By DARIN ALLRED
Register Sports Editor
CALLISBURG — When Jerry Bomar took over as head football coach and athletic director at Callisburg in 2004, the program had not enjoyed much success including zero playoff wins — ever.
But the Wildcats slowly but surely started to turn things around in Bomar’s six seasons, thanks in part to this year’s group of seniors that were seventh graders when Bomar came to Callisburg from Grand Prairie. Among the seniors are a trio that have been on varsity all four years: Quarterback Bobby Dorman, receiver Kevin Bartley and linebacker Chase McCage.
Those three players, along with their fellow seniors have helped lead Callisburg to heights the program has never known. The Wildcats won their first-ever playoff game last year and ended up advancing three rounds deep. This year, they are into the regional finals for the first time and will take on undefeated McGregor this Saturday at 6 p.m., in Midlothian.
Bomar says he noticed even back in 2004 that these three players were something special.
“From the seventh grade on, they were three of our best players,” the coach said. “Bobby played quarterback in seventh and eighth grade and Kevin played receiver. Chase played running back, but he was also a linebacker and defensive lineman. We kept them pretty much in those positions with the exception of McCage.”
The Wildcats were 3-7 in Bomar’s first season, then improved to 4-6 in 2005. During the players’ first year on varsity in 2006, Callisburg went 7-4 and made the playoffs, but lost in the bi-district round. They were 6-4 in 2007 and missed the playoffs, but last year the team went 8-5 and won a playoff game for the first time in school history. This year they are 11-2.
Bomar says he made a conscious effort to work with the junior high teams when he first arrived in Callisburg to help build the program.
“When I first came I coached it all. I worked with the seventh and eighth grade and called plays for the eighth grade. I did that on purpose because I thought it was very important,” he said. “I’ve done that everywhere I’ve gone. It’s good for them to see you, know you, and let them know how important they are and how important they are going to be to your program. It’s not about talent in turning a program around, it’s about numbers. If you start them in the seventh grade and they see you there and they say that’s Coach Bomar and he talks to us and I make sure I tell them great job and after games I’m waiting at the gate to tell them good job. It lets them know that he must think we’re important so let’s stick with the program.
“I’ve done that everywhere because everywhere I’ve gone, except one job, I had to rebuild it,” he added. “It’s all about keeping kids with you. This group of seniors is no exception. The majority of them have stayed with us and have played pretty much the same spots. We’ve brought them up and now we’re reaping the rewards for that.”
The reward is date with 13-0 McGregor, who has playoff wins over Maypearl, Lone Oak and Aubrey (who defeated Callisburg earlier this year.
“McGregor has not lost a football game, which is impressive in itself,” Bomar said. “Anybody that’s undefeated at this time of the year is pretty good. They are a balanced team with a good defense and a good offense. They remind me a lot of Melissa because they had some strong, active kids on defense and so does McGregor. Melissa ran the spread offense and so does McGregor. The only difference is McGregor has not thrown the ball as much. This team has a really good running back and they run the ball with him and with their receivers too. Playoffs are about matchups, not about records and I think we match up with them. I think we will play well against them.”
In addition to Dorman, Bartley and McCage, other Wildcat seniors include Preston Cash, Langston Jones, Chris Apala, Seth Wolfe, Michael Paxton, Tyler Rigsby, Dylan Douglas, Daulton Ing, Brandon LaRue, Ricky Bacon, Zach Coulter, Tyler Nelson and Charles Smith.
“These guys (the seniors) have played a lot of football for us,” Bomar stated. “They knew what we expected and they knew how to play the game and they have been solid all year. Seniors can be good or bad. You can have a senior team that will respond or you can have a group of seniors that think they know it all and are hard to coach. For the most part they have played very hard every game. That’s the thing I’m proud of is that these kids have played really hard. We’ve never had a game where we didn’t play hard. We’ve lost two games, but these kids have never backed down from nobody. That’s why now we have a lot of confidence.
“We’re not cocky,” the coach added. “We understand we’re not the greatest football team to ever step on the field. But I tell them every year that there is one team in the playoffs that comes out of nowhere. There is always one team that is still playing that no one counted on. It’s about confidence and momentum and we have both right now. That’s why I think we’re going to play a great game against McGregor.”
No matter what happens Saturday, the coach says he only expects one thing from his players.
“As long as they go out and play as hard as they can play and play their best football, that’s all I can ask,” Bomar said. “If it’s good enough, then great. If it’s not, then hey we gave it our best shot.”
