North Garland will be shrouded in mystery come 2017 especially since they have lost a majority of their production from their 2016 season. District Superlative Athlete Noah Honesty will be graduating along with his classmates Walter Hernandez, Dominique Pierce, Xzavier Roberts, Dee Carraway and Jaylon Ray.
While a 2-8 record would be less than ideal for any senior class on any team, perhaps it will be the mark that helps North Garland begin to improve. While it has been several years since North Garland has produced a winning season they have made some visible improvements from their winless season in 2014. Though North Garland had one less win last year than their 2015 season when they went 3-8, there has been a growing optimism with the program.
Head coach Joe Castillo who arrived in 2012 will undoubtedly have his team shaping up and meticulously preparing for the 2017 season where they will have some interesting non-district opponents in Greenville, Royse City and Carrollton Newman Smith who all have a combined record of under .500. While that should benefit North Garland, they will have their work cut out for them with a tough non-district game against Frisco Independence and of course their district games in the 10-6A classification.
Key Losses
ATH Noah Honesty, OL Walter Hernandez, RB Dominique Pierce, LB/RB Xzavier Roberts, LB Jaylon Ray, WR Dee Carraway
Leading rusher and receiver Dominique Pierce and Dee Caraway will be gone so too will offensive lineman Hernandez who helped Pierce rush for 393 yards and four touchdowns. The likes of Xzavier Roberts will be missed as he was a tremendous two-way player for North Garland. Jaylon Ray’s tenacity will be missed at the mid-level and the all-around excellence and versatility of Noah Honesty will be a big hit to North Garland.
Key Returners
WR Jason Luper, DB Carlos Vides
While there will be plenty of new faces looking to transform the recent struggles of North Garland into successes, these two will have a big hand in leading the charge. Jason Luper will look to be a difference maker in the receiving game and as a defensive back also. Luper had 13 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Carlos Vides will be a big help in the secondary for North Garland as they will be looking to him to neutralize opposing air attacks.
The Verdict
While it’s evident North Garland has its struggles, a new slate has arrived and the Raiders will look to take back a few games that got away from them last year. Of course, any wins against crosstown rivals in Garland and South Garland would be highly beneficial and could go either way. North Garland can potentially find themselves in the .500 range if they are able to beat the teams they should but it will be a challenge with a new assortment of players coming in. They’ll have their hands full, but so too will much of the Garland district fighting for a playoff spot.
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