Leps Begin 2021 Practice Like Their Stadium – a Work in Progress
Monday marked the 12th first day of football practice at La Grange High School for head coach Matt Kates, the longest serving head coach in school history for a Leopard program that’s been around for more than a century.
“It’s my 21st year overall as a coach and 12th here. Where does the time go?” Kates said.
And every year is different, particularly this one.
Both the Leps and their stadium are works in progress. Kates said La Grange is trying to “get back to the standard” of past success after last year’s 4-6 season that saw La Grange miss the playoffs for only the second time in the last decade. Their practices this year are going on amidst the backdrop of the installation of a new track and artificial turf at Leopard Stadium.
The work will keep the Leps on the practice field all preseason, with both scrimmages on the road – at El Campo Aug. 13 and at Yoakum Aug. 19.
The season opener is also on the road Aug. 27 at Rockdale. It remains to be seen if the sevenday-a-week construction at the stadium will be complete in time for the home opener against Canyon Lake Sept. 3.
Kates said the Leps had 90+ players (throughout all high school levels) report for practice this week with more than 20 of those being seniors.
“The focus has been really, really good with great leadership from that senior class,” Kates said. “There has been a sense of urgency.”
The highest profile returning Lep is junior Bravion Rogers, who followed up his spring as part of two state silver medal relay teams by getting a flurry of college football scholarship offers – including from TCU, SMU, Baylor and The University of Michigan.
“He’s too talented not to get the football in his hands a lot,” Kates said.
Rogers will be playing some quarterback and then line up as a receiver when senior Clay Wolff is playing quarterback, said Kates, who added he’s been impressed with Wolff’s development. Rogers will also play every snap on defense too, Kates said.
Popsicle Practice
The annual Popsicle Bowl intrasquad scrimmage has changed a bit this season for the football team as well. Instead of a scrimmage, this Saturday will be a “Popsicle Practice.” It’s the first day of full pads for the players, and Kates said the public is invited to watch the team workout from 9 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m, but there will not be a scrimmage-like event as in past years. The event gets the name from the popsicles distributed after the event.
New Faces
There’s several new faces roaming the sidelines this season for the Leps.
Earlier in the summer we reported that former Offensive Coordinator Jason Meng will return to La Grange to again take that role with the Leps, along with his senior son Hayden, an all-district lineman last year at Burkburnett. The Mengs were out in force at practice this week along with a couple other new faces.
Justin Fierro, a Smithvillenative who most recently was the defensive coordinator at Cedar Creek High School has been hired and will coach inside linebackers for the Leps.
Also joining the staff is Kyle Tidwell, who has been a student assistant coach at the University of Tennessee the last three years. He will coach cornerbacks for the Leps.
There’s also a new athletic trainer, Victoria McGee, who was an athletic trainer most recently at Los Fresnos High School and formerly at UT-Tyler.
Her husband is Donte McGee, the head girls basketball coach at Lexington.
Though he’s not a new face, William McGonagle takes on a new role this season. Last year he was special team coordinator and has been a coach with LGISD for six years. Now he’s the defensive coordinator.