MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
Mission Veterans Memorial’s football program was only seven years old when coach David Gilpin took over in 2009. That stretch included one playoff run that ended in a first-round blowout.
Since then, the Patriots have gone on to hit several benchmarks. But as Gilpin looked back on his tenure with Mission Veterans last September, he thought, “How do we get this football program to the next level?”
“We’ve accomplished things that have never happened prior to our staff (arriving), so we’ve taken really good strides,” he explained. “But it’s time to take another stride.”
Enter Odessa Permian.
The Patriots will travel eight hours to take on the six-time state champions at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ratliff Stadium in a game that is sure to test 1-0 Mission Veterans.
“One of the keys (to this season) is the strength of our non-district schedule,” Gilpin said. “We have to find a way to evaluate ourselves, our schemes, our personnel against state-level caliber teams, guys that have been there before.
“I understand it’s been a few years (since their last state title) and some of the criticism is they haven’t done it in a while. But a program with that type of tradition is someone we want to emulate. They’ve been there before and they know what it’s like. That community and that school has been to the mountain. So anytime anyone like that will give us an opportunity to play them, we’ll jump on it.”
Since the start of two-a-days, Mission Veterans had talked about exceeding previous marks (9-1 regular season; second-round playoff appearance). Facing Permian threatens the potential for a 10-0 mark, but the Patriots will take it for the sake of state-level experience.
Last Saturday, Gilpin and his staff traveled to Converse to watch Permian beat McAllen High 35-7 in both teams’ season opener. Gilpin said he came away “very impressed” with their energy level, execution and talent. Their scheme seemed polished, as well.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Gilpin said. “Some people say, ‘You’re biting off more than you can chew,’ and that may be true, but the moment we feel we don’t deserve to be on the field with a team of that caliber — that’s not a philosophy I agree with. This is an invaluable experience.
“You can watch them on tape, but you can’t evaluate (your team) until you’ve been on the field with them. I can watch all the film I want. I can sit in the stands of the state championship game. But we’re going to have to put our personnel and our team against theirs and see if it’s a success. ‘Do we need to change our schemes?’ Those are things we’re going to find out.”
More than winning, today’s game is about Mission Veterans’ future and what this level of exposure can do for the program.
In scheduling opponents outside the Valley, Gilpin followed in line with what other successful Valley coaches, like Harlingen High’s Manny Gomez, have done in recent years. While Gilpin was waiting to hear back from school’s in Corpus Christi, Gomez was awaiting word from teams in the Dallas and Houston area.
“He wanted that challenge,” Gilpin said. “They’ve been to the third, fourth round. They’re trying to get a state championship (in Harlingen). … Harlingen and Manny Gomez, they’re the epitome of tradition and success and stability. That’s who I want our program to become. Between them and Sharyland (High), they’ve been the top two traditional teams down here. Edcouch(-Elsa) and P.I., too. They’re at a level we want to get to.”
Permian coach Blake Feldt did not return a phone call seeking comment.