Football season is well on its way, and the Aubrey Chaparrals’ football program hit the turf for their first week of practice last week.
Under the direction of long-time Aubrey athletic director and head football coach Keith Ivy, the 8-5 Chaps finished fourth in 4A-1 Region II District 7 before losing a nailbiter to the rival Celina Bobcats in the 4A Regional Semifi- nals.
“Last year was truly a task for us, going up a classifi cation, and especially going to the district that that UIL put us in,” Ivy said. “It ended up being the toughest district in all of 4A Division I across the entire state, and it’s predicted to be the same way going into this season. We had a really good football team and finished things off strong, but just to show how tough our district was, we ended up in fourth place, which was a little bit of new territory for us, but nonetheless, we were super proud of our guys.”
The Chaps lost a signifi cant number of their key contributors to graduation last season, but Ivy said the Chaps have picked up right where they left off at the end of last season and have been highly motivated throughout offseason camps and workouts.
“As soon as we finished last year at Thanksgiving, these guys went to work,” he said. “… They’re hungry, and they’re ready to get going. I think they’re kind of tired of everybody telling them that they’re not going to be as good because we lost [30 plus] seniors last year. We lost a ton of talent, but we feel like we still have some quality players and some guys that can get it done.”
Despite the big losses, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football still has the Chaparrals ranked as the 24th best team in 4A Division I.
“That’s based on respect for our program,” Ivy said. “… We believe in our program, and our kids believe in our coaching staff. We have a proven track record. The ball doesn’t always bounce your way, but we feel strongly about these guys and believe that if we can get some experience and build some team chemistry by the time we get to district, we can make a run at it. We already know these guys are going to play their hearts out and give it their all.”
With only five starters returning from last season, Ivy said teamwork will be crucial this year and said he and his staff have made it a point to ensure the Chaps operate as a unit when they hit the field.
“We tried to do a lot of competition through the spring and summer to develop the camaraderie and the culture of the team as well as to develop the family atmosphere,” he said. “We love each other, and we’re going to play for our brothers and that Aubrey across our chests. We have 10 straight years of playoff runs on the side of the field house, and we want to make it 11.”
Last season Aubrey used a spread offense to take advantage of their talent at the skill positions, but with most of those players gone, Ivy said the Chaps will need to lean on their offensive line, anchored by Elliott Kinney and Stephan Coffman, to lead the way under first-year offensive coordinator Chase Marler.
“It’ll be similar in some ways to what we did years ago, but it’ll be a little bit more run heavy,” he said. “We’re going to be big and physical up front, so we feel like we can get in there and control the line of scrimmage and be extremely physical, running the ball.”
With over a decade at the helm, Ivy still made sure to thank the Aubrey faithful for the love and support they’ve given the Chaps football program.
“We certainly appreciate everything that Aubrey does for us—the buy-in that the community, the school district, the parents, and these young men have for our program is amazing,” he said. “These kids pour their hearts and souls into it, and the community does as well. This year is 12 for me, and it’s become a special place to go out to a football game on a Friday night and see the love and the passion everyone here has for the Chaparrals.”
