WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The Connally Cadets enter the 2024 season with a new district, which comes new challenges — it's teams that they have faced before and are ready to face again.
"We're just going to do what we've been doing. We're going to work hard and coach these kids up and then we're going to see how it falls on Friday night. But we do know this. We're going to have to bring it every Friday night," said Connally football head coach, Terri Gerik.
"We're just excited. It's district. It actually matters this time. We've been playing these teams ever since we were young. You know, they've always been on our schedule. It's just, we've never really played them in this year ever since a couple of years back, but now we're ready for the competition," said senior, Isaac Rodarte.
The Cadets are coming off winning a district championship and with an experienced group, they understand how to get it done on the field.
"They know how to win and they want to win, and so they understand when things don't go right. We've got to go back to work, we gotta go back to the drawing board and we gotta get things corrected really," Gerik said.
That brings them to this year and a new look — district doesn't change the Cadets' goals for the 2024 season.
"I just want to continue to win that district championship — I want to go further in these playoffs last year, you know, we were upset in that second playoff game — I just hope we can get further," Rodarte said.
"We have the same goals — number one, we want to win a district championship. Number two, or one or two kind of hand in hand. We want to be in the playoffs," Gerik said.
Connally's first game is scheduled on August 30 at home against the Academy Bumblebees.
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