Midnight struck, and the Houston High School football team hit the field. HHS practiced under the lights of Tiger Stadium in the wee hours Monday –– literally the first moment allowed by the Missouri State High School Activities Association to begin 2018 practices.
Led by fourth-year head coach Eric Sloan, the Tigers split into position groups and went to work. Forty players participated.
Sloan said it was his seniors’ idea for a midnight practice to kick off a new campaign.
“It was a fresh way to start the new year, so we went with it,” he said. “I thought it went great. The kids were excited. Everyone was bouncing around. It was definitely a fun way to start the new year.”
With several key players returning from last season, the Tigers hope to build on their strong finish to 2017. HHS beat Mountain Grove for the first time in 16 years as part of consecutive victories in Weeks 7 and 8, then hung close again both Liberty and Strafford in defeats.
The Tigers finished with a 3-7 record.
Houston’s late-season success coincided with moving Paydon Dixon from quarterback to running back and turning the offense over to Dakota Burchett. Both return.
The HHS defense returns its top three tacklers in seniors Dixon and CJ Lee as well as sophomore Daniel Hutcheson. The unit gained a key addition last school year as Devin Wallander, a two-year starter as an underclassman for Liberty, transferred to Houston. He will start at linebacker.
The unit will be led by a new defensive coordinator for the third straight year as Jake Brookshire takes over for Shane Wright. Brookshire is a former head coach at Cabool and coached on Sloan’s staff there.
The Tigers returned to practice at 3 p.m. Tuesday and will continue afternoon sessions the rest of the preseason, Sloan said. The team’s annual pig roast and scrimmage is Saturday night. They host Willow Springs and Cabool in a jamboree on Aug. 17.
The season kicks off Aug. 24 at Sarcoxie.
HHS PIG ROAST, SCRIMMAGE SET FOR SATURDAY
The Houston football team’s annual pig roast begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Tiger Stadium. The team will scrimmage at 7 p.m.
HMS FOOTBALL PRACTICES BEGIN MONDAY
Practices for the 2018 Houston Middle School football team begin at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Players must have a physical to participate.