Sneak Peek: Amarillo Sandies feature new look offense in 2023

The Amarillo (TX) Sandies relied on a remarkably balanced offensive attack (308 passes, 307 rushes) in 2022 to finish tied for third in District 2-5A and reach the second round of the grueling Conference 5A, Div. 1 playoffs.   But Amarillo is now preparing for life after quarterback Mason Graham (2,211 passing yards and 21 TD), who signed with New Mexico State. His successor? Rising senior Will Flaming, an elite athlete who threw for 179 yards and 4 TD as the backup QB and made 28 tackles on defense after filling in at safety following an injury.   Flaming's mobility might be his greatest strength.   “There were times last season where we wanted to get some more quarterback run game going, so we utilized Will in those situations,” Amarillo head coach Chad Dunnam said recently during an interview with texasfootball.com. “Will has some experience. We're excited about what he brings to the table.”   Amarillo loses its top three receivers to graduation – [player_tooltip player_id='120568' first='Jameson' last='Garcia'] (59 receptions, 8 TD), Connor Haelzle (41 receptions) and Jack Hoeksema (30). Together, they combined for 130 of Amarillo's 192 catches and 17 of the 26 TD receptions in 2022.   That's a lot of production to replace.   Garcia, who finished his career with a school record 147 receptions, signed with Incarnate Word after starting at Amarillo for three years. Rising senior Pius Vokes was last season's leading rusher (524 yards on 92 carries) and is the top returning receiver with 26 receptions for 326 yards and 5 TD.     Offensive line is another position where Dunnam is looking for a core of young guys to step up.   “Jameson is going to be a tough one to replace,” Dunnam said. “But we have some young guys that were backups last season. They have to step up and grow up. And we have to develop an offensive line. But everybody is in that situation, where the offensive line is a concern. Right now, we don't know exactly who they are, but our kids are working extremely hard to be in that group. Once football season comes, we'll have a group settled in that we believe in and will get better week to week.”   With Tascosa, Cooper (Lubbock) and Abilene in the same district, finishing in the top three of the district standings or even qualifying for the 5A playoffs is challenging, and that should be no different in 2023.   The district also includes Caprock, Coronado and Monterey, none of whom are considered pushovers. All three look to bounce back in 2023 after failing to make the playoffs last season.   “I don't think there's a weak spot in our district,” Dunnam said. “Everybody is competitive, top to bottom. You'd better show up and bring your ‘A' game every week or you're not going to be successful. Every team is well coached. There's a lot of talent in our district.”   Amarillo played an extremely demanding non-district schedule last fall, facing three teams from the Permian Basin - Midland Legacy, Midland and Odessa – and the top program in New Mexico (Rio Rancho Cleveland). The Sandies (or Golden Sandstorm, whichever you prefer) split those four contests before diving into district play.   Amarillo doesn't plan to soften its difficult non-district schedule anytime soon, Dunnam said.   “We try to get a non-district schedule that's very competitive and helps us prepare for our district race,” he said. “Between our non-district and district schedules, if we can survive and stay healthy, we'll have a chance to play well in the playoffs.”   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/will_flaming15/status/1556081706255400960?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ChadDunnam/status/1557752530637099012?s=20 </div></figure>     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_JamesonGarcia_/status/1594061503740928000?s=20 </div></figure>

The Amarillo (TX) Sandies relied on a remarkably balanced offensive attack (308 passes, 307 rushes) in 2022 to finish tied for third in District 2-5A and reach the second round of the grueling Conference 5A, Div. 1 playoffs.