Doubling down: All Bulldogs set to split time between offense, defense

In terms of personnel, high school football teams are forced to play with the hands their dealt.

Without the benefit of recruiting, free-agent signings or any of the other measures teams at higher levels of play used to design their rosters, high school teams can only take the players that show up and make the most of them.

McKinney North is making the most of its roster this season by giving all of its players two-way responsibilities. The move was made with depth in mind and effectively doubles the roster in size without adding a name to it.

“We sat down after we ended spring football and evaluated what we had and saw some glaring need for depth,” said Mike Fecci, North head coach. “We didn't feel like we had enough depth in certain spots. The thing about high school is you can't increase depth, because we don't recruit players and we don't pay them to come here. We've got what we got, so we sat down and looked and thought the way we increase depth and competition is to make them go both ways.”

Having every player suited up on both offense and defense isn't the only transition the Bulldogs are undergoing. After compiling a winning record last season, 6-5, and making the playoffs for the first time since 2006, they're in the process of shedding their underdog persona.

The Bulldogs will not only be a playoff favorite in their new district, 13-4A, they'll also be the largest of its eight schools after years spent as an undersized program. That reversal in turn raises the stakes for North.

“I hope there are [higher expectations],” Fecci said. “That's what we've always preached: we've got to have higher expectations than anybody has of us. We've always been the small guy on the block, the small school in the district and the one everybody rooted for but didn't expect to make it. Now that we have, that becomes not a hope but an expectation. Playoffs are not a hope anymore, they're an expectation now and we have to understand what it takes to get there.”

This will be Fecci's fourth year as head coach and this year's team will feature the first senior class to spend its entire playing career in his program. Those players have seen the Bulldogs progress from a 2-8 team in 2010 to finishing a game out of the playoffs in 201l before breaking through last season.

The next step in the progression would be a district title – something the Bulldogs have never won before – or extending their recent one-and-done playoff run. Those goals combine nicely, as securing a higher seed would allow the Bulldogs to avoid reiterating last season's abrupt playoff appearance, where they finished fourth in District 10-4A and were summarily eliminated by then-undefeated Frisco Centennial, 45-16.

The Bulldogs responded to that loss by signing up for another round. Centennial will serve as their final pre-district opponent this season and will combine with district-opener Sherman to make up the toughest two-week stretch on their schedule.

“After that playoff game I thought, 'Man, I'd like to get another chance at those guys,'” Fecci said.

North opens the season Thursday against Carrollton Newman Smith.

That game will be the first start for new Bulldogs quarterback Ben Dutze. The 6-1, 205-pound junior saw limited playing time last year as a backup to Hunter Walling, throwing just three passes, but he was named the starter well in advance of the season.

“He's a program guy,” Fecci said. “He's been in our system for two years and it's his turn and he's ready for it. He's a great kid, not only with mastering the offense but just the overall leadership that he brings and the confident presence he brings to the huddle.”

Key returners for the Bulldogs include junior linebacker/running back James Triplett, senior linebacker/running back Anthony Lozoya, senior defensive tackle/fullback Eric Mills, senior offensive/defensive linemen Austin Horton and Hayden Ambrose and junior running back/defensive back Trey Smith.

Promising newcomers include Dutze, junior wide receiver/defensive back Tre Sanders and senior wide receiver/safety Brandon Bloedel, who played for the Bulldogs freshman team before spending the next two years only playing basketball.

“Going both ways increases our depth tremendously,” Fecci said. “We've got a lot of depth and team speed right now. We've got size this year. We're not big, big by any means, but we've got some bigger kids than we've had in a while.”

The Bulldogs’ offense is one of the biggest question marks heading into the season. While they return their leading rusher from last season – Smith, who rushed for 548 yards and eight touchdowns on 107 attempts – they will be breaking in a new quarterback and receiving core, as they will start the year without their leading five receivers from last season.

The Bulldogs new-look attack will have pre-district opponents Newman Smith, Prosper and Centennial to get up to speed against before heading into district. Along with North, 13-4A is made up of Wylie, Wylie East, Royse City, Denison, Sherman, Lovejoy and Greenville. The Bulldogs are familiar with several of those teams from previous districts – Wylie, East, Sherman and Denison – but it doesn’t have experience facing the remainder, which is one characteristic of the new district that stands out to Fecci.

And one his team is busy preparing to handle.

“They're a really focused group, a really mature group this year,” Fecci said. “They're handling stuff the right way. We've come a long way. We've got a long way to go, but we've come a long way in this program.”

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