After a successful debut season in which his team won seven of its last eight regular-season games, head coach A.D. Madise is eager to keep building.
Despite falling to Kaufman in their playoff opener, the Panthers equaled their best season in over a decade, finishing second in District 5-5A Div. II along the way.
“We’re still building a culture. We’ve been able to do some things that we didn’t do last year because we’ve had a full offseason,” Madise said. “This group of kids has really bought in and has some belief that they can do it.”
Although graduation left some holes in the lineup, the pieces are in place for Hillcrest to continue its forward momentum. It starts with quarterback Asher Randall, who passed for more than 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior.
“We put a lot on him last year. Now he’s matured,” Madise said. “I’m looking for him to make really good decisions with the football.”
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The skill players surrounding Randall will be largely unproven — except for receiver Khari Bass — but the offensive line has experience led by Thomas Rohrman and sophomore Zion King.
Multiple players could line up at new positions on defense to capitalize on their athleticism and playmaking abilities, such as Luis Montoya-Espinal and Jaden Morris. The secondary is anchored by dynamic safeties Evan Lewis and Zion Stevens-Braziel.
As Hillcrest looks to get more flexible with schemes and personnel, one key will be the development of newcomers such as Jayden Harris, Dashton Davis, and Anderson Hewitt.
