When newly hired head coach Eric Peevey prepared to speak with his Little Cypress-Mauriceville football team last spring, his vision for the program was clear.
“I was like, ‘boys, if you’re not here to try to win a state championship, then what are we doing,” Peevey said.
And despite the team’s 1-7 finish in 2020, his players didn’t bat an eye at Peevey’s lofty expectations or his methods.
“They didn’t ask, didn’t question,” Peevey said. “They were like, ‘Coach, we’ll do whatever you tell us to do.’”
That buy-in paid off as the Bears went on a memorable run to the state quarterfinals, finishing 11-3 in 2021. It was the first time the school had made the quarterfinals since 1997. With their 10-win improvement, the Bears also tied for the most improved team in Texas in 2021.
“It was a special year,” Peevey said. “It was an awesome experience seeing the community come together and really just a whole school backing us.”
The regional semifinal victory highlights over #3 EL Campo!
Video credit: @Zack_D14 pic.twitter.com/bx72qwdWwN— LCM Battlin’ Bear Football (@LCMBearFootball) December 1, 2021
Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD serves the small communities of Little Cypress and Mauriceville, located about 25 miles east of Beaumont. Those communities have put their full support behind the Bears, selling out each of their four playoff games last year. The district’s school board also approved $5 million in facility improvements that will help get the Bears a new turf field this year as well as an improved weight room.
And with the community fully behind them, the challenge now for the Bears will be trying to build off the success of last year.
The Bears will return six starters on offense and five on defense this season, according to Peevey.
The most notable returnee for the Bears is senior running back and defensive back Da’Marion Morris. He led the Bears in rushing yards, receiving yards, and interceptions a year ago (1,811 rushing yards, 427 receiving yards, and six interceptions).
“He’s just a stud; everybody sees the absolute animal that he is on Friday night,” Peevey said. “But what they don’t see is the fact that the kid is always doing right. He’s always smiling, always talking kids up. You never see him getting down on his teammates.”
We made a mistake but never give up on a play pic.twitter.com/zr9UU4SQJ4
— Da’Marion Morris (@D_Morris9) November 13, 2021
Elsewhere offensively, the Bears lose dual-threat quarterback Ashton Landry (1,505 passing yards, 1,284 rushing yards, and 30 total TDs in 2021) to graduation, but tight end Dean Reynolds (216 receiving yards, 142 passing yards) is expected to take over the position this season. And although he may not possess the raw speed of Landry, Reynolds will be a load to bring down for opposing defenders with his 6’2”, 205-pound frame.
The offensive line will be a strength up front for the Bears this season as Peevey said a couple of talented rising sophomores will move up from JV to pair with the returners the Bears have on the line from last season.
On the other side of the ball, there is more work to be done after the Bears’ five-leading tacklers from a year ago graduated. Peevey said defensive coordinator John Davis, “will have his hands full,” the first couple of weeks as the Bears are expected to start several juniors at linebacker.
Luckily for the Bears, the defensive line will be a strength. Peevey expects Texas Tech commit Amier Washington (7.5 sacks, 16 TFLs) and Jarves Riley (39 total tackles, seven TFLs) to anchor the line.
— Amier Washington (@A_Washington0) April 3, 2022
“[The linebackers] are going to be really, really good, but they are going to make mistakes early,” Peevey said. “We’ve got four to five front guys that can go up and really help out those back half guys for the first few games.”
Competition will be fierce in the Bears’ District 10-4A Division I with no changes from the previous alignment. Vidor edged the Bears 29-12 last year to take home the district title, but Lumberton and Huffman gave the Bears all they could handle last year, while Livingston and Splendora shouldn’t be overlooked either.
“I was proud of our district last year,” Peevey said. “I think our district in previous years was always seen as a weaker 4A district across the state. And I’ll tell you what, I really would put our district and their district [District 9-4A Division I with Chapel Hill, Lindale, Kilgore, etc.] against any other 4A district in state.”
And while there will be some new faces for the Bears this year, with Da’Marion Morris back to lead the offense and Amier Washington back to anchor the defensive line, the Bears have a good foundation to build off after last year’s historic season.
“Our goal is to win a state championship,” Peevey said. “We’ll find out after the summer workouts. If we have the same amount of kids turn out like we did last year, we’ll be okay.”
2022 Little Cypress-Mauriceville Schedule
(Bold designates District 10-4A Division I Matchup)
8/26 vs. Hardin Jefferson 7:00
9/2 vs. West Orange-Stark 7:00
9/9 @ Bridge City 7:00
9/16 @ Houston Kinkaid 7:00
9/30 vs. Legacy School of Sports Sciences 7:00 (Homecoming)
10/7 @Vidor 7:30
10/14 @ Livingston 7:30
10/21 vs. Splendora 7:30
10/28 @Lumberton 7:30
11/4 vs. Huffman-Hargrave 7:30
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