WACO, Texas — At La Vega High School, playing for state championships is not a matter of luck. It is the expectation.
In 2018, the Pirates won a state title, and in 2019 they made it to AT&T Stadium again before losing to Carthage in the state championship game. So, when they lost to Argyle in the regional semifinals in 2020, it felt like a disappointment.
This season, they want to get back to their winning ways.
The goal at La Vega High School is not to win a district title," Head Coach Don Hyde said. "We expect to win a district championship. The goal is to win a state championship."
The Pirates will play yet another difficult non-district schedule in 2021, including a battle with Corpus Christi- Miller, who will feature one of the best quarterbacks in 4A.
"All we are trying to do is play those first five games and get as good as we can possibly get, play well in those second five games and scratch the surface of getting in the playoffs," Hyde said. "And hopefully by the time we get into the playoffs, we're playing at a high rate and we'll see what happens."
La Vega will rely on their stout defense yet again, especially with a young returning roster. The Pirates only have three returning starters on each side of the ball.
But, for the Pirates, it is never a rebuilding year. It is just time to reload.
"I think you can call us young, but we've got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football," Hyde said. "Maybe not as much on Friday night as you'd like, but they've played a lot of Friday night football."
The Pirates enter the year as the No. 5 team in the state and the favorite to win district 5-4A I. They kick off the season in Waco against Katy Jordan.
