DIFFERENT CAST, SAME STORY

Armed with new head coach & a new cast of characters, the Class 1A, DII Morgan Eagles aim for fourth straight postseason berth & back-to-back district titles

After earning three consecutive trips to the Class 1A, Division II postseason tournament, it’s no surprise to see the Morgan Eagles selected to win their third District 10-1A, DII title in the last four years by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

But for the first time in six years, the Eagles will be embarking on a campaign without veteran head coach Eduardo Aviles, who accepted an assistant coaching position under head coach Jeb Dixon for the Class 1A, DII’s second-ranked Oglesby Tigers. And with him, junior quarterback E.J. Aviles, who was named 2022 Offensive MVP of District 10-1A, DII, departs with his father.

Regardless, the Eagles will still be loaded with four lettermen returning with postseason experience, including three offensive and three defensive starters.

“We are a young team that is looking to make waves,” Morgan’s first-year head coach Chuck Wilson said. “We have some serious talent, and I hope that it translates into another playoff run.”

Despite getting off to a slow start in 2022, Morgan (3-0 in district, 8-4 overall) qualified for the postseason for the third straight year by capturing the District 10-1A, DII title before winning the first playoff game in school history by knocking off the Fannindel Falcons, 70-34, in a Bi-District matchup.

Class 1A, Division II’s ninth-ranked Bluff Dale Bobcats used a dominating second half to spring past them Eagles, 81-35, in a Region III Semifinal playoff matchup in Dublin’s Bob & Norma Cervetto Stadium, closing out Morgan’s most successful season in school history.

In addition to being named the District 10-1A, DII Newcomer of the Year in 2022, junior end/defensive back Zach Mitchell has been selected as one of the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football pre-season all-state wide receivers.

The Eagles will also be led by two other first-team, all-district selections in senior quarterback/defensive back Mark Anthony Garcia and sophomore running back/defensive back Adrian Alonso.

Even though he will have a new signal caller throwing him the ball in Garcia, Mitchell brings game breaking talent to the field after piling up 627 yards and 13 touchdowns receiving in 2022. On the flip side, the Eagles expect Garcia and Mitchell to provide defensive leadership as well.

With the exception of four lettermen, the Eagles will be young and inexperienced this season. But Coach Wilson likes what he sees and expects Morgan to have what it takes to hold off challenges from three District 10-1A, DII counterparts – the Bynum Bulldogs, the Mount Calm Panthers and Bosque County rival Kopperl Eagles.

After claiming the first-ever mythical Bosque County Six-Man Football championship in 2020, the Eagles returned to the playoffs in 2021 as the district runner-up to Cranfills Gap before making it a threepeat with another title in the new District 10-1A, DII last season.

“These kids have a great work ethic and desire to compete,” Wilson said. “I believe we are still the team to beat in district. Even though we lost some players, we are the defending champions, and we are prepared to defend it. This is a tough group of young men that are ready to go to battle.”