Sanders Says Morale is High

            For many students thinking about last football season, not many good things come to mind. We can only sit and remember the good times of playoff games and road trips to far away cities to play teams we had never heard of. It was a beautiful thing. Sadly, those feelings have not been felt for a good while, leading top Tom Bean ISD officials to try and find someone to unite the team, students, school, and town again.

            That man might just be Coach Tal Sanders, the current head coach of football and Athletic Director. I had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with the Tomcats’ new leader about pre-season, the football team, and athletics in general. Of course, the first question that came to mind was that after seeing the boys in action during pre-season workouts and games, how confident did he actually feel. Without hesitation, coach answered with a swift, “Very confident.” However, he also said that not all the kinks and bugs had been worked out, and that the Cats were continuing to move forward towards what he considers to be crunch time: district. Coach Sanders said that he planned to have his team working like a “well oiled machine” by the time Callisburg comes to town.

            As always, with new coaches comes changes. Coach Sanders believes that the biggest change so far has been the confidence level of his squad. Who could blame them? One could argue that after last season and the departure of the bulk of Tom Bean’s coaching staff (countered by the addition of several more) that the athletic department was in shambles. Now, with a new strong leader at the helm, it seems there has been a rise in morale. More confidence can only mean better play by our beloved Tom Cats.

            And there is no doubt that the football team is loved, win or lose. This is why some might feel that there is more pressure on Sanders to perform. Pressure? Not this guy. He actually considers the previous pride and tradition of Tom Bean Football to be “motivation” for him, his coaches, and his players. He aims to bring back the days of playoffs and exciting football which is enjoyed by all. A trend which many would love to see resurrected.

            But wait, there’s more. Coach Sanders is a man of many sports. He promises that with the coming of each season, there will be an “equal focus” on each sport. There is a “season for everything”, and you can be sure that students will see just as much effort and focus for every sport as there has been and will be for football. This is a big statement, as most would say that Tom Cat Athletics has been blind to other sports due to football being the big one.

            So, it seems that the Cats have bagged themselves a good one. Come out on every Friday night and watch the show as the Cats begin their return to vintage football.