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LINDALE — Lindale is entering the 2021 season with a “windshield mentality.”

After a historical 2020 season that ended in the Eagles’ first state championship game appearance, Lindale is focused on what’s in store in the future and putting the past in the “rearview mirror.”

“We’re looking on the road that’s ahead of us,” senior linebacker Colton Widemon said.

Lindale went 13-3 last season and played Argyle in the Class 4A Division I title game. Head coach Chris Cochran said it’s great to have the positives from that experience to build on, but that the focus has to be on how to be successful this season.

“It’s a momentum deal,” Cochran said. “We can take that and hopefully use that. The expectation is up obviously. We always say when the expectation is up, the standards have to rise. It makes it more exciting. It’s crazy how much more electricity is in the air.

“But we started off the day saying it’s a windshield mentality. Everything is in front of us. It doesn’t matter what is behind us. That stuff doesn’t matter. It’s all about what’s in front. We’ve got to start over. Every year, we’ve got to start over, and we’re looking forward to it.”

The Eagles hit the practice field on Monday with some familiar faces, including Widemon, senior wide receiver Jacob Seekford and senior quarterback Sam Peterson.

“There’s nothing better than football and putting on the pads and going to war with your brothers,” Seekford said.

The Eagles graduated several key players, including running back Jordan Jenkins (Baylor), defensive end/receiver Jaymond Jackson and defensive back Airik Williams (Mary Hardin-Baylor).

Jenkins rushed for 3,044 yards and 51 touchdowns as a senior. While it’s difficult to expect one player to duplicate that production, the Eagles will look to Kasey Villareal, Patrick Daniels and others to step into the running back slot.

“That’s part of it,” Cochran said. “That’s the fun part as a coach. You go into every year, and you don’t exactly know where it’s going to end up, but it’s fun to watch guys emerge.

“We’re excited about getting to coach those guys and getting to watch them improve throughout the year. Obviously, it’s big shoes to fill. Jordan is very hard to replace. But it will be a lot of fun to kind of watch our offense develop in a different direction.”

No matter what the names are, one thing will remain the same for the Eagles.

“We never have the most size, but we play harder than everyone else,” Seekford said. “Relentless effort is one of our core values, and we embody that.”

Lindale will open the season against Kaufman Aug. 27 in Lindale.