POTTSBORO, Texas (KTEN) - Defending the district will be the mantra for Pottsboro this season.

"Our number one goal every year is to win the district championship and our goal after that is to be playing into December," said Pottsboro head coach Matt Poe.

This season the Cardinals bring back a lot of experience on the offensive line and know their identity is to run the football.

"It's really nice because we don't really have to worry about much besides the QB position but it's a really close battle and we'll see who wins it," said junior running back Major McBride.

That starts with star running back Major McBride, who finished with 38 touchdowns as a junior.

"Number one for him, he needs to stay healthy," said Poe. "If he can stay healthy, we're going to be a really good team. He was the MVP of our district last year so he's obviously the best player on our team. What he's done this summer and just the first couple of days, the difference I've seen in him is his leadership and how hard he works.

A regional semifinal loss was hard to swallow for Pottsboro last November but the lessons learned could be crucial this season.

"We've learned a lot of lessons, especially because we hadn't been there before but now we know what to expect when we get back there," said McBride.