Nocona last won 10 or more games in 2012, when the Indians mounted a surprise run in the playoffs, ending a game short of playing for a state title; before this, the Indians last double digit win season was the 1996 campaign. The 2012 season was the fourth under head coach Brad Keck, who now enters his ninth year at his alma mater.
Nocona seems to be giving off dark horse vibes around the Texas high school football media community, and with the return of eight offensive and nine defensive starters, there is reason for excitement for the town, located about 50 miles east of Wichita Falls, and about 110 miles north of Dallas.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Here at TexasHSFootball.com, we’re big believers that even in this spread-you-out, basketball-on-grass era of football, games are still very much won in the trenches. Having said that, who are your big guys up front on offense, and how do you feel about that unit going into the fall?
BRAD KECK: Well last year we started five sophomores (RT Jason Daughtry, RG Malcolm Johnson, C Deuce Glasker, LG Kyler Pendergraft, LT Connor Barrett), and they’re all returning as juniors. They got better as the season went, and they had a pretty good offseason. We think that group’s gonna be really good this year.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: How about the skill players? How will they look this season?
BRAD KECK: Jeremy James returns at quarterback, he was honorable mention all state last year. Jeremy does a great job, throws the ball on the move better than anyone I’ve ever had. Running back will be Tanner Cable. Tanner’s the best overall player we have, he was honorable mention all state at linebacker, we feel really good about him. Most of our receivers are back too.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Nocona’s seen as a bit of a darkhorse this season. How do the players feel about possibly playing under the radar?
BRAD KECK: We feel like as many returning players as we have, that we can have a pretty good team and a pretty good season. With all of our linemen coming back, they’re bigger, stronger and faster than last season. We got a lot of speed at skill positions, the biggest thing for us there is staying healthy. We stay healthy, we’ll see what happens as the year goes.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Taking a look at the schedule this year, starting with the non-district. With teams like Alvord, Archer City, Olney and Perrin-Whitt, it seems like a manageable schedule. When planning this schedule out, what was the thought process? Did you want challenging teams for the players, or was there something else in mind?
BRAD KECK: It’s the same schedule as last year when we last had our realignment, it worked out for us last year. I wish we had a tougher non-district schedule this year; nothing to take away from those teams, but we’re bigger than them. It’s an easier schedule than I would’ve liked. There’s a lot of skill players, but overall the schedule is a lot easier than I would’ve liked this year.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Looking at district now: Henrietta looks to be the team to beat, but most outlets have Henrietta and your team 1-2. What are your thoughts on Henrietta this season, and are there other teams to look out for?
BRAD KECK: Henrietta lost a lot players off last year’s team, but the thing with them is they have Zack West still, arguably the best player in this district, maybe all of North Texas. Coach West does a great job with them, no doubt they’ll be a good team. I think our district is very, very competitive. You take us, Henrietta, Holliday and Jacksboro, I feel like any four of us could win district. I think Millsap and City View start off a little behind, but you never know. It’s gonna come down to every week for a district championship possibly.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: You have the privilege of coaching at your alma mater, something not many coaches in Texas get to experience. How do you describe your feelings of this? Are they as fresh as when you first accepted the job?
BRAD KECK: Well this is my ninth year here. One thing with being back here, I know small towns. I either know most everyone in the town or I’m related to most everyone in the town. I’ve never had a problem with that, I think it’s been a help. I think the people trust me here, they know Nocona means a lot to me. Like I said it’s been my ninth year here, and no other AD has ever been here more than four. They know what to expect year in and year out, they know what we’re gonna be doing today and what we’re gonna be doing tomorrow. It’s been really good, I’ve really enjoyed being here.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: You can ask a lot of people, they’d say 3A/2A/1A football in Texas is a whole different beast than 5A/6A football, in many different aspects; skill, culture, what have you. To those fans of 5A/6A football, what would you say to make a pitch for small town football, and why it’s the best?
BRAD KECK: I’ve never coached in 5A or 6A, I have been in 4A before many years ago, but even that was a small isolated town. What it appears to me, everyone in Nocona is about what happens at the school. If we play an away game, you might as well turn the lights out in town, cause everybody’s going to the games. Being from here I know a lot of people I see at basketball games, even people who don’t have relatives on the team. I don’t think you get that same aspect in larger schools. It’s kinda fun to see that.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Expanding on that further: Of course there are states like California and Florida who are big into high school football, but obviously we here believe there is nothing else like high school football in Texas. From your perspectives, how would you describe why this is?
BRAD KECK: I have talked to several coaches from other states, and it’s a very different atmosphere in Texas. A lot of states don’t have periods like we do which are designed for football season. The community support is not the same in other states. It’s just a bigger deal in Texas; now with that comes more pressure, more work. A lot of other states, they don’t do that, they don’t work on weekends. With that comes more expectations too, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of energy put into it.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Having graduated high school in Nocona, and returning as the athletic director, you’ve seen a lot in Nocona over the years. How has the town in general changed, and how does the football program relate to this?
BRAD KECK: Some things have changed in Nocona, some things are exactly the same. Everybody likes the familiarity of something, and that’s what Nocona offers. We still have really good kids, probably a little more naive than kids in the cities. They don’t see a lot, but I like that. The parents hold them accountable, the community holds them accountable, but that’s pretty cool. We’re not the only small town like that, there’s a bunch of other towns like that, and I think that’s what’s neat about small town Texas.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: There’s been news recently of a referee shortage in Texas, a problem I presume is even more evident in small school football. What have you witnessed first-hand with this? What advice would you have for anyone wishing to become a referee for high school football?
BRAD KECK: I have seen a shortage. We’ve had this happen a couple times in the past few years where our Wichita Falls chapter didn’t have enough officials for games, so they had to borrow from other chapters. I think it’s a very important role, a very important part of the game. I would just hope that people get into it and take it very seriously. Don’t get into it thinking “well this’ll be a fun little hobby, I can make some money.” There’s jobs riding on their calls, the kids put in a lot of sweat and work. Football is my hobby, it’s my livelihood, and their calls are crucial to that.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: Over the years, we’ve been seeing more and more run-pass options (plays where the OL blocks like it’s a run play, but WRs run routes, and the QB has the option of handing it off or throwing it) at every level of football. How has the advent of the run-pass option changed the game, and how often to do you run RPOs?
BRAD KECK: We do some of it, I think it has changed the game a little bit. Football’s always evolving, that’s one way it has evolved. We do some RPO stuff like other people do, and have been doing them for several years. As defenses catch up to that, RPOs will change more. There’s no doubt it’s changed the game to where it was 10 years ago, and there’s no doubt it’ll continue to change the game.
TEXASHSFOOTBALL.COM: How do you feel about the job your youth, middle school and sub-varsity coaches do at getting your players ready for the varsity level?
BRAD KECK: Here at Nocona, we coach them all. I’m the defensive coach at the varsity level, but I’m also the defensive coach at the junior varsity and junior high level. I think that’s good, cause a seventh grade player is gonna hear it the same way a varsity player is gonna hear it. I think it’s a positive, we’re very involved with our junior high. There’s only seven of us, we coach them all.
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