As the calendar flips to November and the regular season comes to a halting close, Canton will be on the outside looking in on the playoffs, after an up-and-down season has resulted in a 3-6 record with one game remaining.

Canton has faced uphill battles since first-year Head Coach Heath Ragle arrived on campus last spring, headlined by the graduation of 17 starters, which forced many players with limited or no varsity experience in starting roles.

To add to the challenges, the Eagles were met with a consistent injury wave as the season progressed, leaving them without top players during the most difficult stretch of their schedule. Because of this, many underclassmen were able to receive playing time they otherwise wouldn’t have received.

In addition, the district realignment cycle was not very kind to the Eagles, placing them in District 8-4A, Division 2 amongst giants such as Van, Center, and most notably, Carthage. This slate of games, in addition to Canton’s injuries, resulted in the Eagles being outscored 148-0 in a threegame stretch in October.

Looking towards next year and beyond, the Eagles roster will subsequently be littered with upperclassmen who have season-long varsity experience against some of the better teams in the area. While the mid-season scoreless streak may have been a sight for sore eyes this fall, it could pay dividends for players like Nathan Whitlock, Reed Vannorsdel, and specifically quarterback Nathan Parker in the next few seasons.

“It will only make us better in the long run,” Ragle said. “We had an undefeated Caddo Mills and a one-loss Winnsboro team in our pre-district schedule, plus possibly the toughest 4-A district in the state.”

“Due to the injury bug, we have only started two seniors on either side of the ball any given week, so a lot of young guys have gained valuable playing time,” he continued. “I have seen these guys go from JV players to significant varsity contributors and I am really excited about their development in this short period of time.”

Mentioning Parker, Ragle noted that while he has seen many improvements in his game this season, the biggest is not a physical skill.

“I can really tell a [difference in] confidence in Nathan. You can just tell he is so confi dent in the way he leads our team, calls plays in the huddle, and talks to our offensive line [pre-play]. I can tell he is getting better each week. As far as play goes, we even saw him [last week] pull the ball down and show his speed and hit on a few big throws. That’s something that will be big for us in the coming years as we graduate guys like Kameron Shaw and Chantson Prox.”

With Shaw out of the backfi eld and Prox often running the jet sweep, the Eagles have resorted to a predominant running attack in Ragle’s first season. However, without a true bell-cow back visible on next year’s roster and with Parker’s arm talent becoming apparent, Ragle suggests the offensive gameplan could see a shift.

“Every year you must [reevaluate] your talent pool and adjust both sides of the ball to what your players excel at. We constantly evaluate all levels to see what we can do to improve the fits for our kids,” he said. “[Parker] has improved significantly [throwing the ball] since the start of the season. We have a good set of receivers coming back, as well as some good junior varsity receivers that will compete next August. I think we will be able to throw the ball more next year with those variables in place, as well as four returning offensive linemen that should make a difference.” Speaking on his overall goals for the future of the program, Ragle repeatedly noted his desire to establish a winning culture around the program.

“With programs like Gunter, Brock, and Aledo, they have complete backing from their community, and I believe we have that same opportunity here with the support system and resources we have in Canton. I want us to expect to win a playoff game, or two, or three,” he stated.

Ragle emphasized the importance of building relationships with the youth of the community and having them involved with the varsity program in any way possible.

“I think it’s important with all of us as a community pulling the rope in the same direction to help build a football program that can compete at a high level every year. It takes parents willing to have their kids play flag or tackle at a young age to expose them to football. Our job is to help offer a football camp and help support those youth coaches as well, in whatever capacity they may need. I believe letting kids run out of the tunnel, Eagle Buddies program, and getting the youth around your program involved is a positive,” Ragle continued. “I do see an excitement in our elementary and intermediate kids for the game of football that I haven’t seen before, and I have from this community. That’s exciting to me to see kids and parents investing in the future of their child and this program.”

Canton, which once had a reputation as a winning program, has fallen on hard times in the past decade and lost the momentum of their early 2000s success. Ragle’s number one concern appears to be to restore that program notoriety.

“We’ve seen young talent succeed in our baseball and basketball programs here recently and I believe that we have the ability to have that same success football wise like this program did in the past. There is no magic wand that you can wave to make yourself an elite program. It takes years of hard work, staff stability, and community backing.”

“I want people to see Canton 10 years from now and say ‘Man, that place is something special,’” Ragle concluded.