By Michael Adams
madams@austinsportsjournal.com
SMITHVILLE – Fueled by a new head coach, the Smithville Tigers enter the 2024 Texas high school football season with a new sense of hope.
The Tigers (4-6 in 2023) aren’t really known as a high school football powerhouse, but first-year head coach Layne Neaumann looks to change the culture in the small town east of Austin.
“I’m big on culture, and we need to change the culture here,” Neaumann said on Saturday at the conclusion of practice at Tiger Stadium. “My number one goal is to have a culture that is disciplined, that means answering ‘yes sir,’ ‘no sir,’ no talking back to the coaches, moving on and being a football player. Not only that, but being a man. … also that means taking responsibility and holding each other accountable. That’s step one.”
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Neaumann is Smithville’s fifth head coach in the last 20 years. In that time the Tigers are 69-140 with seven playoff appearances and only three seasons with a record above .500.
The former Fort Bend Ridge Point offensive coordinator inherits a program that had three winning seasons in former head coach Cyril Adkins’ 10-year tenure. However, Adkins’ Tigers did make five playoff appearances during his time at the helm.
Smithville’s misfortunes on the football field started shifting in 2011 when former head coach Justin Wiley led the Tigers to a 7-4 record and the school’s first playoff appearance since 1998. It was Wiley’s only winning season in his five-year stint as head coach before taking the head coaching job at Ballinger in west Texas.
Neaumann’s arrival has injected a new energy that is noticeable in practice, and players say they see things changing for the better.
“This week has been so different,” said junior offensive lineman Baylor Watson. “You can tell there’s a lot more energy in practice and discipline, and that makes us all want to get better. People overlook us because we haven’t done anything in the past, but we’re going to change that.”
Junior tight end Caleb Magden added, “Since coach Neaumann came here, since day one, the mentality has changed. We don’t go 50% anymore. Whether it’s in the weight room, doing agility drills or out here scrimmaging, we’re going 100%. We’re doing it to get better.”
Smithville will make a move to Region IV for the first time since 2012. The Tigers were placed in District 13-4A-II in the UIL’s biannual redistricting in February, which includes Region IV powerhouses Lago Vista, Geronimo Navarro and Wimberley.
Texas high school football pundits don’t give the Tigers much of a chance to turn things around this year. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football picked Smithville to finish last in 13-4A-II, but players say that only motivates them more.
“We’re always picked to be at the bottom, but that’s what motivates us to get better,” said junior quarterback Trip Davis, who is also a standout for the Tigers’ baseball team.
Smithville’s new district opponents aren’t really strangers.
The Tigers played Lago Vista and Navarro in non-district games the past two seasons, while Smithville and Gonzales have met eight times since 2012 with the series tied at 4-4. The Tigers even have recent history with Wimberley. The Texans beat Smithville in the first round of the playoffs in 2020.
It may seem like the Tigers face an uphill battle to change the culture right away, but Neaumann said he’s expects to compete now.
“They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but we’re well on our way,” he said. “We want to be competitive now. Our goal is to win a district championship… we are in a tough, tough district, but I learned from one of the best coaches around that if you want to be the best, you have to play the best. We’re playing some of the best in 4A and we’re excited about it.”
Smithville begins its first season under Neaumann’s leadership on Friday, Aug. 30 at Rockdale. The Tigers play their home opener on Sept. 6 against long-time rival Giddings. Kickoff for both games is 7 p.m.
The Austin Sports Journal Summer Tour
Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment of the Austin Sports Journal’s summer high school football tour. For the next three weeks, the ASJ is visiting high school football teams all over the Greater Austin Area as they prepare for the 2024 season, which begins Thursday, Aug. 29.
Past stops
Monday, Aug. 5: Anderson, Pflugerville and LBJ
Tuesday, Aug. 6: Weiss
Wednesday, Aug. 7: Hutto
Thursday, Aug. 9: McCallum
Friday, Aug. 10: Lago Vista
Michael Adams is the publisher and owner of the Austin Sports Journal. Reach him at madams@austinsportsjournal.com, and follow him on X @MichaelAdamsASJ.