Warriors Begin 2007 Football Season - Bonham, Texas

As I entered the gym at Bonham High school this morning to attend the ritual pregame Pep Rally, the tension was palpable. School has been in session a mere 5 days, and as students scramble to learn schedules, teachers and to understand their classes, their attention turns today away from their studies to the favorite pastime of most Texans: High School Football.

As the Cheerleaders, Drill Team, Twirlers and Band performed, in attempts to rile both the students and locals in attendance, I scanned the lineup of Warriors. While they lack in size, they appear to be small and make up for size with speed. The district is buzzing with talk about the speed of the 2007 lineup, and I dont doubt the talk circulating. Two Warriors stepped up to the microphone and with grace and maturity beyond their years, spoke to the crowd about not only the difficulty of 2-3 workouts per day in the 100 degree Texas sun, cutting their summers short just to give back to football and the school they love, but also about how hard everyone else in Bonham works and supports the team. They recognized that not only do the boys work hard in practice, but the students put in hours of preparation and practice to cheer on the team, and the town itself travels hours just to watch their Warriors on the field.

The Bonham Warriors have a strong history of winning and titles. Once a formidable force in the regional football world, the Warriors began to slip in standings and ranking in the last few years. Facing Pilot Point, Celina, Whitesboro, Prosper and Princeton last year left the Warriors with a losing streak as they faced some of the toughest teams in all 3A districts in Texas. Coming off a Bi-District championship win in 2005, the 2006 team was hopeful and ready to win. But as the season ended with a 2-8 record last year, the Warriors were surely in need of a new vision and new leadership.

The warriors are armed this year with a new Head Coach, John Hall, and a variety of assistant coaches. The 32 man team seems to be starting new as well as only 4 total starters return from last season. The warriors start with a fresh squad and new coaching line up in hopes that they can make it farther than their 2006 loss at District, stopping them from any chance of a State Championship title. At this point, the Warriors are just focused on winning tonights game. In a season of rebuilding and restructuring, the Warriors can't afford to focus on the long term goal ahead of them, or they are likely to stumble. Coaches report that the Seniors have been extremely helpful in motivating the team in preseason practices, but that the only way for the team to move forward this year is to be able to regroup quickly.

The Warriors surely have their work cut out for them again this year as they face many of the same teams that beat them last year. In the 9th 3A district, the Warriors will face Frisco, Pilot Point, Whitesboro, Van Alstyne, Princeton, Celina and Prosper.

Best of Luck to the 2007 Bonham Warriors! Kickoff tonight is at 7:30
Check out this video preview of the Bonham Warriors in preseason Practice
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