TATUM, Texas — The Tatum Eagles got their season started with Winnsboro on their schedule in week one. The Raiders came into this season ranked No. 2 in the Fabulous 15 polls after a 13-1 run last season. Winnsboro's one loss came from the state champions, Malakoff Tigers.
That being said, the expectations were high for the Raiders this season, but Tatum shifted the attention to themselves by taking them down 29-14 at home.
It's safe to think, because Winnsboro lost star quarterback Kyler Finney and wide receiver Will Wilcox to graduation, that's why they lost to Tatum. However, the Eagles had another tough opponent in week two, facing off with then No. 4 ranked Daingerfield Tigers. Tatum rolled through the Tigers on their home turf 34-14, proving that they are a different team this season.
Tatum's starting quarterback Cole Watson graduated, so they replaced him with wide receiver Jacorie Bradley. Bradley is the son to the Eagles basketball star Jayme Bradley, who's known for hitting 171 three-pointers and most recently got his number retired.
"Jacorie's done a really good job for us, when you're dealing with a coach's kid who's been around the game his whole life I think you're a little bit ahead of the game," said Tatum Head Coach Whitney Keeling.
Keeling is satisfied with how his team has been playing, but he believes there's still room for improvement with their defense.
"We can get better at tackling. I think our kids are playing with great effort, but there's a few times that we have them in our sights and we let them get away," said Keeling. "When you knock off the No. 2 team in 3A division one, and then you knock off the No. 3 team in division two back-to-back, I'm not going to get on them a whole lot."
Tatum will play Newton on Friday.