Teams to Watch: San Saba

Photo by Russell Peables

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Despite entering the season having lost 23 of its last 26 games, San Saba had a lot of reason for optimism under second-year head coach Jerod Fikac. The Armadillos returned nine starters on both sides of the ball and had a lot of success at the sub-varsity level last season with an undefeated JV team. 

That combination of experience and influx of talent has paid off for San Saba early in the season as the Armadillos are off to their best start in more than a decade and have dominated their competition so far.

“I definitely think the energy is high, the community is fired up and the kids are fired up,” Fikac said. “We were confident that we could be successful coming out of two-a-days and the kids have done a really good job of buying into the program and the culture we’re trying to build.

“I think that’s the most important thing – the culture’s changed and the kids have learned how to work, fight and decide they want it a little more than they have before.”

San Saba opened the year with a 53-6 win over Johnson City before blasting Harper 53-0 in Week 2. The Armadillos lost to Harper 56-7 in the second week of the season last year, showing just how far the program has come in a short time under Fikac. 

The team kept the fast start going last week with a 40-6 win over Junction as Sean O’Keefe accounted for 300 yards and four total touchdowns while running back Eli Salinas totaled 221 yards and two scores. 

Defensively, the Armadillos have flourished early in the season behind the play of a dominant group of defensive linemen and linebackers. 

Joseph Watson (23 tackles, nine TFL, four sacks), Jett Hibler (11 tackles, seven TFL), Clayton Pierce (17 tackles, four TFL, three sacks) and Junior Jaimes (Eight tackles) are leading the way in the trenches while Risien Shahan (18 tackles, six TFL) and Erik Argote (35 tackles, seven TFL) have stepped up behind them at linebacker as well. 

San Saba gave up 30 points per game through its first three games last year while posting a 1-2 record and went on to finish the season allowing an average of just under 31 points. The Armadillos are allowing just four points per game so far this season. 

“I think they’re more confident now in their reads and things like that, so it’s allowed them to play a lot faster,” Fikac said. “The physicality of our kids, getting off the ball and tackling has all been improved. That’s been a pleasant surprise and something that’s been really impressive.”

One of the biggest points of emphasis for San Saba after last season was to find a way to force more turnovers and the defense has done a good job of excelling in that facet of the game early this year. 

The Armadillos have forced eight turnovers in three games – Shahan, Jake Faught, Logan Glover and Ruben Parra have an interception apiece while Watson, Pierce, Daniel Herrera, and Shanan have each forced a fumble. 

O’Keefe and the offense have been able to capitalize on the strong play from the defensive unit and are averaging more than 48 points per game so far this year. Fikac credited the offensive line, where the Armadillos had just two full-time starters back, for coming together to help the offense thrive. 

Jaimes and Pierce are the senior leaders in the trenches while sophomores Landin Short, Bladen Calley and Bryan Reza have stepped up into key roles on the offensive line. 

“The offensive line has done a really good job of allowing us to run the ball, so it starts with them,” Fikac said. “And then our quarterback and running backs have done an exceptional job of hitting the holes and running through tackles.”

After cruising through their first three games of the season to match all of last year’s win total, the Armadillos will face their toughest challenge to date against Snook in Georgetown Friday night. 

The Bluejays are off to a similarly impressive 3-0 start under Chad Lechler, which will give Fikac and San Saba a solid look at just how far the team has come before District 7-2A Division I play begins on Oct. 12. 

The Armadillos, the only unbeaten team in the district so far, will compete for a playoff spot alongside Crawford, De Leon, Goldthwaite, Valley Mills and Hico. San Saba hasn’t advanced to the playoffs since 2012. 

“This community is lit up with purple right now and with Dillo Pride, and a lot of that has to do with the football team and what the kids have done on the field,” Fikac said. “Obviously [getting into the playoffs] would be a huge momentum boost for the school, the community and our team to be able to experience that while we are continuing to grow and get better.”

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