MONAHANS All-State quarterback Cheno Navarrette may be gone but the good news for the Monahans football team is that it still returns plenty of talented players from last year’s 12-1 squad.
That has given Monahans head coach Fred Staugh and his players plenty of reason to be optimistic about making another deep playoff run this year.
‘I feel like the players are really excited. We’ve had some lively practices. We’re just focusing on getting better every single day with every chance we get.”
While Navarrette is now playing at the collegiate level at UTPB, the Loboes still return six starters on offense and five on defense.
“Yeah, it’s a challenge, (to replace Navarrette),” Staugh said. “He’s a very special player to come through here and we wish him the best in college. It seems like he’s doing a good job. But we still have, offensively and defensively, half of our starting squad back. We should still be solid up front and we have some skilled kids. We’ve practiced well and we’ve looked pretty good and there’s a chance we can win some ball games.”
Among the players returning for the Loboes include most of their offensive line and running back Cole Pittman who dominated Monahans’ rushing attack last year, compiling close to 1,300 yards total.
“That’s really important,” Staugh said. “We have our guys up front coming back and we have Cole coming back. Cole ran for about 1,300 yards last year. It was about eight yards per carry. That’s a big deal, obviously. We want to run the football and Cole does an excellent job for us and he knows the offense in-and-out.
Defensively, the Loboes will welcome back linebacker Alex Palmateer, who had 117 tackles last year.
Monahans will bring back considerable experience from a defensive unit that (prior to the Loboes’ 42-21 loss to West Plains) didn’t give up more than 21 points in any other game last year.
“I think we’ve looked good defensively,” Staugh said. “We have a lot of returners. We have a lot of guys who have played since they were sophomores. We have a lot of experience coming back on both sides of the ball. That’s a huge plus for any program. We have guys who have been in it and know how to play the game the right way.”
That just leaves the elephant in the room at quarterback.
The Loboes currently have two players battling for the starting spot with Dylan Pittman and Lucas Chavez.
While Staugh said he is going to wait and see what happens during the first two scrimmages before naming a starter, he said both players have already brought a lot to the table.
“I’ll start with Dylan and that’s he has a good command of the offense and how it’s supposed to run,” Staugh said. “He’s thrown the ball really well and has made a lot of good decisions. I think that’s something he brings to the table. He’s also very even keeled. He never gets too high or too low. On the flip side, there’s sophomore Lucas Chavez. He’s talented. He’s got some explosive play-making ability. They both are going to be really good players for us.”
As for the schedule, the Loboes will be challenged during the nondistrict portion of the season, facing the likes of Canyon Randall and Andrews before beginning District 1-4A DII play.
The Loboes’ district includes Seminole, Midland Greenwood, Fort Stockton and Snyder.
“It’s going to be tough,” Staugh said. “I would think that we will be tested by the time we get there. We have a tough nondistrict schedule. So we have to stay healthy and I think we’ve got a lot of experience and with our two quarterbacks, we have some inexperience but those guys will grow up so hopefully by the time we get to district, we’ll have played some really good football against some tough teams and hopefully that’ll pay off in the long run.”
Monahans’ first game will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at Shallowater before facing Randall at home the following week.
The Loboes will start district play Oct. 11 at home against Snyder.
