THRILL RIDE | A near-decade of dominance for West Rusk, as Mata begins year two at the helm in ’24
NEW LONDON – It’s. hard. to. argue. with. success.
That’s why you shouldn’t do it.
Second-year head football coach Rafe Mata at West Rusk, a former player and long-time varsity assistant coach and offensive coordinator, finds himself in a rather precarious predicament going into the 2024 season.
Yeah, following a 10-3 season, which included going unbeaten (6-0) in one of those tough 3A East Texas districts (11-3A, Division I), and advancing all the way to the third round of the UIL High School Playoffs before losing to state-ranked Daingerfield.
The Raiders have made the playoffs nine years in a row and won their district four of the last five years (2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024).
WEST RUSK RAIDERS
(by JOE HALE – ETBLITZ.COM)
Coach: Rafe Mata (Second year at the school, 10-3)
All-time record: 315-300-5
Stadium: Bruce Bradshaw Stadium; 10705 Main Street, New London, Texas, 75682
2023 result: 10-3
Returning lettermen/starters: 17/11
Offense: spread
Defense: 3-4
Mata, the Kilgore and University of Houston alum with a son, Andon, in the Houston track program as we write this, had been the OC at the New London school the four previous seasons and the transition into being the head coach was relatively seamless with the exception of a couple of early-season road losses to Malakoff in the opener and then to Tatum three weeks later.
In between, though, the Raiders won a couple of games and entered district with a 2-2 mark. The players, the student body and their fans were feeling better about themselves after West Rusk beat Arp, one of its two big district rivals in the 11-3A opener for both teams.
What followed were five district wins in a row and playoff victories against Redwater and New Diana.
Just keep winning (in other words) more is better.
Re-alignment changes the district, but it’ll still be rock solid and competitive.
“We need to play teams early that will helpfully get us ready for district,” Mata said when asked about the upcoming campaign. “Hopefully challenges in non-district,” like Malkoff and Tatum, “will get us ready for district and then if things go right for us a nice playoff run.”
Like last year, Malakoff and Tatum are two of the first four teams the Raiders face on the 2024 schedule, but there the schedule changes. Instead of Sabine and Mineola, there’s home games at Bruce Bradshaw Stadium against Diboll and Gladewater before district play-for-keeps begins on Sept. 27 on the road against Elkhart, one of three new 11-3A opponents for the Raiders. The other newbies are New Diana and Buffalo.
“We played New Diana in the playoffs. They were very talented, but very young,” Mata continued. “Elkhart and Buffalo will be new to us, but I believe they’ll both be physical and be a good challenge for us.”
West Rusk won that high-scoring area-round matchup against New Diana 50-35.
The Raiders’ second-year head coach welcomes back 17 lettermen, including five offensive and six defensive starters.
Offensively, the Raiders’ power spread lost some key ingredients, but Mata believes there are capable replacements.
Among those are senior running back Cole Jackson (5-10-190), junior wide receiver/quarterback Judson Dotson (6-0, 185), as well as a couple of other talented wide receivers in sophomore Kemontrae McGregor (5-9, 165) and senior Jase Reasoner (5-7, 165).
Jackson rushed for 1,274 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, while Dotson averaged 20.6 yards per catch on 15 receptions, and McGregor averaged 10.4 ypc and scored twice.
Reasoner averaged 30 yards per punt and kickoff returns and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the playoff game against New Diana, and returned a punt 40 yards for a score against Winona.
Two offensive linemen, both seniors, center Adam Jaimes (6-0, 330) and guard Christian Ludes (6-2, 330) return to anchor the front of an offense that averaged 37points per game last year.
Jackson as well as Dotson and Reasoner will be counted on to go both ways. Jackson as a linebacker, Dotson a cornerback and Reasoner a safety.
Jackson was among the leading tacklers with 122 last season to go with three TFL and three interceptions. Dotson had 38 tackles and three interceptions also, while Reasoner had 41 tackles to go with two picks.
Other notables in the odd and multiple defense West Rusk runs include junior linebacker Hunter McCandless (5-10, 180), senior end Cameron Robinson (6-0, 210). McCandless was credited with 75 tackles and an interception which he returned for a touchdown, while Robinson made 71 tackles, 11 TFL, three sacks and an interception.
Defensive back Max Carrillo (6-0, 175), junior end Syncere Cleaver (6-1, 180) and senior safety Johnny Hernandez (5-10, 180) are also returning. Interestingly, enough, Carrillo, who will be a senior, played as many as seven different positions last season.
Senior Emiliano Rodriguez returns to handle kickoffs, extra points and field goals, while Dotson will do most of the punting.
Rodriguez converted 11-of-12 extra point attempts, while Dotson averaged 37 yards per punt.
This year with the shortage of officiating crews around the state as well as in East Texas, more and more teams will play at least once on Thursday night. For West Rusk, the Thursday date is the third week of the season at home against Gladewater.
“It’s something the smaller schools have gone to quite a bit,” Mata said. “It’s not a bad deal for us. Our kids kind of like it being the focus of the night.”
Focus also comes with winning and these Raiders certainly don’t mind that either.