Bastrop will enter its game Friday at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex as heavy favorites against the McNeil Mavericks.
The Bears will be looking back into the past and catch a glimpse of where they were two years ago, according to head coach Gerald Perry.
“They have some good looking and athletic kids, but they are a team in transition,” Perry said. “Watching them in their scrimmage against Westlake, they made mistakes, but that happens when you have a new coach.”
Bastrop will have to account for talented defensive end Cameron Smith, but Perry said they are ready for him.
“(Our offensive line) have been playing good defensive linemen all along,” Perry said. “For what we do, we read the defensive ends anyway.”
The Bears enter the new season as defending district champions, but do so in a new district.
Perry said that with the expectations and hype, his team is staying humble.
“They’ve never had high expectations here, so I think our kids are pretty grounded,” he said. “We have a chance to be a good team this year, but the question is, ‘how good do we want to be?”

BASTROP AT MCNEIL • 7 P.M., FRIDAY • KELLY REEVES ATHLETIC COMPLEX • PREDICTION: BEARS BY 18