Creekview Mustangs marching out to one of the best turnarounds in Texas

CARROLLTON — Longtime coach Dusty Ortiz loves a challenge.

"A lot of my life I've been the underdog, so when I see a job like Odessa, like Creekview, I mean, it's just a chance to make a big difference," said Ortiz, the head football coach at Carrollton Creekview High School.

After inheriting a winless Odessa High team and turning it around in three years, Ortiz took over a Carrollton Creekview program this offseason that carried a 21-game losing streak.

"We definitely persevered a lot," said senior and wide receiver Isaiah Holliday. "Coach Ortiz brought his atmosphere, that he brought from Odessa, brought it over here. You can definitely feel a change."

"Once he got hired, he sent me a text. I immediately knew he meant business," said Dre Richardson, a senior quarterback and running back. "He said he watched film on us. I already understood from his previous history he was going to come in and do something special."

In less than three months on campus, Ortiz turned Creekview into a winner with a streak-busting victory over Irving in their season opener.

"It was like we got the burden off our head," Holliday said. "Here we go."

"I was excited for the kids, the community, the school," Ortiz said. "I knew it could be something as far as the start to a new streak."

And it was. The Mustangs have marched out to a 5-0 start in what's been one of the best turnarounds in Texas.

"You want to be stingy," said Richardson. "You don't want that losing feeling to come back 'cause you don't know what can happen after that. After the first one, it's like relief, then the second one it's like, 'Oh snap, we're legit,' and after that we just keep the ball rolling."

This year's team looks to bust another streak: Creekview's 0-7 postseason record.

"I think we can compete for a district championship," Ortiz said. "I think we can get a playoff win and if not more. I really don't want to sell them short."

"We always had the talent, now we have the coaching behind it," said Richardson. "We have the fans, the school, the leadership. So I think it's all coming into play now."