Tompkins back on field, set to defend district title

By Tyler Tyre, Sports Editor
Posted 8/3/21

“One thing we say around here, is ‘be the legacy,’” Shaink said. “Last year’s seniors have set the bar high and we need to keep getting better at those things. They’ve set that ‘crimson line’ as we like to call it. Now we need to keep raising that bar and be elite.”

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Tompkins back on field, set to defend district title

Posted

It was a hot, humid morning as whistles blew and cleats hit the ground at Tompkins High School on Monday.

But Eti-Eni Bassey didn’t care as he and his Falcons teammates walked off the field with sweat dripping off their backs after the team’s first day of practice, because football is back.

“It was awesome, it felt really good to be back out here,” Bassey said. “It was a long summer, we had a lot of hard work we did during strength and conditioning and it’s time to ramp it up and get ready for the season. I just love it.”

The Falcons ran through drills in shorts and shirts with helmets, gearing up for a long season by focusing on the basics.

Tompkins head coach Todd McVey was pleased with what he saw from the team.

“It was good to see them getting back into it,” McVey said. “It’s a little different than strength and conditioning. They just were out there learning the speed we need to do things, team speed picking it up and doing things consistently is the most important thing and they were able to get that today. Today was learning where everybody lines up, where everyone goes and getting some familiarity with everything.”

McVey and the coaching staff made the decision to not have spring practice this year, giving them an extra week in the fall to get ready for the season.

“We all came together and just decided it was best to do it this way in the spring,” McVey said. “Guys were everywhere in the spring, we had guys in track and baseball and part of it was just ‘how could we try to do this without having everybody?’  We have some veteran lineman and know what we have there and that’s a big part of the spring is finding what you have in the trenches. So I think this extra week will benefit us and we also got to lift a little bit more in the summer, so we’ll see.”

While Tompkins returns many of its players up front, it will be an entirely new look in the backfield this year with the graduation of quarterback Jaden Milroe, who is now at the University of Alabama, as well as the teams five leading rushers from last season.

But everyone on the team knows this group still has a chance to be special.

“I really think we can be great,” said senior linebacker Bryce Shaink. “But we can’t get caught up on that. “We have to take things one day, one practice, one game at a time. We can’t look into the future because when we do that’s how we are going to get beat. That’s how you beat yourself. You just have to take on every day and do your best to get better.”

The Falcons won the district 19-6A title last season as Katy High’s 11 year run atop the district was halted.

Tompkins knows they will get every teams best shot this season, but the team isn’t shying away from the pressure.

“One thing we say around here, is ‘be the legacy,’” Shaink said. “Last year’s seniors have set the bar high and we need to keep getting better at those things. They’ve set that ‘crimson line’ as we like to call it. Now we need to keep raising that bar and be elite.”

High School Football, Tompkins, Katy, District 19-6A, Texas, Todd McVey