PRICE, Texas (KETK) — Connor Sharp may be Carlisle’s new head football coach, but he and his family aren’t new to the area.

His dad, Rex Sharp, got his start coaching the Indians, and now his son gets his first head job, leading the Tribe as well.

“Kind of come full circle as a family is really cool, but just for my family as a whole, it’s a true blessing to be back in this area, to be back near our friends and family,” said Sharp. “To come to a community that has totally embodied us, and welcomed us, with open arms, and just made us part of the family.”

He also takes over a team with one of the most explosive offenses at the 2A level in the state, led by senior quarterback Fernando Espinoza, and a full arsenal of returners at the skill positions.

“Keep pounding the ball, keep scoring, there’s nothing else to it,” said Espinoza. “A lot more confidence than these past two years, and I can trust them, throwing it down the field, so that’s what helps our offense.”

A community that loves its team and looks forward to seeing what the sharp-led tribe has in store in 2023.

“Real excited, you know, truly a blessing to go out there again and give it another shot, hopefully, we can go even deeper and have a lot of confidence,” said linebacker Erik Garza. “I believe in my team a lot, and I believe we are going to go even further than we did last year.”

“Just a community that loves Indian football, I mean, they come out of the woodworks from all over the place,” said Sharp. “The whole town shuts down to come out on Friday nights, and this week on Thursday night, to come support the blue and gold, and I just couldn’t be more grateful the good Lord gave me this opportunity and just very, very excited to get the grass Thursday night.”

Roots run deep out in these Rusk County woods, and coach Sharp, looks to build his own legacy, continuing to bring pride to the Tribe.

Carlisle will open the season at home on Thursday when they host the Harleton Wildcats at 7:30 p.m.