Chapel Hill opens 2022 season with state-ranked showdown against Gilmer

Published 2:12 pm Tuesday, August 23, 2022

All eyes will be on Chapel Hill on Friday night.

When the season kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium, it will be Class 4A Division I No. 3 Chapel Hill hosting Class 4A Division II No. 2 Gilmer.

Gilmer was in the Class 4A Division II championship game for the second consecutive year last season. Chapel Hill was nine seconds away from playing for the Class 4A Division I championship, falling to Austin LBJ in the state semifinals, 38-35.

“It’s been a long offseason,” Chapel Hill head football coach Jeff Riordan said. “That last game left a bad taste in our mouth, so the only way to get that taste out of our mouth is to get back to work, and these guys had a great offseason and a great summer. We’re excited about day one. There’s going to be a lot of energy and a lot of juice in Chapel Hill, Texas. We’ve got a gauntlet in the schedule. We are going to take it one week at a time, one game at a time and one day at a time right now. We’re going to focus on the game we’ve got next and right now, Gilmer is the first game on our schedule.”

Chapel Hill was 11-4 last season and returns 10 starters on offense with four starters back on defense.

“We were already fast, but we got even faster during the summer and stronger,” said senior wide receiver Tyson Berry, who is committed to San Diego State. “We have 10 guys returning on offense, so that’s good. We lost a few people on defense, but we have guys that are going to step into those spots like Da’Veon Ross.”

Also on the defense is safety Kameron Griffin, who is the younger brother of Lamar University running back Khalan Griffin and University of Louisiana softball player Kylei Griffin. Griffin is returning from an ACL injury.

“Coming off of the injury, I am prepared to come out there and make plays on the defensive side of the ball,” Griffin said. “I feel like the offensive is going to take a lot of slack off the defense, because they’re going to go out there and put up 60 a game, honestly. I don’t feel like any defense can stop our offense They’re going to make it a lot easier and take a lot of stress off the defense, making it easier for us to just go out there and win games.”

One of the returning offensive weapons for the Bulldogs is four-year starter Deuce McGregor (54 catches, 1,001 yards, nine touchdowns in 2021).

“We’re excited,” McGregor said. “We know there is a lot in store for us. We’ve got a lot we know we can show, and we’re ready for the season.”

Quarterback Demetrius Brisbon, who was 70 of 125 for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns with 121 carries for 1,357 yards and 16 touchdowns last year as a freshman, has varsity experience under his belt heading into his sophomore season.

“I think it will help me a lot,” Brisbon said. “I’ve got better in a lot of different ways. I’ve been working hard this summer. We all have. We are ready.”

Following the showdown with Gilmer, Chapel Hill will hit the road to take on Van on Sept. 2. Van was 12-1 last season with its only loss coming to Gilmer in the third round of the playoffs at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. Later that night, Chapel Hill took a 41-35 win over Kilgore in double overtime, also at Rose Stadium.

Aug. 26: Gilmer

Sept. 2: at Van

Sept. 9: Greenville

Sept. 16: at Nacogdoches

Sept. 30: *Palestine

Oct. 7: *at Jacksonville

Oct. 14: *Lindale

Oct. 21: *at Henderson

Oct. 28: *Athens

Nov. 4: *at Kilgore

*District 9-4A Division I Game

All games at 7:30 p.m.