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MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - The Holy Cross Crusaders return in 2023 for their second season in Six-Man Tapps Division-Three

After going 3 and 5 in 2022, there is lots of optimism heading into this year.

“Of course, you know, having that experience last year, and then being in the district for the first time and actually, getting the feel of what that was going to be like last year really helps us so now we are in the same district, we have the same opponent, so we actually have more knowledge of what it feels like and what we can expect in district,” said Head Coach Fernando Ochoa.

“The transition into Tapps our first year went very well, our players did very good, we did what we were supposed to do,” said Christopher Nguyen.

“You know, playing a full season, really gave us experience and now coming back for the second year we have a lot of players coming back,” said Ochoa.

And who should Crusader fans expect to watch on offense?

“Jude Mendez and Ben Bowman, Jude, he’s very fast, he’s quick with his feet, and he just does well when running the ball, Ben Bowman, if it’s a throw, if it’s maybe a missed throw, he’s always just there catching the ball,” said Nguyen.

Quarterback Ethan Bowllinger is optimistic about what his weapons could provide.

“From our offense this year, I feel like we have a lot more speed, compared from last year, we got the more endurance, and so we’ll be able to beat the defensive people when running,” said Bowllinger.

And speaking of defense, the Crusaders are excited about the potential.

“They’ll flow well, I have size, I have speed, I have height, so like I said, this year’s team just is a lot more universal than we had last year so, very excited to see what our defense is going to do this year,” said Ochoa.