FORSAN, Texas (Nexstar) – The Buffaloes from Howard County are hoping to stampede on the scene in West Texas. Forsan has been inexperienced at times lately, but this fall the team will have a large core of talent back on the roster.

“When you’re playing six or seven sophomores against a bunch of seniors from Hawley or Stamford, the outlook’s not good,” head coach Jason Phillips said about the past few seasons.

In that time, the Buffs have made steady progress. After 1 win in 2018, Forsan recorded 3 victories in 2019 and 5 in 2020 – which earned the team a playoff spot.

“They could see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Phillips. “They knew we were going to get better. We improved a lot last year and we’re hoping to do that again this year.”

In order to see that improvement, the Buffaloes will turn to their five returning starters on defense along with seven more on offense. In addition to their experience, Forsan offers versatility with their skill position players.

“We have a lot that can contribute and that way, the defense can’t just focus on one guy or two guys,” said Phillips. “We have several that we can run out there and be explosive.”

The offensive line will feature several new faces. That group has impressed so far, though, which has led to a happy quarterback and happy running backs.

“We still have Jayden (Golleher), one of our seniors out there,” said senior quarterback Major Stockton. “He’s going to lead the line really well. We have a bunch of guys stepping up that are doing absolutely amazing. Just seeing them all work hard and push themselves when they have some pretty big shoes to fill from last year – I think they’re doing great.”

“They push boys back,” said senior running back Chris Mendez. “People can say it’s the running group but they make us look good. In our receiving corps, we’ve got some hands on us.”

Having been through so much early in their careers, the upperclassmen for the Buffaloes have developed an undeniable bond – on and off the field.

“I think this is the most we’ve ever gotten along and just been having fun rather than making this more of a job,” said Stockton.

“You can just see that. They have a great time together. They’ve gone through some great victories. They’ve gone through some bad losses but they stuck together through it all,” said Phillips. “I think that’s what’s important.”