Proving growl: Leopards hungry to carve out identity in 4A debut

The Lovejoy football team is plenty familiar with that feeling of being the new squad on the block.

Debuting on the stateside gridiron in 2007, the Leopards rose from Class 3A obscurity to a steady playoff participant and one of the classification's most consistent programs.

This season, there is a sense of déjà vu in preparing for Lovejoy's debut at 4A.

"[Lovejoy] had a great amount of success at the 3A level," said Matt Green, Lovejoy head coach. "I think that you're always going to be told you're not good enough to jump up a classification and succeed. I think the kids know it'll be a great challenge and they don't underestimate the mountain we'll have to climb."

The Leopards will make that climb with a vastly different arsenal, including Green, who is taking over so Jim Bob Puckett can focus on his athletic director duties.

In his first few months on the job, Green has worked to make his mark on the program, most notably drawing from his time as the offensive coordinator at Lake Travis -- which won three Class 4A State Championships under Green's tutelage -- and heightening the tempo at Lovejoy, and in more facets than just football.

"We want everything in this program to be upbeat," he said. "We want everything to be fast; it doesn't matter if we're in the weight room or offseason, we want everything to be fast around here."

Up-tempo means plenty of no huddle as the Leopards attempt to exclusively feature players on one side of the ball -- a deviation from previous years of two-way players.

There will be the occasional exception though, most prominently senior Zach Saffle who will be the Leopards' proverbial Swiss army knife this season. Saffle is expected to see reps at quarterback, safety and receiver as well as punt and kickoff return this year. The squad's starting quarterback and safety by trade, when Saffle isn't calling signals that duty will fall to sophomore Bowman Sells, who drew plenty of reps during 7-on-7 over the summer.

"The way we're looking at this is we have a kid like Zach Saffle who is a very special athlete," Green said. "The things he can do for our football team, not every player can do. He can play defense, quarterback, receiver, return punts, be on kickoff return.

"He's a true utility player and when you look at that, you have to be of the mindset that you need another kid who can play quarterback at times."

The two will helm Lovejoy's quick-trigger spread attack, with seniors Nick LaSane and Cullon Greene toting the rock, along with juniors Daniel Sefcik and Mick Ellis.

Junior Justice Luce headlines the receiving position, while Greene, Saffle, seniors Grayson Williams and Zach Wilkins will also contribute.

While keeping players limited to one side of the ball is an adjustment, versatility is still a requisite in some spots. That includes the offensive line, which is highlighted by seniors Dalton Lloyd, Guy Roecker, Thomas Schwab and sophomore Jake Baumert.

"We've got some leadership up there," Green said. "We've just got to get them in the right spots and some of these kids will have to know multiple positions because of our depth issues there."

While Lovejoy lacks offensive depth up front, there is plenty on defense with seniors Slayton Shiels, Tom Campbell, Kyle Romano and Austin Baumert bolstering the line.

"There is a lot of depth on the defensive line and that's a spot I'm very excited about," Green said.

Senior varsity staple Thomas Kotecki anchors the linebacker corps on the inside, complemented by senior Drew Scolaro at Will backer, while outside linebacker remains up for grabs.

"[Kotecki is] quite a leader and one of the most intelligent kids I've ever coached," Green said. "He's going to be the leader and quarterback of the defense."

A degree of uncertainty also exists at cornerback where Green said up to six players are in competition for the two starting spots. Things are a bit more solidified at safety, with Saffle and senior Austin Turnbow leading the pack. Lovejoy hopes to clear up any remaining positional battles soon with this past Friday's scrimmage against Dallas Madison marking the final tune-up before the season commences.

As the Leopards get acclimated to a new class, pace and personnel, a 7:30 p.m. Friday game at Frisco Memorial Stadium against Frisco Heritage will open the season.

It'll be the first of three games before a seven-game slate in District 13-4A begins, with matchups against Wylie, Greenville, McKinney North, Denison, Sherman, Royse City and Wylie East to follow.

"They pose a problem just because these schools are talented regardless of what class they're in," Green said. "There are some teams loaded with talent and the coaching in this district is very strong. Depth-wise, most teams in this district are going to be deeper than us and those are some of the hills we'll have to climb, but I think we can."

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