Grapeland Sandies Work to Find Their Identity Before District Play

By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – The Grapeland Sandies have spent the summer building a new team the same way they have built the program in recent years: by showing up and working.

“We had a lot of kids show up and work hard,” Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Jordan Wood said. “That’s kind of been our thing the last few years. Our kids have continued to do that, so it’s been fun.”

The Sandies graduated 12 seniors from last year’s team, creating openings throughout the roster and requiring several returning players to take on new responsibilities.

The early part of the season will be devoted to finding out how those pieces fit together.

We’ve got to take it one practice at a time, one game at a time.” Wood said. “We kind of look at it in sections of our pre-district and then district.’

Grapeland’s immediate goal is to establish its identity before district play begins.

“We have a lot of new guys in new places,” Wood said. “We’ve got to come together during district and really start playing good football at some point in there before we ever get to district play.”

Wood described the roster as a mixture of players with significant experience and others whoare still learning what varsity football demands.

“It’s a good mix,” he said. “There are a lot of guys that don’t have a ton of experience. We graduated 12 seniors last year, and a lot of them were really good players.”

Some of the Sandies’ returning players have played plenty of football but will be contributing from unfamiliar positions.

“We have a lot of new guys in new places, and a lot of guys that have played quite a bit of football with quite a bit of experience, but they’re in new positions,” Wood said.

One part of the program that has already provided stability is the playing surface. After improvements to the grass field became an important issue in previous seasons, Wood said the field is now serving the team well.

“Absolutely, absolutely love it,” he said

The Sandies are also preparing for another Texas season now under the UIL’s wet-bulb globe temperature requirements. Grapeland has been following the guidelines for approximately three years, including the period when they were recommended rather than mandatory.

The district has adjusted its practice schedule when conditions require it. The team can work outside earlier in the day for a limited period, return after school for approximately an hour ormove into the junior high gym when outdoor practice is not permitted.