Royal has taken a step forward over the past two years.

The Falcons have earned back to back playoff appearances, finishing second and third in district over the two seasons and the team has raised its level and standards as they have embraced success.

But while they have achieved that success, it’s only the first step for this program, and everyone in the locker room is aiming higher this year. They don’t just want to make the playoffs, they want to go multiple rounds and compete for a district championship.

“The key for us is the consistency we have to bring in our daily approach,” said Royal head coach Theadis Reagins. “We have to stack days and build momentum, push every rep and take every day seriously. That’s how good teams become great and that’s been the goal this year.”

Royal definitely has the talent to be able to compete and reach their goals. Offensively, they return some very exciting playmakers. Zakai Anderson will lead the offense at running back and rushed for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchowns last year. There will be options to throw to as well, Noah Lasker and Kamar Chavez-Brown both are playmakers at wide receiver.

The Falcons do have some question marks on the offensive line, but with so much experience behind them, the Falcons are confident that the offense will find its groove early.

“That’s one of the things that’s going to be a strength this year,” Reagins said. “We have depth at those skill positions, and we know we can gameplan different things for different weeks because we have so many guys who can make plays. Teams can’t just hone in on one individual with our team they have to respect all of our skill position guys.”

On defense, Malik Hooker and Chazren Barley will lead things along with Tyler Lavallier. Royal brings back six starters on the defensive side of the ball and will be looking to improve on a season where they did well but did have some struggles down the stretch against strong teams.

“They’ve continued to grow as players and it’s about the coaches too, getting the guys ready, making sure they know who the key players are on the other side and watching film,” Reagins said. “We’re going to be more physical on that side of the ball this year and there will be more attention to detail. We have a lot of talent there and I think the defense can be really good this year.”

Royal will have four weeks to prepare for the District 10-4A-Divison II gauntlet, facing Yates, Almeta Crawford Navasota and Fort Bend Willowridge to start the year. It will be a good start against Yates, which made the playoffs last year, and then three straight games for Royal to get up to speed before the big tests of district come around.

It will be an exciting year and one with lots of big goals for the Falcons, and they believe this year, they have what it takes to make it a special season.

“Our two biggest things we have to do this year are play really solid defense and then be able to run the ball and have solid special teams,” Reagins said. “Those are things so many coaches say but that has to be the focus for us this year, running the football and playing defense the way we can. Another big focus is taking care of the ball better, because games we ended up losing a lot of times came down to turnovers last year. If we’re able to do those things, this team can be really special.”