NEW BEGINNINGS IN SMALL WAYS

With third head coach in as many seasons, Class 1A, DII Morgan Eagles hope to once again soar under new leadership in a new five-team district

Attempting to take flight with a new head coach, the Morgan Eagles will open the 2024 Texas high school football season with a roster bearing the bare minimum.

With no seniors and only six players on the roster, the Eagles will be taking on sixth-ranked Iredell Dragons as Dave Campbell’s Texas Football favorites in the five-team District 11-1A, DII, followed by 2023’s surprising Kopperl Eagles, while Morgan hopes to competing against the Bluff Dale Bobcats and the Three Way Braves, who will be dropping down from Class 1A, DI.

“Our team’s greatest strengths will be toughness,” Morgan’s first-year head coach Alan Berrio said. “We only have six playing right now – that means everyone has to do everything. They don’t get the luxury of sitting out a play.

“With that said, lack of numbers and youth will be a challenge for us. With only six players coming out so far, the season is going to be long. Three of our six players are freshman, who have only played a few games in junior high because of low turnout.”

After winning two district titles over the previous three seasons, lack of number proved to be Morgan’s downfall last season. Competing in District 10-1A, DII, the Eagles struggled through a disappointing season as injuries took their toll and missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

Regardless, junior Adrian Alonzo drew the district’s Newcomer of the Year honors and returns to lead the Eagles on both sides of the ball. Without any seniors on the roster, Alonso will assume the role of team leader as a junior. In addition to handling the ball carrying duties on offense, Alonzo led the Eagles defensively last season with 84 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks playing cornerback.

“The whole coaching staff has been replaced, and we are starting over,” Berrio said. “I’m coming from Cherokee where I’ve been the defensive coordinator for several years. Hopefully, we can get a fundamentally sound defense and offense this season as we start to build this program.”

With only three lettermen returning, Alonso represents the only returning starter as sophomore quarterback-cornerback Heath Tedder and sophomore center-safety Jayce Parker return with limited experience. Joining the varsity squad as freshmen will be wide receiver-defensive end Reese Frailey, receiver-defensive end Phenoix Dellos and running back-linebacker David Garcia.

As the pastor of Whitney Missionary Baptist Church, Berrio took the Morgan coaching position because the school sits only 20 minutes away from his church. For the last four years, Berrio served as the defensive coordinator at Cherokee, working alongside talented coaches from diverse backgrounds. “Under the leadership of head coach Zack White, Cherokee has built a top-tier program focused on encouragement and development,” said Berrio, who graduated from Cherokee High School and married his high school sweetheart. “I owe much of my recent growth as a coach to him.

“With the knowledge and experience I’ve gained from coaching in my hometown, and the promising young athletes we have here in Morgan, I’m confident we can build a successful program that emphasizes character and fosters school pride.”

Before marrying his high school sweetheart, Berrio and his wife graduate from Cherokee High Schoool, where he played football under the guidance of Six-Man Hall of Fame coaches Roddy Maddox and James Low. After graduating, I earned a scholarship for football and track at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas.

“The close-knit community and small school atmosphere of the six-man world left a lasting impact on me,” Berrio said. “However, after spending a little over a year at Sterling, I felt called to the ministry. I left college to begin my career in the church.”

In 2004, Berrio became the pastor of his first church in Mason, Texas. After five years there, the Berrios moved to Whitney in 2010, where he currently serves as the pastor of Whitney Missionary Baptist Church, along with his wife and three daughters.

In 2016, the Berrios returned to Cherokee to care for his wife’s father, who was diagnosed with cancer. Despite the long commute, he continued to travel between Cherokee and Whitney to fulfill his pastoral duties. Given the circumstances, they enrolled their daughters in Cherokee, and his wife began teaching there. From 2020-23, Berrio served as defensive coordinator at Cherokee.

“I’ve been working alongside talented coaches from diverse backgrounds,” Berrio said. “Under the leadership of head coach Zack White, Cherokee has built a top-tier program focused on encouragement and development. I owe much of my recent growth as a coach to him.

“Morgan is just 20 minutes from my church. We were drawn to Morgan, particularly because of the strong leadership there. In the close-knit world of six-man football, coaches often know each other, and I’ve always noticed that Morgan consistently produces good athletes.

Certainly, the Eagles face many daunting challenges ahead this season. In District 11-1A, DII, Morgan will have to line up against to playoff-caliber teams in sixth-ranked Iredell and Kopperl, two teams loaded with talent and experience.

“Iredell is the best team in the region,” Berrio said. “In theory, if you can beat Iredell, you could possibly play in the State Semifinal game. Kopperl seems to be picked to be the second best in the district. So, getting a win against them would put you in a place to make the playoffs

“It’s hard for me to say where we fit being new to the district. I think second place in the district will be a toss-up. I don’t think we will need a miracle to make the playoffs, but we will have to play fundamental football all through district.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS