NEW BRAUNFELS — Early morning August football practices are familiar to junior quarterback Isaiah Martinez.
But, Monday morning’s session was different for Martinez and his team. New Braunfels Long Creek football officially practiced as a varsity program.
Long Creek opened its doors two years ago as the second high school in New Braunfels ISD, but this is the first school year the Dragons are participating in varsity athletics. The Dragons have been gradually ramping up to this point, playing 12 varsity squads over the last two years.
“I’m very excited,” Martinez said. “I’m glad to be out here. I’m sure my teammates are very glad to be out here. We’re just excited to work and get after the season.”
Well before the sun was visible in the sky, the Dragons were outside working on drills.
“We’re just all excited, all pumped up,” sophomore Isaac Benson said about the energy of Monday’s practice.
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The team spent a total of two hours outdoors at the New Braunfels Middle School field as it gears up for their first varsity game, which is set for Aug. 28 at Davenport. The Dragons have been practicing at their feeder school since the Long Creek Stadium is still under construction. But, Long Creek football head coach and boys athletics coordinator Adam Harvey describes the status of the 7,000-seat facility as “day-to-day”. The Dragons are set to host their first game at the new stadium on Sept. 11 against Wimberley.
While Long Creek has some experience against varsity level competition, the Dragons are being thrown right into one of the toughest districts in Region 4. State semifinalist Boerne, along with regional finalists Alamo Heights and New Braunfels, are part of the District 13-5A-II makeup. Austin-area schools Liberty Hill and Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch, which is also entering its first varsity season, and Veterans Memorial round out the rest of the district. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football ranked Boerne (No. 4), Alamo Heights (No. 6), Liberty Hill (No. 8) and New Braunfels (No. 9) in its preseason UIL Class 5A Division II rankings.
“I’m not going to sit here and proclaim that we are in the SEC of Texas high school football, but it certainly feels like it is in Region 4, as far as 5A-II,” Harvey said. “I mean, we’ve got a juggernaut of a district.”
Long Creek’s out-of-district slate is no joke either. After opening the season at Davenport, the Dragons go on the road to face Boerne Champion. Although Harvey planned out the first two games of the season before February’s UIL realignment day revealed which district the Dragons would reside in, the difficulty of this entire schedule is something he welcomes.
“We’ll play anybody anywhere at any time is the easy answer,” Harvey said. “Not to sound overconfident at all, but we can’t be scared. I mean, we’re the new kids on the block, and we’ve got to prove that we’re here to make noise and not just show up.”
After all, Harvey knows what a winning program looks like. He was co-defensive coordinator at Steele when the Knights played DeSoto in the 2016 UIL Class 6A Division II state championship game. Harvey also made stops at Hutto and Clemens before ending up at Long Creek.
Although coaching football is not a new concept to Harvey, establishing a new program in one of Texas’ oldest public school districts is something that doesn’t exactly have a blueprint. But, he knew one of the first things he had to do was getting his first group of seniors, the class of 2027, on board with his vision.
After hiring his offensive and defensive coordinators, Harvey and his first two staffers visited the homes of their 2027 grads to have some honest conversations since those athletes would only have the chance to play one season of varsity high school football.
“We understand what’s at stake here,” Harvey recalls saying in those talks. “We know that you’re probably a little bit upset and frustrated that you don’t get the chance to play some playoff football in the next couple of years.”
Even though Harvey and his staff acknowledged the disappointment that comes with only getting one season of varsity ball, they placed an emphasis on the unique opportunity to make school history at Long Creek. Not only would these seniors be part of Long Creek’s first varsity football team, Harvey envisioned them as leaders.
“Those norms that come out of that storm are going to be who we are, and you’re going to be the one that kind of puts that staple together,” the coach said of his pitch to his current seniors.
And although it was the first of many practices, Harvey was overall pleased with how Monday went.
“I think this has been a really good first day, and a lot of that is a tribute to the class of 2027,” he said.
As Long Creek continues to settle into its new identity as a varsity program, there is undeniable excitement that comes with the upgrade.
“This is what we’ve been working for,” Harvey said. “It’s been a lot of fun, but this hits different.”