Harmony head coach: ‘We just wanna take our best shot’

Harmony head football coach Brian Mauk joined East Texas Now on Tuesday to talk about the upcoming 7 on 7 state tournament
Published: Jun. 25, 2024 at 12:02 PM CDT

RHONESBORO, Texas (KLTV) - The Harmony Eagles 7 on 7 team is headed back to the state tournament for the second year in a row, with a nearly completely new cast of characters.

Head coach Brian Mauk took over in the spring following Jeremy Jenkins departure. The Eagles have had strong senior leadership the past four years, and this year is an opportunity for new faces to make their mark.

“For these guys, this has kinda been their signature moment of, ‘hey, this is our thing,’” said Mauk. “The seniors we had last year set a good example, but really excited for this group.”

With the success the Eagles have had in recent seasons, Mauk is excited to see how this group responds this year.

“Alot of their accomplishments have been tied to that group, and now they’re hungry to set their own standards and what they wanna do,” Mauk said. “It’s been really neat to watch this group form their own identity and get to work.”

With the coaches not being allowed to coach during 7 on 7, the pressure falls on the quarterback more than ever.

“I told our QB two weeks ago after we qualified I said, you’re the offensive coordinator, and the quarterback and the receivers coach,” Mauk said. “Like you’re pretty much doing it all at a very high level.”

Harmony will be in a pool with Rice Consolidated, Roosevelt and defending 3A Division II state champion, the Gunter Tigers.

“Gunter is the top of 3A Division II football,” said Mauk. “So we’re getting to go against the perennial best, and we just wanna take our best shot.”