The Bremond Tigers came within a victory of claiming the Class A Division II state championship last season.

The Tigers are aiming high again in 2008.

"Obviously, we are still thinking about making the playoffs," Bremond coach Jerry "Slugger" Hamrick said. "I think our level of play will not drop off too much. We have been playing at a pretty high level for some time."

Bremond's new District 22-A features former 2A powerhouse Mart, as well as solid recent Class A contenders in Normangee and Lovelady.

Quarterback LiDarral Bailey returns after a solid junior season. The 5-11, 175-pounder ran for 773 yards and 14 touchdowns on 176 carries while completing 101 of 190 passes for 1,638 yards and 16 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

"We will build our offense around LiDarral Bailey," Hamrick said. "Hopefully, we will be able to throw the ball, but we don't have the speed we have had. We do have some little kids that can catch."

On defense, Bailey had four interceptions playing in a secondary that's a strength for the Tigers with fellow seniors Lee Diles and Jacob Fowler returning and joined by strong safety Jonathan White.

Hamrick says he expects the secondary to be good again, and the unit might point the way for what should again be an excellent overall defense.

Bremond has a talented and experienced linebacker to build around in the middle with junior Justin Williams. Last season, Williams recorded 24 solo tackles and 171 assists with a sack and four tackles for losses.

D. Ray Morgan, a transfer from Houston who had to sit out last football season because of the residency requirement, will join Williams at linebacker.

"[Morgan's] dad coaches in the Houston ISD, but [Morgan] lives with his grandmother," Hamrick said. "He could have started for us last year if he had been eligible."

Besides Williams' steady play at linebacker, lineman Trenton Anderson became a force defensively for the Tigers in the playoffs. He finished with 109 total tackles (12 solos, 87 assists, 9 sacks).

"He did fantastic, and he's as big as a horse now," Hamrick said. "We call him 'Baby.' He came back at 265 after he left at 245. He's a man mountain now."

Anderson's all-out play inspired the Tigers' playoff run, but he's not alone among veteran players on the defensive line. John Lott will start on both offense and defense, and Jacob Yezak was part of that 2007 defensive team that posted six consecutive shutouts. Jeffrey Drymalla also will see significant action at end.

Diles, a receiver last season with 16 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns, should carry the ball more in an offense that will feature a running back rotation. That's nothing new for the Tigers, who will have linebackers Williams and Morgan carrying the ball along with White.

"[White] is kind of our fix-it guy," Hamrick said. "He's a running back, was our backup quarterback last year, and he can play either receiver position."

A new crew of young players in Bremond's strong sophomore class will work its way into the depth chart, though Bremond lost a promising lineman, Omar Wallace, with an Achilles tendon injury during early workouts.

That sparks a concern for a team that relies heavily on a strong starting unit.

"Our biggest problem in this district is numbers," said Hamrick, whose school's attendance is the smallest in 22-A. "We can't afford any key injuries."

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NOTES -- Morgan became eligible last season in time to play for the Tiger boys basketball team.