Chapel Hill football players Da’Veon Ross, Kendall Allen, Jayvin Mayfield and Cameron Kelley at a fall sports media day at the CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute on July 24.

When you follow a three-game losing streak in district with six straight wins and a trip to the state semifinals, it might catch people off guard.

When you follow that up with a 12-3 season and a second consecutive trip to the state semifinals, there are no more surprises. The target is firmly on your back.

That’s the situation for the Chapel Hill Bulldogs, who enter the 2023 season ranked No. 3 in Class 4A Division.

“It’s state or bust,” Chapel Hill head football coach Jeff Riordan said. “If you don’t get to the state game, that’s the only way we can do better than we did last year, so it will feel like a failure. It’s kind of a double-edged sword. Because we can have a really good season and people don’t understand how hard it is to make those runs. That’s the expectation, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Riordan was joined by seniors Da’Veon Ross, Kendall Allen, Jayvin Mayfield and Cameron Kelley at a fall sports media day at the CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute on July 24 to talk about the upcoming season.

“We just have to stay disciplined, stay humble and don’t let the little things beat us,” said Ross, a linebacker with Division I offers.

“Every day, we just come in there and work hard,” said Allen, a defensive lineman with Division I offers.

“With the experience we have, we play as youngsters, we know where we need to be and what we need to do to get there,” said Mayfield, a defensive back and wide receiver who is committed to Stephen F. Austin.

“To achieve our goal, we will work while we are at practice and also outside of practice,” said Kelley, a wide receiver who is committed to Stephen F. Austin. “We have to do everything we can to make sure we are prepared for the game.”

Chapel Hill will open the season against Class 4A Division II No. 5 Gilmer Aug. 25 at Gilmer.