Phil Danaher’s Wildcats came very close to pulling off the upset of the season in the state title game. They were lined up against Aledo, and gave the overwhelming favorite all sorts of hell before eventually falling by a score of 24-16.
Calallen won games through a tough running game and a suffocating defense. I sincerely mean suffocating, too – only one team in the regular season got into double digits on Calallen (a game the Wildcats lost). In the playoffs, only three managed to break the double digit mark.
Outside of one regular season hiccup, this team was the best team that Phil Danaher ever fielded. They lose extremely talented members, but the young men they bring back, especially on the defensive side of the ball, gives me a reason to believe that Calallen will have another great season in 2017.
Key Losses
QB Gaige Lamb, WR/DB John Gaddis, LB Heath Thomas, LB Rayce Deal
The defense will have to replace Rayce Deal and Heath Thomas, the tandem of inside linebackers that routinely locked down opponent’s running games. On the offensive side of the ball, tough quarterback Gaige Lamb will be sorely missed, and every facet of the Calallen football program will miss do-it-all senior John Gaddis
Key Returners
RB Alec Brown, DT Kenese Leotimi, OLB Brandon Broughton, DT Justice Escobar, TE/WR Jackson Lanham
The Wildcats will get tough runner Alec Brown back for his junior season, as well as blocking/catching hybrid TE Jackson Lanham. On defense, their front won’t change much, as the entirety of the Calallen defensive line will come back for another season, as well as budding star OLB Brandon Broughton.
The Verdict
Calallen’s defense and running game make them more than good, it makes them scary. Their old-school approach, 3-4 defense, and Slot-T offense are a throwback that most teams don’t have a lot of experience defending. The Wildcats return a lot of members across both the offensive and defensive lines, which could mean that they’re in for a great year.
However, we need to define what we mean by great. A great season for Calallen is going 2-4 rounds deep in the playoffs, an extraordinary season is making the state finals or semifinals. I want to take this Calallen team as a lock to make it back to the finals, I really do, but without the explosiveness of John Gaddis and the decision making of Gaige Lamb, two things that are going to be very tough to replace, my verdict is that they have a good season, but don’t make it back for a finals level revenge tour.
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