The Fighting Farmers [1-2] go into this week’s district game confident to beat the Hebron Hawks [1-3].

Sad loss, strong mind

Despite the loss against Marcus [4-0] of 40-26, the Farmers were quick to analyze what went wrong and fix it. Head football coach Gregg Miller knows the team could have won the game against our crosstown rivals, but missed the opportunity due to small mistakes and “lack of discipline.”

“When you can name the game, it makes it hurt that much more,” Miller said. “Of course they were disappointed, but not broken. Special teams kind of hurt us in the crucial times, but the thing we did do was play hard. We moved the ball up and down the field really well.”

Fighting to the top

With this bitter feeling in mind, the team has focused on becoming more physical throughout the bye week. Hebron is known to create new plays depending on the team they play. Senior outside linebacker Casey Hodge has felt the strain during practice because he has to make sure to be up to speed on all the possible plays Hebron may run.

“We need to learn to come back from behind,” Hodge said. “We’ve picked up the tempo during practice. Last week was probably the most draining and physical week we’ve had in awhile. There’s nothing [Hebron] can do that would surprise us.”

Mentality is just as important as physicality. Hebron has been known to go beyond the norm to take their opponent down mentally. Senior tight end James Johnston recalls a few years back when they managed to do just that.

“A few years ago, they had one of our captains about to cry,” Johnston said. “They look up your girlfriend and family on Twitter, and find out everything about you. We need to grow stronger mentally and just focus on getting the win. Our practice week was hard on our minds too. Hitting after hitting, no break.”

The Farmers have utilized these two weeks to prepare themselves for the rest of the season. This 6A district, that was once a one sided playing field, shifted after last Friday when the teams that usually dominate lost their spots to lower ranked teams. The biggest upset in the balance was McKinney Boyd [1-3] losing to Flower Mound High School [1-3] by 27-28. According to Miller, this sets up the rest of the season for “a shift in powers.” This is good news for the team as they continue the season with the idea of making this the first winning season in three years.

“Don’t lose faith in your Fighting Farmers,” Johnston said.

Come out to Hawk Stadium tonight at 7:30 to watch as the Farmers take on the Hebron Hawks.