
The semifinal didn’t go nearly as well as Eagles fans had hoped, but Lake Travis was a juggernaut in November and December. The Cavaliers downed Atascocita 63-21 before throttling The Woodlands 41-6 for the state championship.
The 2017 season should once again come down to Atascocita and North Shore for the 21-6A championship.
Key Losses
QB Daveon Boyd, WR LuJuan Winningham, FS Justen Campbell, DL De’marius Brooks
Boyd was the piston that drove the Atascocita offensive engine in 2016. The Eagles piled up points in his two seasons as a starter, throwing for more than 7,600 yards and 79 touchdowns, including a modest 3,569 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior.
The Eagles weren’t one-dimensional, though. Boyd rushed for nearly 1,000 yards his senior year to complement a running game that racked up 179 yards a game. Winningham had team highs in receptions (56), yards (912) and touchdowns (13). Campbell led the team with five interceptions and caused two fumbles last year. Brooks clogged the line with his 6-1, 295 frame.
Key Returners
RB Decarlos Demmerritte, LB Jaylon Allen
Demmerritte rushed for a team-high 1,003 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. He’ll take on the bulk of the load this season while Atascocita reloads at quarterback and wide receiver.
Allen is a 6-3, 220-pound linebacker who’ll lead the Eagles on defense. Allen came up with a big sack late in the win over North Shore in the quarterfinal game.
The Verdict
The Eagles lost a lot of seniors who had a lot of experience. But the underclassmen will step in and fill the roles they’ve been waiting two and three years for.
Atascocita should navigate its three non-district games with ease and once again North Shore will pose the biggest threat to the Eagles.
Winning has become a culture at Atascocita, though, and Stump knows how to get his team deep into the playoffs. The 2017 won’t be quite as talented as last year, but the confidence level will be high coming off one of the best seasons in school history.
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