Coaches detest looking ahead and constantly preach to their players to focus on the next game on the schedule.
But fans can鈥檛 help but speculate and are already looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend.
If Ganado and Refugio do their part, they will meet in the Class 2A, Division I regional semifinals.
The Bobcats and Indians were district opponents last season and split their two meetings. Refugio captured a 30-7 win in a battle for the district championship, before Ganado bounced back to claim a 41-12 win in the regional final.
鈥淲e knew from the start of two-a-days, we had the capabilities of making a big run,鈥 said Ganado quarterback Bryce Ullman of the dramatic turnaround. 鈥淲e had the athletes and the speed. It was just a matter of if we believed in ourselves.鈥
鈥淲e just played a bad game,鈥 said Refugio fullback Jordan King. 鈥淣othing about the game was good at all. Nothing came together. We didn鈥檛 play as a team and we didn鈥檛 execute very well.鈥
The roles will be reversed this season, as Ganado is ranked No. 1 in the preseason state poll, and Refugio is ranked No. 2.
鈥淓veryone is thinking about how well they can do all over the state of Texas, every school,鈥 said Ganado head coach Josh Ervin. 鈥淲e鈥檒l address that on the first day and set goals for the season. After that, we won鈥檛 talk about it a whole lot.鈥
Realignment sent Refugio and Ganado to different districts, which was welcomed by Drew Cox, who took over as Refugio鈥檚 head coach when Jason Herring moved to athletic director in the spring.
鈥淥ne of the benefits and Ganado is probably thinking the same thing is we don鈥檛 have to play twice,鈥 Cox said. 鈥淚t will be a blessing for us and it will be a blessing for them too not having to play twice.鈥
Ganado and Refugio will rely heavily on Ullman and King, respectively, as they enter their senior seasons.
Ullman passed for 3,111 yards and 47 touchdowns last season, and threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns in the playoff win over the Bobcats.
鈥淭he start of the playoffs. That鈥檚 when I finally got everything down,鈥 Ullman said. 鈥淚 knew what I needed to do with every assignment. That鈥檚 actually when we started playing our best and to our whole capabilities as a team and that鈥檚 when we showed everybody what we were capable of.鈥
Ervin saw Ullman make great strides in his first season as a starter, and expects to see continued improvement this season.
鈥淲hat makes Bryce so good is his accuracy and how smart he is and his decision making,鈥 Ervin said. 鈥淢ost importantly, is how smart he is. He鈥檚 a great leader for the team. They picked him as a captain two years ago just because of his attitude and his work ethic.
鈥淗e鈥檚 really talented in terms of throwing the football, He does what he鈥檚 supposed to do. He makes the right reads most of the time and puts the players in positions where they need to be for what鈥檚 best for the offense.鈥
King has been on the varsity since his freshman year and will also play linebacker this season.
He rushed for 1,462 yards and 32 touchdowns last season, and had 233 yards and one touchdown in the district win over the Indians.
鈥淚 love the offense right now. It鈥檚 perfect,鈥 said King, who has an offer from Incarnate Word. 鈥淚 feel like there鈥檚 no way we can be stopped. My attitude as a runner is to make something happen and get what you can get. If you can break it, break it.鈥
Cox has made some changes to the offense and expects King to play a bigger role this season.
鈥淗e鈥檚 freakish,鈥 Cox said of King, who weighs 212 pounds and runs a 4.49-second 40-yard dash.. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just incredibly strong and fast and has great vision. He鈥檚 the whole package.鈥
Ullman and King are doing their best to follow their coaches directions and keep their minds on the present. But they can鈥檛 resist taking a peek into the future.
鈥淭he expectation is different,鈥 Ullman said. 鈥淟ast year, it was to prove everybody wrong. This year, it鈥檚 to prove everybody right. It would be a great opportunity to play them again, that鈥檚 for sure. It would be an exciting game.鈥
鈥淲e have to stay together and continue to grow as a team,鈥 King said. 鈥淲e have to get better every week. We can鈥檛 stay stagnant. We have to get better every week. That鈥檚 a game we鈥檙e really looking forward to. We鈥檙e hoping we meet them again.鈥
