TEXARKANA, Texas After two consecutive trips to the Class 4A Division II state championship game, the Hawks are looking for continued success.
Pleasant Grove won the state title in 2017 and were runner-up to Cuero in 2018.
"Our main is to grow as much as we can and to enjoy our journey," Pleasant Grove head coach Josh Gibson said. "I was satisfied with last year's performance in that our kids ended up in a place that many people did not expect them to be in after we lost so many players. We would have loved to had won the state title game, but I think our kids had a remarkable season."
Photo Gallery
"Drawings and Drips" Opening
Rachel Thompson celebrated her art display "Drawings and Drips" at the ACAC with an opening reception Friday, January 8.
The Hawks have three standards: heart and soul, full tilt, and state.
"We are going to put our hearts and souls into each other and into the program," Gibson said. "If we do that and come up short, then we don't have any regrets.
"If we are going full tilt, then we are going as hard as we can as teammates and as students. These character traits promote growth. We are always looking to maximize our growth. State means that we want to be the best students, the best football team, and work harder than everybody else in the state. We want to challenge ourselves to be the best leaders. Those are the standards that help guide us."
OFFENSE
Pleasant Grove returns eight offensive starters and six defensive starters. Among those eight offensive starters are senior quarterback Ben Harmon and senior running back Bruce Garrett.
The Hawks run the Wing-T offense.
Last season, Harmon hit on 91 of 171 passes for 2,008 yards, 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Harmon has a record of 29-3 as a starter.
"The best thing that Ben does is that he is a natural leader," Gibson said. "He gets respect from his teammates, and they want to do well for him. It's not just because he is a great player, but he has a work ethic that is second to none. He is the hardest working kid that I have coached in 20 years.
"Ben has the production and a mentality on the field that he believes he will always succeed. He will jump in on special teams and defense too. The best things about him are his leadership and kids buy into him because of his work ethic. He always goes full tilt and checks all of the boxes in a big way."
Garrett totaled 2,004 yards of rushing a season ago on 171 totes. Garrett found the end zone 20 times and averaged 7.6 yards per carry.
"Bruce is an all-state running back and has committed to a Division I college," Gibson said. "He is our preseason district MVP in Dave Campbell's magazine. He will continue to make a big impact for us, no doubt.
"He is a versatile runner, has great balance, and really good speed. He can go from zero to full speed in a 3-4 yard window. Bruce squats over 450 lbs, so he can run over somebody if he needs to."
Nick Martin, a junior, will get a lot of carries and starts at inside linebacker. K.J. Hicks, a senior who starts at safety, will get some totes at fullback.
The two biggest targets for Harmon are senior wide receivers Jackson Cobb and Sergio Rodriguez. Cobb led the team in receiving last year with 27 grabs for 611 yards and eight TDs.
"Sergio is one of the fastest kids in our area and has big play potential," Gibson said. "Jackson is quick, has phenomenal hands, and is savvy. Those two guys are big weapons and are both extremely talented."
Protecting Harmon will be many senior starters that return from a year ago. The Hawks lost just one player from their offensive line due to graduation.
"We are going to be more mature and stronger on the offensive line," Gibson said. "Jaime Lewis plays on both sides of the line. He is one of the most talented kids on the line, and he is versatile. Jaime is an impact player and is very well conditioned.
"Connor Stanfill played about 50% of the time last season. He is a kid who brings a lot of experience back, is smart, is selfless, and just one of the best leaders by example in our program. Landon Watlington is a great leader. Great teams don't just have one leader; they have tons of kids that go hard."
DEFENSE
Pleasant Grove will run some 3-4 and some 4-2-5 sets on defense. The Hawks have many versatile players that will play in both sets.
"We are going to have multiple looks on defense," Gibson said. "Hopefully, it will make it harder for other teams to prepare for us."
Senior Dylan Hopkins and Josh Porche will start at inside linebacker. On the defensive line, Pleasant Grove will have standouts Landon Jackson and Marcus Burris on the ends. Lewis and Cam Weekley complete the four-man front.
Rodriguez plays in the secondary, in addition to his receiver position, and is a 3-year starter. Andrew LeGrand will start at safety.
Harmon, who has been solid at punter, will return at the position to contribute on special teams. Angel Mejia, a senior, is the leading contender as the Hawks' place kicker. Players are competing for the punt and kick returner spots.
"We will have a lot of kids rotating in at cornerback," Gibson said. "We have a lot of the same kids. We will have a lot of growth. It's a veteran team that has experienced a lot of maturity. They understand it, and they all believe.
All of the players are jelling well together and many players have been playing alongside each other for many years.
"This 2019 team is one of the tightest-knit teams that I have coached," Gibson said. "These guys are great buddies. One of the best things about this team is the way the senior group embraces the younger guys. They mentor them and are friends with them. These kids build each other up."
TAKING ON THE BIG BOYS
Pleasant Grove's biggest challenge will be in the competition that it faces this year. The Hawks will take on several state-ranked teams including Paris, Henderson, and Carthage.
"We play eight state-ranked teams out of our 10 games," Gibson said. "A lot of strengths that we have, a lot of the teams that we play will also have. I think we will be ready for them. We have a really strong group."
The other seven teams that the Hawks will face are Atlanta, Gladewater, Chapel Hill, Pittsburg, Gilmer, Liberty-Eylau, and Spring Hill.
"The expectation is to grow as much as we can and enjoy the journey," Gibson said. "A lot of people want to hear that our goal is to win state. It is not "State or Bust". I think this team is capable of winning state. I am more concerned with how much we grow and enjoy ourselves along the way. We are going to win a lot of games along the way."
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SCHEDULE
Date, Site-Opponent
Aug. 30, Paris
Sept. 6, at Henderson
Sept. 13, Atlanta
Sept. 20, at Gladewater
Sept. 27, at Chapel Hill
Oct. 4, Carthage
Oct. 11, x-at Pittsburg
Oct. 18, x-Gilmer
Oct. 25, x-at Liberty-Eylau
Nov. 1, x-Spring Hill
x-Denotes 6-4A game
All kickoffs at 7:30 p.m.
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QUICK FACTS
- SCHOOL: Pleasant Grove
- 2018 RECORD: 13-3
- HEAD COACH: Josh Gibson
- YEARS AT SCHOOL: 6th
- COACHING STAFF: Justin Gibson, assistant head coach/off. coordinator/running backs; Clint Fuller, def. coordinator/inside linebackers; Andy Allen, safeties; Johnathan Darby, cornerbacks; Ty Taylor and Steve Morris, def. line; Lucas Wacha, outside linebackers; Riley Fincher, quarterbacks/receivers; Kevin Reaves and Brett Hutson, off. line; Yoncarlos Palacios, running backs.
- LETTERMEN LOST/BACK: 13/25
- STARTERS BACK: 8 offense, 6 defense
- PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Landon Jackson, DE Marcus Burris, QB Ben Harmon, RB Bruce Garrett, WR Jackson Cobb, WR Sergio Rodriguez, ILB/RB Nick Martin, ILB Josh Porche, ILB Dylan Hopkins, OL/DL Jaime Lewis, OL Connor Stanfill, OL
- TOP NEWCOMERS: S/RB KJ Hicks, OL Jordan Stuart, CB Riley Durmon, RB Logan Johnson.