If you want to the be the best, you have to beat the best. To beat the best, you have to prepare to beat the best. For the North Forney Falcons, a team with playoff aspirations in the tough District 8-5A DII, that meant traveling to Aledo last Thursday night for a scrimmage against last season’s 5A-DII state football champions.
Yes, that Aledo. That Aledo with a state-record nine football championships. That Aledo the Falcons could face in this season’s playoffs – if the Falcons make it that far.
Tonight, in their season opener, North Forney will go from the frying pan into the fire as they face 5A-D1 Frisco Lone Star at the Star in Frisco. Lone Star, a state semi-finalist last season, is a favorite to take home this year’s state title.
In a district with five teams listed in the area top-15, the playoffs are no guarantee. North Forney found that out last season when a 3-game losing streak midway through district cost them a second playoff appearance in three years. They found out that, in this district, a 7-3 record may not be enough.
After last year’s disappointment, the Falcons have dubbed the 2020 season their “Payback Tour.” They are committed to being better prepared, and to eliminate last season’s mistakes. Payback involves first making an investment.
“We began investing in this season as soon as soon as that last play ended last season,” said offensive coordinator, Mike Ludlow.
The Falcons went into the scrimmage with no high expectations. Teams cannot win or lose a scrimmage; they can simply learn about their team. As Head Coach Randy Jackson told his team, scrimmages are simply a diagnostic checkup. For the Falcons, that meant answering the question, who are we?
What they found out is that they belong. They now believe they can play with the big boys of Texas High School Football. While they have a season to play, North walked away from the scrimmage with a quiet confidence.
According to Jackson, “We got better as the night went on. We looked like a good football team.”
On offense, North Forney returns a stable of running backs, including Ty Collins, (1228 yards, 14 TDs rushing) and Akanimo “Nimo” Asuquo, and a quarterback, Jacob Acuna, one of the fastest players on the team, who has shown increased arm strength.
While Acuna is talented, offensive coordinator Mike Ludlow has been most impressed with the leadership he has shown as the team prepares to kick off the 2020 season.
“He shows so much poise leading the team,” Ludlow said. “But he has become much more vocal, in a very positive way, this year.”
Protecting Acuna and opening running lanes for the backs will be a young offensive line that averages 315 lbs. While big, the line is also fast, and extremely athletic, a trait that was evident in the scrimmage. According to Ludlow, it is the line that will set the tone for the offense this season.
“They really put in work during the off-season to prepare for this,” explained Ludlow after the scrimmage. “They are working really well together and helping each other get better every day.”
On the outside, senior wide receivers Kam Allen, a 6’4” Michigan State commit, and speedy Collyn Shipley, could present challenges for opponents.
As good as the offense looked in the scrimmage, the defense looked equally strong. A blue collar, hard hitting defense has been a staple of the Jackson era at North, but it is the speed of the defense and its depth that has defensive coordinator Ryan Porter’s eye.
“We are so much faster on defense than we were last year,” shared Porter. “We rotated a lot of players in, and we found out that we have a lot of guys that can play.”
The defensive line looks improved. Rod Brown, a heavily recruited senior lineman, will command a lot of attention this season. According to Porter, that attention could limit what an opponents’ offense can do and should make it easier for the rest of the defense.
An improved secondary did not give up any big plays and showed an ability to close on receivers in the scrimmage. Porter credits newly hired coach Tyler Patmon with influencing that unit. As a former NFL cornerback, Patmon had instant credibility with the Falcons’ safeties. The players immediately bought into his teaching about technique and playing with confidence. The word that seems to permeate the program is “special.” This is a special program. This is a special group of players. This could be a special season. Players encourage, help, and teach each other. There is an unselfishness in what they are doing to make each other better. They understand their individual roles in the creation of the whole.
From the frying pan into the fire. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. This is a special program looking forward to a special season. It starts tonight.
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