After the first week of the 2016 season, it became very clear that Hebron had some growing pains that they had to work through. Hebron only scored on a 100-yard kickoff return, their offense couldn’t get anything going at all. A 38-7 loss isn’t the way anyone wants to start out their season, but it will not be the ultimate definition of this team.
Hebron would later get behind early to Flower Mound Marcus, but ultimately fall. They also lost in the regular season to Southlake Carroll in a devastating rushing performance by the Dragons, who picked up over 400 yards on the ground behind that monstrous offensive line.
In the first round of the playoffs the Hawks bested Plano East, but sustained a huge loss: Clayton Tune, who emerged during the regular season, went down with an injury. Without Tune, the hope of a playoff run was crushed next week against Duncanville, in a game where once again, Hebron couldn’t get any offense going.
Key Losses
FS Kyle Burford, DE Seth Shirey, MLB Alex Huerta, RB Derian Vaughn
The Hawks will lose plenty on the defensive side of the ball, including a trio of seniors from every level of the defense: Burford, Shirey, and Huerta. Burford is a great safety: aggressive at the line of scrimmage, but can still play the deep ball. Shirey simply had a knack for being around the ball, and Huerta was as consistent of a linebacker as you can find.
Hebron will also lose a 1,000 yard rusher in Derian Vaughn, who closes out his Hebron career with a fantastic season.
Key Returners
QB Clayton Tune, WR Jaren Mitchell, WR Trejan Bridges, CB Verone McKinley III, SS Demario Montez
The Hawks are going to have a deep well of talent to draw from at the skill positions. Yes, they lose Vaughn on the offensive side of the ball, but they bring back District Offensive MVP Clayton Tune and his top two receivers, Jaren Mitchell and Trejan Bridges.
The Hebron secondary will be very salty in 2017, they return three members to a solid group. We’ll see how excellent the front seven are, but passing on the Hawks will be a challenge.
If nothing else, the Hawks should at least challenge for a 7 on 7 championship with all these skill positions returning.
The Verdict
This is a Hebron offense that is going to light up the scoreboards, that much is certain. The secondary will be great, but there are some question marks across the defensive front that might not be answered until the second game of the season, because last year’s Hawks showed us you can’t judge everything by the first game of the year.
In terms of a solid prediction, I’m exercising cautious optimism with Hebron. They return a lot of speed and talent, but I don’t want to talk deep playoff run until we see that defensive line in action. Still, I like this Hebron team to improve on an already solid 8-4 record in 2016, and take at least the #2 slot in district, if not the district championship.
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