DISTRICT 7-3A DII
Against the odds
By Jim Pitts
Head Coach: Ervin Chandler
2019 record: 4-6
Last Playoff Appearance: 2015
BLOOMING GROVE — After finishing
4-6 in his first season as Blooming Grove’s
head coach, Ervin Chandler is expecting big
things from his Lions in 2020. As well he
should, as Blooming Grove came oh so close
to a playoff spot last season.
In the Golden Circle’s version of the
‘Bermuda Triangle’, the Lions finished 0-2
against rivals Rice and Mildred and missed
the playoffs, but there is more to the story
than just two losses.
In both games, Blooming Grove would
have to overcome large, early deficits, before
exploding on offense.
Against Rice, the Lions would take the lead,
only to see the Bulldogs tie the game late and
eventually win in overtime.
After spotting Mildred a four-score halftime
lead, the Lions roared back with three
consecutive touchdowns to make it a game.
But like the Rice game, the Lions would again
come up just short.
Rice would beat Mildred to claim the final
playoff berth, leaving the Lions a long and
strange offseason to think about the reality of
football being a “game of inches”.
Fast-forward to this season, Chandler and
the Lions are ready to apply the painful lessons
of last season and take the next step for
the program and qualify for the playoffs for
the first time since 2015.
Chandler and his staff do have something
this season that they lacked last season –
familiarity.
“I learned a lot from last season, especially
about the kids,” said Chandler, “It’s good to
have a season under my belt.”
Also familiar for Chandler and the Lions
will be the return of both the offensive and defensive
coordinators, Wayne Walker and Jason
Burnet, respectively, from last season.
The first order of business for the Lion
offense will be finding a quarterback to run
Chandler’s Power Spread offense this fall.
In the pre-season, it’s a three-way battle between
senior Bubba Beacom and sophomores
Timothy Hamilton and Kelton Bell. With
only one scrimmage before the regular season
due to the COVID-19 virus, the battle may
last right up until kickoff in Week 1.
No matter who eventually wins the job,
Chandler expects all three players to be major
contributors for the Lion offense in 2020.
Fortunately for Blooming Grove, the Lions
will have a great core of skill players surrounding
the new quarterback.
Junior running back Jalen Coleman, last
year’s district Newcomer of the Year, returns
to lead the power part after rushing for more
than 700 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019.
For the spread portion of the offense, the
Lions will look to two big targets, six-foot-five
senior wide receiver Josh Glasco and six-footone
senior tight end Colton Nicholson, who
finished last season on the first-team alldistrict
offense.
On defense, the Lions will rely on a solid
secondary as two first-team all-district players
return in Beacom and Glasco.
Chandler expects both seniors to be leaders
on the field as the Lions must replace two alldistrict
linebackers from 2019.
For replacements, the Lions will look to
sophomores from last season’s talented junior
varsity team that finished 9-1.
One such sophomore is Trenton Nicholson,
Colton’s younger brother, who is expected to
fill the void at middle linebacker.
The elder Nicholson, also first-team alldistrict
at defensive end, returns to anchor the
defensive line.
Chandler has high expectations for the
Lions this season. He thinks enough of his
Lions that he’s upgraded the non-district
schedule to include three bigger 3A Division
I teams (Eustace, West, and Kemp), as well as
Golden Circle rival Kerens.
If that wasn’t enough, both scheduled
scrimmages included two more 3A Division I
teams, one of which just happened to be twotime
defending state champion Grandview.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the Grandview
scrimmage had to be cancelled due to UIL
changes brought on by the pandemic, leaving
only one scrimmage before the Lions open the
season at Eustace.
A youthful, but talented, roster and a challenging
non-district schedule may lead to a
bumpy road at start of the season for the 2020
2019 SCHEDULE
at Cross Roads W 39 - 0
Kerens W 41 - 7
at Italy L 28 - 13
at Edgewood* L 55 - 24
Rice*
L 33-25 OT
Scurry-Rosser* W 25 - 6
Buffalo* L 49 - 13
Gateway Charter Academy* W 48 - 8
at Mildred* L 40 - 27
Palmer* L 45 - 15
*District Game
2020 SCHEDULE
At Eustace Aug. 28
Kerens Sept. 4
West Sept. 11
At Kemp Sept. 18
At Mildred * Sept. 25
Edgewood * Oct. 2
At Scurry-Rosser * Oct. 9
Bye Week Oct. 16
Palmer * Oct. 23
At Dallas Gateway * Oct. 30
Rice * Nov. 6
*District Game
Lions, but Chandler is thinking bigger.
“My expectation is to make the playoffs, and
this group hates to lose,” said Chandler.
For Blooming Grove, it might just be the
right path to navigate the Golden Circle ‘Bermuda
Triangle’ and claim one of those elusive
playoff spots in District 7-3A DII.
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