Amarillo High School

Amarillo Sandies 2009

When the UIL introduced the mega-district that is District 2-5A in 2008, they made the season essentially a district game every week. Amarillo High and coach Brad Thiessen have developed the win every game or go home attitude after the first year of the ten team conference, and Thiessen believes his team could move into a playoff spot this year if they can stay healthy.

The Sandies finished the season with an even 5-5 record and a winning 5-4 record in district play but were unable to finish in the top four and secure a post-season berth against vaunted teams such as Odessa Permian and Midland High. “With such a difficult district, I felt our seniors gave us great leadership.  We played well all year and gave ourselves a chance,” Thiessen said about last year’s squad that graduated 37 seniors.

But looking forward, not back, has Thiessen and his charges preparing for what they hope will be a top four district finish. Two honorable mention all-district defensive players lead the nine returning starters for the 2009 edition of Sandie football.  Senior Tyler Dollar (6-0, 215) returns at defensive end where he was the leading tackler, and junior Blair Dickey (5-9, 160 ) will again roam the defensive backfield where he accumulated 43 tackles and four picks as only a sophomore. The defense will have three more starters joining Dollar and Dickey.  Brady Burdett (6-0, 170) will help give the Sandies two experienced defensive backs, and James Castleman (6-4, 250) provides a second big, strong defensive end. Ivan Castaneda enters his final high school season as a returning starter at the linebacker position and is expected to add both leadership and experience.

J.C. Casas (6-0, 170) is expected to become the starting quarterback his senior season and will have two experienced players to protect him on the offensive line, Dalton Carter and Nick Wheeler. “Both Nick and Dalton started last year and have been great leaders in the weight room,” Thiessen said. Also returning as starters are receivers Dalton Koller (6-0, 155) and Will Bryant (6-1, 190).  Koller caught 25 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, while Bryant scored on six of his fifteen receptions.

The Sandies special teams again have the services of a kicker who may be able to play at the next level.  Austin Sasser is a genuine field-goal threat.  The punter/place kicker enters his senior season having made 8 of 9 field goals last season with a long of 47 yards.  He is also accurate on extra points where he connected on 35 of 38 attempts.

With a solid returning corps of starters, Thiessen also expects strong contributions from several other lettermen and underclassmen. Junior Chase Wolfle (6-3, 185) is expected to contribute as a defensive back along with classmates Griffin Douthitt (6-0, 185) and Conner Jacob (6-2, 210) who both return with 41 tackles each at linebacker.

As the Sandies prepare for the new season, Thiessen knows keeping his players healthy will be a major factor in being successful in the large district. “There is such a premium on staying healthy with such a long district season,” Thiessen said.  “Hopefully, if we can do that, we will have a chance.” 

Thiessen is expectant as he enters his fourth season at the helm. “We will have better team speed and will need to find a way to utilize that.  I like what we have done during offseason and look forward to the season.” The season begins with the only non-district matchup against neighboring Randall, the defending 3-4A district champion at Kimbrough Stadium in Canyon on August 28.

Lubbock Coronado will come to Amarillo and Dick Bivins Stadium on September 4 to begin the rugged district season. The city rivalry against Tascosa and new coach Ken Plunk is September 11. Formidable and tradition rich Odessa Permian comes to Dick Bivins September 18, and a bye week follows. After five weeks of non-travel, the Sandies will make the long trek to San Angelo to play Central on October 2, but they will stay home the next Friday to play Lubbock Monterey. The gas bill will ring up the next two weeks as the team travels to Midland High and Odessa High before entertaining Midland Lee on October 30, and ending the regular season at Lubbock High on November 5.

Sandies Defensive Domination

Amarillo High’s Defense, lead by #91 Noseguard James Castleman, allowed only 9 first downs, 56 yrds rushing, 72 yrds passing, caused 3 fumbles and forced the defending 3-4A champion Randall Raiders to punt 7 times last Friday night. The Sandies offensive numbers do not look that impressive, only gaining 247 yrds of total offense; however, they managed to score 56 unanswered points. Amarillo High suffocated the Raider offense and forced the game to be played on the Randall side of the field most of the night. The Sandies stepped up a few notches entering 2-5A play next week with the improvement of the defense and special teams play.