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The Sharks snapped a playoff drought dating back to 1964 and advanced to the Class 3A, Division II quarterfinals.
“None of us had ever experienced anything like that,” Rojas said. “My brother and dad were talking about how they never got to experience things like that while going to Palacios. It was real fun to walk around and know you’re one of the best in the state of Texas and no one else could say that.”
Palacios coach Mike Treybig won’t ever forget his third season at Palacios, but wants to make sure it’s not an anomaly.
“We had a great year, for a lot of people around here it was almost considered to be a dream season,” Treybig said. “Not just making the playoffs for the first time in 43 years, but to go four rounds deep. So definitely, the expectations in Palacios, Texas have changed from a community standpoint, from a school standpoint and from an athlete’s standpoint.”
Treybig knows returning to the playoffs will be a challenge for the Sharks, who not only had all-state linebacker Aaron Buckley depart for Texas A&M and running back Henry Solis and wide receiver Lucas Garcia leave for Trinity Valley Community College, but lost every starter in the offensive and defensive backfield.
“You can’t exchange experience for anything other than experience,” Treybig said. “It’s just a matter of when are they going to be able to get their feet underneath them and when are they going to get that experience in a game. That confidence that comes with playing.”
Treybig believes the Sharks familiarity with the system and the repetitions they got playing 7-on-7 will help them overcome the lack of experience.
“Keeping our same offense and same defense, we basically had the entire offense in going into our first scrimmage,” Treybig said. “We’re ahead from a football knowledge standpoint. Just like everyone else our primary concern is getting these kids in shape so they can play football for 48 minutes.”
Palacios could have as many as eight players starting on both offense and defense, including senior Alex Buckley, who returns at linebacker and will move back to fullback after playing on the offensive line last season.
“Our challenge is our size, it isn’t the same as it was last year and the same with our speed,” Buckley said. “I still think we can get through and get close to where we were last year. We’re going to have to work hard. We’re going to have to work harder than we did last year.”
Convincing the Sharks to work hard is much easier for Treybig and his staff after the success of last season.
“It was a conscious effort,” Treybig said. “I promise you there was not a day that went by leading up to last year’s football season and through last year’s football season that I wasn’t thinking something about football. I’m talking about off the practice field and out of the coaches’ meetings. It was a conscious effort of instilling or just trying to get the kids to believe that they could and not so much could but they deserved the right to be able to be there. Once we did that, I’m hoping there will be some definite positive carryover.”