Since last spring when the University Interscholastic League announced new district alignments, the Eagles knew they were going to have some tough games as the change put them into an eight-team district with Westlake and Lake Travis — two of the top teams in Texas.

The Eagles fell to Westlake 67 – 0 and to Lake Travis 51 – 13. Junior Diego Saldana, who plays guard, said it’s hard starting out district play with two back-to-back blowouts loses, but the players won’t let that get them down.

“It’s tough going through these games but I always find a way to keep going and I do it for not only for myself but I do it for my fam on and off the field,” Saldana said. “Don’t underestimate us. We plan for a bounce back.”

The team believes it has much better chances to win against the rest of its opponents this season, including in the upcoming games against Hays, Anderson, and Lehman.

Senior Nick Cagle, team captain, and the quarterback said the Eagles are going into the next couple of games with high hopes and they have tools to do it.

“I feel pretty good about these new guys and what they bring to the table and how we can utilize and help give new weapons to both sides of the ball. (We can) bring a different face and more surprises to our opponents.”

The players know they can win games as it did in it’s first two non-district games against Crockett and Cedar Creek. Senior Tripp Ryan, who plays Safety, said the schedule is tough but he said he will never give up on his team.

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    I go into each practice knowing that I work just as hard as my brother next to me

— Tripp Ryan

“All the motivation I need is my teammates. As one of their captains, I can’t let them down.” Senior Davis Ryan, another captain on the team, said that keeping the team motivated is a big responsibility.

“We try every day to keep our team (motivated),” he said. “We are gonna do what I gotta do for my team no matter the score or game.”