Fall camp is behind us and the Wylie Pirates football team is eager to start the new season.

With several new faces on both sides of the ball, Wylie has several challenges ahead of the new season, starting at home against J.J. Pearce. The Mustangs won three games last season but return nine starters from a year ago. The team was projected to reach the postseason by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine and has several options returning on offense.

Here are the three keys to Wylie defeating Pearce in the opening game of the season.

1. Test for the young secondary

Wylie is replacing two starters in the secondary on defense, and it’s been a test throughout the offseason and into the regular season on who will be the starters.

Safety Sean Carter and cornerback Bryan Washington both return and were named captains for the Pirates in the secondary, but the team is still working out who will take on that second cornerback spot before district play.

In their scrimmage last week against McKinney Boyd, Cooper Troy, Khory Stoves, Jacob Golladay and Necorian Forward all got chances in the secondary. The Broncos struggled on offense at times but had several big passing plays and penalties to extend their drives on offense.

The Mustangs have several options on the offensive side of the ball, with Caden Varner, Jack McGary and Christian Baker all pass-catching options for the team. The secondary will have to prevent those options from getting into space and creating big opportunities against the defense.

When Wylie kept the game in front of them, the defense looked very competitive in their scrimmage. To do that this week, they’ll need to win the battle on the outside.

For the full story, see our Aug. 24 issue or subscribe online.