2024 LUFKIN PANTHER VARSITY FOOTBALL DISCUSSION TOPIC

[PurpleNation]

5 hours ago, Pack007 said:

I told you Book. Congrats Zion!!  Yall probably get Moore tho..
 

Geaux Tigers!! 

I've known for a while now. He had been silently committed. LSU is getting a good one. He hasn't even scratched the service yet. 

[PackAttack]

5 hours ago, PurpleNation said:

I've known for a while now. He had been silently committed. LSU is getting a good one. He hasn't even scratched the service yet. 

Would love to see him have a dominate 2024 for the Panthers before he heads out, maybe a State Title opportunity is wishful thinking. 

[Lennie]

On 7/2/2024 at 5:23 PM, CardiacPack said:

The injuries are a legit concern but I think there was a mixture of reasons why many of our guys had injuries. One of the main defensive guys had a wreck. They had Chinn doing powerlifting and track at the same time…which is a No No! He did end up making regionals in powerlifting but ultimately decided not to attend the regional meet and just focus on track… by that time the hamstring problems started. Ended up not being able to even finish the rest of track season because of the hamstring and thought it healed up…long story short.. ended up injuring it worst the day before spring ball. Had to give it a rest for 10 weeks which meant no spring ball. However he has been spending the summer strengthening and rehabilitating the hamstring and is back at 100%!! So he will be ready in August!

That's so true and unbelievable made 1st team all district in one of the toughest in the state.and a Dave Campbell 3star and wasn't target nearly enough as receivers last season talking about Preston .

 

[Pack007]

On 7/4/2024 at 3:59 PM, PurpleNation said:

I've known for a while now. He had been silently committed. LSU is getting a good one. He hasn't even scratched the service yet. 

We just stole another one from Texas. Bo Davis was a great hire.

[PackAttack]

Wish Lufkin had a decent student section. We really went for the gold 20 years ago when the home side went all season ticket holders. Students bring the energy needed, the old farts sit on their hands or (status).  This is some student section in Nebraska. Not everything is bigger and better in Texas.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/FsKqiDzorhPfNhUY/?mibextid=D5vuiz

[PackAttack]

Just a reminder........

[PackAttack]

DCTF list Lufkin with 25 returning Varsity players. With 48 seniors this year that means there were a good number of juniors on the JV last year. DCTF states Lufkin graduated 26 Seniors.

[PackAttack]

The 13th Annual John Outlaw Memorial Golf Tournament https://24jom.golfgenius.com/pages/10570603780666048260

[PackAttack]

Time goes by so quickly, the 13th JO Memorial ?   Just doesn't seem possible, but it's true and I've got the added years on me to prove it.

On another note: This is also why I need to proof read info sent to me, because the photo the person sent me was for the 10th John Outlaw Tourney and not the 13th, which I didn't catch the difference.

Anyway, I was advised this morning of the error.  My apologies, I have been on the road and not in my usual settings to check things out. Still not an excuse.  This is also why lots of hearsay news and information sent to me since about realignment, concerning possible changes and things in the program were not discussed here.

Very relieved none of that was put out there, it would have been considered substantial news, but exactly none of those rumors came to fruition. Practically everything in the football program is exactly the same as they were last season, and the year before that and the one before that. Learned the hard way long ago that you better attach some validity to things that you post because there's no stuffing it back in the bag if it's wrong. 

43 days and counting until the Panther scrimmage 5A DII  #15 Ranked Huntsville Hornets.

 

 

[PackAttack]

As mentioned Lufkin 5A DI #19 will scrimmage 5A DII #15 Huntsville on August 23rd down in Huntsville.

Other ranked teams will be 6A #31 Longview, 5A DI #10 Port Arthur Memorial and 5A DI #21 Barbers Hill.

In my opinion DCTF should have include the Tyler Lions in their 5A DI Top 25 rankings.  Tyler is at least a Top 30, they will be better than many of those teams listed there.

Galveston Ball 5A DI is right there with Tyler as far as being a Top 30 or 35 team.  

There are 6 competitive teams out of 11 on the schedule that includes the scrimmage this year. We will see how it goes.

[PurpleNation]

56 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

As mentioned Lufkin 5A DI #19 will scrimmage 5A DII #15 Huntsville on August 23rd down in Huntsville.

Other ranked teams will be 6A #31 Longview, 5A DI #10 Port Arthur Memorial and 5A DI #21 Barbers Hill.

In my opinion DCTF should have include the Tyler Lions in their 5A DI Top 25 rankings.  Tyler is at least a Top 30, they will be better than many of those teams listed there.

Galveston Ball 5A DI is right there with Tyler as far as being a Top 30 or 35 team.  

There are 6 competitive teams out of 11 on the schedule that includes the scrimmage this year. We will see how it goes.

Yeah I agree. Tyler not being in the Top 25 is a bit surprising. I'm not sure what to make of Galveston Ball yet. It's definitely an interesting match-up. I had a good friend that I went to college with that played at Ball and we became good friends talking highschools ball. He passed away this past December. This would have definitely given us a lot to talk about. I've always rooted for Ball because of him. Hopefully somewhere Big Cody will have the best seat in the house when we play.

[PackAttack]

Ticket prices for 2024 Lufkin Panther Home Games at Abe Martin. Prices have jumped up a bit, $2 per ticket. Inflation, what can you do?

[PackAttack]

Not a lot of news to speak of currently. Mostly people are just waiting for the HS football season to start. We are in that dead zone of summer sports right now, unless your a big pro baseball fan or following the Lufkin Majors Little League team trying to make a run at the Little League World Series berth or International Friendlies Soccer.  For me, I'm only interested ln the Lufkin Majors team. 

More than likely won't have a roster until after the first game of the season. Use to be easier to get those things in the past. Things change.   

I'm going into this season looking at it with  the innocence of a fresh-laid egg.  Your never exactly sure what you have until you crack it open in that frying pan. Anyone that's raised egg laying chickens understands that.   What your hoping for is one of those big double yolkier years. I personally have only seen 2 or 3 double yolks my whole life. Very rare, about the size of a lemon. 

A ton of talent on the 2024 roster, some would say unproven (DCTF).  We/I have seen what they can do as football players since they were Freshman, a ton of upside talent.  That has yet to be completely seen on the field, and the results the past two seasons bear that out a bit.  Although, we can talk about the competitiveness of that 8-5A DI district with Longview, Forney, Lancaster and McKinney North and so on.  We can discuss how close we were at times playing some of those guys, but also blew leads to lose games too.  The problem for myself, is there is nothing tangible for me to grasp from the last 2 or 3 years, nothing that makes me feel extremely confident. Even with this great talent of 47 or 48 seniors about to take the field, there is still that uneasiness that lingers because we have the same adult folks running the show who have missed the playoffs three years in a row. That stuff just hangs on the edge for me.  Maybe I think about those things too much, maybe it doesn't mean anything, but I think it does mean a lot.  I've been around a while, seen a lot of football, also witnessed more than a fair share of football eggs laid around here too.

As I've said many times right before a season and it's expectations, we are about to find out how the best laid plans of mice and men turn out.  I'm may be a little more than cautiously optimistic at this point. It's just I'm one of those guys who has to see it to believe it.

 

[LufkinPack]

With all due respect to PN, because I know how involved with this group he is and I also know he’s been apart of what it takes to win a lot of games and have a lot of success but I just have zero confidence. I put a lot of my hope and optimism in what I hear, mostly from him, because again, he knows the talent and work ethic this group possesses, but man I just can’t with the coaching and play calling. What are we gonna do in a 4th & 5 situation with the season on the line? What are we gonna do down 2 scores with 5 mins left in a game and we’re facing a 4th down? Lol.. History says we punt and give up. I think the kids have enough talent to possibly win a title. Or get close to it. Those are the little things that will get us beat and it’s not their fault. Somebody calling the plays this year has to put them in better situations to succeed and for the love of god have some balls. Get aggressive. Have that killer mentality. 

[PackAttack]

Want to reiterate that I know the talent this 2024 team has, I believe everything PurpleNation has spoken about here.  Someone reminded me this morning telling me how the coaches or whoever are "all in" on this years team, or how they bleed purple. Totally understand all that, I've never looked at one years work to judge a body of work for a coach.  IMO the whole body of work (12 years) indicates much more of a trend. 

My question back this morning was, okay,  "Shouldn't a staff be "all in: every year?  Guess I just do not understand the concept format of using that terminology in a singular form. 

Am I looking at this all wrong? Do I just need to pull my "purple shades" back out of the drawer? , well, I can't do that. I won't do that. Just tired of having some form of expectations and then being disappointed by the 5th game of the season. In reality, how can on get excited at the prospect of making the playoffs as a 3rd or 4th place team?,  the percentages say you get your butt handed to you the first round. Nothing about that is fun.

I'm going to post this, and you tell me the proper perspective to have about things. I'll acknowledge a couple decent seasons, also includes three 1st round playoff losses (2018. 2019 and 2020).  No playoff win in 6 seasons.  I'm gong in this year looking for the extraordinary, but I need to see it happen and not resemble much the same game decisions as these past several years.

Lufkin Football records:

• 2023  (5 - 5)
• 2022  (6 - 4)
• 2021  (4 - 6)
• 2020  (6 - 5)
• 2019  (9 - 2)
• 2018  (9 - 2)

 

[LufkinPack]

If you need a team full of college recruits to get excited about your job or to even want to put in the effort to succeed then you might as well quit and let someone else do it. 

[Pack13]

8 minutes ago, LufkinPack said:

If you need a team full of college recruits to get excited about your job or to even want to put in the effort to succeed then you might as well quit and let someone else do it. 

Yeah they are only looking at having a good team. Lufkin hasn’t been a good program in a long time. The way things are handled looks like it’s from the 90’s. They aren’t a modern organization 

[LufkinPack]

2 minutes ago, Pack13 said:

Yeah they are only looking at having a good team. Lufkin hasn’t been a good program in a long time. The way things are handled looks like it’s from the 90’s. They aren’t a modern organization 

Yeah that’s just kinda Lufkin in a nutshell. Ask the district why they are $10 million in the hole 👀🤣

[PackAttack]

5 minutes ago, Pack13 said:

Yeah they are only looking at having a good team. Lufkin hasn’t been a good program in a long time. The way things are handled looks like it’s from the 90’s. They aren’t a modern organization 

Don't know, all I see is the 6-5, 4-6, 6-4 and 5-5 the last 4 seasons, and no playoffs the past three. This 2024 group is really special, IMO these coaches have to prove their worth.

[Pack13]

1 minute ago, PackAttack said:

Don't know, all I see is the 6-5, 4-6, 6-4 and 5-5 the last 4 seasons, and no playoffs the past three. This 2024 group is really special, IMO these coaches have to prove their worth.

I feel with the district and raw talent this is a playoff team. It will be a good team. Good programs make playoff runs each year and wait for teams like this to push for state. 
 

Im looking forward to seeing this team compete. I do think other teams will give them plenty of push. It’s not freshman year anymore. Some of these schools have done an excellent job developing and building athletes where Lufkin has not. 

[PackAttack]

21 minutes ago, LufkinPack said:

Yeah that’s just kinda Lufkin in a nutshell. Ask the district why they are $10 million in the hole 👀🤣

One Third of that $10M could have done wonders for Abe Martin. The place now stands in the lower tier in any district we play now.  

[LufkinPack]

5 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

One Third of that $10M could have done wonders for Abe Martin. The place now stands in the lower tier in any district we play now.  

Yep. It’s gonna be a little while PA 

[mr. b]

6 minutes ago, LufkinPack said:

Yep. It’s gonna be a little while PA 

Probably more then a little while😊

[LufkinPack]

5 minutes ago, mr. b said:

Probably more then a little while😊

🤣

[PackAttack]

You may see it with our new Superintendent and after there are some other changes made.

Outlaw busted it trying to get all sports on campus for years while here. Too bad he didn't get to see it happen in his lifetime. We should have handled the $75M bond money a little better too, and maybe they would have had money left over for some Abe Martin renovations. Instead we ended up having to use other funds or money left over from other bonds to finish all those projects. Might be part of that over budget situation.  Plus the baseball boosters had to raise their own  money to put in the larger concrete parking lot by the fields or there would have been just a tiny lot there.  By the time they got ready to begin that project, the district was already looking to cut corners on those fields.

A little FYI - when Roy Knight was Superintendent, while Outlaw was still living, the district purchased that strip of land between the current practice fields and Jarvis Equipment (down toward Love's Truck Stop). Their future intention at the time was to build a new football stadium there, then demolish Abe Martin and build a new 9th grade campus.  Then Outlaw passed away and Roy retired as Superintendent. 

Not to take anything away here and sound like nothing has been done in all the years since.  The new Pack Activity Center helps the look of ABE, the new ticket booths, new concrete drives and walkways around the stadium , new concrete soccer parking lot all help the aesthetic look of the place.  New turf and a new scoreboard/video screen were added about 8 or 9 years ago. Just nothing structurally other than some ADA aluminum seating back when Outlaw was still here. The original 1973 press box and 1973 fencing around the place are unchanged, and the steep steps with no handrails is a huge accident just waiting to happen.  I'm up high by the press box area, saw a guy lose his balance a few years ago and roll down 10-12 rows before someone caught him. Busted his head open, had to take him off on a gurney to the hospital. The guy sat up by us for years and years. Never saw the man or his family again, don't know what happen to him. That's not all the falls, I've even witnessed 2 or 3 fall out of the press box. Not with good results.  Hey, I almost did the slippy slide down once years ago coming down after a game on a rainy evening, just zero to hold on to up there.

Hey,  I'm just looking forward to seeing the new downtown renovations completed. If I live to see Abe renovated I may need to have seats much lower than they are now.  I am thankful for that new parking lot for football games though, sure makes it easy to get in and out.