There’s an old adage in football that teams make their biggest improvements from Week 1 to Week 2.

But is that true for Austin-area high schools?

After a long offseason and an August full of preparation, local schools finally got their chance to play a real game last week.

Now comes the adjustments.

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“I think all the things we’ve been focusing on just became a little magnified,” said new Hays coach Mark Torres, who led the Hawks to a 31-21 road win over Elgin. “I don’t think anything came out of the blue, but with five new coaches, new offensive and defensive schemes and not playing kids both ways anymore, we’re fighting to earn the trust of each other. And after getting the win, hopefully we’re coming closer to that.”

Torres noted that more dramatic changes might come in programs who suffered disappointing results in the season opener.

“Sometimes you have (coaches) that have no choice but to try something new out of necessity,” he said.

That’s not the case for Lake Travis, which had about as impressive a season opener as a team can produce by blasting a good Arlington Martin team 51-12 on the road. Still, Cavs coach Hank Carter said he had four or five pages of corrections for just one side of the ball.

“There’s a ton to work on,” said Carter, whose team plays another tough foe Friday when it welcomes Rockwall. “Attention to detail is the biggest thing. We need to have better footwork, better pad level and be better on special teams.”

Pflugerville coach Charles Taylor's offense may have totaled more than 500 yards in a win over Leander, but he echoed Carter’s sentiments on the often-overlooked third phase of the game.

“Getting kids to focus on special teams is the big thing,” Taylor said. “Sometimes you’ll score and in the moment of celebrating you have guys that forget they’re supposed to be on the extra point. You look out there and there’s only 10 guys, and that can cost you a game.”

For other coaches, getting back to basics is key for Week 2.

The emotion and pageantry of the first game can overshadow aspects that have been worked on since spring ball, such as tackling.

“You expect to see a big upgrade from Week 1 to Week 2 there,” McNeil coach Scott Hermes said. “And the game plan is much more in-depth since you’ve seen more of your opponent. We put more on the kids with checks on the defensive side of the ball, while on offense, you have to get better at the routine type of stuff.”

Hermes and Torres are in the distinct position, along with the other District 25-6A and District 12-5A Division I coaches, where they already have to take district play into consideration.

With nine teams, both of those districts start next week, which affects Week 2. McNeil will be looking to balance that with rebounding from a 42-41 overtime loss to Weiss.

“You have to think about what matters with guys physically,” Hermes said. “You have to be smart about how you use guys. You want to put your best foot forward this week, but you also have to keep in mind what’s important if you want to chase a district title.”

For Taylor, Carter and other coaches who have at least two more weeks before worrying about district games, Week 2 offers another chance to test their own personnel.

“You need to develop viable backups,” Taylor said. “Injuries happen, and (your backups) need to be able to go out there and function and be able to do what we need to do.”

If Week 1 was a test for Austin-area schools, Week 2 is the makeup exam.

“A lot of it is you get to see a full ballgame and grade that,” Carter said. “Now we go over the corrections and see how they do.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UIL football: Week 2 offers Central Texas teams chance to adjust