A&M CONSOLIDATED TIGERS
Confidence brimming in Tigerland
Taste of area playoffs over last two seasons has Consol veterans excited for 2019 By JEFF PERKINS jeffrey.perkins@theeagle.com
A&M Consolidated’s football team could be in for a season to remember, especially if seniors Devin Price, Brian Darby and Nate Floyd have anything to say about it. The trio of three-year starters suffered a pair of painful area-round losses the past two seasons, first to Hutto then to Fort Bend Marshall. Now its their last chance at a deep playoff run, and with a team filled with college-bound talent, they think it’s the Tigers’ time. “State’s in our mind, but you’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Darby said. “I feel like we can hang with any team in the state. I believe that. It’s just about staying healthy and disciplined.” The high expectations aren’t new to Consol, though this season may be the most highly anticipated since head coach Lee Fedora took over in 2017. The Tigers spent most of last year in the AP Top 10 before falling to the Buffalos. They made Texas Football’s Preseason Top 10 in Class 5A Division II earlier this summer for the second straight year. It may seem like a lot of fanfare for a team coming off two straight area-round exits, but outside of a dismal second quarter, Consol was up to the task in the 49-31 loss to FB Marshall. The Buffalos went on to a runner-up finish in 5A Division II, falling to perennial power Aledo in the title
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Eagle photo by Laura McKenzie A&M Consolidated’s Brian Darby,from left,Valen Jones,Gage Pahl,Devin Price and Nate Floyd are key members of aTiger team hoping to venture past the area round of the playoffs this season. game. Price, Darby and Floyd have been inseparable in their three years as starters, and as Power Five conference recruits, they also are the face of this year’s Tigers. But the closeness of the trio is a reflection of the bonds of friendship and camaraderie of the senior class as a whole. It’s that
High School Football 2019
chemistry that they believe sets the tone for the team and will be the difference in mounting a deep playoff run and competing for a state title. “We’ve got a different brotherhood on this team than in the past few years,” Floyd said. Consol’s offense is poised for another high-scoring
season despite losing starting quarterback Caden Fedora, now at North Texas. Senior Gage Pahl has the most experience in Lee Fedora’s system among those vying for the starting quarterback job with senior Bryan transfer Kerry Brooks and junior Kyle Willis also in the mix. Pahl had an excellent showing at the Texas
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7-on-7 Championships in June, leading Consol to the Division I state title. He completed 70 of 117 passes for 822 yards and six touchdowns with one interception while filling in for Fedora the past two seasons. The Tigers have some re-tooling to do on the offensive line with all-state left tackle Reid Francis
now at Incarnate Word, but Lee Fedora is pleased with how quickly the unit is gelling in practices. In losses to Huntsville and FB Marshall last season, the Tigers struggled to protect the quarterback, so their title hopes likely depend on how much progress the
See CONSOL, Page 18
Thursday, August 29, 2019
