Stevens has Rising Star on the rise
The Rising Star Wildcats were, by no means, at the bottom of the barrel when you’re talking six-man high school football before Derek Stevens took over as head coach, but they weren’t exactly playoff contenders either. That has changed this season as Rising Star is back in the postseason for the first time since 2015. “It’s been a fun year,” Stevens stated. “The kids have worked hard since day one. They’ve worked hard since I got here. They were ready to work with a great attitude, wanted to win and it’s showing.”
After going 5-4 and missing out on the playoffs a year ago the Wildcats are now 9-1, District 14-1A Division II champions and preparing for a bi-district matchup with Blackwell Thursday night in Trent. Rising Star could have been a contender for the playoffs last year but lost two starters in game one to injury. In 2022 they have been blessed on that front (knock on wood) and got things going in a positive direction from the start. “We’ve been healthy throughout and gained a lot of confidence after our week one win against Blanket,” said Stevens.
The Wildcats were 45-point underdogs heading into that game according to sixmanfootball.com but came away with a 53-18 win.
“They realized they could play with anybody. This game is a lot of mental and we got over the hump and they sky was the limit,” Stevens said.
THE REGULAR SEASON
But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there, as the Wildcats suffered their first, and only, loss of the year the following week at home to Sidney 50-44. It turned out to be a season changing defeat to a team that did not qualify for the playoffs. “It was a humbling moment for the kids, but I’m glad it happened. Kudos to Sidney, but I’m glad we lost early. It would be nice to be 10-0 but if that’s what it took to get better, I’ll take a loss. The kids showed a lot after that week and worked even harder. They looked us coaches in the eye and told us it would never happen again. It helped the team a lot.”
Since then, the Wildcats have won eight straight games and none of them have been close. Six were mercy rule wins, one was a forfeit and the other a 30-point victory.
The flip side is the coin goes along the lines of the age-old argument when comparing teams: “They ain’t played nobody.” Teams on the Rising Star schedule went 38-59 this season, with Blanket, Morgan and Panther Creek qualifying for the playoffs. The other seven non-playoffs teams went just 23-54.
Stevens says, “Originally when I made the schedule, I thought the first four teams would be playoff teams. I thought maybe the only win we’d have would be against Sidney, and that totally flipped around. Woodson always plays hard; Trent is up and coming and unfortunately Lohn has struggled for years. I didn’t expect us to go out and beat Cranfills Gap and Blanket. Morgan (a team the Wildcats beat 48-18) is a playoff team and Blanket was right there with Zephyr and could have been a district champion. People will always have an opinion one way or another and we’ll just focus on ourselves and not worry about it.”
The Wildcats really knew what they had after a week four trip to Cranfills Gap when they beat the Lions, a playoff team in 2021, 52-6. “We went there and ended the game early, beating a very good football team and from then on, we were on a mission,” Stevens stated.
THE HEAD COACH
Stevens is not a six-man lifer but is happy to be a part of the game now. He grew up playing 11-man football in Wills Point in East Texas and eventually made it Howard Payne where he played wide receiver and free safety from 2001-2004.
He went 19-13 in three seasons as head coach at Sidney, spent time on May’s staff under Craig Steele, helping the Tigers reach the 2020 state championship game, and got the head job with the Wildcats in 2021.
THE PLAYERS
The bad news for the district and the region is the Wildcats really are still a young team with only a pair of seniors in Jake Bell and Tristan Jackson. Bell tore an ACL in the first game as a junior but has bounced back in a big way, leading the team with 1,022 yards and 16 touchdowns passing. He’s also picked up 154 yards and five touchdowns rushing, has caught four passes for 27 yards, is second on the team with 73 tackles and 11 tackles for loss, leads the team with eight interceptions and has broken up eight passes. “We are glad to have his leadership out there,” said Stevens. “He’s a smart kid that plays quarterback and safety. He’s the guy we give the keys to the car.”
Tristan Jackson moved back to Rising Star for his senior year and has made a big impact, throwing four touchdown passes, rushing for 265 yards and eight touchdowns and collecting 32 tackles. “He is a big presence on the defensive line and we let him run it from time to time when he’s not blocking on the offensive line,” Stevens said.
The seniors are low on quantity and high on quality, while the junior class is high on both. “They’re our core group,” Stevens said. “Dathon Morris (473 yds, 9 TD rushing; 462 yds, 12 TD passing; 9 rec, 191 yds, 3 TD; 51 tackles) is a good athlete that can throw and run. He plays defensive back as well and is one of the leaders in interceptions. Our silent leader is Blake Wilson (404 yds, 8 TD rushing; 11 rec, 309 yds, 8 TD; 51 tackles). He’s a good ol’ farm boy with the roughest hands on the team. You know he’s been out working when you shake his hand. He’s averaging 10.1 yards per carry so I need to get him the ball a lot more. Dakota Higgins (16 rec, 383 yds, 8 TD; 75 tackles, 22 tackles for loss) is our leader in tackles and tackles for loss and is a workout warrior. Our junior class is huge to our success.” Brayden Cook is also a contributor for the Wildcats. He has 31 tackles and two forced fumbles on defense and has caught three passes for 80 yards on offense.
The Wildcat sophomore class only has two contributors in Colt Lawrence (7 rec, 185 yds, 3 TD) and Dustin McGinn (3 rec, 33 yds, 1 TD; 8 tackles), but the freshman class is one that will keep the program rolling in the future. “It’s a huge class and we have quite a few that play,” said Stevens. “Kobey Morris (10 rec, 291 yds, 4 TD; 15 tackles) and Anthony Pollard (55 tackles) are starters. Pollard wants to hit people. He lives for the big hit and it always gets us excited.”
Curtis Pruitt, Lelland Schenk, Emerson Helmuth, Edgar Bocanegra and James Perrine are also freshman that show up on the stat sheet on varsity. “They all work hard and their time is coming,” according to Stevens. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have a JV team this year but we have a big 8th grade class coming in and should be able to next year.”
THE PLAYOFFS
While the Wildcats are not a seasoned bunch when it comes to playoff experience, their bi-district opponent certainly is. Blackwell is in the playoffs for the sixth straight season and went as far as the semifinals in 2019. The Hornets got off to a slow 1-3 start to 2022 but won five of their last six, with the only loss to state-ranked Loraine 28-8, to claim the number two seed out of District 13-1A Division II. Blackwell may not score a ton of points, but they will certainly get after you on defense. Stevens said, “They’re very disciplined on defense and not surrendering a whole lot of points. Their nose guard (Kyler Cummings) plays sideline-to-sideline and they have good stocky kids at end that don’t lose containment. They’re a well-coached football team under Coach Lowry. Offensively they don’t do a lot of formations. You know what’s coming and you’ve got to stop it.”
Blackwell is a 13 point favorite according to sixmanfootball.com.
The postseason road is not easy at all if the Wildcats make it past Blackwell, as the area round could be a rematch with Blanket or a test against #2 Cherokee. Sixth-ranked Loraine and 9-1 Zephyr are also in the 1A Division II Region IV bracket. “Honestly I think Cherokee is the top team in the east,” said Stevens. “They have got athletes that are big and fast and would be a tough test.”
THE HISTORY
Rising Star has had some good years since dropping from 11-man to the six-man ranks in 2004. They went 9-2 that season and put together a 7-5 team in 2015 that made it to the second round of the playoffs.
The high-water mark for the program came in 1948 and 1949 when the Wildcats played 11-man football under Ray Nunnally. Both teams went 12-0, and the 1949 season marks the last time a Rising Star football team has reached double-digits in victories, something they can change Thursday if they can get past Blackwell. Stevens said, “It would mean a whole lot and would be something the kids can be proud of. The community is proud of us so far but we want to continue to play and keep fighting.”
THE MISSION GOING FORWARD
The foundation of the Rising Star program seems to be firm and, win or lose against the Hornets this week, Stevens feels good about the future and what he and his staff of John Ward, Jacob Brown and Matt Lawrence have been able to accomplish so far. “The administration and school board are behind us. We usually get what we want to help make the program better. My brother Brandon moved in and is putting our brand out there on social media with videos. Good programs have parent involvement and we have their support. They do extra things for the kids from meals to goodie bags. I took over a group hungry to win and it makes it easier to turn things around. Unfortunately, there are places where that mentality doesn’t change. Rising Star kids always wanted to win and they wanted someone here they could trust. If you look at the good programs it’s because of consistency in the coaching staff and not just X’s and O’s.”
