TAKING NEW DIRECTION

Led by second-year head coach Raulston, Class 1A, DII Cranfills Gap Lions represent a young squad in new district taking aim for return to the postseason

Without a single senior on the roster, graduation hit the Cranfills Gap Lions hard following the 2023 Texas high school football season. But even though the inevitable growing pains will set them up for the future, the 2024 Lions aren’t planning to wait – they’re time is now.

Despite only three returning lettermen, the Lions will have one offensive and three defensive starters among them, led by junior quarterback Diego Rodriguez and junior running back Jake Cox.

“We were senior heavy last year, and this year we don’t have any,” Cranfills Gap football head coach Josh Raulston said. “We have guys ready to show what they can do and step up. It will be a lot of learning and a lot of asking of a younger group to take on a varsity challenge. But these guys have proven they want to be here, and they want to succeed. We expect to be in the playoffs this year, and we know it’s going to be a tough fight in district to do so.”

As the lone mainstay in a revamped District 14-1A, DII, the Cranfills Gap Lions were picked to make the playoffs as the district runner-up behind the top-ranked Oglesby Tigers in another five-team district that includes the Priddy Pirates, the Evant Elks and the Mullin Bulldogs.

“I did think there was a possibility of us being pulled into the district with Oglesby,” Raulston said. “Adding Evant and Priddy to the mix was sure to change up the districts in our area. Being in a new district is always exciting because we get to see new teams, and it sort of refreshes the program. I think everyone in our district is excited about it, and it will be competitive. I look forward to it.

“I think being separated from our Bosque County brothers it gives us an opportunity for more representation as long as we can take care of business.”

After winning two district championships in three years, Cranfills Gap’s move to a new district in 2022 with the UIL’s previous realignment did not work out well for the Lions. Despite being everyone’s choice to win their second straight district title, the Lions came up short of making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Growing up playing six-man football in Blum, Raulston graduated in 2010 and then spent two years under a livestock judging scholarship to Clarendon College before transferring to Tarleton State to major in Kinesiology. Raulston embarked on his coaching career at Cherokee in 2015, leading to stops in Abbott and Knox City before getting his first football head coaching opportunity in Eden. But a young Bulldog squad struggled to a 1-9 record with only two seniors and eight freshmen in 2022 before coming to Cranfills Gap last season.

“I’ve been an assistant under some of the best coaches in the state and been in involved in some of the best programs,” Raulston said. “I learned a lot in that first year as a head football coach, and I hope to improve with my second season in Cranfills Gap.”

“Coming to Cranfills Gap has been a great opportunity for me to get closer to home with friends and family. We’re hoping to turn it around, and I’m very excited for the challenge.”

Despite finding themselves in the same district with one of the state’s title hopefuls in top-ranked Oglesby, Raulston hopes the new district will turn out prosperous for Cranfills Gap’s young, inexperienced 11-man roster.

“We are lower in numbers this year and injuries tend to become an issue,” Raulston said. “Our strength is that we keep looking forward and know it’s the next man up. We’ve built a brotherhood and its being tested this season.

“During our pre-district games, we need to learn the base essentials fast. Know our roles, know our keys, know each position, and work together. Oglesby is the team to beat, they were at state last year, and I expect their goal is to be in Jerry World again.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS