CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Rockport-Fulton is coming off a 2-round playoff run last season, and their familiarity is even stronger under second-year head coach Eric Soza.
"We definitely carry the weight on our back, the expectations of the community," said Rockport-Fulton senior linebacker Kam Alston. "We're looking to hopefully go further this year."
The Pirates Slot-T offense is going to lean on senior running back Traey Alvarado. Last season, he rushed for 793 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.
"They want to try to stop Traey, and then we've got other backs that we can roll with," Soza said. "That's the beauty of what it is. We don't have any 6-foot-5 all-American all-staters right now, but we've got the all-state heart. That's what the Slot-T football is all about."
Alvardo will give confidence to their new quarterback Reid Snyder, who actually comes with some toughness. He was an all-district first-team outside linebacker last year.
"We've been with Reid for a long time," said Rockport-Fulton senior tight end Jackson Grubert. "I played with him on JV a couple of years ago. I think we have a lot of chemistry with him. All of us know him. He's a great quarterback. He's going to lead us to a lot of success this year."
Rockport-Fulton's defense returns seven starters.
"Really everyone gang tackling," said Alston. "All 11 jerseys getting to that ball. Playing with elite speed. We're not the fastest group overall, but we fly to the ball."
Rockport-Fulton kicks off the regular season with a road trip to Orange Grove on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
