Progress being made despite winless record

SHINER — Head coach Jake Wachsmuth knew going into this season that the non-district portion of the schedule would be tough. Heading into Week 5 with a winless 0-4 record, the Shiner St. Paul Cardinals still have a few more games to improve and get ready for district. Thankfully, the team is in four-team district, so the Cardinals are afforded more time for preparation.

“I thought last week we made some good progress,” Wachsmuth said, despite their 28-20 loss to Cypress Christian High. “I said from the beginning, the schedule was going to be a challenge for us. It’s proven that way.”

The Cardinals non-district schedule consisted of losses to Yorktown (4-0), Victoria St. Joseph (2-1), St. Andrew’s (3-1) and Cypress Christian (3-1).

“We’ve played good people, we let a couple games slip away,” Wachsmuth said. “Last Friday was one. We’re ahead the entire ball game until 4-5 minutes left in the game. We just got to finish the game. And I think that’ll come. I think we’re doing some good things, just got to go finish and make the winning plays at the end.”

Wachsmuth did note that since the Cardinals have seven non-district games, the team, who admittedly haven’t been at full strength, has some extra time to get the young players the game-time experience they need.

This week, the Cardinals take on Weimar (2-1), yet another tough one-loss opponent. Weimar’s lone loss was a close 28-21 bout against an undefeated Schulenburg team.

Offensively, the Wildcats want to run the ball.

“More of a pro-style offense, pretty multiple,” Wachsmuth said. “They throw the ball vertical, outside runs, inside things to keep you honest. They’ve scored on special teams. They’re a good team, a little different than some of the teams we’ve played so far. Not a spread team.”

Defensively, the Wildcats have shown more of a 3-3 stack, with three linemen and three linebackers stacked behind them. Wachsmuth believes Weimar will adjust to account for the Cardinals’ running attack.

The Cardinals are in search of their first win of the season, but Wachsmuth knows that the progress being made is important.

“I think the season really hasn’t start as far as the part that counts,” he said. “I like to think regardless of what our record is, we’re more than capable [of winning].”

Kickoff is at Shiner and set for 7:30 p.m.