CHAPEL HILL, Texas — The 2022 football season begins Aug. 26, but the Chapel Hill football program still has a bad taste in their mouths on how the season ended last year.
Austin LBJ defeating the Bulldogs in the final seconds of the state semifinals is a memory senior receiver/safety 'Deuce' McGregor remembers all too well.
“That hurt and we know what we have to do to get to that same spot," McGregor said. "But we know we can go further, and we can win.”
Something on the Bulldogs' side is experience, returning 10 starters on the offensive end alone.
"I tell everybody, you can't coach experience," Chapel Hill head football coach Jeff Riordan said. "We got a lot of experience coming back. Our senior class is very seasoned, we got guys with 38 varsity starts right now in that senior class. We have some sophomores that started for us last year and a great junior class. It's just a good time to be in Chapel Hill right now."
Speaking of that sophomore class, running back Rickey Stewart and quarterback Demetrius Brisbon are both returning this season, more polished than ever.
"We really got a chip on our shoulder," Brisbon said. "Everybody thinks that it was just a surprising season last year and we got to show them this year that we're some dogs and we can win.”
Chapel Hill enters this season ranked third in Dave Campbell's Class 4A Division 1 Preseason poll, which is sure to put them on other teams' watch list.
“We're not hiding from anybody anymore," Coach Riordan said. "We're out there, but our kids still have a chip on their shoulder. They don't realize they're the number three team in the state. All they know is we didn't complete the mission last year. And our mission this year is to play 16 games and be at Cowboys Stadium that last game of the season.”
Chapel Hill opens the season against the Gilmer Buckeyes at home on Aug. 26.
