Bullard football players run through drills during practice on Wednesday at Panther Stadium.

BULLARD — Bullard went 6-5 and advanced to the playoffs for the third straight season in 2020.

The Panthers hope to keep that streak alive in 2021, but will need some fresh faces to step in and contribute in a hurry as just three starters return on offense, and only two starters are back on defense.

“We lost some seniors from last year’s team, but we had a good summer,” Bullard head coach Scott Callaway said. “We’re building off of that, trying to get ourselves in shape and see how much we retain and remember.

“Everything is going to good right now. We’re excited and looking forward to the season, but we’ve got work to d before we can get there.”

The Panthers have already been hard at work this week, and the players have brought a lot of energy into the first week of practice for the 2021 season.

“It’s going pretty good,” senior defensive end/offensive guard Kain Williams said. “There’s been a lot of hypeness and lots of energy. We’ve been waiting for this, and I’m just happy to play with the people I’m teamed up with.”

Senior offensive tackle/defensive end Kade Verden was also anxious to get back on the field.

“I’ve been waiting since football season ended last year,” Verden said. “It’s my favorite sport.”

Verden said he feels good about how the first few practices have gone for the Panthers.

“Everybody has been flying around, and there has been a lot of good effort,” Verden said.

For Callaway, the want-to from his bunch is what sticks out to him.

“Their desire and their want-to is great,” Callaway said. “They want to be good. They want to be successful. That’s exciting as a coach that you’ve got a group that wants to be competitive and wants to be successful.”

Bullard will host Mabank in the season opener on Aug. 27.

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