2016 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
GAME OF THRONES Bremond quarterback Roshauud Paul and head coach Jeff Kasowski lead the Tigers’ quest for a third straight title.
Eagle photo by Timothy Hurst
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INDEX District 18-5A A&M Consolidated . . . . . . . . . Bryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rudder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A&M CONSOLIDATED TIGERS 3 6 7 8
District 19-5A Brenham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 District 10-4A Division I Navasota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 District 10-4A Division II Caldwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 District 11-4A Division II Madisonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 District 10-3A Division I Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Rockdale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 District 12-3A Division II Anderson-Shiro . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Hearne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Leon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 District 13-3A Division II Lexington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 District 12-2A Division I Centerville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 District 13-2A Division I Normangee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 District 10-2A Division II Bremond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 District 12-2A Division II Iola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 District 13-2A Division II Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Milano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Snook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Somerville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 District 16-A Division II Calvert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 TAPPS Division III District 4 Brazos Christian . . . . . . . . . . . 35 St . Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 TAIAO BVCHEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 ET CETERA Coaching changes . . . . . . . . . 17 AP preseason rankings . . . . 18 BV Players Poll . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 BV Record Book . . . . . . . . 35,38 2015 records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 MEDIA DAy quESTIONS Batman or Superman? . . . . . 23 Actor portrayal? . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Companion on deserted island? 38
Most clutch athlete? . . . . . . . 38
Brothers play leadership role for Consol ROSTER
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Brothers Tony and Trevor Williams start for the A&M Consolidated football team on offense (Tony) and defense (Trevor), but they don’t often butt heads in practice. As a wide r e c e i v e r, Tony usually operates on the periphery or down the field. T r evo r, an inside TONY WILLIAMS linebacker, does his damage in the middle, preferably near the line of scrimmage. Where they do come toTREVORWILLIAMS gether, in addition to the home they share with their parents and younger sister, is at the corner of inspiration and perspiration. “They both have athletic ability, but it’s their work ethic, that day-to-day grind that they’re comfortable doing, that allows them to be successful,” Consol coach David Raffield said. “They lead by example.” Consol coaches will expect leadership and production from the Williams brothers in 2016. Last season, Trevor ranked among the team leaders in tackles as a sophomore, while Tony was one of the Tigers’ top receivers as a junior. Other than when Trevor moved up for one playoff game as a freshman, last year was the first time the
Thursday, August 25, 2016
FACTS
2 Stevie Ray, soph ., WR; 3 Chase Martinez, jr ., DB; 4 Cade Williams, jr ., WR; 5 Tre’ Newton, jr ., RB; 6 Daylan Faltysek, jr ., QB; 7 Jacob Hanson, sr ., DB; 8 Cody Brummett, sr ., LB; 9 Aaron Campbell, jr ., WR; 10 Jesus Lara, sr ., WR/RB; 12 Layton Dimery, sr ., WR; 13 Kolby Peel, jr ., DB; 14 Jonathen Perez, sr ., WR; 15 Tony Williams, sr ., WR; 16 Robert Franklin, sr ., RB; 17 Cannon Coker, sr ., LB; 18 Ladeitrick Franklin, jr ., WR; 20 La Voderick Benford, sr ., DB; 21 Keenen Houston, sr ., WR; 22 Tyon Merchant, sr ., LB; 23 Jonathon Sylvester, sr ., DB; 24 Sam Presnal, soph ., DB; 25 Michael Blodgett, sr ., WR; 26 Hunter McGary, soph ., LB; 27 David Jamioy, sr ., WR; 28 Jordan Woodard, jr ., DB; 31 Patricio Saldana, sr ., K; 34 Abel Daily, sr ., LB; 40 Bryson Foust, soph ., DL; 43 Jason Jasperson, sr ., LB; 44 Trevor Williams, jr ., LB; 48 Kevin Leonard, jr ., LB; 50 Will Sullivan, sr ., OL; 51 Miguel Duran, jr ., OL; 55 Chris Martinez, jr ., OL; 60 Josh Ellison, soph ., DL; 65 Nick Rians, sr ., OL; 66 Zach Ruiz, jr ., OL; 68 Jason Wright, sr ., DE; 70 Carlos Prida, sr ., OL; 71 Darius Terrell, jr ., DL; 72 Reid Francis, soph ., OL; 76 Daylon Ratliff, soph ., OL; 77 Keenan Robinson, sr ., OL; 80 Grant Johnson, sr ., WR; 81 Burl Carraway, sr ., WR; 90 Marsavion Gollnick, sr ., DE; 97 Jared DeFriend, sr ., DE; 99 JR Matlock, sr ., DE
brothers played on the same team. “It’s a very cool thing,” Tony said. “You don’t get a lot of those opportunities. I think what it’s done is just make each of us work harder. Being the older brother, I try to set the bar as high as I can for him. We just push each other.” In the case of the Will i a m s b o ys, yo u n g e r brother is little brother. Although Trevor plays a position often associated with brawn, he is only 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds. Last year, he manned the middle of the defense at 165 pounds. “I’ve always been smaller ever since Little League and Pop Warner,” Trevor said. “I try to go as hard as possible. When I do that, good things happen.” Tony said his brother makes up for being small with athleticism and a nose for the football. Raffield said Trevor turns his height into a plus. “He gets behind that Dline and you can’t see him,” Raffield said. “All of a sudden he pops out and makes the play.” And when he does? “Trevor will knock your head off,” Raffield said. At 5-11, Tony possesses average size for a receiver. He also has the respect of
his younger brother. “He’s a really good player,” Trevor said. “He’s a team player who really cares about his teammates, and he works hard. I want something good to happen for him just because of how much he works.”
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Head coach — David Raffield (94-61 overall; 38-22 at Consol) District — 18-5A 2015 record — 9-4 (6-1 in 18-5A) 2015 playoffs — 5A Division II bidistrict: def . Waco 35-20; area: def . Magnolia 49-0; regional: lost to Fort Bend Ridge Point 35-27 Playoff appearances (33) — 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 27 (4 offensive, 8 defensive starters) All-time record — 464-344-24 Playoff record — 40-29-1
Raffield expects Tony to be better than good, to establish himself as the leader of the receiving corps. “Tony is a three-year starter, so he has great experience,” Raffield said.
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 26 at Copperas Cove Last year: W 51-14 Sept 2 Richmond Foster Last year: L 45-34 Sept 9 Austin High Last year: did not play Sept 15 at College Park Last year: did not play District 18-5A Sept 23 at Waco Last year: W 35-20 Sept 30 Temple* Last year: did not play Oct 7 at College Station Last year: L 24-17 Oct 14 Bryan Last year: W 30-21 Oct 21 at Waco University Last year: did not play Oct 28 Open Date Nov 4 Rudder Last year: W 59-19 *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m . 7:30 p .m .
“He can run every route. He can make every catch. He can line up wherever we
See CONSOL, Page 4
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CONSOL: Tony Williams’ role at wideout has chance to grow Continued from 3 need him to line up. “He needs to become that guy, the one where other teams take their best defensive back and say they’re going to try to stop Tony Williams. That’s a goal I have for him.” Tony should see his role in the passing game increase, especially with Cade Williams moving from receiver to become Consol’s starting quarterback. The Tigers also will have a five new starters along the offensive line, but a lack of varsity experience at such crucial positions should be less threatening this season because of Consol’s potential on defense. Talented, experienced and deep, especially in the secondary and at linebacker, this figures to be Consol’s best defense in Raffield’s seven seasons. It’s great timing for a head coach known primarily for his offensive chops. “We’re going to kind of ride the coattails of the defense this year,” Raffield said. “We’re never afraid to get into a shootout, but at the same time our strength right now is with our defensive kids. RAFFIELD That’s where the most experience is and some of the best athletes.” The back end of the Tigers’ defense has struggled with allowing big plays in the past, but the secondary might be the most talented unit on this team. At least two of the Consol defensive backs are expected to play major-college football. Senior cornerback Tyon Merchant (6-2, 185) has committed to sign with Oklahoma State. Junior safety Kolby Peel has explosive ability on both sides of the ball. Consol also expects big things from junior safety Josh Woodard along with cornerbacks Burl Carraway and Chase Martinez. “The secondary is probably the best six or seven guys we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Raffield said. “Tyon Merchant became a
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Eagle photos by Timothy Hurst TOP: Senior Jason Jasperson (from left), junior Trevor Williams and seniors Jonathon Sylvester and Abel Daily will help make up A&M Consolidated’s linebacking corps this season as the Tigers hope to get good production out of their defense. BOTTOM: Junior Cade Williams is making the move from receiver to quarterback in 2016. Williams will also serve as the Tigers’ punter and place-kicker, positions that will allow him to showcase the skills he’s built up on the soccer pitch. lockdown corner last year. When you add a safety like Kolby Peel, wow, it allows you to take risks up front and allows kids to play and not panic. We have somebody who can clean up the mess.” Raffield doesn’t expect many messes thanks in part to a linebacker corps that returns intact. That group includes Trevor Williams and Johnathon Sylvester inside, plus Abel Daily and Jason Jasperson outside. “The four of them played really well in the playoffs last year,” Raffield said. Up front, the defense must replace All-Brazos Valley selection Jayden Drisdale. Consol will count on contributions from a group that includes 290-pound
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sophomore nose guard Josh Ellison and senior ends J.R. Matlock and Jared DeFriend. On offense, Raffield expects a spectacular season for senior running back Robert Franklin, who moved into the starting role last year. The receivers, led by Tony Williams, Layton Dimery and H-back Grant Johnson, should be a solid group. The inexperience at quarterback and along the line can be overcome, according to Raffield. Cade Williams played as a reserve quarterback last season while starting at receiver. Along the rebuilt line, senior center Will Sullivan should anchor a group that includes two juniors and two sophomores.
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“I want to always be able to hit every zone on the field, running and passing, and Cade can do that,” Raffield said. “Can we live and die with him throwing the ball down the field like we did with [2013 quarterback] Kobe Miller? Probably not, but I don’t think that has as much to do with Cade as it has to do with the five guys up front. “We have a system in place where we think we can make those five guys successful. If we do that by having them cover the entire field, then the offense will be pretty good.” Cade Williams, also a standout soccer player for the Tigers, is expected to handle the punting and place-kicking duties.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Thursday, August 25, 2016
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BRYAN VIKINGS
Vikings to use versatile Hedge all over the field By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
He’s no ordinary Joe. The Bryan Vikings plan to use wide receiver Joseph Hedge, starting his third varsity season, at a variety of positions this year, taking full advantage of his athletic skills. Hedge, who started 2015 with an 80-yard kickoff return against Montgomery to set up Bryan’s first score of the year, is a threat as a receiver because of his open-field moves. He averaged 16.2 yards per catch, pulling in 21 receptions for 340 yards and HEDGE five touchdowns despite an ankle injury. “I don’t waste time juking because it just slows me down,” Hedge said. “I’m big enough that, if you’re in the secondary, I can just run straight through you. I’ve got quick feet so I can get up field real quick.” He gets around, too, playing numerous roles for the Vikings. Hedge completed both of the passes he threw last season, one for a touchdown, and is a dangerous player to defend when he runs the reverse. “He’s got a real good arm and is really accurate,” Bryan coach Ross Rogers said. “When we get into what they call wildcat now, which is no more than our offense with a running quarterback, he fits in there real well. Returning kickoffs, and maybe punts this year, he has that real quick first burst, and that’s what you’ve got to have.” Hedgelikestocatchthedeepball andthinksheandquarterbackMason Ray will be good together. “He’s 6-4, can see over the line andhasastrongarm,”Hedgesaid. “I enjoy running the fade. I’m fast and can get past somebody real quick. And when the ball is in the
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air, I think I can get it.” A three-year starter, Hedge is a quick-strike and versatile player in a Viking offense that averaged 340.4 yards per game last season. He has strong hands and, with a 39-inch vertical jump, is a good bet when it’s a jump ball. Some of those may come from a different direction, though. Hedge will help on defense his senior season. “He’s going to be playing a lot more cornerback as well,” Bryan coach Ross Rogers said. “A lot of the colleges that have come by, they really think that’s his future. Not that receiver may not be, but they think when recruiting him that they’ve got a chance to look at both sides of the ball.” On either side of the line, Hedge is a threat when he gets the ball in his hands. “You’ve got to feel it and you have to just go,” Hedge said. “You’ve got to go up the field, and I’ve got to give them some moves.” He takes pride in his blocking, which the Vikings emphasize heavily. “If you don’t get the block on a sweep of an option to the outside, that’s an easy play for the corner to make,” said Hedge, who gets the same thrill when blocking as on a touchdown catch. “Everybody goes ‘ooh!’ That’s big right there.” Bryan has district title trophies from each of the last two seasons and the Vikings expect to retain that momentum. Hunter Batten, who played his sophomore season at St. Joseph, took over the role of the Vikings’ feature runner late in the regular season of his junior year. In the last two years, he has picked up 3,074 total yards on 326 touches. He has scored 31 touchdowns. Batten rushed for 228 yards and two touchdownsintheareachampionship win over Magnolia West and finished with 146 carries for 1,004 yards rushing in 2015. “He’s even better than he was,” Rogers said. “The speed of this
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ROSTER
SCHEDULE
2 Landon Plagens, DB, 5-8, 140, jr.; 3 Jermie Townsend, RB, 5-11, 220, jr.; 4 Rashaud Harvey, WR, 5-9, 155, jr.; 5 Andrew Bailey, DB, 5-11, 175, sr.; 6 Hunter Batten, RB, 5-9, 190, sr.; 7 Mason Ray, QB, 6-4, 195, sr.; 8 Caebien Manahan, WR, 6-0, 155, sr.; 9 Mark Taplette, DB, 5-9, 165, sr.; 10 Sam Smith, LB, 5-10, 180, jr.; 11 Luke Martin, QB, 5-10, 140, sr.; 12 Roderick Crenshaw, LB, 5-10, 155, sr.; 14 Myles Sheffield, WR, 5-10, 165, sr.; 15 Gus Hancock, DB, 6-0, 175, jr.; 16 Joseph Hedge II, WR, 5-10, 140, sr.; 17 Nathan Carpio, K, 5-9, 185, sr.; 18 Angel Quiroga, K, 5-10, 170, sr.; 19 Craig Koenig, WR, 6-3, 150, jr.; 20 Ry’tarius Wallace, RB, 5-8, 170, jr.; 21 Keller Mainard, WR, 6-1, 150, sr.; 22 Javon Jefferson, RB, 5-6, 160, jr.; 23 Tracy Bradford, DB, 5-9, 160, jr.; 24 Taylor Teal, DB, 5-9, 140, sr.; 25 Dominic Wyatt, DB, 5-11, 150, sr.; 26 De’Terious Bryant, DB, 5-11, 175, soph.; 27 Samuel Hayes, DB, 5-9, 160, jr.; 28 DaQuincy Floyd, WR, 6-1, 160, sr.; 29 Dekeedric Branch, LB, 5-10, 180, jr.; 30 John Koontz, RB, 5-9, 195, jr.; 31 Tedric Johnson, DB, 5-9, 140, jr.; 32 Mark Vavra, RB, 5-9, 185, jr.; 33 Jalynn Bell, DL, 5-10, 235, jr.; 37 Noah Fazzino, DL, 5-10, 200, sr.; 40 Jay Montoya, DL, 5-10, 215, sr.; 42 Patrick Franklin, RB, 5-8, 190, jr.; 43 Cade Sandel, LB, 5-10, 175, sr.; 44 Luke Wallis, LB, 6-2, 185, jr.; 46 Royce Gilreath, LB, 6-3 200, sr.; 48 Joey Chavez, LB, 5-9, 205, jr.; 49 Nick Newsom, DL, 6-1, 185, sr.; 52 Eamon McGregor, DL, 6-2, 205, sr.; 55 Garrison Tullos, OL, 6-3, 300, sr.; 58 Christian Hernandez, DL, 5-10, 200, sr.; 61 Ryan Boyle, OL, 6-0, 230, sr.; 62 Gage Grant, OL, 5-10, 235, jr.; 66 Andres Reyna, OL, 6-1, 200, jr.; 67 Hagen Aguilar, OL, 5-10, 215, jr.; 70 Mason Minor, OL, 6-0, 240, jr.; 73 Colton Campbell, OL, 6-3 280, jr.; 74 Noah Hensley, OL, 6-3, 295, sr.; 75 Ylijaah Hall, OL, 6-5, 270, jr.; 77 Tyler Stone, OL, 6-3, 260, jr.; 78 Aries Almaraz, OL, 5-11, 240, jr.; 79 Kevin Duron, OL, 5-6, 240, jr.; 81 Collin Darnell, DB, 5-10, 150, jr.; 82 Auston Lawson, WR, 5-11, 155, jr.; 88 Kemonte Ross, DL, 6-2, 185, jr.; 90 Ja’Various Sullivan, DL, 6-0, 250, soph.; 99 Rodney Young, DL, 6-1, 250, sr.
game he got used to last year and he’ll be a better runner.” Batten returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including one in the regional quarterfinals against George Ranch, which went on to win the 5A Division I state championship. Jermie Townsend, who played JV quarterback last season, will play a combo spot at fullback and tight end. Ray saw limited time at quarterback last season, although he did start the Caney Creek game. As a junior, he completed 9 of 30 passes for 125 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also scored one rushing touchdown, picking up 69 yards on the ground. Ryan Boyle, who played guard and tackle, shifts to center. “Those are big shoes to fill in losing [Jared] Spivey,” said Rogers of the offensive line mainstay who graduated. “Garrison Tullos, coming in from Bremond at left guard is 6-3 or 6-4 and a 300-pounder who can move. We feel really good about that.” He will play alongside Ylijaah Hall(6-5,270)attackle.TylerStone andAriesAlmarazarefightingfor the right guard spot with Noah Hensley (6-3, 295), who last played on the varsity with Rudder two years ago, at right tackle. Myles Sheffield, an all-district center fielder on Bryan’s baseball team, returns as a wide receiver.
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Gus Hancock is back at safety. He had 76 tackles (54 solos) and picked off five passes, getting a key touchdown return in a district win over College Station that allowed the Vikings to claim a share of a second straight district championship trophy. “Gus, this spring, was flying around and intercepting the ball and making plays everywhere,” said Rogers of his junior safety, who won the Class 5A 800 meters state championship in May. Although he will shift positions in the secondary, Roderick Crenshaw also is back. A fearless punt returner (14.25 average, one TD), Crenshaw is also a solid openfield tackler. Twenty-five of his 30 tackles were solos. He broke up six passes and intercepted two. De’Terious Bryant has similar tackling qualities and the Vikings will use both at the same time when the situation warrants it. Mark Taplette and Landon Plagens, moving up from the JV, will see time at cornerback and Andrew Bailey returns from Bremond into the Viking secondary. “He was with us as a freshman, a good player,” Rogers said, adding with a chuckle. “We lent him out to Bremond to get his two [state championship] rings and now he’s back and he’s playing safety with Gus. It gives us two experienced guys back there. Bryan will depend on Rodney
Date Opponent Aug 26 at Hutto Last year: did not play Sept 2 Waller Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Magnolia West Last year: W 37-21 Sept 16 Open Date District 18-5A Sept 23 at College Station Last year: W 27-17 Sept 29 Navasota (nondistrict) Last year: did not play Oct 7 Waco University* Last year: did not play Oct 14 at A&M Consolidated Last year: L 30-21 Oct 21 Rudder Last year: W 33-19 Oct 28 at Waco Last year: did not play Nov 4 Temple Last year: L 54-0 *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
FACTS Head coach — Ross Rogers (235-108-6 overall; 24-21 at Bryan) District — 18-5A 2015 record — 9-4 (6-1 in 18-5A) 2015 playoffs — 5A Division I bi-district: def. Manor 31-21; area: def. Magnolia West 37-21; regional: lost to Richmond George Ranch 48-28 Playoff appearances (24) — 1921, 1922, 1925, 1934, 1956, 1973, 1974, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 19 (5 offensive, 2 defensive starters) All-time record — 544-440-41 Playoff record — 20-22
Young’s improvement in the defensive line. He had 19 tackles last year and will be joined on a strong defensive front by Colton Campbell, who moved over from the offensive line. Royce Gilreath, injured early in summer practice, is expected to be a top contributor at defensive end. Chris Hernandez and Noah Fazzino played well in the Vikings’ scrimmage. “We’ve got about six or seven kids there in the defensive line and we’ll just keep playing them all to see how it goes,” Rogers said. “Luke Wallis has really stepped in at linebacker. He is seeing things well and getting to the ball. He’s very intense.” Angel Quiroga, who kicked 12 field goals as a sophomore, was also a threat with his directional kickoffs.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
COLLEGE STATION COUGARS
Back in the saddle Brock healthy, ready to quarterback Cougars in 2016 By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
T
y Brock was hurting after three players fell onto him, snapping two bones in his lower right leg during College Station’s preseason football scrimmage last August. Pain persisted through the ambulance ride to an Austin hospital, subsequent surgery to insert a titanium rod and more than a month spent mostly in bed. What hurt the most? Maybe a night in early October when Brock, by then able to walk with crutches, attended the Cougars’ homecoming game. College Station was on its way to a 30-point halftime lead and an 86-23 victory over Livingston when the pain became too much. “I think the worst point was the homecoming game,” Brock said. “I came in early at halftime and I just bawled my eyes out in the locker room. I couldn’t take it. I just wanted to play.” Fast-forward eight months and it was cryin’ time again, as Brock quarterbacked the Cougars at the 7-on-7 state tournament. “My mom started crying at the 7-on-7 tournament, just watching me play,” Brock said. “She wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to play football with my kids, much less tackle football.” Brock will be back with the Cougars this fall and likely will go on to play
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 26 at Houston C.E. King Last year: did not play Sept 2 Killeen Shoemaker Last year: did not play Sept 9 Houston St. Thomas* Last year: did not play Sept 16 at Pflugerville Last year: did not play District 18-5A Sept 23 Bryan Last year: L 27-17 Sept 30 at Waco University Last year: did not play Oct 7 A&M Consolidated Last year: W 24-17 Oct 14 at Rudder Last year: W 62-7 Oct 21 Waco Last year: L 21-20 Oct 28 at Temple Last year: did not play Nov 4 Open Date *Homecoming
Time 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
FACTS Head coach — Steve Huff (117-77 in Oklahoma, Washington and Texas; 30-13 at College Station) District — 18-5A 2015 record — 10-3 (6-1 in 18-5A) 2015 playoffs — 5A Division II bidistrict: def. Hutto 28-6; area: def. Houston North Forest 52-7; regional: lost to Angleton 38-22 Playoff appearances (2) — 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 26 (5 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 30-13 Playoff record — 2-2
in college. What he won’t do, if he ever did before the gruesome injury last August, is take playing football for granted. “It definitely made me that much hungrier,” Brock said. “The pain was terrible, but I can promise the worst part of it was sitting on the sideline knowing that I should be out on the field. “It gave me a new love for the game. I know that every play really could be my last.” The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Brock established himself as a legitimate Division I prospect prior to the in-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
jury, despite playing only part-time as a sophomore. His size, athleticism and potential flashed during the summer of 2015 brought Brock scholarship offers from Houston and McNeese State, drawing the attention of several major programs. College Station coach Steve Huff appreciates Brock’s physical ability, but may value his other attributes more. “Ty was gone as a player last year, but he was never gone as far as a leader,” Huff said. “The kids really rallied around [Brock’s injury] last year. They really wanted to play for him. Everybody likes Ty. He’s a good leader. I think the kids really wanted to do well because of his situation.” Missing his junior year put Brock’s recruiting status on hold. More offers might have poured in if Brock had a healthy, productive season. Instead, he will go into his senior year with college coaches taking a waitand-see approach. “The biggest deal for me is to go out and make sure that the Cougars do well,” Brock said. “From the recruiting standpoint I’m just taking it slow. It’s definitely a faith thing that gives me some reassurance. I’m not in control. That used to be a bad thing with my leg, but it’s almost a good thing from a recruiting standpoint. I know the right offer’s going to roll around.” The return of Brock gives College Station an abundance of capable
quarterbacks. The Cougars also have senior Reece Easterling, who served as the starter last season, along with junior Marquez Perez, who played receiver and quarterback. Both are athletic and versatile enough to play receiver this year. “I don’t think in all my years of coaching I’ve had my top three quarterbacks back,” Huff said. That’s not all the weapons returning for College Station. The Cougars have proven players returning on both sides of the ball,
Eagle photo by Timothy Hurst College Station quarterback Ty Brock has recovered from a broken leg See COUGARS, Page 8 injury and is primed to lead the Cougar offense this season.
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RUDDER RANGERS
Rangers hope to get big season from Latson By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
Kaidrion Latson sees the progression with his Rudder Rangers and how it should continue. “I’m always looking forward to doing different things, and I knew the day would come that I would have to be a leader,” the senior running back said. “I had great people to look up to as a sophomore on varsity, and I think I can pave the way for the younger kids. I’ll show them what a true leader is and what people of good character are. They’ll lead the team when my class is out of here.” Latson’s assumption of a leadership role has been a natural progression. “When I came in, he was a guy who I thought you could really build your program around,” third-year Rudder head coach Will Compton said. “He consistently puts in work in the weight room. He’s always out there. He’s
FACTS
ROSTER
Head coach — Will Compton (4-16 overall; 4-16 at Rudder) District — 18-5A 2015 record — 3-7 (2-5 in 18-5A) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances — none Returning lettermen — 21 (6 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 17-50-1 Playoff record — 0-0
a multi-sport athlete who does football, powerlifting, track and baseball.” Latson is also versatile on the football field, where he is a three-year starter. In his junior season, Latson had 73 carries for 423 yards and four touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 90 yards and another TD. He also figures in Rudder’s plans as a return specialist. “We took steps forward in the running game, but did that as a team, even from a defensive standpoint,” Latson said of the 2015 season. “We’re looking to spread out the ball and get all of these athletes involved.”
SCHEDULE
1 Ladarius Johnson, WR/S, sr.; 2 DeMarcus Dates, C/WR, sr.; 3 Jeremiah Manley, WR/C, soph.; 4 Josh Johnson, QB, sr.; 5 Kaidrion Latson, RB/S, sr.; 6 Kevonte Johnson, RB/S, jr.; 7 David Ellison, C/ WR, sr.; 8 Jaden Luna, WR/C, jr.; 9 Markeist Johnson, WR/S, soph.; 10 Clifford Chambers, LB/RB, soph.; 11 Charles Kennard, S/RB, sr.; 12 Giovonni Madison, WR/C, jr.; 13 Ke’shon Griffin, S, sr.; 14 Brandon Tribble, S, jr.; 15 Hayden Muth, S/QB, sr.; 16 Trent Terry, WR, sr.; 17 Jamarcus King, LB, sr.; 18 Pedro Deluna, K, jr.; 21 Dequarius White, WR/C, sr.; 22 Kelly Stepney, RB, sr.; 24 Mykedrian Ellis, C/WR, jr.; 26 Matthew Everett, S/QB, jr.; 27 Myles Carter, LB, sr.; 28 Jacquez Punchard, DE, sr.; 32 Malik Woodar, LB, sr.; 34 Devarion Guyton, RB/LB, jr.; 35 Juan Cancino, LB, sr.; 36 Hunter Norris, LB, jr.; 38 Casey Shutt, LB/RB, soph.; 40 Jared Housley, TE, sr.; 44 Johnathon Peterson, DE/TE, soph.; 45 Bradley Bayer, DE, sr.; 50 Brady Roberts, OL, sr.; 51 Pedro Garcia, OL, jr.; 52 Thomas Carter, DL/OL, jr.; 54 Jakobe Nutall, OL/DL, soph.; 55 Alex Arevalo, DL/OL, sr.; 56 Justin Gomez, OL, jr.; 59 Daniel Perez, OL, sr.; 61 Justin Markowski, OL, sr.; 67 Bailey Reid, OL/DL, sr.; 72 Tyler Shutt, OL, jr.; 79 Colton McGary, DL/OL, jr.; 85 Nate Wagner, TE/DE, jr.; 89 Devonsha Hunter, DL, jr.; 95 Correy Lloyd, DL, sr.; 98 Braedon Smith, DL/OL, sr.; 99 Chris Owens, DL/TE, sr.
No doubt Latson will get his share of involvement. “He reminds me, almost identical, of Kwame Etwi, who is playing for A&M right now,” said Compton, who coached Etwi at Conroe Oak Ridge. “They have the same strengths and also the same limitations. He’s got a nice jump cut, a nice move he makes in the hole, quick acceleration. The thing that [Latson] has that Kwame wasn’t is that he’s sitting at around 200 pounds. He’s a little bit thicker back but great out of
the backfield with great hands. He’s very football smart, the allaround player.” Latson’s route-running ability will allow him to play the inside slot receiver position as well as running back. He’ll get carries from that receiver spot. “I have a lot of strengths but a lot of weaknesses that I need to work on,” Latson said. “I think one of my strengths is that I see and survey the field. I think I’m pretty good at setting up blocks, but my linemen do a good job of
Date Opponent Aug 26 Del Valle Last year: did not play Sept 1 Hutto Last year: did not play Sept 9 Open Date Sept 16 at Jasper Last year: did not play Sept 23 Houston St. Pius X Last year: did not play District 18-5A Sept 30 Waco* Last year: did not play Oct 7 at Temple Last year: did not play Oct 14 College Station Last year: L 62-7 Oct 21 at Bryan Last year: L 33-19 Oct 28 Waco University Last year: did not play Nov 4 at A&M Consolidated Last year: L 59-19 *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
blocking for me. That’s the real reason I get my yards.” It’s not just the field that the studious Latson reads. “I like reading, just about any type of book,” said Latson, who has been reading The Catcher in the Rye. “I feel like I can just take
See RUDDER, Page 9
COUGARS: Monroe’s return a big boost for College Station’s offense Continued from 7
a group that includes senior running back Chris Monroe. Last year, Monroe led the team in rushing with 1,239 yards and scored 17 touchdowns despite sharing time, getting a modest 172 carries. “Having Chris back is really a comfort in the backfield because he’s been there,” Huff said. The Cougars’ receiving corps should be deep but relatively inexperienced. The possible targets for Brock include Jaelin Campbell, Noah Herring, Eric Peterson, Perez and Easterling. Versatile Braden Tschirhart will take over the running
8
Quandree [White] is one of those guys from that very talented junior class that played a lot of games last year. He didn’t play much defense last year, but he’s a dang good defensive player. Steve Huff College Station head coach
back/receiver spot in which Chris Sennette proved so productive last season. College Station also can count on timely contributions from junior Quandree White, a college prospect. The team’s leading receiver last year,
HighSchoolFootball 2016
White is slated to start at safety and should be one of few Cougars to get substantial playing time on offense and defense. “Quandree is one of those guys from that very talented junior class that played a lot of games last year,” Huff said.
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“He didn’t play much defense last year, but he’s a dang good defensive player.” The Cougars will be young along the offensive line. Their leaders up front should be returning junior center David Hahn and 6-5, 295-pound senior tackle Josh Donovan, who has committed to North Texas. College Station will build its defense around a strong group of linebackers. Senior Mark Wagner should be the catalyst, returning in the middle after contributing 143 tackles last season. Wagner will be flanked by senior Dylan Carnes and Anthony Flores. “Mark Wagner will be a fouryear starter,” Huff said. “He gets everybody’s attention. I
think our kids respect people for how they work before how good they play, and Mark works so hard.” The secondary must be rebuilt after losing safety Rajah Preciado (Baylor) to graduation and a knee injury that will cost Houston commit Timarcus Davis his senior season. “The kids will rally around it and move on, but I hate it for him and I hate it for us,” Huff said. The Cougars should be strong in the kicking game. Senior Ryan Bowersox, an AllBrazos Valley pick who made 10 of 12 field goals last year, will serve as place-kicker and punter.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
RUDDER: Playoff berth on Rudder’s wish list Continued from 8 off to another world when I’m reading.” Latson would love to leave a legacy at his school with a trip to the playoffs. “It would be surreal for us to get to that playoff spot that we have been searching for since we opened up as a school,” Latson said. “I feel like we’re taking the right steps to get there, and it’s just a matter of time.” He’s a tough read for opposing defenses, with a run-catch combo ability that allows Rudder to use Latson and Devarion Guyton on the field at the same time, something that injuries robbed the Rangers from doing last season. The backs Eagle photo by Dave McDermand each tore their meniscus in Senior running back Kaidrion Latson had a solid season consecutive games, sidelining last year for Rudder, rushing for 423 yards and four them at the end of last year. touchdowns and catching 12 passes for 90 yards and With a 210-pound Guyton, another TD. The Rangers hope to use Latson’s versatil- Rudder has some powerful ity even more this season, at times lining him up at a runners. Guyton picked up 411 receiver spot. yards and six TDs on 74 carries
Thursday, August 25, 2016
as a sophomore. Josh Johnson moves in at quarterback this season. “I love this kid, absolutely love him,” Compton said of his converted receiver, who stands 6-foot-3 1/2 and 190 pounds with the wingspan of a 6-6 athlete. “Last year was his first year to play football and he started for us as a wide receiver (11 catches, 204 yards). He’s a football-basketball type of kid. He has a great arm, a fantastic arm, and I felt like he had the leadership ability that it would take to step into that quarterback position.” A key target will be 6-3 Ladarius Johnson, another basketball player now on the football field. Some new faces fill the other spots, including Jaden Luna and Jeremiah Manley, who played freshman quarterback. Bailey Reid anchors the offensive line, returning as the Rangers’ starting center.
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“He’s a very physical, aggressive player, and we’re excited to see him in that role,” Compton said. “When we look for our best offensive linemen, for us it’s the center position. We’ve got to have a guy who can get it back there.” Continuing a theme, Reid is also a multi-sport athlete who advanced to regionals in wrestling. Pedro Garcia will shift from right tackle to guard. A part-time starter as a freshman, Jakobe Nutall could be the most improved player in the offensive front. “He’s become a mauler and we’re loving it,” said Compton, who will also use Brady Roberts on the offensive line. The defense will have a new look, continuing a move to a four-man front that started last season. Chris Owens will play defensive end. Braedon Smith saw time as a starter on the defensive line last season and returns. Big and quick
Alex Arevalo (51 tackles, seven for losses) moves from defensive end to defensive tackle after some standout games as a junior last season. Charles Kennard, who had an outstanding JV season at running back, moves over to outside linebacker. Kennard missed time his sophomore season with a broken leg. Former JV linebacker Juan Cancino and Clifford Chambers are in a battle for inside linebacker. Hunter Norris also returns at linebacker. DeMarcus Dates, a top cover cornerback, gives Rudder a three-year starter in the secondary. Former linebackers are shifting to safety. Matt Everett steps back to free safety and Ke’shon Griffin will play strong safety. Pedro Deluna is moving up from the JV and could handle both kicking and punting duties.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
9
BRENHAM CUBS
Brenham defense aiming for dominant season DE Bimage anchors stellar defensive front for Cubs By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
When you talk about the Brenham Cubs’ defense, you start with defensive end Marqez Bimage. When you play the Cubs, there’s a good chance you’ll stop there, too. “Marqez weighed 207 pounds last year,” said Brenham coach Glen West of his relentless standout. “This year, he weighs 236 pounds. He’s really fast, too. He’s got a chance to have a really dominant year.” Brenham’s defense shouldered the load on the Cubs’ 12th straight postseason trip under West. Bimage figured in many of their highlights. He had 71 tackles overall, and was credited with 15.5 tackles for losses. Bimage had six sacks and forced three fumbles. “Our defense starts with him,” West said. “People are going to have to decide what to do to slow him down.” Bimage will also bolster the offensive attack at tight end. It’s a formidable group in the defensive line with another highenergy player, Raekwon Bell, returning at tackle. He’s stronger now and has had a good summer. They’ll be joined by junior Shannon Lambert (295 pounds) and Andrew Batchman as the likely starters, but with Weldon Patterson seeing extensive playing time. Brenham’s secondary will look different than in past seasons, with taller cornerbacks this year. “Brenham,foryears,hasalways been able to produce some cornerbacks because we have some athletes, and a lot of times we’ve played with small guys that are really fast,” West said. “In the world we live in today, with the tall wide receivers, that can sometimes cause trouble for your defense.” De’Brandon Charles and An-
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ROSTER 1 De’Brandon Charles, 5-10, 175, sr., CB: 2 Zach Wilson, 6-0, 170, jr., WR; 3 Darvis Watson, 6-0, 175, sr., WR/S; 4 Tien Pham, 5-6, 148, sr., K; 5 Nicholas Henderson, 5-8, 160, jr., CB; 6 Tamarus McWilliams, 5-8, 175, jr., RB; 7 Marqez Bimage, 6-3, 240, sr., TE/DE; 8 Holden Vega, 6-0, 185, sr., RB/SS; 9 Monterious Moore, 6-3, 192, jr., WR/SS; 10 Brice Clark, 5-7, 160, sr., CB; 11 Kendarin Ray, 6-0, 165, jr., QB; 12 Jacob Oehrlein, 6-2, 2-5, sr., QB; 13 Andre Gilmore, 5-11, 170, soph., CB; 14 Dathan Jones, 5-10, 192, soph., RB; 15 Ralph Kallie, 5-9, 175, jr., RB/S; 16 Patrick DeLeon, 5-7, 140, jr., S; 17 Kyle Gurka, 5-11, 165, sr., WR/S; 18 Parker Puckett, 6-0, 170, soph., QB; 19 Dalton Dunfield, 5-8, 165, sr., WR;20 Colby Watts, 5-8, 192, soph., LB; 21 Eryk Preston, 5-8, 174, jr., WR/S; 22 Jackson Bartay, 6-0, 175, sr., LB; 23 Zach Winchell, 5-9, 175, jr., WR; 24 TJ Nickerson, 5-7, 185, jr., LB; 25 Tyree Jackson, 5-9, 192, soph., RB/LB; 30 Andrew Batchman, 5-11, 200, jr., TE/DE; 31 Tim Ragston, 5-10, 165, soph., RB; 33 Xavier Houston, 5-9, 165, soph., RB; 34 Weldon Patterson, 5-9, 188, jr., DE; 40 Jaylon Zwahr, 5-9, 180, jr., SS; 50 Ricky Burns, 5-11, 285, sr., OL; 52 Josh Morrison, 6-1, 205, sr., OL/DL; 55 Adam Coker, 6-0, 205, jr., OL; 56 Cade Simmons, 6-3, 218, sr., OL/DE; 57 Dylan Goodner, 6-1, 195, jr., DE; 58 Raekwon Bell, 6-0, 265, sr., DT; 60 Hunter Prazak, 5-11, 205, jr., OL/DT; 62 Travis Davis, 6-2, 270, jr., OL; 70 John Oehrlein, 6-0, 230, soph., OL; 71 Jacob Joswiak, 6-2, 250, jr., OL; 72 Jose Aguado, 6-1, 280, sr., OL; 75 Shannon Lambert, 6-2, 295, jr., OL/ DT; 76 Colson Altman, 6-0, 295, sr., OL; 80 Devin Bennett, 6-0, 165, jr., S; 82 Arreyus Smith, 5-8, 155, soph., WR; 86 Callen Martinez, 5-7, 150, jr., WR; 90 Bobby Mathis, 6-1, 235, soph., TE/DT
FACTS
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Glen West (212-76-1 overall; 171-53 at Brenham) District — 19-5A 2015 record — 4-7 (3-4 in 19-5A) 2014 playoffs — 5A Division II bi-district: lost to Houston North Forest 41-35 Playoff appearances (39) — 1927, 1929, 1933, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Zone playoffs (2) — 1968, 1987 Returning lettermen — 23 (6 offensive, 5 defensive starters) All-time record — 612-372-38 Playoff record — 44-37-1
Eagle file photo Marqez Bimage figures to be a two-way force for the Brenham Cubs this season. dre Gilmore are cornerbacks who are both 5-11 or taller. The guys playing free safety are Eryk Preston and Ralph Kallie. Preston played all 11 games last year. Against spread teams, it keeps some very quick players on slot receivers. Holden Vega is set for strong safety. There will be youth at linebacker, but junior T.J. Nickerson, who started late in the 2015 season, is back. Sophomore Tyree Jackson also steps in. On offense, Brenham averaged 228 yards per game last season.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
“I think a weakness to us a year ago is going to have to be a strength this year, and that’s the offensive line,” West said. “We just never gelled like we should have last year, but that’s a big focus for us.” It’s a big, but not too tall group with tackle Colson Altman (6-0, 300) and guard Jose Aguado (60 275), both three-year starters. Center Jacob Joswiak makes his varsity debut at center. Ricky Burns (5-10, 285) is back at guard. Cade Simmons, who played tight end last season, moves to tackle.
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Travis Davis provides backup at multiple spots. Jacob Oehrlein started at quarterback, but will miss at least two games after a leg injury in the spring. As a junior, Oehrlein hit on 78 of 178 passes for 966 yards. He threw 11 touchdown passes with eight interceptions. Junior Kendarin Ray, who has played basketball and baseball, is at quarterback now. “We’ve really enjoyed him being out here; he’s been a blessing,” West said. “But he’s definitely learning. He has played football in the past, but didn’t play last year.” Whichever quarterback is playing, he is likely to focus on a prime target. Darvis Watson was a first-team all-district receiver for the Cubs, catching 54 passes for 621 yards and 10 touchdowns. The offense will need a boost
Date Opponent Aug 26 Houston Westside Last year: W 27-24 Sept 2 at Elgin Last year: did not play Sept 9 Houston Episcopal Last year: did not play Sept 16 Open Date District 19-5A Sept 23 Magnolia West* Last year: L 21-7 Sept 30 at Waller Last year: W 20-13 Oct 7 at Tomball Memorial Last year: W 34-14 Oct 14 Tomball Last year: L 25-7 Oct 21 at Willis Last year: did not play Oct 28 Huntsville Last year: did not play Nov 4 at Magnolia Last year: L 41-7 *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
from the running game, but Tamarcus Williams provided a spark. After playing sparingly early in the season, Williams rushed for 101 in a loss to Magnolia and had 168 rushing yards in the regular-season finale, a victory over Spring Woods. “He’s a junior, a track athlete,” said West of Williams, who ran the 100 and on the sprint relay. “He’s a good athlete at 170 pounds. He’s not very big, probably 5-9 or 5-8 but he has a chance to help us.” Williams finished with 514 yards (4.5 per carry) and scored four touchdowns. The rest of the backfield will be by committee, for now, with little experience there. Tien Pham has plenty of experience and will return as Brenham’s kicker and punter.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
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11
NAVASOTA RATTLERS
Rattlers hope to display depth in season of transition By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s a worthy goal for the Navasota Rattlers. While much of the offseason was dominated by the departure of head football coach Lee Fedora, the Rattlers graduated two of the most dominant offensive talents in Texas high school history. Wide receiver Tren’Davian Dickson, the state’s career leader in touchdown receptions with 76,andquarterbackShelton Epplerhavebothgraduated. Eppler’s career 11,951 passing yards has him ranked sixth all-time among Texas high school passers. Navasota had the highest-scoring team in the state in 2015. “We’ve had kids waiting in the wings,” said Patrick Goodman, who was promoted to his first head football coaching job. “I’m not saying they are going to be a Tren’Davian Dickson or Shelton Eppler at quarterback.” The Navasota coach believes you can trust in the system that has won big over the last decade, including two state titles in the last four years. “You don’t have to win it,” Goodman said of his individual players. “You don’t have to put it on your shoulders. We do have a pretty good running back. When we find those offensive linemen we need, we are going to use that running game to take pressure off.” There are more significant holes to fill on offense, but there is talent back for the Rattlers, ranked fourth in the Class 4A Associated
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SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Aug 26 Franklin 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 Magnolia West 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Waller 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 16 Stafford* 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 Open Date. Sept 29 at Bryan 7 p.m. Last year: did not play District 10-4A Division I Oct 7 Huffman Hargrave 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 14 at Silsbee 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 21 Cleveland 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 at Bridge City 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Nov 4 Little Cypress Mauriceville 7 p.m. Last year: did not play *Homecoming
FACTS Head coach — Patrick Goodman (0-0 overall; 0-0 at Navasota) District — 10-4A Division I 2015 record — 12-1 (5-0 in 11-4A Division I) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. West Columbia 52-16; area: def. Jasper 35-21; regional: lost to Carthage 55-48 Playoff appearances (33) — 1936, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1948, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 16 (4 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 562-444-21 Playoff record — 48-29-1
Press preseason poll. Running back Keyondrick Philio ran 132 times for 1,255 yards with 20 touchdowns as a junior. While there is a battle for the quarterback spot, the receiving corps should still be in good hands. De’Eldre Richardson grabbed 46 passes for 824 yards and eight TDs his junior season. “RonnieJackson,nowit’s his chance to go out there and be an X receiver, or a Y receiver,” said Goodman, who wants to keep continuity. “We’re not messing with theoffenseordefense,orthe special teams. That part, they’ve got down. It’s just making sure we continue
HighSchoolFootball 2016
ROSTER 1 Tre’mayne Creeks, sr.; 2 Deeldre Richardson, sr.; 3 Lawson Hughlett, jr.; 4 Jeb Malek, jr.; 5 Ronnie Jackson, jr.; 6 David Flores, sr.; 7 Trey Serna, sr.; 8 Jakobe McGinty, sr.; 9 Eric Lattimore, sr.; 10 Kevon Hill, sr.; 11 Keaun Eddings, jr.; 12 Colson Hildreth, jr.; 14 Da’Tron Taylor, sr.; 15 Juilo Corona, sr.; 17 Joseph Gifford, jr.; 18 Tre’Mond Wells, jr.; 19 Ja’Vonzae Jones, soph.; 23 Keyondrick Philio, sr.; 24 Ladadrien Walker, jr.; 27 Elidrick Powell, jr.; 32 Payne Gessner, jr.; 33 Tyrek Houston, soph.; 40 Brandun Ramos, sr.; 45 Marquise Range, jr.; 50 Leonard Abke, sr.; 52 Alejandro Gonzales, sr.; 58 Edgar Sliva, jr.; 61 Ronald Lee, soph.; 65 Jaycob Steels, soph.; 66 Tyler Lang, sr.; 67 Jared Clay, sr.; 68 Willie Spriggs, jr.; 70 Felipe Alvarado, jr.; 74 Kevin Rodriguez, sr.; 75 Jordan Jefferson, fr.; 77 Chris Cavanaugh, sr.; 79 Angel Molina, sr.; 80 Jabril Hunter, sr.; 84 Bobby Diaz, sr.; 88 Jakovin Dickey, sr.; 99 Luis Baeza, sr.
to teach it.” Acclimating a mostlynew coaching staff — “getting them up to speed on what we are doing and how we do it” — has been a greater transition, but says that Fedora’s meticulous notes are being used as a blueprint for workout planning. The Rattler coaches will have veterans and talent to work with on defense. Navasota has seven starters returning from a group that allowed an average of less than two touchdowns per game (13.6 points), the second-best average in 4A Division I. Defensive end Jabril Hunter, also a standout on Goodman’s basketball team and a three-year football starter, had 82 total tackles (50 solos, 22 for losses) as a junior. “Eric Lattimore (three interceptions, 101 return yards) makes big plays, returning interceptions for touchdowns, picking up a fumble,” Goodman said. “Tremayne Creeks does it all. He’s undersized, but in the secondary you go back from our West Columbia game to the Carthage game, he’s the one picking it off and taking it the other way. He’s coming up and forcing and is not afraid of anything.” Da’Tron Taylor is moving from cornerback to safety because of his openfield tackling ability. Linebacker Brandon Ra-
mos came in last year when TaylorSotowaslosttoaninjury and now Ramos should be a leader in the middle of theRattlers’defense.Ramos had 81 tackles (11 for losses) his junior season. The Navasota coach wants his team to replace great players by embracing their tradition. “We are still going to be the Navasota Rattlers and do what we do,” Goodman said.
Eagle photo by Dave McDermand Navasota will have senior running back Keyondrick Philio back this season to help the Rattlers handle a season of transition.
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Thursday, August 25, 2016
CALDWELL HORNETS
Chambers looking for milestone season By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
No disrespect to anyone who’s finished a 5K, but Keyshawn Chambers’ run at it almost certainly is more difficult. Chambers has put himself within reach of 5,000 rushing yards while being chased by guys in helmets and pads under the glare of Texas football’s Friday night lights. In two seasons on the Caldwell varsity, Chambers has rushed for 3,380 yards. If his senior year goes well, Chambers could become the 13th player in Brazos Valley history to eclipse 5,000 yards in his career. Chambers is pumped up, but his excitement revolves around the possibility of more success for a Caldwell program that went 8-5 last season, making its deepest playoff run in more than a decade. “I just want to be a leader,” Chambers said. “We have a lot of young guys on our team, and I want to show them the way. It’s really not about the yards to me. You only have four years of high school football: It’s about having fun and being a leader to the other guys.” After spending his freshman season on the junior varsity, Chambers burst onto the scene two years ago by rushing for 1,835 yards. Last season, in a more diversified offense, Chambers ran for 1,545 and 17 touchdowns on 145 carries. “He’s been consistent,” Caldwell coach Bobby Jack Goforth said. “It’s just kind of his method of operation. Day-to-day, he’s the same
ROSTER 1 Tucker Ellsworth, 6-1, 220, sr., DE; 2 Keyshawn Chambers, 5-8, 180, sr., RB; 3 Weston Lilie, 5-9, 160, jr., WR; 4 AJ Zboril, 5-10, 170, sr., DB; 5 Dylanger Harris, 5-9, 220, sr., DT; 6 Will Faust, 5-7, 170, jr., QB; 7 Israel Pena, 5-9, 170, sr., WR; 8 Domonique Chambers, 5-9, 170, jr., WR; 9 Eric Carreon, 5-8, 150, sr., K; 10 Logan Grigg, 5-8, 145, jr., WR; 11 Devin Morris, 6-1, 175, sr., DB; 14 Dennis Engelmann, 5-10, 185, sr., LB; 15 Shamar Green, 5-10, 165, sr., DB; 16 Joseph Cockerham, 5-10, 170, sr., DB; 17 Dalton Armstrong, 5-9, 165, sr., WR; 18 Connor Hathaway, 5-10, 165, jr., WR; 19 Lamar Green, 5-6, 140, jr., DB; 20 Josh Burkhalter, 5-7, 160, jr., DB; 23 William Deleon, 5-11, 180, sr., LB; 30 Xavier Williams, 6-1, 190, jr., LB; 50 Andrew Telg, 6-2, 205, jr., OT; 54 Jared Trinidad, 5-7, 235, sr., DT; 56 Chase Scarmardo, 5-9, 245, sr., OG; 60 Jacob Pena, 5-10, 230, jr., OG; 62 Ray Flores, 5-9, 210, jr., C; 63 Keanu Robinson, 6-2, 260, sr., OT; 64 John David Royall, 6-2, 240, jr., OG; 70 Charles Chrietzberg, 5-9, 250, jr., OG; 71 Nathan Balcar, 6-3, 220, jr., OG; 77 Artkane Sims, 6-3, 225, sr., DE; 78 Kyle Jungman, 6-0, 245, sr., DT
FACTS
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Bobby Jack Goforth (38-55 overall; 15-19 at Caldwell) District — 10-4A Division II 2015 record — 8-5 (3-1 in 11-4A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Columbus 28-21; area: def. La Marque 42-29; regional: lost to West OrangeStark 69-13 Playoff appearances (19) — 1924, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1939, 1971, 1980, 1984, 1994, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 20 (6 offensive, 8 defensive starters) All-time record — 452-448-32 Playoff record — 14-17-1
guy. We’re proud of him and look forward to seeing what he can do this year.” Goforth and Chambers, along with probably every defensive coordinator the Hornets are scheduled to face, expect the senior to see his role in the Caldwell offense increase this season. The Hornets will replace three-year starting quarterback Joseph Crnkovic with junior Will Faust. “I think I’m going to have to run the ball a lot more,” Chambers said. “I’ve been preparing myself for it, so I’m ready.” Going into last season, Caldwell switched from an I-formation offense to a spread attack to take advantage of Crnkovic’s passing ability. At f irst blush, the change might have seemed bad for the team’s primary ball car-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Date Opponent Time Aug 26 Teague 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 60-37 Sept 2 at Franklin 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 9 Madisonville 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 43-41 Sept 16 at Taylor 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 Mexia* 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 49-45 Sept 30 Open Date District 10-4A Division II Oct 7 at Columbus 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 28-21 Oct 14 Giddings 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 46-39 Oct 21 at Smithville 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 43-14 Oct 28 at Gonzales 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Nov 4 La Grange 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 37-35 *Homecoming
rier, but Chambers wasn’t bothered. The combination of passing and running helped Caldwell advance to the regional semifinal round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs. “After we got into a groove of what we were doing on offense, I think [Chambers] enjoyed the more wide-open spaces and running lanes that the spread offense provided for him,” Goforth said. “The previous year, in the I-formation a lot of times the defense was stacked against him. I think it took advantage of his talents, because he’s a smaller and quicker guy.” Chambers has added 15 welcome pounds since
Eagle photo by Timothy Hurst Caldwell running back Keyshawn Chambers is 1,620 yards away from reaching the 5,000-yard rushing mark in his high school career. last season and will play at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. Chambers wants to get bigger as he attempts to impress college recruiters. He’s already earned Goforth’s praise. “He was a pretty physical runner at 165 pounds,” Goforth said. “There’s no telling what me might be able to do this year. It’s going to be interesting seeing people bouncing off him.” Last season the Hornets knocked off Columbus and La Marque in the first two rounds of the playoffs before losing to eventual state champion West OrangeStark. It was Caldwell’s second consecutive playoff season after going 3-25 in the previous three years. “We’ve got a foundation and we’ve had some playoff success, so the kids have some confidence in what they’re doing,” Goforth said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how far we can take it this year.” Getting off to a better start has been a point of emphasis for the Hornets.
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Caldwell stumbled out of the gate 1-3 in each of the last two seasons, and those struggles prompted Goforth to change his approach to the preseason. Caldwell played only one scrimmage against outside competition each of those years, opting for an intrasquad game instead of a second scrimmage against another team. Not only has Goforth added a second scrimmage this year, but it will be against Class 5A Bryan. “We feel like that might help us be a little bit more prepared f or the f irst
game,” Goforth said. The Hornets will go into the opener with several proven contributors, including a pair of big-play receivers who should make Faust’s job easier. Senior Devin Morris (47 catches, 892 yards, 14 touchdowns) and junior Domonique Chambers (66-971-10) will give the athletic Faust dangerous options in the passing game. Morris and Domonique Chambers also provide playmaking ability in the defensive backfield. Morris (6-1, 175) has committed to play at Texas A&M. Domonique Chambers was a first-team All-Brazos Valley selection last season after making six interceptions and returning two for touchdowns. “We’ve got a few guys coming back on defense that I think can help lead our team,” Goforth said. Caldwell’s prospective senior defensive standouts include another defensive back in three-year letterman Dennis Engelmann, along with linebackers Wi l l i a m D e L e o n a n d Tucker Ellsworth. DeLeon led the Hornets last season with 142 tackles. Ellsworth will change positions after playing defensive end last year.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
13
MADISONVILLE MUSTANGS
New coach bringing new attitude to Mustangs By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
Rusty Nail, who won two state championships while coaching the Mart Panthers, believes he has the talent to win in Madisonville. Now he just needs the Mustangs to believe. “We’re doing the same stuff we did in Mart with the same type kids,” Nail said. “The only thing that’s lacking is the intangibles and the mental aspect of it, the mental toughness and belief that they can do that.” Nail, who was in private business last football season, was lured back to Madisonville, where he started his career as an assistant coach. He was hired after Greg Morgan resigned at the end of his 16th season. Morgan left a helpful gift. The Mustangs had begun running the same offense Mart had employed, a version of the spread, last season. “Greg came in and visited us at Mart and they put in a lot of the concepts of our offense,” Nail said. “It uses all of our terminology, so it’s been a really good transition for us. There was a tweak here and there, but it wasn’t a total makeover.” Because a lot of sophomores played during a 1-9 season in 2015, Madisonville has an especially strong junior class. Quarterback Ben Phillips had a productive sophomore season, completing 111 of 219 passes for 1,778 yards. Phillips threw 11 touchdown passes with eight interceptions. “He’s very committed to what he is doing and wants to be successful,” Nail said. “He was here all summer. He’s here every day in the weight room. He studies film and throws the ball really well. In our system, he will rush for a lot more yards than people think.” Johnny Simpson brings his tandem talents back to an offense that averaged 29.1 points per game and 381.2 yards per
14
Experienced junior class ready to lead Madisonville in 2016 game. Simpson ran 54 times for 406 yards and six TDs. He also caught 31 passes for 526 yards and three scores to rack up 1,221 all-purpose yards as a sophomore. “He’ll play running back and all over the place,” said Nail, who will have to wait for Simpson’s return. He has a knee injury that will sideline him when the season opens. Cornelius Merchant, a junior, played defensive back and should fill a key role at running back. Kendall Moffett, who has played in the secondary, will be a slot receiver. “They had a chance to win over half of their games,” Nail said of last season. “They were much better than the record indicates.” But the defense needs improvement. “When you get on defense, you’ve got to be physical,” Nail said. “You’ve got to be able to run and you’ve got to want to tackle. We’re doing a lot of contact in practice and with that comes a lot of bruises and bangs. Now, we deal with the difference between pain and injury. Sometimes it’s not going to feel good, but it doesn’t mean you’re hurt.” Chris Scott is at middle linebacker, charged with leading that improved defense. He stepped back from the defensive line after a strong offseason in the weight room. Brandon Larson, who was the freshman quarterback last season, is playing outside linebacker. The Mustangs are seeking quick, aggressive defensive linemen. Special teams could help the Mustangs move forward and has been emphasized heavily by the new regime. Sophomore kicker Mauricio Aceves is a left-footed kicker with college potential. He will also see time at punter. “If somebody is not working them [special teams] and we get ours in there, it might be the
HighSchoolFootball 2016
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 26 at Diboll Last year: L 28-21 Sept 2 Woodville Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Caldwell Last year: W 43-41 Sept 16 Crockett Last year: L 49-40 Sept 23 at Lorena Last year: did not play Sept 30 Rusk* Last year: did not play Oct 7 Open Date District 11-4A Division II Oct 14 Shepherd Last year: L 50-42 Oct 21 at Brookshire Royal Last year: did not play Oct 28 Bellville Last year: did not play Nov 4 at Tarkington Last year: L 35-21 *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
FACTS Head coach — Rusty Nail (105-23 overall; 0-0 at Madisonville) District — 11-4A Division II 2015 record — 1-9 (0-5 in 8-4A Division II) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances (20) — 1957, 1958, 1959, 1975, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2014 Returning lettermen — 22 (8 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 400-449-29 Playoff record — 9-20
ROSTER
Eagle photos by Dave McDermand Cornelius Merchant (top) and Kendall Moffett give Madisonville a pair of key returners who can help the Mustangs on offense and defense. difference in winning our first game,” Nail said of the Mustangs, whose last season-opening
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win was in 2012 against Lorena. Madisonville kicks off the season at Diboll this year.
2 Brandon Larson, soph., QB/LB; 3 Baylen Mills, jr., WR/DB; 4 Nick Hahn, sr., WR/ DB; 5 Kendall Moffett, jr., WR/DB; 6 Aaron Nellums, soph., RB/LB; 7 Daniel Gannaway, sr., WR/DB; 8 Ben Phillips, jr., QB/DB; 9 Alfredo Hernandez, sr., WR/ DB; 10 Daniel Hernandez, jr., WR/DB; 11 Marcus Dorman, soph., WR/DB; 12 Uriel Willis, soph.,WR/DB; 13 KaseyWilliamson, jr., WR/DB; 14 Isaiah Berry, sr., WR/DB; 15 Johnny Simpson, jr., WR/DB; 16 Keion Johnson, soph., WR/DB; 17 Efren Garza, jr., DL/RB; 18 Mauricio Aceves, soph., K/ DB; 20 Cornelius Merchant, jr., WR/DB; 21 Tyrese Brown, fr., WR/DB; 22 Gabriel Smith, sr., RB/DB; 24 Micheal Brooks, sr., LB/FB; 30 Chris Scott , jr., LB/FB; 32 Kyle Cuevas, jr., LB/FB; 54 Zach Poe , jr., OL/ DL; 55 Jose Arjon, jr., OL/DL; 56 Brad Roundtree, jr., OL/DL; 57 Rafael Franco, jr., OL/DL; 58 Guillermo Rosas, jr., OL/ DL; 60 Deion Crittendon, jr., OL/DL; 61 Matthew Longoria, sr., OL/DL; 62 Kevin Isaac, sr., OL/DL; 64 Casey Corley, sr., OL/ DL; 65 Eduardo Camarena, soph., OL/DL; 72 Tanner Kutra, sr., OL/DL; 73 Dawson Stayley, jr., OL/DL; 75 Joey Mciver, jr., OL/ DL; 77 Sakeidrick Wiley, sr., OL/DL
Thursday, August 25, 2016
CAMERON YOEMEN
New era, same goals for mighty Yoemen By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Most high school football programs would be hurting after losing their three-time state champion head coach, seeing the leading rusher in school history graduate and watching the starting quarterback transfer out of school. Cameron is not like most high school football programs. The Yoemen expect big things despite departures that might cause other teams to scale back expectations. New head coach Tommy Brashear, a Cameron graduate, was promoted from defensive coordinator after Rick Rhoades left for Gregory-Portland. Brashear knows all about expectations for
ROSTER 1 Jordan Wells; 2 Zach Andress; 3 Jordan Young; 4 D.J. Fripp; 5 Caden Harris; 6 Bryce Welsh; 7 D.J. Daniels; 8 Levi May; 9 Carlos Herrera; 10 Casey Greene; 11 KeAndrew Moore; 16 Kevondre Wesley; 17 Iverson Westbrook; 18 Sicory Smith; 32 Tydrick Williams; 34 Noah Kostroun; 44 Jesse Valdez; 45 Brandon Wilkins; 50 Eddie Luna; 52 Alex Bennett; 54 Brodie Sexton; 55 Tyler Bennett; 58 Xavier Torres; 60 Nick Rangel; 68 Dortavis Lewis; 76 Quentin Ewing; 77 Christian Reyes; 78 Adrian Lewis; 82 Garrett Roeder; 89 Caleb Mueck
the Yoemen. “There have been high expectations at Cameron for a long time,” Brashear said. “We’ve had real good success the last several years, so the expectations are even higher probably. “You can get caught up in that. I understand that. But I’ve always been one who’s going to work his tail off and whatever happens, happens. As long as I’ve done my best I’ll feel good about it, and hopefully everybody else will, too.”
The last several years included three consecutive state championships before the Yoemen lost in the title game last season. That type of long-term success shows a program built to last and to fill holes on the roster, whether they are caused by graduation or anything else. This year, Brashear might not be the biggest unknown among the replacements. The Yoemen also will have a new quarterback and running back. At quarterback, Jacob Smith-
FACTS Head coach — Tommy Brashear (0-0 overall; 0-0 at Cameron) District — 10-3A Division I 2015 record — 14-2 (5-0 in 10-3A Division I) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. McGregor 35-7; area: def. Malakoff 45-44; regional: def. Grandview 42-28; quarterfinal: def. Teague 28-21; semifinal: def. Mathis 40-14; state championship: lost to Brock 43-33 Playoff appearances (42) — 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 18 (5 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 696-343-42 Playoff record — 69-36-3
erman decided not to remain at Cameron for his senior year. His replacement will be either junior Zack Andress or senior Caden
Harris, who went into preseason workouts competing for the starting spot. “They’re both very knowledgeable of our offense,” Brashear said. “Caden Harris is probably more of a typical pocket passer. Zack is a fine pocket passer, but he’s a really good athlete and he’s got a little mobility to him as well. He does add another dimension to the running game and possibly sprint out type stuff as well.” The new starting quarterback will have the luxury of plenty of weapons around him. Cameron will be especially potent at receiver, led by returning all-state and All-Brazos Valley selection Sicory Smith (77 receptions for 1,581 yards and 15 touchdowns)
See CAMERON, Page 17
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FRANKLIN LIONS
QB Box ready to lead powerful Lion offense ROSTER
By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
Thomas Box moves in as Franklin’s starting quarterback for his senior season. He knows how to follow blocks. He did that on defense. “They tell us if it ain’t open, take off,” Box said of how he plays quarterback From his strong safety spot, Box had seven interceptions as a junior, taking back three for touchdowns. Two of the touchdown returns came in a wild 7650 win over Crockett in the Class 3A Division II quarterfinals. “The first interception, I had two or three of the biggest kids on our team blocking for me,” Box said. “The last one I will never forget, running across the field and then running back. Once I got to the end zone, everybody was running at me, screaming and slapping me on the helmet. It was fun.” Box promises to be the Lion’s lightning rod in 2016. “He’s real instinctive, playing at strong safety on defense,” Franklin coach Mike Hedrick said. “He has some leadership qualities about him. We’ve got a good group of seniors, but he’s one of the main guys there. They go as he goes.” Box helped Franklin win 15 games his junior season, but the one loss is stuck in his craw. “I’m still mad that we didn’t win that state game,” Box said of a 33-21 loss to Waskom in the state championship game. “A couple of days after that I got over it. I knew we had to get back in it and start working harder.” He believes the level of competition the Lions played to get to the championship game serves them well now. “It was tough,” Box said. “We played some very good teams like Crockett, Newton, East Bernard and of course Waskom. Us moving up a division, that’s pushing me. I don’t know about anybody
16
2 Avery Archibald, 5-9, 180, soph., TB/FS; 3 Raheem Green , 6-0, 220, sr., TE/DE; 4 Datron Dixon, 5-10, 145, fr., TB/CB; 5 Cody Wilson, 6-0, 190, sr., QE/SS; 6 Cody Johnson, 5-11, 170, jr., TB/SS; 7 Rashawn Green, 5-9, 145, fr., TB/CB; 8 Tristian Moore, 5-9, 165, jr., TB/CB; 11 Thomas Box, 6-0, 205, sr., QB/SS; 12 Colton Ortner, 5-9, 160, soph., QB/FS; 15 Jared Pedraza, 6-0, 190, soph., TB/ FS; 16 Jake Medcalf, 6-1, 165, sr., QE/CB; 20 Devin Sebastian, 6-1, 165, sr., QE/CB; 24 Will Fannin, 5-9, 175, soph., HB/LB; 25 CJ Smith, 5-8, 165, fr., FB/LB; 30 Blane McCullough, 5-9, 180, sr., HB/ SS; 32 Austin Catalina, 5-10, 210, soph., FB/DL; 33 Bobby Graham, 6-0, 230, sr., FB/DE; 34 Drew Fannin, 5-10, 195, sr., FB/LB; 38 Clayton Rosprim, 6-0, 205, soph., HB/LB; 40 Nick Lopez, 5-8, 215, jr., TE/DE; 44 David Kamas, 5-8, 180, sr., HB/DE; 50 Anthony Stokely, 5-9, 225, sr., OL/DL; 51 Dalton Watkins, 5-10, 215, jr., OL/DL; 52 Cole Tarver, 5-10, 240, sr., OL/DL; 54 William Deal, 5-10, 200, jr., OL/DL; 60 Bryant Mathis, 6-2, 195, sr., OL/DE; 62 Diego Contreras, 5-7, 230, sr., OL/DL; 66 Lane Morgan, 5-10, 230, sr., OL/DL; 70 Tim Lockhart, 5-9, 190, sr., OL/LB; 72 Matt Duewall, 6-0, 190, jr., OL/LB; 73 Kavan Dooley, 6-3, 255, jr., OL/DL; 75 Casey Phillips, 6-6, 275, jr., OL/DL; 77 Blake Johnson, 5-11, 270, sr., OL/DL; 81 James Little, 5-10, 160, fr., QE/SS
FACTS
Eagle photo by Dave McDermand Thomas Box had a big season at strong safety last year for Franklin. Now a senior, Box will take over the starting quarterback position as the Lions look for a return trip to the state championship game, this year in a new class.
[Thomas Box] has some leadership qualities about him. We’ve got a good group of seniors, but he’s one of the main guys there. They go as he goes. Mike Hedrick Franklin head football coach
else on our team, but I’m pretty sure they all feel the same way.” Box also broke up three passes and recovered a fumble last season.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
“I take pride in defense,” Box said. “You don’t know what the offense is going to run at you, but you get to hit ’em in the mouth any time you want. That’s my favorite.” He will punt for the Lions again, too, after averaging 42.6 yards per kick on 26 punts. As a team Franklin averaged 7.1 yards per carry on its run to the state final. In the final three games, Clayton Rosprim picked up 12.8 per carry to finish with a total 928 rushing yards as a freshman. His tackle-breaking 39-yard run in the 10-7 semifinal win over East Bernard helped spark the Lions’ win, putting them in their first state championship game. He also rushed for 216 on 10 carries against Crockett. “He’s getting bigger,” Hedrick said. “He says about two words in practice. He’s all business, and he’s a great kid.”
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SCHEDULE
Head coach — Mike Hedrick (273-150-11 overall; 94-28 at Franklin) District — 10-3A Division I 2015 record — 15-1 (6-0 in 12-3A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Garrison 45-21; area: def. Clifton 42-0; regional: def. Newton 28-20; quarterfinal: def. Crockett 76-50; semifinal: def. East Bernard 10-7; state championship: lost to Waskom 33-21 Playoff appearances (28) — 1951, 1953, 1955, 1961, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 20 (7 offensive, 7 defensive starters) All-time record — 540-366-38 Playoff record — 30-27-1
Jared Pedraza, who gained 307 yards rushing last year, is a returning sophomore, who will miss games early after arthroscopic surgery. Avery Archibald, who moved in to Franklin, could also see running back action. The significant portion of the offensive line is back. Lane Morgan and Casey Phillips are strong-side blockers, and Tim Lockhart is back as well. Surehanded Raheem Green, who played a variety of positions last season, appears set for tight end now. “He’s about 220 [pounds],” Hedrick said. “We’ve got a little size that we’ve never really had. These kids have had a good offseason. They live in that weight room.” Franklin has several young linebackers behind Blake Johnson (5-11, 270) at defensive tackle,
Date Opponent Aug 26 at Navasota Last year: did not play Sept 2 Caldwell Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Lorena Last year: did not play Sept 16 Waco Connally Last year: did not play District 10-3A Division I Sept 23 at Troy Last year: did not play Sept 30 Cameron Last year: did not play Oct 7 at McGregor Last year: did not play Oct 14 Open Date Oct 21 Jarrell* Last year: did not play Oct 28 at Rockdale Last year: did not play Nov 4 Academy Last year: did not play *Homecoming
Time 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
with returning defensive ends Bobby Graham and Bryant Mathis also on the line. Blane McCullough, who played the other strong safety, returns with Pedraza at free safety. Archibald will fill in until Pedraza is cleared to play. “We’ve got a good nucleus offensively and defensively,” Hedrick said. “These kids think they can win, and dang, that goes a long way.” Franklin will move up to 3A Division I this year and will play in what appears to be one of the state’s toughest districts. The Lions will prepare by facing only 4A schools in their four nondistrict games. “I think the kids want it,” Hedrick said. “They want to be back where they were last year, and that makes me feel good.”
Thursday, August 25, 2016
COACHING CHANGES IN 2016 Two state championship coaches and a handful of others moved on after the 2015 football season, creating a good bit of turnover around the Brazos Valley heading into 2016.
School Navasota
PreviouS coach
New coach
lee Fedora
Patrick Goodman
Madisonville
Greg Morgan
rusty Nail
cameron
rick rhoades
Tommy Brashear
hearne
chip Baker
andrew Daily
leon
Keith Sitton
Jeremy colvert
Lee Fedora resigned in March after 11 seasons and a 109-30 record with state championships in 2012 and 2014. Patrick Goodman, who has been the Rattlers’ defensive backs coach and head basketball coach, is taking over.
Greg Morgan resigned after 16 seasons and an 83-85 record with the Mustangs in the wake of a 1-9 season. Rusty Nail, a former Madisonville assistant who was out of coaching in 2015, went 105-23 in eight seasons at Mart, winning two state titles.
Rick Rhoades accepted the job at Class 5A Gregory-Portland after posting an 82-17 record with the Yoemen. The Yoe advanced to five state championship games and won three under Rhoades. Tommy Brashear, a Cameron native who has been the team’s defensive coordinator, steps up to the head job.
Hearne native Chip Baker had an 0-19 record in two seasons as coach of the Eagles, and he resigned to return to an assistant’s job at 6A Conroe Oak Ridge. A&M Consolidated graduate Andrew Daily has been the defensive coordinator and basketball coach at Hearne.
Keith Sitton, now a Madisonville assistant, ended a 10-year run as head coach of the Cougars when he left after a 6-4 year. Jeremy Colvert had been the wide receivers coach, head track coach and the head JV coach at Garland Sachse, where he coached for seven seasons.
School
anderson-Shiro
PreviouS coach
New coach
andy Sexton
Sean witherwax
St. Joseph
Kyle alexander
Bill hoppers
Brazos christian
Brandon Green
andy Bell
wayne ware
John cherry
rex Sharp
Jesse house
Andy Sexton finished a two-year run as Anderson-Shiro’s second head coach, leading the Owls to their second playoff berth in 2015. Sean Witherwax spent 11 years in Navasota, where he served as the offensive coordinator and head track coach.
Kyle Alexander resigned after two seasons as head coach and a 10-11 record to be an assistant in Gonzales. Bill Hoppers has been defensive coordinator on state championship teams at A&M Consolidated (1991) and at Navasota (2012, 2014).
Brandon Green stepped down after four seasons to work for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He had a 34-13 record and led the Eagles to the TAPPS state final in 2013. Andy Bell, whose last head coaching job came in Hamilton in 1992, has an 8-12 overall record.
calvert
John Cherry went 20-5 overall in his two years as head coach at Stephenville Faith. He was offensive coordinator at Cedar Park Summit last year, helping the Eagles reach the TAPPS semifinals. Wayne Ware is the new AD, football and basketball coach at Coolidge.
Somerville*
Rex Sharp resigned one game into the 2015 season, and Jesse House was hired in season to coach the team. He has a rebuilding history and helped the Yeguas end their 34-game losing streak in a 1-9 season. House’s coaching record is 12-36. *Change made during 2015 season
CAMERON: Fripp moving up from JV to take lead role at running back Continued from 15
and Jordan Wells. “One of the things we love about the spread offense that we run is we’ve got the athletes to do it,” Brashear said. “We make the other team defend the entire field. Sicory Smith’s a real fast kid who knows the offense inside and out. Jordan Wells is an inside receiver who is a real weapon for us.” At the running back position, the Yoemen must replace one of the most productive players in Brazos Valley history. Last year, Traion Smith rushed for 3,010 yards and 49 touchdowns. His injury late in the first half of the championship game probably prevented Cameron from winning its fourth consecutive crown.
Junior DJ Fripp, who played on the unbeaten JV team last season, is expected to take over as the starting running back. Wells also will slide over from the slot to carry the football. “We’re not going to be able to replace Traion with one guy, and our guys know that,” Brashear said. “He was a hoss. wellS But I think we’re going to be all right back there. They’re different than Traion, but they’re skilled in their own way.” Juniors Adrian Lewis and Christian Reyes will give Cameron a pair of important build-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Aug 26 at Bellville Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Gatesville Last year: did not play Sept 9 China Spring Last year: L 43-41 Sept 16 Bay City* Last year: did not play District 10-3A Division I Sept 23 McGregor Last year: W 35-7 Sept 30 at Franklin Last year: did not play Oct 7 Jarrell Last year: did not play Oct 14 at Rockdale Last year: W 27-6 Oct 21 Academy Last year: W 49-14 Oct 28 at Troy Last year: W 51-3 Nov 4 Open Date *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
ing blocks on the offensive line. Both moved into the starting lineup last year, Lewis at guard
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and Reyes at tackle. The Yoemen also expect leadership from center Xavier Torres, a senior who moves up from the JV. Cameron can play defense, too. The secondary should be stout, led by safeties Iverson Westbrook and Levi May, along with cornerback DJ Daniels. There is talent in the linebacker corps, which includes returners Brandon Wilkins on the outside and Eddie Luna inside. Brashear expects big things at the other outside spot from Garrett Roeder, who will move to defense after starting at inside receiver last year. On the defensive line, tackle Jesse Valdez and end Noah Kostroun both are senior returning starters. Cameron will have another big hole to fill in the middle
after the graduation of All-BV nose guard D’Andre Adams, with junior Quentin Ewing expected to take over. Brashear, of course, is familiar with Cameron’s veterans and the players moving up from the JV. It is a benefit of having coached at the school since 2004. “I think it’s made the transition a little easier for the kids,” Brashear said. “We’re running the same basic defense and offense, with maybe a wrinkle here and there. I’ve already got relationships developed with the kids. I’m not going into a new program and having to build relationships with kids I don’t know. I’ve taught some of these kids in class and I’ve coached some of them for years.”
HighSchoolFootball 2016
17
AP PRESEASON RANKINGS Here is The Associated Press preseason high school poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, points based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 voting system and the teams’ records from 2015:
Class 6A
2015 Points Record 1. Katy (14) 220 16-0 2. Lake Travis (5) 195 15-1 3. Cedar Hill (3) 182 9-2 4. Allen (2) 152 14-1 5. Austin Westlake 128 14-2 6. DeSoto 96 6-6 7. Cibolo Steele 95 14-1 8. Gal. Park North Shore 80 13-3 9. Euless Trinity 37 10-1 10. Converse Judson 34 13-2 Others receiving votes: 11, Richmond George Ranch 33. 12, Southlake Carroll 23. 13, The Woodlands 12. 14, Denton Guyer 10. 15, Longview 6. 15, Mansfield 6. 17, Smithson Valley 3. 18, Lufkin 2. 18, Friendswood 2. 20, Pearland 1. 20, Rockwall 1. 20, Tyler 1. 20, Hewitt Midway 1.
Class 5A
2015 Points Record 1. Aledo (7) 218 13-2 2. Cedar Park (9) 209 16-0 3. Denton Ryan (7) 197 13-2 4. Manvel 130 11-3 5. Temple 116 12-2 6. Frisco Lone Star 97 14-2 7. Dallas Highland Park 92 10-2 8. CC Calallen 60 11-3 9. Richmond Foster 58 10-3 10. Lancaster 30 10-4 Others receiving votes: 11, Crosby 27. 11, Mansfield Lake Ridge (1) 27. 13, Angleton 16. 14, Ennis 6. 14, Lake Dallas 6. 14, Texarkana Texas 6. 17, College Station 5. 18, Boerne Champion 4. 19, Marshall 3. 19, Bryan 3. 21, Colleyville Heritage 2. 21, Mesquite Poteet 2. 21, Frisco Liberty 2. 21, EP Chapin 2. 25, Mansfield Summit 1. 25, Abilene Cooper 1.
Class 4A
2015 Points Record 1. Argyle (9) 210 14-2 2.West Orange-Stark (12) 195 15-1 3. Waco La Vega (2) 138 16-0 4. Navasota (1) 135 12-1 5. Carthage 119 11-4 6. Gilmer 116 14-1 7. Celina 88 15-1 8. Abilene Wylie 75 12-3 9.Texarkana Liberty-Eylau 60 12-2 10. Kennedale 54 12-1 Others receiving votes: 11, Cuero 52. 12, Liberty Hill 21. 13, China Spring 18. 14, La Grange 13. 15, Bellville 8. 16, Stafford 5. 17, Kilgore 3. 17, Brownwood 3. 19, Henderson 2. 19, Terrell 2. 21, Sweetwater 1. 21, Silsbee 1. 21, Sinton 1.
Class 3A
2015 Points Record 1. Brock (9) 210 16-0 2. Mineola (10) 184 16-0 3. Cameron Yoe (1) 178 14-2 4. Canadian (1) 132 16-0 5. Waskom (1) 129 16-0 6. Newton (2) 115 8-5 7. Malakoff 80 10-2 8. Franklin 77 15-1 9. Wall 46 12-1 10. East Bernard 26 12-3 Others receiving votes: 11, Sunnyvale 23. 12, La Marque 17. 13, Crockett 15. 14, Boling 14. 15, Cisco 13. 16, Arp 11. 16, Pottsboro 11. 18, Teague 8. 19, Grandview 7. 20, Blanco 6. 21, Mathis 5. 22, White Oak 4. 23, Rockdale 3. 23, Idalou 3. 25, Hallettsville 1. 25, Odem 1. 25, Eastland 1.
Class 2A
2015 Points Record 1. Refugio (13) 222 13-3 2. Bremond (9) 214 16-0 3. Shiner (1) 158 13-1 4. Iraan 125 13-1 5. Stratford 112 12-2 6. Albany 111 14-2 7. Mason 102 11-1 8. Crawford 61 14-1 9. Mart 48 8-3 10. Tenaha 39 8-6 Others receiving votes: 11, Muenster 32. 11, Lovelady 32. 13, Alto (1) 21. 14, Post 17. 15, Seagraves 7. 16, Falls City 5. 17, Shelbyville 4. 17, Wellington 4. 19, Weimar 3. 19, Hico 3.
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ROCKDALE TIGERS
Tigers loaded with speed, depth in trenches By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Rockdale’s football program enjoyed a very good spring without picking up a ball or putting on a helmet. The Tigers won the Class 3A state championship in track, flashing the type of speed that should be a big plus this fall as Rockdale joins a crazy-good new district that includes 2015 state finalists Cameron and Franklin. Rockdale won the 400and 800-meter relay races in Austin last spring, and three of the speedsters on those relay teams — Jaquayln Crawford, Davion Ford and Dylan David — will return to play football this season. “We have some kids that certainly can run,” Rockdale coach Jeff Miller said. Despite that exceptional speed, Miller considers linemen to be Rockdale’s best asset. The Tigers bring back all three starting defensive linemen and four of five starters along the offensive front. On defense, senior nose guard Quentin White will be flanked by tackles Braxton Moore and Patrick Dean. Senior returners on the offensive line include right tackle Luke Elliston, right guard Xavian Ellison and left guard Braden Hartley. “We feel like the strength of our team is up front on both sides of the ball, the offensive and defensive lines,” Miller said. “It all starts up there. They do a great job up front, and with our skill guys we can really take off from there.” The state track title came on the heels of a nice three-
FACTS
ROSTER 1 David Franklin, sr., QB/DB; 2 Cade Lambright, sr., REC; 3 Brajon Ayala, jr., DB; 4 Brandon Lopez, sr., REC; 5 Jaquayln Crawford, jr., REC/DB; 7 Will Story, soph., DB; 8 Alex Guzman, sr., TE/LB; 9 Josh Springer, jr., REC/DB; 10 Jackson Perry, soph., REC/LB; 11 Jeffrey Hinojosa, jr., LB; 12 Dylan Rowe, jr., LB; 14 Alex Mendoza, sr., DB; 15 Jared Skrhak, sr., REC/DB; 18 Angel Lara, jr., REC; 20 Davion Ford, sr., RB/LB; 22 Austin Flores, soph., RB/LB; 23 Alvin Mitchell, jr., LB; 25 Trevor Knesek, sr., REC; 30 Dylan David, jr., LB; 31 Tyler Caldwell, soph., REC; 32 Leo Millan, soph., TE/LB; 33 Patrick Dean, jr., TE/DL; 34 Ceaser Gonzales, jr., LB; 40 Arlando Ayala, soph., DB; 48 Marcos Gutierrez, jr., LB; 50 Justin Nelson, jr., DL; 51 Jim Meraz, jr., OL; 52 Zach Montelongo, sr., OL/LB; 53 Jack Ingram, jr., LB; 57 Dalton Smith, sr., OL/ LB; 60 Xavian Ellison, sr., OL/DL; 62 Luke Elliston, sr., OL/DL; 64 Armando Leon, sr., DL; 65 Wyatt Chambers, jr., OL; 68 Braxton Moore, sr., OL/DL; 70 Braden Hartley, sr., OL; 72 Quentin White, sr., DL; 76 Samuel Molina, jr., OL/DL; 77 Andrew Diver, sr., OL; 80 Quentin Myles, jr., REC/DB; 88 Tyler Lehmkuhl, jr., REC; 99 Javier Moreno, soph., K
Eagle photo by Timothy Hurst Rockdale has plenty of linemen ready to lead up front, including seniors Luke Elliston (from left), Zach Montelongo, Braden Hartley and Xavian Ellison on offense. year run for the Rockdale football program. The Tigers reached the state quarterfinal round in consecutive seasons before making the second round and finishing 9-3 last year. Rockdale spent the last two seasons in District 10-3A Division I along with Cameron, which has reached four consecutive state finals. This year, those longtime rivals will be joined by Franklin, coming off a trip to the 3A Division II title game. “As far as our record, it’s going to be difficult to give a prediction because of our how tough our schedule is,” Miller said. “I feel
Thursday, August 25, 2016
like we’re as good as anybody on our schedule on any given night. I think we can beat every team on the schedule: I just don’t know if we’re going to do it every week. “You really want to have a couple of opportunities to win and not play your absolute best. In this district, you never really have that opportunity. If you do that a couple of times, you’ll be sitting at home.” Despite being placed in the same district with a couple of proven powers alongside Troy, Jarrell, Little River Academy and McGregor, the Tigers are still thinking big.
“I think we would be extremely disappointed if we don’t play at least three or four playoff games this year,” Miller said. “Every coach talks about winning state at the beginning of the year. Whether our team is capable of it or not, you have to set those goals. I feel like if things really went well and we stay injury free and have some breaks here and there, we can be one of the teams playing in late November or December.” It helps having returning starters at key positions such as quarterback, where senior David Franklin is back after passing for
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Head coach — Jeff Miller (102-70 overall; 67-49 at Rockdale) District — 10-3A Division I 2015 record — 9-3 (4-1 in 10-3A Division I) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Comanche 42-27; area: lost to Teague 60-24 Playoff appearances (24) — 1958, 1962, 1963, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Zone playoff (1) — 1973 Returning lettermen — 14 (8 offensive, 7 defensive starters) All-time record — 506-448-24 Playoff record — 24-23
2,399 yards and 33 touchdowns last season while rushing for another 645 yards. There is another proven backfield threat in senior running back Ford, who last year produced more than 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. Rockdale must make up for the graduation of wide receiver Cristian Lara, the fourth member of the championship relay teams, but Crawford provides quick-strike capabilities no matter where he lines up. The Tigers have another promising receiver in junior Tyler Lehmkuhl, who returns after missing last season because of injury. “Jaquayln Crawford is a dynamic playmaker who will play all over the
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Aug 26 West 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Taylor 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 42-28 Sept 9 at Lexington 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 16 Open Date Sept 23 Rogers 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play District 10-3A Division I Sept 30 Academy* 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 28-20 Oct 7 at Troy 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 27-21 Oct 14 Cameron 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 27-6 Oct 21 at McGregor 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 Franklin 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Nov 4 at Jarrell 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play *Homecoming
field,” Miller said. “He’ll play some running back. He’ll play a little quarterback. Primarily he’ll play receiver. Tyler Lehmkuhl’s a very talented kid that we feel can be a difference maker.” Defensively, the Tigers must rebuild their linebacker corps. Key candidates include juniors Dylan David, the team’s top returning tackler, and Jeffrey Hinojosa. As is the case with many teams from 3A and smaller, several Tigers will play vital roles as two-way players. Rockdale will rely on Franklin and Crawford in the defensive secondary, along with junior Josh Springer.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
19
ANDERSON-SHIRO OWLS
New lead Owl in Anderson By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
New Anderson-Shiro football coach Sean Witherwax has had a short time with his players, many of whom haven’t had much playing time at the varsity level, so Witherwax understandably takes a long-term view with the Owls. Witherwax, previously an assistant coach at Navasota, was hired last spring to take over an Anderson-Shiro program still in the building stages after making its varsity debut in 2012. The Owls qualified for the playoffs last season but must replace about half of the starters from the team that finished 4-7. “We’re going to be OK,” Witherwax said. “I don’t think we’ll be world-beaters right now, but our
Witherwax bringing proven offense from Navasota
kids are going to go out and fight and do their best to be successful and to win. It’s just going to take time. To me, every practice that we’ve had, we’ve gotten a little bit better. I don’t think I’ve been a whole lot of places where I could say that before.” Anderson-Shiro spent the last two seasons in Class 2A Division I. This year, the Owls make the move up in classification to 3A Division II. They have been projected to finish fifth in District 12-3A Division II, which includes Leon, Marlin, Buffalo, BrucevilleEddy, New Waverly and Hearne. “Usually when teams move up, you think they’re going to take their lumps and it’s going to be re-
ally tough on them,” Witherwax said. “It will be tough on us. I’m not going to act like it’s not. But I think the group that we’re moving up with, we’ve played them in the past and I think it’s a good district to be in. I just feel like we’re going to be very competitive.” Witherwax spent the last 11 years as offensive coordinator and line coach at Navasota, helping the Rattlers win a pair of state championships. He has worked with a highly regarded offensive coach in Lee Fedora, and Witherwax’s arrival will mean a change in philosophy for the Owls. “I’d like to be completely balanced,50-50,sothat’sabigchange,” Witherwaxsaid.“Lookingatfilms,
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time Aug 25 Beckville+ 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sep 2 at Lovelady 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 46-14 Sept 9 Iola 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 27-22 Sept 16 at Brazos Christian 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play District 12-3A Division II Sept 23 Hearne* 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 30 at New Waverly 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 7 Bruceville-Eddy 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 14 at Marlin 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 21 Leon 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 at Buffalo 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Nov 4 Open Date + Palestine Westwood *Homecoming
FACTS Head coach — Sean Witherwax (0-0 overall; 0-0 at Anderson-Shiro) District — 12-3A Division II 2015 record — 4-7 (3-2 in 12-2A Division I) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: lost to Price Carlisle 66-20 Playoff appearance (2) — 2013, 2015 Returning lettermen — 12 (4 offensive, 5 defensive starters) All-time record — 16-24 Playoff record — 0-2
it looked like people really loaded the box on them and tried to stop the run. My theory is people are going to have to be able to stop the runandthepassagainstus.That’s going to be one of the things that
See ANDERSON, Page 21
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Thursday, August 25, 2016
ANDERSON: Hesterman brothers, Stanley key leaders on Owl defense Continued from 20 helps us out.” The new offense will mean a major role for senior quarterback Brad Johnson, who takes over the starting job after playing part-time last year. Johnson trained for the task in part by practicing at camps held by former Navasota head coach Lee Fedora over the summer. “He has really improved on getting rid of the ball quick and footwork, things to help his throwing capabilities,” Witherwax said. “He’s very intelligent, which I noticed from Day 1. It’s like he’s been around it a year, even though it’s brand-new to him.” The playmakers around Johnson include twin 6-foot-2 receivers Addison and Dillon Hesterman. At
running back, the Owls will rely on the combination of powerful Brayden Stanley and speedy Dustin Coleman, both juniors. Anderson-Shiro will feature a rebuilt o f f e n s iv e lin e w it h o n ly o n e returning A. HESTERMAN starter, senior guard Caleb Kubacak. The Owls expect major contributions from a couple of seniors, left tackle Lukas Diorio and center Austin Derrett. Witherwax brought Ray Kavanaugh with him from Navasota to serve as defensive coordinator. “I think it’s a total mind change,” Witherwax said.
“We’re going to play base defense and we’re going to learn how to do it and we’re going to fly to the ball.” The Hesterman brothers will man the defensive end spots, with several players rotating in the middle of the line. The leader of the defense should be middle linebackerStanley,abighitter on both sides of the ball. “We’re really counting on him,” Witherwax said. “The first scrimmage we were all kind of nervous and he runs over somebody and everybody forgets about being nervous and gets all fired up.” The back end of the defense should be anchored by safeties Tre Hightower, who is a sophomore, and Chase Werner, a junior who started as a freshman and rejoins the team after not playing last season.
Eagle photo by Dave McDermand Anderson-Shiro’s Brad Johnson played some at quarterback last season, and now he will take over the reins of Sean Witherwax’s new offense, which will feature an increased workload in the passing game.
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21
HEARNE EAGLES
Daily happy to take rebuilding job in Hearne Eagles to tackle 2016 with one team to help fill out roster ROSTER
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Before declaring that the Hearne football program cannot be rebuilt, remember that the man who recently agreed to oversee the project spent the last two years on the crew. Andrew Daily was promoted from defensive coordinator to become Hearne’s new head coach over the summer, gladly accepting the challenge of leading a program that has not won a game in the last two seasons. Daily, who had previous coaching stops at A&M Consolidated and Navasota, stayed with the Eagles after head coach Chip Baker left for an assistant job at Oak Ridge. Does that sound like someone with doubts about whether Hearne’s program can be turned around? “We all went through the struggles — the bumps and bruises — as a coaching staff as well as our kids over the last two years,” Daily said. “I have some great hopes for us. Not to say that we’re going to shock the state of Texas, but this could possibly be a reviving year for the Hearne football program.” Daily, who played at Consol, accepted the job on an interim basis with the understanding that his status as head coach would be reevaluated in January. He took over a program battling a lack of participants. Last year the Eagles were forced to consolidate their varsity and JV teams, finishing with about 19 players. This season, Hearne will field only a varsity team with about 34 players from seniors through freshmen. “It’s a better fit and a better look for Hearne football to move forward,” Daily said. “The kids have accepted it. They understand what’s going on. Everyone has come together.
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1 Jomante Bailey, sr.; 2 Alex Ramirez, sr.; 3 JaDarrius Adams, sr.; 4 Derek Walker, soph.; 5 Anquan Boxley, soph.; 6 Cedrion Golden, jr.; 7 Josiah Green, jr.; 8 Derrick Gibson, soph.; 9 Patrick Foley, soph.; 10 Gerald Ross, jr.; 11 Damian Dunn, fr.; 15 David Castilleja, jr.; 19 Charles Palmo, jr.; 21 Dashon Young, sr.; 22 Ed’raeshon Tindle, jr.; 23 Nic Castilleja, sr.; 24 Jeremiah Foley, jr.; 26 Jaylon LeBlanc, fr.; 28 Keandre Foley, jr.; 33 Ronyn Dixon, sr.; 44 DeVandru Seymore, sr.; 50 JaNathean Fisher, sr.; 52 Dywon Davis, jr.; 53 Arthur Pryor, sr.; 54 Alijah Miles, fr.; 58 Dylan Woods, jr.; 60 Steven McCravey, sr.; 61 Quan Moten, jr.; 62 Sa’Dedrick Burleson, jr.; 63 Victor Killebrew, soph.; 70 Jeremy Nelson, sr.; 72 Charles Cooks, fr.; 74 Damian Cardenas, soph.; 80 Jalen Gonzales, fr.; 81 Tiquez Tindle, fr.; 82 Javareyon Bailey, soph.
FACTS
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Andrew Daily (0-0 overall; 0-0 at Hearne) District — 12-3A Division II 2015 record — 0-10 (0-6 in 12-3A Division II) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances (15) — 1936, 1937, 1939, 1952, 1954, 1961, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012 All-time record — 467-443-39 Playoff record — 7-15-0
“The numbers of kids coming out is what has hurt us in the past. We’ve always had the athletes and the ability. But when you face a program with larger numbers, our kids didn’t have time for rest, time for correcting mistakes. With us going to one team, it will help with that.” Early returns on the decision to field just one team were good. Daily said he was pleased with the Eagles’ performance in their first scrimmage against Crawford. Looking for signs of progress, Daily expects a much-improved offensive line. Hearne’s blockers will be led by center Dylan Woods and Victor Killebrew, who should see time at guard and tackle. “They played in the trenches last year and got some experience,” Daily said. “Watching those two taking initiative, being the leaders on the offensive line, they’re going to do a great job. “For the first time in three years we actually have a big, solid offensive line group. We’ve had kids who performed there, but our line has a lot more beef. Also, combining the teams has given
HighSchoolFootball 2016
Date Opponent Aug 26 at Centerville Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Trinity Last year: L 63-6 Sept 9 Snook Last year: did not play Sept 16 Rogers Last year: did not play District 12-3A Division II Sept 23 at Anderson-Shiro Last year: did not play Sept 30 Open Date Oct 7 New Waverly* Last year: L 55-26 Oct 14 at Bruceville-Eddy Last year: did not play Oct 21 Marlin Last year: did not play Oct 28 at Leon Last year: L 55-16 Nov 4 Buffalo Last year: L 56-22 *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
us an opportunity to have some reserve linemen. If anybody tweaks an ankle or just needs to talk to a coach, we’re able to fill those gaps and keep moving.” Halfway through preseason workouts, three players were competing to be Hearne’s starting quarterback. The candidates are junior Josiah Green, senior Alex Ramirez and sophomore Derek Gibson. The winner of the quarterback derby will have help at the skill positions from junior receivers Dave Castilleja and JaDarrius Adams. Castilleja was a top target last season, while Hearne hopes Adams stays healthy after dealing with injury problems most of last year. Sophomore Derrick Walker and senior Ronyn Dixon are expected to share time at running back.
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Seniors JaDarrius Adams (top) and DeVandru Seymore (right) are among several Eagles hoping to lead Hearne to a turnaround season under firstyear head coach Andrew Daily, who assumed the position this offseason. Eagle photos by Dave McDermand
The defense will be led by safety Gerald Ross, lineman Jeremy Nelson and the versatile Cedrion Golden, who can play linebacker or along the line. Daily expects the trio to be the glue of Hearne’s
defense, which also could benefit from having Ramirez at safety if he doesn’t start at quarterback. “We have a lot more quickness and speed on the defensive side,” Daily said.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
MEDIA DAY QUESTION Batman, Superman or somebody else? FINAL TALLY: Superman — 73 Batman — 36 With Lex Luthor unable to drum up some kryptonite for him, the Caped Crusader had no chance against the Man of Steel. Our Media Day voters selected Superman over Batman overwhelmingly. Ben Phillips of Madisonville even drew a Superman “S” to emphasize the point on his vote. Nobody drew a bat. Those comic book giants were the two big names on the ballot, but we left open the possibility of a write-in candidate. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man ranked third, named on seven of those ballots. Here are the others who got multiple votes:
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Media outlets and coaches pick preseason polls. The Bryan-College Station Eagle felt it was time that the players had a poll of their own. The football players who attended Media Day voted in the inaugural Brazos Valley football poll. All Brazos Valley football teams were on the ballot. No. 1 Navasota appeared on the most ballots (87) and had the most first-place votes (22).
Captain America — 3 Flash — 2 Black Panther — 2 Thor — 2
2016 Brazos Valley Players Poll A few players thought outside the ballot box:
The Terminator — Royce Gilrearth, Bryan Silver Surfer — Cade Williams,A&M Consolidated LeBron James — Brandon Larson, Madisonville Roshauud Paul is Superman — Joshua White, Bremond
The Joker — Will Sullivan,A&M Consolidated Woody Flowers — Woody Flowers, Snook Scuba Steve — Daniel Byrd, Centerville
Deadpool — 4 Iron Man — 4 The Incredible Hulk — 4
BRAZOS VALLEY PLAYERS POLL
TheEagle.com
Here is the Brazos Valley Players preseason high school poll, with last season’s records, points based on 5-4-3-2-1. 2015 School Points record 1. Navasota 294 12-1 2. College Station 257 10-3 3. Bremond 178 16-0 4. Franklin 170 15-1 5. Bryan 158 9-4 6. A&M Consolidated 139 9-4 7. Cameron 117 14-2 8. Caldwell 57 8-5 9. Rockdale 43 9-3 10. Iola 27 9-3
HighSchoolFootball 2016
23
LEON COUGARS
Spread offense part of new coaching staff ’s plan ROSTER
By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
First-year Leon head coach Jeremy Colvert wants to play faster and spread teams wider. His Cougars are already bigger. “When we took pictures, I had them all lined up highest to shortest by the front door,” Colvert said. “I made the comment to one of my assistant coaches who came with me from the Garland area. I said ‘Dude, look at the first eight kids we’ve got lined up.’ We’re bigger here now than we were at Sachse the last two years in 6A.” Defensive end Matthew Roach is 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. Defensive tackle Matthew Cunningham is 6-4, 280. Trevor McBroom and Rhett Read are 6-4. “We’re going to look good getting off the bus,” Colvert said. “We’re going to win the eye contest.” He thinks the Cougars might win some other contests, too, employing a spread offense that has rarely been run at Leon. “It’s as different as different can be,” Colvert said of the offensive attack that he brings with him from Garland Sachse, where he had been an assistant. “For the last 30 years, you’re talking about a die-hard wing-T system. I know they have dabbled here and there in the spread, but I would consider that spread to run.” It has led to an fastpaced practice style that he thinks will carry over to the games. The shift from the wingT to the spread will move for mer r unning back Corbin Watson from a running back to receiver.
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2 Jeremy Bradburry, sr., WR/DB; 4 Raul Hernandez, jr., WR/DB; 5 Sam Runge, sr., WR/DB; 6 Dylan Pedigo, soph., RB/LB; 7 Peyton Pruett, soph., QB/LB; 8 Nathan McCoslin, jr., WR/LB; 10 Blake Lowry, sr., QB/DB; 11 Cash Crane, sr., WR/DB; 12 Cameron Aldridge, soph., WR/LB; 14 Jared Theis, sr., RB/LB; 15 Corbin Watson, sr., WR/DB; 18 Callaghan Sherrod, jr., RB/DB; 22 Zant Tatum, sr., RB/LB; 32 Madison Mason, sr., RB/LB; 33 Wyatt Robertson, soph., WR/DL; 44 Rhett Read, sr., WR/DL; 51 Nick Martin, sr., OL/DL; 52 Jacob Anzaldua, sr., OL/LB; 54 Alex Macejewski, sr., OL/LB; 55 Josh Mcallister, jr., OL/DL; 60 Adolfo Martinez, sr., OL/DL; 65 Alex Chhoy, jr., OL/DL; 70 Colby Garcia, jr., OL/DL; 75 Matthew Roach, sr., OL/DL; 77 Trevor McBroom, sr., OL/DL; 78 Dalton Cunningham, sr., OL/DL
Leon will run sweeps with the receivers. “Corbin Watson has been a straight tailback in the system this whole time, but is a slot receiver now,” Colvert said. “He’s that type of shifty kid, one of our fastest kids.” With players will have to play both ways, having receiver depth is key. “We’ve got Cash Crane, who is a 6-3, big, tall, lanky receiver,” Colvert said. “The exact opposite, I’ve got two kids, [Jeremy] Bradbur ry and [Sam] Runge who are a little bit shorter and lighter, but they are going to be our outside guys.” In the new approach, Rhett Read (6-4, 230) won’t play tight end, but he is a big, surehanded target. The new offense will mean a difREAD ferent role for quarterback Blake Lowry, but he’s ready for it. “Even though he has been a wing-T quarterback for his entire high school career, he has been one that has gone to the camps and has an interest in playing college ball,” Colvert said. “When I got here and started working with him,
HighSchoolFootball 2016
FACTS
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Jeremy Colvert (0-0 overall; 0-0 at Leon) District — 12-3A Division II 2015 record — 6-4 (3-3 in 12-3A Division II) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances (13) — 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014 Returning lettermen — 15 (6 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 243-280-11 Playoff record — 4-13
it was obvious that he had been exposed to a shotgun system of throwing and mechanics and all that. He was very polished for never having run it before.” They will still employ some bruising backs with likes of Jared Theis and Madison Mason. Cougar players took well to the offense in their first scrimmage this summer. In 26 plays, Leon carried eight times for 101 yards and hit 10 of 18 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Crane will move from cornerback to safety on defense. “He’s got such a good instinct and nose for the ball that he can right a lot of wrongs,” said Colvert who has two-way starters who could be primed for outstanding defensive seasons. “Matthew Roach, of course, is 6-3, 220-something pounds, very athletic. He’s a massive kid.” Theis and Mason, who moved from defensive end, will be key contributors at
Date Opponent Time Aug 26 at Kerens 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 Elkhart 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 30-23 Sept 9 at Axtell 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 16 Lovelady 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 29-14 District 12-3A Division II Sept 23 Bruceville-Eddy* 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 30 at Marlin 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 7 Open Date Oct 14 Buffalo 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 36-7 Oct 21 at Anderson-Shiro 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 Hearne 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 55-16 Nov 4 at New Waverly 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 47-10 *Homecoming
linebacker as well as running back and sophomore Dylan Pedigo will also play linebacker. After that, there are several moving parts in rounding out the linebacker corps. Enthusiasm has been high leading into the season, which debuts with a game at Kerens. “They are very eager to learn it,” Colvert said. “All of the kids have completely embracedthisoffensivesystem, because one, it’s new, but I think they see they can have some success in it.”
Eagle photos by Dave McDermand Senior Blake Lowry (top) will run Leon’s new spread offense at quarterback, while seniors Corbin Watson (left) and Jared Theis (right) will also play roles offensively for the Cougars in 2016.
WINNING STREAKS
Bremond and Navasota own the top three winning streaks in Brazos Valley history: 31 — Bremond (2014-15) 29 — Bremond (1982-82) 28 — Navasota (2014-15)
TheEagle.com
Thursday, August 25, 2016
LEXINGTON EAGLES
Eagles have defensive force in LB Allert ROSTER
By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
Linebacker Chase Allert is the eye in the middle of the storm that is Lexington’s defense. Unlike a hurricane, it’s not that calm when he arrives. “I would say that one of my better qualities is that I finish plays,” said Allert, the four-year Eagles’ starter. “If I see the ball going somewhere, I’m going to go after it. If that ball’s going somewhere, I’m going to it.” Lexington ALLERT coach Kirk Muhl says that Allert is a tough guy to escape. “I’ve never seen him outrun on the football field,” Muhl said. “His motor runs extremely high all of the time. He’s got great feet, great hands. Of course, he’s been taught that for a long time. It’s genetic.” Allert is the son of Texas linebacker Ty Allert and the grandson of Texas State Hall of Honor member Buzzy Allert. Both played in the NFL. “Chase plays just like his daddy,” Muhl said. “If somebody’s blocking him, he doesn’t stay blocked. He gets off everything and gets there in a hurry.” Chase Allert had 192 tackles his junior year. He recovered two fumbles and forced six. He is the leader of an experienced defense that could be on the cusp of an outstanding year. “That’s our defensive doctrine,” Allert said. “We put pressure on and it’s real fast, a highimpact defense. It adapts and it moves around a whole lot.” Allert was the Defensive MVP of District 12-3A Division II last year against a group of teams that he is unlikely to see this season with the Eagles’ move into 13-3A and Region IV. Lexington ended a two-year dry spell with a
1 Gavin Thomas jr.; 2 Trevor Patschke sr.; 3 Colby Bexley jr.; 4 Cameron Milligan sr.; 6 Nate Jones jr.; 7 Walker Hess jr.; 8 Caleb Meyer soph.; 9 Ryan Garrison sr.; 10 Nic Dillon sr.; 13 JaKobe Cooper soph.; 14 Jacob Townsend sr.; 15 Jordan Kerr soph.; 19 Tanner Meuth jr.; 21 Jonathan Gamm sr.; 22 Sam Perry jr.; 28 Jaden Tucker jr.; 35 Nathaneal Clifford sr.; 44 Aaron Allert fr.; 48 Chase Allert sr.; 50 Jordan Higgins jr.; 55 Dalton Brister sr.; 57 Wesley Sanders jr.; 60 Jordan Cranston soph.; 64 Clayton Faske soph.; 70 Barrett Lerche sr.; 72 Cade Hawley soph.; 77 Wyatt Retzlaff jr.
FACTS Head coach — Kirk Muhl (10-21 overall; 10-21 at Lexington) District — 13-3A Division II 2015 record — 5-6 (4-2 in 12-3A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: lost to Crockett 48-14 Playoff appearances (16) — 1964, 1968, 1978, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 Returning lettermen — 15 (5 offensive, 7 defensive starters) All-time record — 392-422-26 Playoff record — 27-15
return to the postseason in 2015. “It’s an honor that Coach Muhl puts me there,” Allert said. “You get a chance to make a lot of plays. If you have your guys up front doing what they need to do, and that defense is working like it’s supposed to, it gets you going.” When he first assumed the role as a freshman, anchoring the defense was a struggle. “We had a lot of young guys and with that defense, you have to know where you need to be and when you need to be there or it doesn’t work,” said Allert, one of seven defensive starters returning. “This year, we have a lot more experience. We have hardly lost anyone and knew what we were supposed to do the first week.” Allert says it helps to have a head coach who has played linebacker at high school and in college. “Yes it does; he loves his defense,” said Allert, a defensive specialist who admits has longed for an offensive shot. “I’ve tried to convinced them, let me tell ya. They don’t want me to hurt myself on offense or anything. We don’t play a whole lot of guys both ways. We like to keep every-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 26 at Mart Last year: did not play Sept 2 Thorndale Last year: did not play Sept 9 Rockdale Last year: did not play Sept 16 at Jarrell Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Weimar Last year: did not play Sept 30 Open Date District 13-3A Division II Oct 7 Blanco Last year: did not play Oct 14 at Comfort Last year: did not play Oct 21 Rogers* Last year: did not play Oct 28 Johnson City Last year: did not play Nov 4 at Florence Last year: did not play *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
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one real fresh.” Allert’s focus on defense is not out of the ordinary for the Eagles. Muhl has 22 starters — 11 on offense and 11 different guys on defense. “We don’t just have the elite athlete that have to go both ways,” said the Lexington coach. “We’ve got a bunch of workmanlike kids that are there every day. They get after it. Lexington has an experienced offensive backfield with junior quarterback Walker Hess and senior running back Nic Dillon. Dillon rushed 183 times for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior. Hess, who moved into the starting quarterback spot late in his freshman season, has a full year as the spread offense trigger man now. “He threw the ball really well against Caldwell,” said Muhl of the Eagles’ first scrimmage. Hess passed for 1,100 yards and rushed for 400 as a sophomore. Nathaniel Clifford will be a
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Eagle photo by Dave McDermand Seniors Ryan Garrison (back), Jacob Townsend (left) and Trevor Patschke will try to lead the Eagles to a return trip to the playoffs in 2016. key receiver with great hands and Lexington has depth at that position. Sam Perry and Jordan Kerr are other top pass-catchers. Wesley Sanders, Jordan Higgins, and Wyatt Retzlaff are all juniors and leaders in the offensive line. “I’ve got a 14-year-old playing my right tackle,” Muhl said of sophomore Cade Hawley. “He’s really good, a young sophomore who won’t be 15 until the end of this month. He’s about 6-3, 195 [pounds].” Clifford and Dillon are the only two seniors on offense. There are four senior starters on defense. Defensive tackle is a strong position with Nate Jones and Jaden Tucker, two converted running backs, playing there. Trevor Patschke is a standout defensive end and has been one of the Eagles’ most versatile players. “He’s played everything,” Muhl said. “He can play defensive end, linebacker, strong safety, cornerback or free safety. He’s
played all of them.” Senior safety Ryan Garrison has been starting since his freshman year. And there’s another freshman named Allert also playing linebacker. Aaron plays the other linebacker spot. “He’s just like [Chase],” Muhl said. “He has the same tenacious spirit in how he does things.” With the move to the new district, Lexington will not play a single team that the Eagles faced last season in its 10-game regular season.
ALL-TIME PLAYOFF VICTORIES
Cameron leads the Brazos Valley with 69 playoff wins followed by Bremond’s 65.
School Total playoff wins 1. Cameron 69 2. Bremond 65 3. Navasota 48 4. Brenham 44 5. A&M Consolidated 40 6. Calvert 31 7. Franklin 30 8. Lexington 27 9. Rockdale 24 10. Bryan 20
HighSchoolFootball 2016
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CENTERVILLE TIGERS
Toughened Tigers ready for another playoff run ROSTER
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Centerville’s football team figures to be right in the middle of things again this year, bolstered by experience gained in a season that started badly but ended up with the Tigers making another good playoff run. The Tigers are coming off a 6-7 campaign, but the number in the loss column probably isn’t as significant as the number of games overall. Centerville played a brutal nondistrict schedule on the way to an 0-6 start, but recovered to win six consecutive games and reach at least the third round of the state playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. In 2014, Centerville reached the state semifinals after a 2-3 start. Those numbers tell you the
FACTS
1 Logan Cummings, sr., QB-LB; 2 Cade Pate, jr., RB-CB; 4 Jason Zarate, jr., WR-S; 5 Sergio Villarreal, jr., RB-E; 7 Alex Fletcher, sr., WR-S; 8 Dylan Pate, sr., RB-LB; 12 Hunter Free, jr., QB-S; 14 Koy Howle, sr., RB-LB; 15 Roland Davis, soph., RB-S; 20 Cameron Williams, jr., TE-CB; 22 DaTavion McCarty, soph., RB-S; 24 Coleman Robinson, sr., TE-T; 25 Christian Villarreal, jr., WR-LB; 34 Tristian Andrews, jr., RB-E; 42 Brandon Madison, jr., RB-LB; 50 Jose Hernandez, jr., T-T; 51 Abraham Sanchez, sr., G-E; 52 Calam Earley, sr., T-T; 56 Santiago Villarreal, sr., G-E; 60 Korey Grisham, soph., C-T; 70 Conner Cox, jr., C-T; 72 Daniel Byrd, jr., G-T; 76 Zac Reyes, jr., T-T
Tigers aren’t prone to panic and will stay the course. “We tell our kids that iron sharpens iron,” Centerville coach Kyle Hardee said. “We feel like those tough teams can help make us better. I think one thing that helped us is our kids never gave up. They felt like we were a good team. They knew that we had to clean some things up and correct some mistakes, but we felt like physically we were matching up with people. Our kids kept working and got on a pretty good roll. I was proud of them.” One benefit of the challenging
season was more experience for several players. The list of returning Tigers who moved into the starting lineup or played important backup roles includes junior center Conner Cox, junior quarterback Hunter Free and sophomore safety Roland Davis. “We had some pretty good young guys we were trying to keep from throwing into the fire too early, and we reached a point where we knew we had to get some more rest for some of the kids we were leaning on,” Hardee said. “We started playing more people. The good thing about that is a lot of those kids that we start-
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Kyle Hardee (67-57 overall; 67-57 at Centerville) District — 12-2A Division I 2015 record — 6-7 (4-1 in 12-2A Division I) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Grapeland 48-35; area: def. Harleton 34-26; regional: lost to Shelbyville 27-21 Playoff appearances (15) — 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 16 (5 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 356-425-20 Playoff record — 14-15
ed using a lot last year are back. They got some valuable, valuable experience through district and into the playoffs.” Centerville has a promising group of ball-handlers in Free, senior fullback Koy Howle, junior running back Brandon Madison, senior tight end Coleman Robinson and receiver Alex Fletcher. The Tigers expect contributions
Date Opponent Aug 26 Hearne Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Corrigan-Camden Last year: L 30-12 Sept 9 Trinity Last year: L 30-21 Sept 16 at Hardin Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Mart Last year: L 49-28 Sept 30 Open Date District 12-2A Division I Oct 7 at West Hardin Last year: W 60-0 Oct 14 West Sabine* Last year: did not play Oct 21 at Lovelady Last year: L 64-28 Oct 28 at Groveton Last year: W 35-21 Nov 7 Deweyville Last year: did not play *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
from a trio of wingbacks: Cade Pate, Sergio Villarreal and Davis. “I feel good about our athleticism at the skill positions,”
See CENTERVILLE, Page 27
Free Post-Game Injury and Concussion Assessments Dr. Leon Bradway, DPT, MS, OMPT Free to all Student Athletes (Including Intramural and Club Sports) “Multiple concussions are shown to increase the likelihood of catastrophic head injury leading to prolonged neurologic disability by 39%” -Head Case Co. Located at Sports Back & Pain Management Clinic 2705 Osler Boulevard in Bryan Assessments Include: • Concussion Screening • Neuro-Motor Assessment • Balance and Dizziness Evaluation • Individualized Post-Injury Treatment Plan • Will Improve: Dizziness, unsteadiness, visual problems, concentration problems, hearing issues, nausea, headaches, and athletic performance
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HighSchoolFootball 2016
TheEagle.com
Thursday, August 25, 2016
NORMANGEE PANTHERS
Panthers knew move up in class was coming in 2016 FACTS
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Among the many things Ty Jordan’s coach likes about the Normangee running back is how Jordan always seems to ask good questions. They usually pertain to strategy, why and how plays are run, but sometimes probe bigger topics. That is the case when Jordan looks ahead to the 2016 football season. Despite the fact that Normangee will move up one level to Class 2A Division I, Jordan wonders: “Why not us?” and “Why not now?” “We’re not worried,” Jordan said. “We knew we were going to move up for about two years. We’ve been preparing for it. We feel like we have the right coaching staff to take us where we want to go. We have a lot of starters returning and we’re still going to have the same chemistry. “Tenaha’s kind of had our number. We felt like if we didn’t have to play them, we would have gone further. This year we don’t have to play them, so the sky’s the limit.” Last season, the Panthers went 10-3, reaching the third round of the 2A Division II playoffs before losing to Tenaha at regionals for the second consecutive year.
Head coach — Nelson Kortis (22-12 overall; 10-3 at Normangee) District — 13-2A Division I 2015 record — 10-3 (5-0 in 12-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Overton 64-36; area; def. Lindsay 52-46; regional: lost to Tenaha 24-12 Playoff appearances (17) — 11-man (15) — 1932, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015; 6-man (2) — 1963, 1964 Zone playoff appearances (3) — 1984, 1985, 1986 Returning lettermen — 16 (6 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 282-370-15 (11-man) Playoff record — 10-15
Realignment moved the Panthers up to leave behind Tenaha and two-time defending state champion Bremond. Normangee is by far the smallest school in the new District 13-2A Division I, but the Panthers have big hopes. “We might be moving up, but I don’t think anybody is going to take us lightly,” Normangee coach Nelson Kortis said. “They’re going to understand what we represent and what we’re about. We’ve had so much success over the last few years and traditionally that means they’re going to know who we are. “A lot of these guys on this team played huge parts in last year’s team. They’ve gone at least three
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 25 at Snook+ Last year: W 48-28 Sept 2 Buffalo Last year: did not play Sept 9 Chilton* Last year: did not play Sept 16 at Burton Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Groveton Last year: did not play Sept 30 Open Date District 13-2A Division I Oct 7 Thorndale Last year: did not play Oct 14 Thrall Last year: did not play Oct 21 at Moody Last year: did not play Oct 28 Holland Last year: did not play Nov 4 at Rosebud-Lott Last year: did not play *Homecoming +at Allen Academy
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
roundsinconsecutiveyears,sothe want-totogetpastthatthirdround is huge for the kids. They’re working toward that.” Jordan will make the job easier. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder will go into his senior season as one of the most productive returning running backs in the Brazos Valley after rushing for 1,514 yards and 19 touchdowns last year. “He’s the kind of player who in certain situations can take over a game,” Kortis said. “I joke around with him sometimes and call him coach Jordan because he studies film, asks the right questions, helps the other kids learn.
It seems like it comes very easy for him, just understanding the game. “He has the ability to run the ball between the tackles and to stretch the field from sideline to sideline. He’s one of those guys who makes it easy to coach. When he goes 90 yards, it makes it look like a pretty good play call.” Jordanenjoysagoodplaycaller. Anadmittedsportsfanatic,Jordan wanted to be a sports broadcaster before he wanted to play football. Among his favorites are NFL analyst Troy Aikman and college basketball’s Dick Vitale. For now, Jordan is in no hurry to move to the booth, or the sideline. He got more than enough time watching during his sophomore season, when a partially torn Achilles tendon suffered during summer basketball limited him to three football games. On the field or in his community, Jordan loves to be involved. “Sitting on the sidelines is hard, watching your teammates and knowing there’s nothing you can do to help them,” Jordan said. “It was heart-breaking to me. “I try to be a leader around the community, just help with all activities. If they ask us to go pick up trash or volunteer for this or that, I’m going to try to be the
first one to sign up.” Jordan should again be a key part of the Normangee attack, but the Panthers also return junior quarterback Cameron Ranton and will not be afraid to throw the ball. Kortis got much of his offensive acumen from his stint as an assistant under former Navasota coach Lee Fedora and Kortis admires Ohio State’s power running game out of the shotgun formation. “I learned from coach Fedora that you have to take what people give you,” Kortis said. “That’s what we have lived on. We don’t get away from the power running game, but we do operate in the shotgun. We will throw the ball if youloadthebox.We’regoingtotry to create advantages and create mismatches. That’s what we do.” The Panthers’ top receivers should be juniors Jake Shaw and Tristan Young, along with movein Dylan Hoffman. Along the offensive line, senior right tackle Trent Navarro, junior left tackle Anthony Banda and junior right guard Tyce Alexander are expected to lead the way. Many of the Panthers will play both ways. Among those being counted on to fuel Normangee’s defense are safeties CJ Rosales and Jordan, along with linebacker John Garlick.
CENTERVILLE: Coleman bigger, looking to do more on defense in 2016 Continued from 26
Hardee said. “We feel like we have some weapons we can get the ball to.” FreetookoverforHowleatquarterback last year and wenton to be selectedastheoffensivenewcomer of the year in District 12-2A Division I. The 225-pound Robinson was an all-state pick last year and hascommittedtoHoustonBaptist. Madison, who returned kicks last year,willstepintotakeoverattailback for C.J. Denman. “We’re expecting big things out of Coleman,” Hardee said. “We
probably will use him some in the backfield.He’spackedonprobably at least 20 pounds of muscle. He playedverylittledefenseforuslast year, but he’ll play a bigger role on the defensive side this year. “Brandon Madison’s got good speed. He ran the anchor leg on our sprint relay in the spring. He’s about 210 pounds. We’re excited about his ability. It’s going to be a new thing for him to get in there and carry the load from that position.” That talent fits well with Centerville’s strength along the offensive line. Committed to run-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
ning the football, the Tigers hope to take advantage of a front line that includes the 265-pound Cox, guards Daniel Byrd (235) and Abraham Sanchez, along with tackles Callen Murray and Zac Reyes (285). “We have a chance to be good up front, and we lean on our offensive line,” Hardee said. Centerville’s defense should be led by the versatile Villarreal, who was the district’s defensive newcomer of the year last season. Villarreal brings 4.5 speed to his outside linebacker position, but is strong enough to play along
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the line, too. “We’re going to use him in a variety of positions on defense,” Hardee said. “We’re excited about what he can bring to the table. He’s a very explosive kid.” As is the case with most 2A teams, Centerville will rely on several players to contribute on both sides of the ball. The defense should get a boost from Byrd, a returning starter on the line. “I like our speed on defense,” Hardee said. “We’re probably not quite as big as we’ve been, but we’ve still got good size. We feel like our kids are going to play a
physical brand of football.” The Tigers’ nondistrict schedule isn’t quite as imposing as last year with Troy off the list, but Centerville will still play Mart, Corrigan Camden and Trinity. That should help prepare the Tigers for a brutal back-to-back during which they play road games against Lovelady and Groveton. Lovelady, which reached the state semifinal round last year, is the preseason favorite to win 12-2A Division I, with Groveton expected to challenge Centerville near the top of the district standings.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
27
BREMOND TIGERS
Paul back to lead Tigers’ hunt for third straight title By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Roshauud Paul’s junior season highlights video has attracted more than 13,000 views on YouTube. Paul did not make that many would-be tacklers miss during those dazzling 10 minutes, but the video proves that some opponents had about as much of a chance at stopping Paul as hisadmirersontheinternet. “I haven’t coached one that’s quite his caliber,” Bremond coach Jeff Kasowski said. “He’s so elusive. Everybody hates it when we get in open tackling drills and they have Roshauud. If he turns it up full-go, you can’t catch him. He can stop on a dime and restart just as fast. “You can have straightline speed, but Roshauud does the stick-and-move stuff, and it just fits for football. He’s hard to hit. He’s got great football ability, when he can change directions on a dime like that.” Paul has quarterbacked Bremond to consecutive state championships and will go into his senior season at the Class 2A school already having accepted a scholarship offer to play at TexasA&M.It’sheadystuff, but it seems like Paul is one person who hasn’t gotten carried away with the fame. “Sometimes I’ll say a play wasn’t even that good, but other people will be telling me it was awesome and asking how I did that,” Paul said. “It doesn’t seem so star-struck to me.” Perhaps it helps that Paul has had two years to become accustomed to the acclaim. Since he became the starting quarterback as a sophomore, the Tigers have won 31 consecutive games and a pair of 2A Di-
28
vision II state titles. Paul was named the most outstanding offensive player in both championship games. One of his touchdown runs in last season’s finaleagainstAlbany,when he twice put his hand to the turf to stay on his feet and followed a couple of jab steps in one direction with a stunning change of direction, has been compared to a video game move. “I’ve worked out with [trainer] Angel Rivera up in Dallas,” Paul said. “He worked with me to improve my speed and agility and lateral quickness. I’ve done so many repetitions with him that it becomes instinct. It’s allowed me to slow down the game and do what I do best ... that’s make plays.” Put the football in his hands and Paul makes magic. And touchdowns. Don’t forget touchdowns. In two seasons on the varsity, Paul has run for 57 touchdowns and passed for 46. He has produced more than 7,000 yards, not including his defensive interceptions and special teams returns that produce enough big plays to fill most players’ highlight videos. “I’ve been wanting to get on this big stage,” Paul said. “I’m a guy that likes to be the center of attention, so I stepped up and filled the role of being the starting quarterback. It’s awesome. “We’ve dreamed about winning the state championship since we were kids. To get to the point that you win two, it’s awesome. I look at those rings and the medals hanging on my wall and I’m so thankful. I thank God and my teammates and the coaching staff and everybody in Bremond.” With Paul and several other key players includ-
HighSchoolFootball 2016
ROSTER
1 Roshauud Paul, sr.; 3 Jared Stellbauer, jr.; 4 Joe Williams, sr.; 5 Kaidyn Peralez jr.; 6 Irving Salinas, jr.; 7 Josh White, sr.; 8 Michael Pruitt, jr.; 10 Brayden Czajkoski, jr.; 11 Tanner Redus, sr.; 24 Chandler Shetter, sr.; 50 Ryan Jones, jr.; 51 Michael Wegwert, sr.; 52 Nick Bancroft, jr.; 54 Gerardo Ponce, jr.; 55 Eric Wilganowski, jr.; 56 Austin English, sr.; 58 Trey Hall, jr.; 60 Kellan Stuard, jr.; 71 JR Rocha, sr.; 72 Cayl Wagner, jr.
ing Joe Williams and Josh White returning, Bremond fans and others around the state are talking about the possibility of the Tigers capturing a third consecutive state championship. “We’ve got some really great skill kids coming back, but graduation hit us pretty hard as far as our supporting cast,” Kasowski said. “We had a great spring in the weight room and got a lot stronger. There’s some young kids that have a chance to play this year, and they’re excited. There’s competition for spots, and we haven’t had [much of] that in the last two years. “Last year we had room for complacency. This year we don’t, even though we’ve got Roshauud back and Jo-Jo [Williams] and Josh White back and a handful of really good ones. There’s a lot of young kids that are in competition for winning a spot. In that way, it’s pushed the complacency aside.” Along with the established stars, Bremond returns several players who excelled in supporting roles last season and will be expected to make bigger contributions this year. Junior running back and defensive back Kaidyn Peralez might be at the top of that list. Serving as backup for Josh Anderson last year, Peralez rushed for 831 yards and 13 touchdowns while doing a lot of blocking for Paul. Peralez, along with a receiving corps led by Williams and White, should
keep defenses from focusing completely on Paul. Perale z is part of a smothering secondary along with Paul and Williams, who combined for 12 interceptions last season. “We’ve run a lot of man coverage,” Kasowski said. “It’s easy to stack people in the box and man up with teams when you have such goodskillinthesecondary.” White, a force at just 180 pounds, will anchor the defense from his linebacker spot. Last season he led the Tigers with 167 tackles, making seven sacks
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FACTS
Head coach — Jeff Kasowski (56-13 overall; 56-13 at Bremond) District — 10-2A Division II 2015 record — 16-0 (6-0 in 13-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Kenedy 61-6; area: def. Woodsboro 59-20; regional: def. Falls City 41-14; quarterfinal: def. Bruni 54-13; semifinal: def. Muenster 40-7; state championship: def. Albany 35-20 Playoff appearances (29) — 1951, 1955, 1957, 1962, 1963, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 30 (7 offensive, 6 defensive starters) All-time record — 507-361-26 Playoff record — 65-24-2
and causing five fumbles. Bremond also will count on linebackers Michael Pruitt and Eric Wilganowski. The offensive line will have a new look thanks to graduation and a starter’s
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time Aug 25 Whitewright+ 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Iola 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 9 Milano* 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 41-7 Sept 16 Waco Reicher 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Thorndale 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 55-0 Sept 30 Open Date District 10-2A Division II Oct 7 Chilton 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 14 Frost 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 21 at Meridian 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 Hubbard 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 53-8 Nov 4 at Dawson 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play *Homecoming +in Mabank
transfer. The Tigers expect major contributions from guard Kellan Stuard, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound junior who saw limited playing time last year.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
IOLA BULLDOGS
Year of the Bulldog
Big senior class has Iola excited about 2016
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Iola football coach Pete Martinez happily anticipates lots of senior moments this season, excited about the possibilities for a team led by a group of seniors that is unusually large and experienced. The Bulldogs are built around a senior class that could produce 13 players, a high number for Class 2A Division II Iola. Many of the seniors have been on the varsity since they were sophomores, when the Bulldogs advanced to the state quarterfinal round. “Having those big numbers and a good group of quality kids set the foundation for the success we’ve had,” Martinez said. “We have high hopes and expectations for this season. We hope they can keep progressing and build off the success they’ve had the last couple of years.” Iola went 9-3 last season, finishing second behind Normangee in District 12-2A Division II and reaching the second round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs played Normangee for the league championship in the final game of the regular season, falling 30-12 and settling for the district’s No. 2 seed for the playoffs. The Bulldogs are the preseason pick to win 12-2A Division II, which saw Normangee move out in realignment to be replaced by Hull-Daisetta. Iola players get frequent reminders about their main target, which is the subject of the Bulldogs’ rallying cry every time they break a team huddle. “We break out on ‘district champions,’” Martinez said. “That’s the first goal for us. We don’t want to look too far down the road, so we start with our sights set on winning that district championship. “Winning the district championship is the first step to setting your path in the playoffs. We missed it last year, which we
Junior Colton Renick (left) and senior Kurtis Bradicich will play key roles for Iola’s defense at inside linebacker. Renick, who led the team in tackles last season and earned allstate honors, will also play running back. Eagle photo by Dave McDermand
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 26 John Cooper Last year: did not play Sept 2 Bremond Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Anderson-Shiro Last year: W 27-22 Sept 16 at Milano Last year: W 35-8 Sept 23 at Thrall Last year: L 39-26 Sept 30 at Burton Last year: did not play District 12-2A Division II Oct 7 Colmesneil* Last year: W 62-8 Oct 14 at Sabine Pass Last year: W 61-7 Oct 21 Burkeville Last year: W 60-12 Oct 28 Evadale Last year: W 54-20 Nov 4 at Hull-Daisetta Last year: did not play *Homecoming
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
FACTS
ROSTER 1 Zach Hollingsworth, fr.; 2 Tyler Dykes, jr.; 3 Andrew Crenshaw, soph.; 4 Coy Creamer, sr.; 5 Colton Renick, jr.; 6 Adam Crenshaw, fr.; 7 Cameron Darby, sr.; 8 Kaiden Halley, soph.; 9 Zach Archer, soph.; 10 Dalton Burke, sr.; 10 Edward Putz, fr.; 11 Blake Driver, fr.; 15 Levi Gariepy, jr.; 20 Kody McKnight, jr.; 22 Caleb Ellis, soph.; 24 J.D. Funderburk, soph.; 28 Chris Holmes, soph.; 33 Kurtis Bradicich, sr.; 33 Colton Boullion, fr.; 34 Ryan Bennett, sr.; 40 Dylan Riojas, jr.; 44 Taylor Stabler, sr.; 44 Cameron DeGrate, soph.; 50 Benton Keller, sr.; 50 Clayton Costello, fr.; 52 Landry Kurtis, fr.; 53 Harley Stabler, sr.; 54 Tyler Raley, sr.; 55 Preston Futrell, soph.; 56 Kyle Meadows, sr.; 56 Landry Angle, soph.; 57 John Arocho, sr.; 58 Quinn Costello, soph.; 70 Cody Ozbolt, soph.; 72 Josh Glass, sr.; 74 Ethan Perry, jr.; 75 Cain Carter, jr.; 76 Tyler Westbrook, fr.; 77 Ryan Lawrence, soph.; 78 Cameron L’Herault, sr.
felt would have given us a better road in the playoffs. This year we’re putting a lot of emphasis on winning district and making the path as easy as possible, relatively speaking.” Iola will return proven players on offense and defense. The Bulldogs have potential stars in linebacker Colton Renick and running back/slot back Tyler Dykes, but ask Martinez what might be special about his team and the coach goes into groupthink. “What stands out about this group is chemistry,” Martinez said. “That large group of seniors is a close group. We’ve got a good cast of supporting kids behind them. We feel like we are good as a team and not as indi-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
viduals.” One key individual in a new role will be senior quarterback Cameron Darby. Last year, Darby played receiver and served as backup quarterback, playing because of injuries to starter Will Nevill. “The great thing about Cameron Darby is he’s like having another coach on the field,” Martinez said. “Cameron has worked with me since he was the quarterback in junior high. He’s going to make sure we’re lined up the way we’re supposed to be and we’re running the right play. That’s the beauty with Cameron Darby.” The new starting quarterback should love being able to look to Dykes for production. Last season as a sophomore, Dykes
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scored 34 touchdowns that included four on kickoff returns and three returning punts. “Tyler is one of those kids that can go the distance on any play,” Martinez said. “He’s very talented.” Iola can count on several other veterans to handle the football, including running back Renick, H-back Ryan Bennett, slot back Coy Creamer and receiver Dalton Burke. Always important for a team that loves to run the football, leaders along the offensive line will be senior Benton Keller at left guard, senior center Tyler Raley and senior right guard Harley Stabler. Several Bulldogs will start both ways. The unquestioned
Head coach — Pete Martinez (32-22 overall; 25-9 at Iola) District — 12-2A Division II 2015 record — 9-3 (4-1 in 12-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Timpson 27-0; area: lost to Muenster 48-14 Playoff appearances (16) — 1939, 1960, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 15 (7 offensive, 7 defensive starters All-time record — 373-330-17 Playoff record — 16-15-1
leader of the defense is Renick, a junior who led the team in tackles and earned all-state honors in each of his first two seasons. Renick has a chance to become the leading tackler in program history. “Colton just plays 200 mph all the time,” Martinez said. “He’s got an unbelievable motor. He’s not the fastest guy on the field or the biggest guy on the field, but he just plays fast and big. He just always seems to be around the ball.” The Bulldogs should have a salty group of linebackers with Renick joined inside by Kurtis Bradicish, while Bennett and Darby play outside. Iola has a versatile defender in Creamer, who can fit in at safety or cornerback. Andrew Crenshaw also returns after starting as a freshman at strong safety.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
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BURTON PANTHERS
Still young, Burton hopes experience helps By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
They grow up so fast. The Burton Panthers return a long list of young players forced to take lead roles a year ago. They are still young but getting better quickly. “We return eight starters on both sides of the ball,” said Burton coach Jason Hodde, who will start numerous sophomores. “Of course, some of those guys we might tweak their positions and play different positions than they played last year, but as far as game experience, that’s something we have on our side.” C.J. Briscoe, a linebacker and safety, is one of the Panthers on the move. He’s making the most extravagant change, moving forward onto the defensive line.
Two sophomore secondary players — Caleb Harmel and De’Monderick Winters — will shift to outside linebacker this season. “T hey’ve developed some abilities where we want to move them closer to the football,” Hodde said. “A guy we are really excited about is Cole Eckermann, who was a defensive lineman and we’ve moved him up to an inside backer position. So far he’s looked really good there.” It’s a better fit for Eckermann, whose move to the defensive line helped the team last year when he had 102 tackles and five sacks. They aren’t all in new spots on defense. Luke Salinas had a strong sophomore year at linebacker and is back there. In the secondary, safety Montal Wilson returns after starting every game in 2015. Senior Jamon Bradley will be
ROSTER
FACTS
1 Edgar Lozano, sr., TE/OLB; 2 De’Monderick Winters, soph., WR/OLB; 3 Bailey Deramus, jr., QB/DB; 4 Jordan Mathis, soph., WR/DB; 6 Donnell Patterson, sr., WR/DB; 7 CJ Briscoe, jr., TE/ DL; 8 Jamon Bradley, sr., RB/DB; 9 Ben Gantt, sr., WR/DL; 10 Chase Mathis, soph., TE/OLB; 11 Tristan Brantley, soph., WR/DB; 12 Trinten Rolling, soph., WR/DB; 13 Cash Callahan, fr., WR/DB; 14 Montal Wilson, jr., WR/DB; 20 Lukas Decavitch, fr., WR/DB; 21 Caleb Harmel, soph., QB/OLB; 22 Wyatt Chaney, soph., WR/OLB; 23 Luke Salinas, jr., WR/LB; 25 Jackson Kalkhake, fr., WR/ DB; 32 Christopher Torres, soph., RB/DB; 50 Jose Cardoza, sr., OL/DL; 52 Caleb Fuchs, fr., OL/ DL; 54 Reynaldo Miranda, soph., OL/LB; 55 Adam Chapdelaine, jr., OL/LB; 63 Cole Eckermann, sr., OL/LB; 66 Derrick Fisher, sr., OL/DL; 69 Ben Schmidt, jr., OL/DL; 70 Ryan Quinton, sr., OL/ DL; 71 Seth Chapdelaine, sr., OL/DL; 75 Tyler Hall, soph., OL/LB; 76 Cade Weiss, fr., OL/DL; 77 Cameron Riggins, jr., OL/DL; 78 Brandon Gober, jr., OL/DL
a mainstay at cornerback. Harmel also started at quarterback his freshman season. “It’s not ideal to put a freshman out there, but we felt like the future of our program and this football team warranted his starting spot last year,” Hodde said. “He showed his youth at times, but week in and week out, the work ethic was good and he did a good job. Hopefully, he can build off that. We’ll see if he can elevate his game and from a contention standpoint get us up there as high as where we were.”
He’ll have help. Bradley, a senior running back, rushed for 1,623 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. “He’s been a real solid back for us, can do a lot of things, but we are also going to rotate De’Monderick Winters in that role as well,” Hodde said. “He was a wideout last year as a freshman, but he’s a sophomore now with so much promise.” The ability of both play-
Head coach — Jason Hodde (30-17 overall; 30-17 at Burton) District — 13-2A Division II 2015 record — 5-6 (3-3 in 13-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: lost to Falls City, 50-13 Playoff appearances (9) — 1992, 1995, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 15 (8 offensive, 8 defensive starters) All-time record — 248-337-15 Playoff record — 10-9-0
ers to catch the football opens some doors for the Panthers. “Jamon can play running back and he can play slot receiver,” Hodde said. “We can move them around and do some things like that. He even played a little quarterback for us last year in certain situations.”
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Aug 26 Holland 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Wallis Brazos 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Louise 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 34-0 Sept 16 Normangee 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 Iola 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 30 Open Date District 13-2A Division II Oct 7 vs. Snook# 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 45-12 Oct 14 Somerville* 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 56-8 Oct 21 at Milano 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 20-13 Oct 28 Granger 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 30-6 Nov 4 at Bartlett 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 51-8 *Homecoming # in Caldwell
Their of fensive line will be the biggest question mark, with three new players working into the lineup.
Auditing • Estate Planning Trusts • Tax Services Bookkeeping Management Advisory Services 2100 E. Villa Maria Ste. 100 • Bryan, Texas 77802 T 979-776-2600 • F 979-774-7759 Eagle photo by Dave McDermand Caleb Harmel is back to lead Burton’s offense at quarterback after starting as a freshman.
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MILANO EAGLES
Injury didn’t stop Milano’s do-it-all King ROSTER
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Kyle King’s parents are coaches and his older brother plays college basketball, so King has a clear understanding of the dos and don’ts as they pertain to sports. That might help explain why, after the Milano standout broke a bone in his foot four games into the football season last year, he managed to play the remainder of the season, along with all of the basketball and baseball seasons. “I just had to deal with it,” King said. “I couldn’t really cut off [of] my left foot. If I planted it, it just felt like a knife going in it. I didn’t think I was favoring it, but I know I did. It slowed me down. “I didn’t have a choice. We needed a quarterback. I was the leader of the offense, and me and [former linebacker] Cole Sheppard led the defense. I’m not going to let my team down. I play hurt.” King, who fractured the fifth metatarsal bone and tore a tendon, under went surgery on June 7. Whether the junior quarterback, safety and punter will be at full strength in time for the season opener was unclear at the start of preseason workouts. What is absolutely certain is King’s importance to the Eagles, who made the playoffs and finished 5-6 last year. Despite the broken bone in his foot, the 6-foot-1 1/2, 200-pound King was Milano’s second-leading tackler, a productive passer and All-Brazos Valley punter. “He’s got a good arm,” Milano coach Chad Lagrone said. “He can throw the deep ball and he’s got touch. He can read the defense and he’s going to run the ball quite a bit. “He really makes a difference on our defense, because if they try to throw it over the top, he can go get it. He’s a big run supporter, too. He’s a physical kid. He likes
1 Kyle King, QB/DB; 2 Timothy Demeritt, WR/DB; 5 Zack Gonzales, WR/DB; 6 Sethe Pugh, RB/LB; 7 Keaton Popham, TE/DE; 8 Ronnie Messer, RB/LB; 9 Cody Starkey, WR/LB; 10 Arthur Soto, TE/DE; 11 Holden Willard, WR/DB; 12 Devonte Jones, WR/DB; 17 Desmond Crawford, WR/DB; 20 Zack Smith, WR/DB; 22 Zack Hopkins, WR/DB; 24 Kathen Funburg, RB/LB; 28 Clay Sheppard, RB/LB; 30 Major Bui, WR/DB; 30 Kameron Funburg, WR/DB; 34 Eddie West, FB/DE; 44 Ramon Castaneda, TE/DE; 50 Luke Hollingsworth, OL/DL; 51 Alec Hernandez, OL/DL; 52 Larry King, OL/DL; 54 Caleb Stevenson, OL/DL; 55 Edgar Hernandez, OL/LB; 56 TreBeaux Broussard, OL/DL; 60 Jacob Turnage, OL/DL; 62 Tristan Massey, OL/DL; 64 Brandon Bui, OL/DL; 68 Brett Czajkowski, OL/DL; 70 Jacob Harless, OL/DL; 72 Cade Popham, OL/DL; 77 Jared Overall, OL/DL; 78 Kevin Garcia, OL/DL; 80 Jeremyah Tafao, WR/DB; 83 Elijah Smith, WR/DB
FACTS Head coach — Chad Lagrone (51-52 overall; 51-52 at Milano) District — 13-2A Division II 2015 record — 5-6 (4-2 in 13-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: lost to Yorktown, 38-12 Playoff appearances (12) — 6-man (3) — 1965, 1966, 1975; 11-man (9) — 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 14 (5 offensive, 5 defensive starters) All-time record (11-man) — 209-322-11 Playoff record (11-man and six-man) — 5-12-0
contact.” His favorite sport is football and his favorite position is quarterback, which he would love to play at the collegiate level. “Quarterback is what I enjoy, but I like playing safety and hitting people, too,” King said. “Quarterback’s what I’m best at, so that’s what I’m looking to pursue at the next level. That’s all I want to do, is play college football. That’s my dream.” King has attended a few college camps and drawn attention from a couple of schools. For now, his focus is on helping Milano return to the playoffs and contend in District 13-2A Division II. The Eagles will take him back in the lineup as soon as possible facing a challenging nondistrict schedule that includes Thorndale, Thrall, Iola and defending state champion Bremond. Milano added Bremond to the schedule after the teams played in the same league for the last two seasons. “Our record is irrelevant as long as our kids believe it is irrelevant going into district,” Lagrone said “If you don’t get
Thursday, August 25, 2016
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug 26 at Thorndale Last year: did not play Sept 2 Thrall Last year: L 20-14 Sept 9 at Bremond Last year: L 41-7 Sept 16 Iola Last year: L 35-8 Sept 23 St. Joseph* Last year: did not play Sept 30 Open Date District 13-2A Division II Oct 7 at Bartlett Last year: W 27-0 Oct 14 at Granger Last year: L 46-26 Oct 21 Burton Last year: W 20-13 Oct 28 at Snook+ Last year: W 26-12 Nov 4 Somerville Last year: W 41-6 *Homecoming +Allen Academy
Time 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
into the playoffs, it doesn’t mean anything if you go 4-0 or 5-0 in nondistrict. “It’s a physical, high level of football. If we can stay healthy through those games, then by the time district comes around we’re battle-tested, we’re ready. We want to be in the playoffs. Once you get there, anything can happen.” The Eagles will be able to put several offensive weapons around King. A quartet that includes receivers Tim Demmerit and Devonte Jones, along with running backs Sethe Pugh and Ronnie Messer, will give Milano options both in the passing and running game. “They are all interchangeable,” Lagrone said. “They will play a receiver position and run the ball sometimes.” King and company will operate behind a rebuilt offensive line that should be led by a pair of se-
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Eagle photos by Dave McDermand Milano quarterback Kyle King (top) will work behind offensive linemenTreBeaux Broussard (bottom, from left), Edgar Hernandez and Cade Popham in 2016. niors, center Edgar Hernandez and left guard Cade Popham. Milano will expect junior Treabeaux Broussard to contribute on the offensive and defensive lines. Broussard will start at tackle on offense and can play either tackle or end on defense. The Eagles have a major hole to fill in the middle of the defense after the graduation of Sheppard, who led the team in tackles each of the last three seasons. Lagrone said Sheppard should have been an all-state selection last year. Candidates to take over in
the middle include Sheppard’s younger brother Clay, a sophomore. The task should be made easier by the return of Pugh and Messer at the outside linebacker spots. “We have five seniors on the team, and that’s not many,” Lagrone said. “Most of our kids are in the sophomore and junior class. People would look at us and say we’re a year away, but we have some good seniors and the juniors and sophomores that we have are really good players with a lot of experience.”
HighSchoolFootball 2016
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SNOOK BLUEJAYS
Playoffs on Bluejays’ mind heading into 2016 ROSTER
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
This could be the year that Snook’s young football program delivers its first winning season, and that’s not all. The Bluejays are thinking about the postseason, too. Snook will go into its second year under head coach Chad Lechler with hopes for — and reasons to believe in — making the first playoff appearance in school history. The Bluejays, who went 3-7 last season, are seen as potential contenders in District 132A Division II. “We hold our kids to a high standard, and they’re really starting to buy in,” said Lechler, who came to Snook after serving as an assistant at Brenham. “It’s not a secret: We expect to compete to be in the playoffs this year. I think our district is pretty wide open. I think we’re all in the hunt.” Long a state power in basketball, Snook revived its football program in 2010 after nearly 50 years without the sport. The Bluejays were 4-6 in 2014, then went through a mid-summer coaching change when Scott Cummings left and was replaced by Lechler. Snook will have many players returning this season and has been projected to challenge for a playoff berth by at least one preseason publication. “I feel like last year we made a lot of progress as a football program,” Lechler said. “We had some key injuries about halfway through the season that held us back, but we also had a lot of really young
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1 Jamarion Flowers, 5-4, 140, sr., RB/DB; 3 Michael Ramirez, 6-0, 195, jr., WR/OLB; 4 Michael Conerway, 6-0, 175, sr., WR/DB; 5 Jeremy Davila, 5-8, 160, jr., RB/LB; 7 Damonta Allen, 6-0, 170, soph., WR/DB; 8 Jake Young, 5-7, 140, soph., WR/DB; 10 Alex French, 5-10, 175, sr., RB/LB; 12 Matthew Jordan, 5-8, 170, fr., RB/LB; 13 Al’zavier Hall, 5-9, 175, fr., RB/DB; 15 Kohl Junek, 5-9, 150, soph., WR/DB; 16 Jaden Brewer, 5-7, 155, soph., WR/ OLB; 20 Charles Ramirez, 6-3, 220, jr., TE/DL; 22 Moises Davila, 5-7, 155, sr., RB/LB; 23 JR McGruder, 5-6, 145, fr., WR/DB; 24 Damon Allen, 5-9, 165, soph., RB/LB; 26 Qwanterrius Young, 5-10, 170, fr., WR/LB; 30 Colby See, 5-11, 185, fr., TE/LB; 33 Jaqua’veon Louis, 6-0, 170, jr., WR/LB; 50 Chris Sebesta, 5-11, 205, sr., OL/DL; 51 David Davis, 6-1, 180, fr., OL/DL; 52 David James, 5-9, 205, fr., OL/DL; 54 Matthew Daigle 5-8, 160, fr., OL/LB; 55 John Thomas, 5-10, 210, jr., OL/DL; 60 Jose Castillo, 5-8, 260, soph., OL/DL; 62 Rickey Gonzalez, 5-9, 165, jr., WR/DB; 65 Shemar Barnes, 5-8, 265, jr., OL/ DL; 68 Jose Ramon, 5-7, 275, soph., OL/DL; 70 James Young, 6-3, 375, fr., OL/DL; 72 Adrain Perez, 5-10, 285, fr., OL/DL; 74 DeVonze’Franklin, 6-0, 330, jr., OL/DL; 75 Jordan Bryan, 6-2, 250, jr., OL/DL
FACTS Head coach — Chad Lechler (3-7 overall; 3-7 at Snook) District — 13-2A Division II 2015 record — 3-7 (2-4 in 13-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances — none Returning lettermen — 16 (8 offensive, 8 defensive starters) All-time record — 13-47-0 Playoff record — 0-0
players that got a lot of experience. I think they will help catapult us into this year, where we kind of pick up where we left off. “Coming into this season, the players know what we expect of them. It’s not all just totally foreign to them. I think that’s going to play big this year.” The Bluejays might have enough talent and depth to overcome a significant summer loss to injury. Quarterback K.J. Macik will miss the season after having Tommy John surgery on the elbow of his throwing arm. Senior Michael Conerway, who was one of Snook’s top receivers last year, is expected to switch to quarterback. “We’ve got some guys that can step in and get the job done,” Lechler said.
HighSchoolFootball 2016
SCHEDULE (Snook’s home games at Allen Academy) Date Opponent Time Aug 25 Normangee 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 48-28 Sept 2 at Brazos Christian 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 32-30 Sept 9 at Hearne 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 16 St. Joseph 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Ganado 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 30 Open Date District 13-2A Division II Oct 7 Burton# 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 45-12 Oct 14 Bartlett* 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 43-20 Oct 21 at Somerville 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 42-16 Oct 28 Milano 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 26-12 Nov 4 Granger 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 22-6 *Homecoming # in Caldwell
“Michael Conerway is a very athletic kid. He hasn’t played a lot of quarterback other than 7-on-7, but he’ll bring a real dual-threat aspect back there.” It should help that the new quar terback can count on lots of help. Snook has dangerous ball-handlers in receivers Michael Ramirez, Damonta Allen and Jamarion Flowers, who will move from running back to slot receiver. Sophomore Damon Allen and freshman Al’zavier Hall should take over at running back.
The Bluejays’ offensive line offers a nice combination of size and experience. The blockers will be led by 6-foot, 320-pound junior Devonze Franklin at right tackle. Snook also returns senior center Chris Sebesta and junior right guard Shemar Barnes, who weighs 270 pounds. “We’re a lot bigger up front than I expected us to be,” Lechler said. “They did a good job in the offseason and working this summer. Hopefully that will pay off for us. “Our best offensive lineman and probably the leader of our offensive line is Devonze Franklin. He is also big-time powerlifter. I’m really excited about
what he can do.” Most of the Bluejays will contribute on both sides of the football. That group includes Franklin, who should be a force in the middle at nose guard, along with sophomore cornerback Damonta Allen, plus Ramirez and Sebesta on the line. Middle linebacker Moises Davila, a senior, will play a key role, operating behind a defensive line that coach Lechler expects to be a team strength. Snook also looks for contributions from newcomer Jeremy Davila, who joined the team this year and will play outside linebacker. “Moises Davila is really the leader of our defense,”
Lechler said. “He’s responsible for making all the calls and getting everybody where they’re supposed to be.” What it will take to get the Bluejays where they want to be? “I think it’s mastering the small things, cutting out the penalties that kill drives or extend them for the other team, cutting out the turnovers,” Lechler said. “In a tight game, those things can cost you. If we can tighten down on a few of those things and really come out on top in the turnover margin, I feel that we will have a pretty successful season.”
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Thursday, August 25, 2016
SOMERVILLE YEGUAS
More time in new system has Yeguas poised to improve ROSTER
By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
After being forced to pick up everything on the fly, the Somerville Yeguas might be ready to pick up the pace. Their coach now has had some time to prepare his team. “Heck, yeah, it made a big difference,” said Jesse House, who took Somerville’s head coaching job after Rex Sharp resigned one game into the 2015 season. “We had a good offseason program and two-a-days to input the system. We had a couple of coaches’ changes, people that know my system.” Most importantly, his Yeguas do, too. Despite a 1-9 season and the early season turmoil, they took great
FACTS
2 Xavier Martinez, fr., WR/DB; 3 Marquis Nutall, sr., QB/LB; 4 Jose Reyes, jr., WR/DB/K/P; 5 Willie Carroll, fr., WR/DB; 6 Daniel SanMigel, jr., RB/DB; 8 Patrick David, sr., WR/LB; 9 Marcus Bernal, sr., WR/LB; 11 A.J. Barnett, soph., WR/LB; 12 Devin Sparks, soph., RB/DB; 20 Johnnie Seyrus, fr., WR/DB; 22 Jacob Corbett, jr., WR/LB; 24 Kevin Miles, jr., WR/DB; 33 Erick Perez, sr., WR/DB; 34 Clifton Burns Jr, sr., WR/DL; 50 Cain Zuniga, soph., OL/DL; 53 Gage Zuniga, soph., OL/DL; 54 Aaron Espinoza, sr., OL/LB; 55 Coleton Galbreath, sr., OL/LB; 56 Caleb Allison, soph., OL/LB; 58 Preston Sprouse, soph., OL/LB; 62 Isidro Donte, sr., OL/DL; 64 Devon Urbano, sr., OL/DL; 65 Jeffery Warmke, jr., OL/DL; 76 Josh Gomez, jr., OL/DL; 78 Cody Mueggenborg, sr., OL/DL; 79 Nick Vasquez, soph., OL/DL
strides by ending a 28-game losing streak with a district win and playing better footballbytheendof theseason. “That was huge,” House said. “We have to remember I was installing an offense and a defense during the season, which is never good and pretty dang crazy. Our kids kept the faith. We got better and better and broke that losing streak at Bartlett. We played in games and let that build forward to this year.” This year began with
a good first scrimmage against Central Texas Christian, but an early regular-season win would be even more motivating. Somerville has two wins over the last four seasons. House has key players returning, including 220-pound Marquis Nutall at quarterback. “He took the ship last year when I got here and grew with the offense,” said House, whose son Darby is the offensive coordinator. “[Nutall] is a dual threat.
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Jesse House (13-35 overall; 1-8 at Somerville) District — 13-2A Division II 2015 record — 1-9 (1-5 in 13-2A Division II) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances (8) — 1939, 1960, 1965, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1990, 2006 All-time record — 307-496-24 Playoff record — 4-8-0
He’s a big kid, has got some power and can throw the ball. Returning from last year,he’scomfortablenow.” Daniel San Miguel will start at running back. “He played on the defensive side last year and part-time on the offense,” House said. “He’ll move to full-time running back.” Both will benefit from the presence of right tackle Josh Gomez, who is 6-foot-5
Date Opponent Time Aug 27 Brackett+ 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 at New Waverly 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 9 at Waco Texas Wind 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 15 Rudder JV 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 Open Date Sept 30 Brazos Christian 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play District 13-2A Division II Oct 7 Granger* 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 36-27 Oct 14 at Burton 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 56-8 Oct 21 Snook 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 42-16 Oct 28 Bartlett 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 14-8 Nov 5 at Milano 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 41-6 *Homecoming +Texas Lutheran, Seguin
and 330 pounds. “That kid has got a chance to play at the next level at a Division I school,” House said. The Yeguas employ a 3-4 defense.
“We’re going to rally to the ball,” House said. “Aaron Espinoza will start at middle linebacker for us. He had a good offseason. Kevin Miles at the cornerback spot has been a great addition for us. He played receiver and corner last year. He’s coming back.” Gomez will also be a twoway starter and anchor the defensive line, as well. Somerville will open the season with a Saturday game against Brackett in Seguin. “We needed a g ame one and Brackett needed a game one and they are four hours away from us,” House said. “We were able to line up Texas Lutheran. The kids will get to play in a college stadium, and we’re excited about that.”
MEDIA DAY QUESTION
Which actor would you want to portray you in a movie? By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
If Brazos Valley football players were able to choose which actor would portray them in a movie, they would prefer a leading man who looks good getting off the bus or one who makes the bus ride entertaining. Respondingtoaquestionnaire during The Eagle’s third annual media day, players from area high schoolscameupwithawide varietyof ideasaboutwhich actor should play them in a movie. The top choices included actors who have either played athletes in movies, others who actually were
athletes, and comedians. Notsurprisingly,theplayers’ top choice starred in a football movie. Mark Wahlberg, who played Vince Papale of the Philadelphia EaglesinInvincible,waspicked by six players. Although it wouldn’t have factored into theplayers’decisions,Wahlberg also appeared in The Big Hit, a comedy in which he portrays an assassin, not a middle linebacker. There was a tie for second place between Will Ferrell and Channing Tatum, with five votes apiece. Not only would funny man Ferrell liven up the bus ride to road games, but he’s also been in a couple of sports farce movies: playing a race car
Thursday, August 25, 2016
driver in Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and as a basketball player in Semi-Pro. Tatum, who madehisbigscreendebutin Coach Carter, went to Glenville State College in West Virginia on a football scholarship, but dropped out. Four actors tied for fourth place, with three votes each going to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Chris Hemsworth and Will Smith. The Rock, who played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was a professional wrestler, starred in Gridiron Gang. Comedian Hart appeared in Grudge Match, a boxing movie. Hemsworth had the athlet-
ic look down while playing Thor and also did a turn in Rush, a movie about auto racing and not the life story of quarterback hunter Von Miller. Smith recently played Dr. Bennet Omalu in Concussion and also played the title role in Ali. Several actors received two votes apiece: • John Cena: Another wrestler turned actor, he starred in The Marine and should be able to handle two-a-days. •TomCruise:Playeragent as Jerry Maguire, questionable choice for bus driver based on Days of Thunder. • Dave Franco: The 21 Jump Street actor also appeared in TV mini-series
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The Madden 16, which was about a football video game. •MichaelB.Jordan:Creed and Hardball among his sports movie credits. • Derek Luke: He played running back Boobie Miles in Friday Night Lights. By
the way, one player picked Lucas Black, who was quarterback Mike Winchell in the same movie. • Liam Neeson: Not much sportsinhisfilms,buttough guy from Taken franchise could handle security.
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33
CALVERT TROJANS
Thompson returns to lead small-but-tough Calvert By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
The Calvert Trojans are short on experienced players this season. Quality? Yeah, they’ve got that. F i r s t - ye a r T ro j a n s ’ coach John Cherry will structure his team around the strengths of JaQuan Thompson. “He’s our superstar,” Cher ry said. “Everyone knows his name in the 6-man world. He’s a phenomenal athlete and makes me look smart for sure.” Thompson was named Class A Division II’s Offensive Player of the Year last season as a junior. He connected on 42 of 61 passes for 1,621 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also ran 32 times for 687 yards and six TDs. Thompson is the clear team leader, too. “If JaQuan fires off the line and he is explosive and doing good in a drill, that’s literally what the other kids will do, because they want to be just like him,” Cherry said. “If Quan walks off the line, that’s what the others will do. I’m not talking about the other seniors. Everyone follows this kid.” Coylin “C.J.” Grimes started in three games last season but injured his hamstring and was severely limited. He returns. “He told me about Week 3 or 4 that his hamstring gave out and that he battled it the rest of the year,” Cherry said. Calvert’s only other returning player is DeMarcus Benson, who started at defensive end for half the season before being beaten out by a senior.
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“Those are the only three on the team that have gotten any playing time since they’ve been in high school,” Cherry said. “I’m talking significant playing time. Some of these kids get to go in when they’re up 50-0. It’s like having a group of extremely athletic players who haven’t gotten any playing time.” Frederick Darnell figures to be Calvert’s go-to receiver. He last played a half-season as a sophomore. Darnell, who returns from the basketball court, played well in Calvert’s first scrimmage, scoring three times. “He’s big and hard to cover and he’s tied for second fastest on the team,” said Cherry, who will often run a tight formation with a split receiver to mix with his spread offense. Thompson, who played safety and had six interceptions, moves up to play linebacker this season. That side of the ball will also change, with Calvert playing a 2-3 formation, allowing linebackers to charge. It was especially effective against the spread in the Trojan’s scrimmage. Thompson is a gameturning player in every phase of football. Last season, he had touchdown
ROSTER
FACTS
1 Coylin Grimes, 5-7, 150, jr., RB/OLB; 2 Fredrick Darnell, 6-4, 180, sr., WR/OLB; 3 Matthew Steamer, 5-7, 140, soph., RB/OLB; 5 Corderrius Gilmore, 5-7, 130, fr., G/ OLB; 6 Darrius Brooks, 5-11, 155, soph., C/S; 7 JaQuan Thompson, 5-10, 175, sr., SB/MLB; 8 James Green, 5-7, 145, soph., RB/DE; 9 Raylin Demeritt, 5-8, 150, fr., G/DE; 10 Kevin Wooten, 5-8, 160, fr., QB/S; 11 Ja’Quez Green, 5-9, 160, jr., G/DE; 13 Trevon Schells, 6-2, 155, sr., QB/S; 14 Christon Luster, 5-9, 165, sr., C/DE; 15 DeMarcus Benson, 5-9, 150, jr., G/DE; 18 Jordan Chopp, 5-8, 150, sr., RB/MLB; 22 Davion Huffman, 6-1, 155, jr., WR/DE; 23 Favion Thompson, 6-3, 250, jr., C/DE; 24 Ja’Marquis Brooks, 6-0, 150, jr., G/DE
returns of a punt, a kickoff, a fumble and an interception. Cherry was offensive coordinator at Cedar Park Summit last year and reached the state semifinals with an offense that averaged 63.6 points per game, losing to the eventual state champions Austin Veritas 60-56 in the semifinals of TAPPS Division II. Calvert allowed 17.5 points per game while outscoring opponents by a Division II state-best 41.9 points per game last season. Many of the Trojan players have graduated, but some fast, quick players are back. “We’re small,” Cherry said. “I have one kid that’s over 185 pounds.” Cherry vows that they will be stronger. When he arrived at Calvert, the new coach instituted a weightlifting program that none of the Trojans had seen. “I don’t care how athletic
you are,” Cherry said. “If you’re weak, you’re not going to go too far. We did the summer program. JaQuan put on about 10 pounds. Two other seniors, Tre [Schells] and Jordan Chopp, put on about seven pounds. Their bodies change so quickly when you go from no lifting to lifting. I think our weight room is probably top five in 6-man right now.” Calvert will be small, but
Head coach — John Cherry (20-5 overall; first year at Calvert) District — 16-A Division II 2015 record — 11-1 (3-0 in 16-A Division II) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: def. Oakwood, 72-26; regional: lost to Jonesboro, 78-46 Playoff appearances (30) — 11-man (14) — 1923, 1938, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1958, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994; 6-man (16) — 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — Calvert 10 (1 offensive, 2 defensive starters) Playoff record (11-man and 6-man) — 31-27-2
their coach insists the Trojans will be tough. “I love the word ‘nasty,’” Cherry said. “Man, let’s get nasty! Even though some of our hardest hitters are 145 pounds or 150, they
don’t know that they’re smaller than the guy that they just knocked off his feet.”
Celebrate with us after the game! Bowling •Laser Tag Mini Golf • Arcades Cafe • Video Screens
2016
F Friday and Saturday ““Triple Play Special”
Unlimited Bowling with FREE Shoe Rental Un Unlimited Laser Tag Unlimited Mini Golf • $5 Game Card
Here is a list of the Top 10 rushing seasons among Brazos Valley football players:
HighSchoolFootball 2016
Date Opponent Time Aug 25 at Houston Emery-Weiner 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 Austin Veritas 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 10 Borden County+ 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 16 Trinidad 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Waco Live Oak 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 53-6 Sept 30 at Chester 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 7 Watauga Harvest 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 14 Open Date District 16-A Division II Oct 21 Oglesby* 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 Buckholts 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 62-0 Nov 4 at Prairie Lea 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 84-0 *Homecoming +Strawn
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SIngle-SeASOn RuSHIng leADeRS Yards — player, school (year) 3,010 — Traion Smith, Cameron (2015) 2,863 — Darius Floyd, Franklin (2012) 2,863 — Desmond Mayes Normangee (2003) 2,574 — Tim Scott, Bremond (1986) 2,483 — Morgan Brewer, Franklin (2013) 2,439 — Earnest Patterson, Brenham (2013) 2,429 — Jordan Millar, Milano (2013) 2,399 — Monte Williams, Bremond (1994) 2,360 — Traion Smith, Cameron (2013) 2,250 — Traion Smith, Cameron (2014)
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BRAZOS CHRISTIAN EAGLES
Senior leadership big part of Eagle program By DAVID CAMPBELL david.campbell@theeagle.com
First-year Brazos Christian coach Andy Bell knew where to look when he took over as the Eagles’ coach in July — right up front. “We’ve got a senior offensive line,” Bell said. “There’s just not very many of them. It’s our five and we don’t have a lot of depth.” There is a significant amount of talent in that group, though. “Zach Gillett, I’m sure he was a mainstay since he was a freshman,” Bell said of the 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman. “God has blessed him with a great frame, and he’s been wonderful. Being a big guy, especially as hot as it’s been, leadershipwise he’ been phenomenal.” Travis Head will join veterans Ryan Steel and Drew Price in a group that has long been a showcase unit for the Eagles. Senior quarterback Jacob Jordan passed for 1,300 yards last season. “Gosh, you talk about a great character kid,” Bell said. “They all are, but Jacob’s got a little
extra that you want out of your quarterback. He’s a leader. Nothing seems to faze him. He’s got that next-play mentality.” Those next plays may come quickly with Brazos Christian employing a no-huddle offense at times this year. Garrett Fleming was a defensive leader at linebacker as a junior last season, recording 60 tackles. “He’ll play a lot of positions for us,” Bell said. “If we get in a pinch, we may even have to put him back in the offensive line, but he’ll be one of our running backs, where we can mix him in and put him in different spots. He’s one that you want to have on your football team. There’s nobody tougher.” Versatile Tyler Chism will also be used in multiple positions, including returning at safety. Another key senior will be Will Lockett at receiver and in the defensive backfield. Junior Tucker Hartis has what Bell calls a “get-it gear” and will be a quick open-field runner, a guy who possesses deceptive speed. Until some of the younger
players can gain experience, Hartis and almost all of the seniors will be two-way players. Price and Gillett will pace the defensive line in an attacking defense. “I’ve kind of got that General Patton approach,” Bell said of his defense. “You can either sit on your heels and take what you get or you can get on your toes and play forward. I just like that mentality.” He likes his new team, too. “The program was in good shape and I got to inherit nine really good seniors that have just outstanding leadership,” said Bell, who took over the tradition-rich program on July 1. “I’ve always said that culture trumps strategy, and we want to try to build on that and try to lay in some of our own things as far as keeping those true values that help you rise though the good times and the bad times.” The new district for Brazos Christian won’t just be new to Bell. With the exception of St. Joseph, everyone in TAPPS Division III District 4 is a new team for the Eagles.
ROSTER 1 Gib Tucker, soph., 5-6, 159, RB/LB; 2 Tyler Chism, sr., 6-3, 173, WR/S; 3 Barrett Brown, sr., 6-2, 167, WR/DB; 4 Cooper Kay, jr., 5-9, 157, RB/LB; 7 William Lockett, sr., 6-0, 156, WR/DB; 8 Tucker Hartis, jr., 5-9, 156, RB/LB; 9 Ben Weber, jr., 6-3, 174, WR/DB; 11 Brayden Cook, jr., 6-2, 150, WR/DB; 12 Bryce Steel, fr., 5-10, 144, QB/S; 18 Blake Griffin, jr., 5-9, 216, K; 21 Isaiah Saenz, soph., 5-9, 135, WR/LB; 23 Bryce Linder, fr., 5-11, 138, WR/S; 24 Peyton Shupe, fr., 5-5, 105, WR/DB; 26 Zach Oelze, jr., 5-9, 147, WR/DB; 28 Garrett Fleming, sr., 6-0, 203, RB/LB; 31 Jacob Jordan, sr., 6-2, 181, QB/DB; 33 Parker Smith, jr., 6-0, 184, WR/LB; 50 Garrett Fowler, soph., 5-11 187, OL/LB; 51 Travis Head, sr., 6-0, 188, OL/DT; 54 Sam Cooper, fr., 5-8, 124, OL/DT; 55 Chris Coleman, jr., 5-11, 161, OL/DT; 59 Ethan Donner, fr., 6-2, 139, OL/DT; 63 Ryan Steel, sr., 5-11, 229, OL/DT; 64 Taylor Magourik, jr., 5-2, 171, OL/DT; 68 Luke; Workman, fr., 5-5, 152, OL/DT; 71 Drew Price, sr., 5-9, 271, OL/DT; 72 Logan Waggoner, soph., 5-11, 246, OL/DT; 75 Zach Gillett, sr., 6-5, 270, OL/DT; 77 Hudson Holcombe, fr., 5-8, 185, OL/DT
FACTS
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Andy Bell (8-12 overall; 0-0 at Brazos Christian) District — TAPPS Division III District 4 2015 record — 6-5 (6-1 in TAPPS Division III District 4) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: lost to Texas School for the Deaf 48-40 Playoff appearances (14) — 6-man (2): 2000, 2001; 11-man (12): 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 18 (7 offensive, 6 defensive starters)
“It’s going to be a new dynamic for me and a new field for even our kids,” Bell said. “They have competed toward the Houston area. We’re excited about it. Like I tell our kids every day ‘All we can do is control us.’”
Date Opponent Time Aug 26 at Cypress Christian 7 p.m. Last year: L 28-0 Sept 2 Snook 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 32-30 Sept 9 Open Date Sept 16 Anderson-Shiro 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Somerville 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play TAPPS Division III District 4 Sept 30 Texas School for the Deaf 7 p.m. Last year: L 48-40 Oct 7 Open Date Oct 14 Central Texas Christian* 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 21 at Waco Reicher 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 Marble Falls Faith 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Nov 4 at St. Joseph 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 42-14 *Homecoming
RECORD BOOK Here’s a look at some of the best marks and milestones across the Brazos Valley heading into the 2016 season:
Top 10 rushing games
Single season passing leaders
Yards — player, school (year) 587 — Darryl Ellis, Somerville vs. Thrall (1998) 467 — Eric Bizor, Centerville vs. Groveton (2003) 418 — Chris Whaley, Madisonville vs. Hearne (2008) 399 — Darius Floyd, Franklin vs. Elkhart (2012) 394 — Chris Whaley, Madisonville vs. Palestine Westwood (2007) 384 — Chris Whaley, Madisonville vs. Rusk (2006) 384 — Monte Williams, Bremond vs. Tenaha (1993) 365 — MarcJavion McGrew, Hearne vs. Bruceville-Eddy (2013) 350 — KeeKee Johnson, Bryan vs. A&M Consolidated (2014) 340 — Nic Dillon, Lexington vs. Schulenburg (2013)
Career passing leaders
Yards — player, school (years) 11,951 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota (2013-15) 8,305 — Kogan Garrett, Lexington (2009-12) 8,053 — Jason Kopriva, Cameron (2011-13) 7,529 — Kadarius Baker, Navasota (2010-12) 7,071 — Jeff Watson, A&M Consolidated (1990-93) 5,258 — Lloyd Turner, Hearne (2004-06) 4,928 — Paul Johnson, Cameron (1985-87)
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Top 10 passing games
Yards — player, school (year) 543 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota vs. Houston Sterling (2015) 483 — Kogan Garrett, Lexington vs. Jarrell (2011) 477 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota vs. Argyle (2014) 453 — Ethan Brinkley, Rockdale vs. Salado (2011) 447 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota vs. Liberty Hill (2014) 438 — Reid Nickerson, Cameron vs. Waco Connally (2014) 437 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota vs. Chapel Hill (2014) 434 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota vs. Lake Area New Tech, La. (2015) 422 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota vs. Needville (2014) 407 — Jack Rhoades, Cameron vs. Troy (2010) 406 — Elijah Eastern, Normangee vs. Hull-Daisetta (2013)
Yards — player, school (year) 5,444 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota (2014) 4,411 — Kadarius Baker, Navasota (2012) 3,816 — Shelton Eppler, Navasota (2015) 3,744 — Kobe Miller, A&M Consolidated (2013) 3,553 — Jack Rhoades, Cameron (2010) 3,216 — Jason Kopriva, Cameron (2012) 3,190 — Reid Nickerson, Cameron (2014) 3,108 — Joseph Crnkovic, Caldwell (2015) 3,086 — Clayton Gibbs, Rockdale (2013) 3,074 — Kadarius Baker, Navasota (2011) 3,021 — Kogan Garrett, Lexington (2011) 3,006 — Jason Kopriva, Cameron (2013) 2,816 — Jarrett Lee, Brenham (2006) 2,783 — Tommy Preston, A&M Consolidated (1990) 2,523 — Caleb Hill, Brenham (2014) 2,412 — Roshauud Paul, Bremond (2015) 2,388 — Shane McKown, Iola (1994)
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Top 4 receiving games (yards)
Yards — player, school (year) 278 — Tren’Davian Dickson, Navasota vs. Needville (2014) 277 — Solomon McGinty, Navasota vs. Lexington (2012) 271 — Jacquay Cross, Brenham vs. Liberty Hill (2014) 230 — Austin Aguirre, Normangee vs. Hull-Daisetta (2013)
HighSchoolFootball 2016
35
ST. JOSEPH EAGLES
Veteran coach Hoppers ready to lead Eagles New St. Joseph football coach Bill Hoppers made his name as a defensive coordinator with state championship teams at A&M Consolidated and Navasota, but Hoppers joined those programs at the start of the climb, far from the peak. Experience gained rebuilding those programs, and others, should help Hoppers going into his first season as a head coach. He takes over a program that has gone 32-41 over the last seven years with a couple of playoff appearances. The Eagles were 3-7 last season under Kyle Alexander, who resigned to become an assistant coach in the public school ranks at Gonzales. “I’ve told the kids that we’ve been labeled as a mediocre program,” Hoppers said. “I’ve been there before. I think we have some kids that if they want to, we can get over that hump and get over that stigma of being mediocre. We can be successful.” Hoppers is best known as the defensive architect on state title teams under head coaches Ross Rogers and Lee Fedora, but he remembers what it took to build those championship programs. “You have to remember that when we went to those schools, they weren’t successful,” Hoppers said. “They had been down. Consolidated had gone through many coaching changes. Our first two years in Navasota we were 3-7. Those were works in progress, and I think this is the same way.”
36
ROSTER 2 Philip Blaszak, RB/DL, jr.; 3 John Najvar, QB/DB, jr.; 4 Noah McClure, WR/DB, soph.; 6 Matthew Nelson, WR/DB, fr.; 8 Seth Castillo, K, sr.; 11 James Najvar, WR/ DB, fr.; 15 Nick Dimarco, RB/DB, jr.; 20 Josh Saldua, RB/DB, jr.; 22 Jaxon Hayles, WR/DB, soph.; 24 Bryson Peddicord, WR/DB, jr.; 34 Logan Lipscomb, WR/LB, jr.; 50 Samuel Seago, OL/DL, fr.; 51 Ryan Ernst, OL/LB, sr.; 52 Nick Adam, OL/DL, sr.; 54 Jack Clements, OL/DL, sr.; 55 Cristian Olvera, RB/LB, jr.; 56 Cameron Cooper, OL/LB, sr.; 58 Roland George, OL/DL, fr.; 60 Adam Labowitz, OL/DL, fr.; 63 Patrick Patke, OL/DL, jr.
St. Joseph competes in TAPPS Division III, which is the second-smallest classification in the private school association. The Eagles made a big splash with the mid-July hiring of Hoppers, who took his first head coaching post at age 72 after more than 50 years as an assistant coach. Hoppers helped Navasota win two Class 4A state championships in the last four seasons. He was available after Fedora resigned last spring because of a dispute with school board members. “He’shadaverylong,successful career,” St. Joseph president and principal Jim Rike said. “He said he’s got good years left in him, that he’s not ready to give it up, and I could see that he has a very strong passion and desire for coaching and educating kids.” Hoppers was hired less than a month before the start of preseason workouts, leaving precious little time to make the transition from a fairly large public school with more than 700 students to a small private school with an enrollment of just more than 80. “I think it’s all relevant,” Hoppers said. “It’s still football, whether you’re in a private school or public school. We’ve got really good kids who work hard. I think we are accomplishing our goals. We still have a long ways to go, but they’re working hard and so are the
HighSchoolFootball 2016
coaches. I’m real pleased.” Hoppers was told when he interviewed for the job that his team would be fighting a numbers game to start. Hoppers hopes to have at least 20 players on the team this season. “I think they’re competitive and willing to work,” Hoppers said. “I think they are figuring out that they’re going to have to work to be successful. I still get excited when we practice. I still get excited on Friday nights. As long as I have that in me, I think it will be OK and I’ll try to get it out of the kids. “If we get our chemistry right — which I feel pretty good about now — I think we can have some success.” St. Joseph has a few veteran players returning to serve as the foundation for Hoppers’ building project. That list includes seniors Jack Clements, Ryan Ernst and Cameron Cooper. With such a small roster, most of the Eagles will play offense and defense. Clements, one of the biggest players on the team, will be at tackle on offense and on defense. Ernst and Cooper will play linebacker on defense, with Ernst returning at guard and Cooper at center on offense. “I didn’t know about the players before I was hired,” Hoppers said. “The only thing I knew was their record from last year and that we had a lot of junior starters coming back.
“I did not watch any film on them until after I took the job, but I’m real pleased with the kids we have here.” There are experienced players at ball-handling positions in the junior class. John Najvar is a returning starter at quarterback. He will combine with running back Nick Dimarco and receiver Logan Lipscomb, both returners as well. “John Najvar’s got a real strong arm,” Hoppers said. “He’s got leadership possibilities where he can step in there and take control of our offense.” The Eagles will face an early-season test in Week 2 when they visit defending TAPPS state champion
FACTS Head coach — Bill Hoppers (0-0 overall; 0-0 at St. Joseph) District — TAPPS Division III District 4 2015 record — 3-7 (2-5 in TAPPS Division III District 4) 2015 playoffs — did not qualify Playoff appearances (11) — 6-man (3) — 1999, 2000, 2001; 11-man (7): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 Returning lettermen — 16 (5 offensive, 5 defensive starters)
Shiner St. Paul. There also are non-district matchups with public schools Snook and Milano. In TAPPS Division III District 4, St. Joseph will encounter Waco Reicher and local rival Brazos Christian. “Realistically you want to at least have a winning season, but we’re going to
SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Aug 26 Waco Texas Wind 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 2 at Shiner St. Paul 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 47-0 Sept 9` at Houston Village School7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 16 at Snook+ 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 23 at Milano 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 30 Marble Falls Faith* 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 7 Open Date TAPPS Division III District 4 at Texas School for the Deaf5:30 p.m. Oct 15 Last year: did not play Oct 21 Central Texas Christian 7:30 p.m. Last year: W 27-22 Oct 28 at Waco Reicher 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Nov 4 Brazos Christian 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 42-14 *Homecoming +at Allen Academy
take it one week at a time,” Hoppers said. “We’re not going to look down the road.”
4th Annual
Childhood Cancer Awareness Event and Open Rodeo Jr. Bareback Las Vegas Qualifier
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Saturday, September 17, 2016 6:00 pm Walker County Fairgrounds
Bring your Kids!
Tickets $10 adult $5 youth
3 rounds
Discount tickets on sale now
Mutton Bustin’
www.campqualityusa.org/tx
Only $10
*First 100 people to enter the front gate with a purchased rodeo ticket will receive a FREE ticket to The
Texas Renaissance Festival
For Sponsorship Opportunities or Discount Tickets Visit campqualityusa.org/tx
TheEagle.com
Thursday, August 25, 2016
BVCHEA MUSTANGS
Mustangs ready to run as rookies in TAIAO By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Sorting through the alphabet soup collection of private school sports organizations isn’t easy. There’s TCAL — the Texas Christian Athletic League — from which a pair of local schools departed when the last school year ended. TAPPS — the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools — is the largest of the state’s sanctioning bodies and welcomes Allen Academy back from TCAL this fall. TAIAO — the Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organizations — is the youngest of the bunch, having started in 2013. However, the TAIAO is making strides in football, particularly in the 6-man game where the Brazos Valley Christian Home Educators Association (BVCHEA) is one of the league’s new entries this year. The BVCHEA Mustangs won the TCAL Division I 6-man football championship last season, so the local team’s move to a new league wasn’t a search for easier pickings. In fact, the opposite is true. TAIAO should be T-O-UG-H. The 11 teams in Division I football will feature defending TAIAO champion San Antonio FEAST, the only team that beat BVCHEA last season, along with Fort Bend Homeschool, the program that lost to BVCHEA in last year’s TCAL state final. “I think it’s going to give us a little more competition,” BVCHEA coach Skipper Harris said. “It
FACTS
ROSTER 2 Adam LaStrapes, soph.; 4 Nathaniel Simpson, fr.; 8 Junior Garcia, jr.; 16 Cody Davis, fr.; 23 Anthony Williams, fr; 25 Grant Hancock, fr.; 38 Matthew Koenig, fr.; 40 Caleb LaStrapes, sr.; 44 Granger Harris, sr.; 52 Rabon Metcalf, soph.; 54 Sean Cox, soph.; 55 Daniel Self, fr.
Eagle photo by Dave McDermand Senior Granger Harris earned a spot on the All-Brazos Valley Team after helping BVCHEA go 10-1 last season. will just be better for us. With the leadership they have right now, most of which helped start TCAL, they’re real strong in athletics and in Christian background. That’s what we are. We’re a Christian organization, and we prefer to hang in there with people who have the same philosophy.” BVCHEA has not beaten FEAST (Family Educators Alliance of South Texas) in 13 years. They will meet again in the season opener during Allen Academy’s 6-man showcase event, and it could be the TAIAO game of the year, unless they run into each other again in the playoffs. If any team is ready to move into a tougher league, it should be the Mustangs. BVCHEA returns several key performers from last year’s 10-1 squad, including All-Brazos Valley selections Teeko Kraft, Granger Harris and Andrew Koc-
Thursday, August 25, 2016
moud. “This team has the ability to be just as good, or maybe even a little bit better, than they were last year,” coach Harris said. Quarterback Kraft, who will be a junior, had a big season last year. He completed 111 of 191 passes for 1,937 yards with 38 touchdowns and only two interceptions. In the state final, Kraft threw for 266 yards and five touchdowns. “What people have to remember is there’s a 45-point mercy rule in 6-man, so maybe three or four of those games were never complete games,” coach Harris said. Seniors Granger Harris and Kocmoud are proven two-way players. Harris had 1,122 all-purpose yards and produced 28 touchdowns last season, when he made three interceptions. Kocmoud led the team with 97 tackles and recorded four interceptions.
“Granger has a great pair of hands,” coach Harris said. “You can put him anywhere on the offense because he’s a great blocker. He can run with the ball and catch the ball. On defense he reads the ball real well and he’s a good tackler. “Andrew will end up being a running back and safety. He has great speed and he’s probably one of the hardest-hitting players
SCHEDULE
Head coach — Skipper Harris (14-8 overall; 14-8 at BVCHEA) District — none: TAIAO 2015 record — 10-1 (TCAL Division I) 2015 playoffs — bi-district: bye; semifinal: def. Houston Texas Christian 84-36; state championship: def. Fort Bend Chargers 56-34 Playoff appearances (6) — 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Returning lettermen — 6 (6 offensive, 4 defensive starters)
we’ve got on the team. He can definitely put the wood to you.” Caleb LaStrapes will provide more senior leadership and be a key member of the defense. Junior center Shawn Cox, who started each of the last two seasons, will be a key player up front. Others expected to con-
Date Opponent Time Aug 26 San Antonio FEAST+ 8:30 p.m. Last year: L 76-30 Sept 2 Victoria Homeschool# 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 9 TBA Sept 17 at Fort Bend Chargers 7 p.m. Last year: W 32-20; W 56-34 Sept 22 Houston Emery-Weiner 7 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept 30 at Williamson County 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 7 Houston Texas Christian7:30 p.m. Last year: W 96-64 Oct 14 at Tribe Consolidated 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 21 Cedar Park Summit* 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Oct 28 Capital Christian# 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play (home games at Bryan Regional Athletic Complex) *Homecoming; + at Allen Academy # in Brenham
tribute include pass rusher Rabon Metcalf, backup quarterback Adam LaStrapes and speedy receiver Matthew Michaels.
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MEDIA DAY QUESTIONS
RECORD BOOK
Who would you want to be stranded on a deserted island with? By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
Should they find themselves stranded on an otherwise uninhabited island with just one person, many Brazos Valley high school football players would choose to be with a man known for living off the land or one capable of walking on water. Responding to who they would want as their companion on a deserted island during The Eagle’s third annual Media Day in late July, area football players made British survivalist Edward Michael “Bear” Grylls an overwhelming favorite. The television show host of Man vs. Wild and Running Wild received 23 votes, nearly three times more than anyone else. The second choice was Jesus, with eight votes. Players also exhibited strong ties to their parents, with seven selecting mom
and six picking dad. Next on the list was Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James with four votes, a few area football players perhaps figuring if James could end Cleveland’s championship drought he would be able to handle something as minor as being stranded on an island. There was a diverse logjam of choices receiving three votes apiece: God, President of the United States, comedian Kevin Hart and the players’ girlfriends. Those among the 140 or so players who attended Media Day came up with about 30 other suggestions on who they would want to be alone with on an island. Two votes each went to MMA fighter Rhonda Rousley and A&M Consolidated running back Robert Franklin. Other choices included the following loosely based groups:
• Super heroes: Hulk, Aquaman, Super man, Wonder Woman. • Tough guys: Crocodile Dundee, Tarzan, Jeremy Wade (River Monsters), The Rock, Chuck Norris, Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter), Miesha Tate (MMA), Ronda Rousey (MMA). • Entertainers: Lil Herb, Rihanna, Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kevin Hart. • Military men: Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor). • NBA stars: Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James. • In the role of Ginger from Gilligan’s Island: Brooklyn Decker, Kate Upton, Kylie Jenner. Former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who earned one vote, would qualify as a cross-over selection. Manziel could fit in with the tough guys, might eventually return
to the sport stars list, and will always remain a super hero in the hearts of some Aggie fans. Bear Grylls’ survival skills scored big with the football players, who seemed to be more interested in living through the ordeal than in landing a cameo on one of his television shows. The choices for Jesus, God, mom and dad mostly were based on obvious reasons. Here are some of the more interesting responses, in no particular order: • Daniel Byrd, Centerville: “I’d pick an engineer because they could build an alright boat.” • Ryan Garrison, Lexington: “Ronda Rousey, because she could defend me from any dangers.” • Josh Donovan, College Station: “My mom. She always has the right answers.” • Jamon Bradley, Burton: “God. It would give
me a chance to meet Him and ask a lot of questions.” • Cameron Literault, Iola: “Selena Gomez, just because.” • Joey McIver, Madisonville: “My girlfriend.” • Ty Brock, College Station: “Someone with a satellite phone.” • Trevor Coy Creamer, Iola: “My cousin Mike, a former Navy Seal.” • Will Sullivan, Consol: “The President, because the U.S. would not rest until finding him.” • Blake Lowry, Leon: “Jon Gruden, to learn how to be the best quarterback I possibly can.” • Cade Williams, Consol: “Coach Raffield, because he has a lot of meat on him.” • Jordan Wells, Cameron: “Jesus, because He will walk on water and we will be good.” • Braden Hartley, Rockdale: “No one, because I’m a loner.”
Who is the most clutch athlete in the world? 4clutch top 10
Here are the top vote-getters at The Eagle’s Media Day for most clutch athlete
• LeBron James: 31 • Michael Jordan: 10 • Kobe Bryant: 10 • Odell Beckham: 6 • Tom Brady: 5 • J.J. Watt: 5 • Von Miller: 4 • Bo Jackson: 4 • Stephen Curry: 4 • Cam Newton: 3
theeagle com 38
By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
When it comes to choosing the most clutch athlete in the world, Brazos Valley football players voted for stars ranging from the best-known professionals to their high school peers. The winner, by a landslide, was Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James. After leading his team to a history-making victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the
basketball star who looks like he could play tight end (or whatever other position hewants)garnered31votes. That was more than 30 percentof thetotalvotescastby area players responding to a questionnaireatTheEagle’s annual Media Day. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, the two NBA stars to whom James is most often compared, tied for second place with 10 votes apiece. The highest-ranked football player was the New York Giants’ wide receiver
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HighSchoolFootball 2016
Odell Beckham Jr., who was next with six votes. NBA and NFL players dominatedthelist.Nomajor league baseball player garnered more than one vote, leaving those mentioned — Mike Trout, Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter — with half as many votes as Bremond’s senior quarterback Roshauud Paul. Among the more interesting results of the informal poll: former Texas A&M and current Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller got four mentions;
Serena Williams received the only vote for a woman; and one of the players voted whimsically for Jackie Moon, the character played by Will Ferrell in the basketball farce Semi-Pro.
Here’s a look at some of the best marks and milestones across the Brazos Valley heading into the 2016 season: Coaching victories Coach, school Career wins 1. Mike Hedrick, Franklin 273 2. Ross Rogers, Bryan 235 3. Glen West, Brenham 211 4. Steve Huff, College Station 117 5. Rusty Nail, Madisonville 105 6. Jeff Miller, Rockdale 102 7. David Raffield, Consol 94 8. Kyle Hardee, Centerville 67 9. Jeff Kasowski, Bremond 56 10. Chad Lagrone, Milano 51 Active district winning streaks School Wins in a row Navasota 29 Bremond 15 Cameron 9 Franklin 6 Calvert 6 Normangee 5 Brazos Christian 5 Bryan 4 Rockdale 4 Centerville 4 Highest scoring teams (season) School, year Points (games) 1. Navasota, 2014 921 (16) 2. Bremond, 2015 784 (16) 3. Navasota, 2015 755 (13) 4. Franklin, 2015 749 (16) 5. Iola, 1994 714 (13) 5. Navasota, 2012 714 (16) 7. Cameron, 2013 700 (16) 8. Cameron, 2015 679 (16) 9. Bremond, 2014 669 (15) 10. Cameron, 2010 645 (15) 11. Franklin, 2012 637 (13) 12. Franklin, 2011 636 (13) 13. Franklin, 2013 630 (14) 14. Brenham, 2013 613 (16) Career rushing leaders (5,000 minimum) Yards — player, school (years) 7,620 — Traion Smith, Cameron (2013-15) 6,974 — Chris Whaley, Madisonville (2005-08) 6,449 — Darius Floyd, Franklin (2010-12) 5,945 — Desmond Mayes, Normangee (2002-04) 5,874 — Monte Williams, Bremond (1991-94) 5,423 — Morgan Brewer, Franklin (2012-14) 5,353 — Casey Giles, Iola (2003-06) 5,207 — Jordan Mullinnix, Normangee (2005-08) 5,184 — Duncan Thompson, Bremond (1980-82) 5,076 — Earnest Patterson, Brenham (2012-14) 5,069 — Dexter Pratt, Navasota (2006-08) 5,001 — Chris Smith, Navasota (2001-04)
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2015 RECORDS DISTRICT 18-5A
DISTRICT 10-4A DIVISION II
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Temple 6-0 12-2 621 226 College Station 6-1 10-3 600 180 A&M Consolidated 6-1 9-4 497 289 Bryan 6-1 9-4 414 297 Waco 4-2 6-5 273 334 Rudder 2-5 3-7 305 353 Waco 0-6 0-10 166 409 Previous districts: 17-5A — Temple, Waco, Waco University; 18-5A — College Station, A&M Consolidated, Bryan, Rudder
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Giddings 4-0 12-1 541 278 La Grange 2-2 7-4 381 257 Caldwell 3-1 8-5 513 467 Columbus 2-2 5-6 270 295 Gonzales 4-1 5-7 249 333 Smithville 0-4 1-9 201 412 Previous districts: 15-4A Division I — Gonzales; 11-4A Division II — Giddings, La Grange, Caldwell, Smithville; 12-4A Division II — Columbus
DISTRICT 20-5A
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Bellville 4-0 11-3 418 276 Shepherd 4-1 8-3 395 268 Tarkington 2-3 4-7 215 257 Brookshire Royal 0-4 2-8 166 377 Madisonville 0-5 1-9 291 435 Previous districts: 8-4A Division II — Shepherd, Tarkington, Madisonville; 12-4A Division II — Bellville, Brookshire Royal
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Magnolia 6-1 10-2 379 263 Magnolia West 5-2 8-4 447 231 Willis 4-3 6-5 378 320 Huntsville 3-4 5-5 411 350 Tomball Memorial 3-4 4-6 212 279 Waller 2-5 4-6 196 280 Tomball 2-5 4-6 278 334 Brenham 3-4 4-7 213 293 Previous districts: 18-5A — Willis, Huntsville; 19-5A — Magnolia, Magnolia West, Tomball Memorial, Waller, Tomball, Brenham
DISTRICT 10-4A DIVISION I
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Navasota 5-0 12-1 755 177 Silsbee 5-1 11-3 669 464 Bridge City 4-2 7-4 380 332 Huffman Hargrave 4-2 6-5 439 407 Little Cypress-Mauriceville 2-5 3-7 301 304 Cleveland 1-5 1-9 149 364 Previous districts: 10-4A Division I — Silsbee, Bridge City, Huffman Hargrave, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Cleveland; 11-4A Division I — Navasota
DISTRICT 11-4A DIVISION II
DISTRICT 10-3A DIVISION I
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Franklin 6-0 15-1 749 213 Cameron 5-0 14-2 679 306 Jarrell 5-0 11-1 437 238 Rockdale 4-1 9-3 435 344 Troy 3-2 8-3 360 201 McGregor 3-3 5-6 384 377 Academy 2-3 5-6 249 247 Previous districts: 9-3A Division I — McGregor; 10-3A Division I — Cameron, Rockdale, Troy, Academy; 10-3A Division II — Jarrrell; 12-3A Division II — Franklin
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DISTRICT 12-3A DIVISION II
DISTRICT 13-2A DIVISION II
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Leon 3-3 6-4 283 207 Marlin 4-1 6-6 183 288 Bruceville-Eddy 1-4 4-6 162 249 Anderson-Shiro 3-2 4-7 241 380 Buffalo 3-3 4-7 367 393 New Waverly 1-5 1-9 161 482 Hearne 0-6 0-10 130 580 Previous districts: 10-3A Division II — Marlin, Bruceville-Eddy; 12-3A Division II — Leon, Buffalo, New Waverly, Hearne; 12-2A Division I — Anderson-Shiro
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Normangee 5-0 10-3 487 332 Holland 5-0 9-3 297 253 Thrall 3-2 7-4 330 217 Moody 3-2 6-6 327 362 Rosebud-Lott 3-2 4-7 218 295 Thorndale 0-5 1-9 158 293 Previous districts: 13-2A Division I — Holland, Thrall, Moody, Rosebud-Lott, Thorndale; 12-2A Division II — Normangee
DISTRICT 13-3A DIVISION II
DISTRICT 10-2A DIVISION II
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Blanco 5-0 12-1 413 92 Johnson City 5-1 8-3 269 98 Comfort 4-1 5-6 251 185 Lexington 4-2 5-6 323 363 Florence 0-5 4-6 195 268 Rogers 0-5 1-9 149 356 Previous districts: 10-3A Division I — Florence; 10-3A Division II — Rogers; 13-3A Division I — Comfort; 12-3A Division II — Lexington; 14-3A Division II — Blanco; 14-2A Division I — Johnson City
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Bremond 6-0 16-0 784 167 Hubbard 7-0 10-3 444 272 Meridian 3-4 6-5 390 358 Chilton 4-3 4-7 247 384 Frost 3-4 3-7 260 384 Dawson 1-6 2-8 228 329 Previous districts: 10-2A Division II — Hubbard, Meridian, Chilton, Frost, Dawson; 13-2A Division II — Bremond
DISTRICT 12-2A DIVISION II
DISTRICT 13-2A DIVISION II
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Lovelady 5-0 14-1 666 218 Centerville 4-1 6-7 408 354 West Sabine 2-3 5-6 376 333 Deweyville 1-4 3-7 118 352 Groveton 2-3 3-8 382 441 West Hardin 0-5 2-8 134 364 Previous districts: 11-3A Division II — Deweyville; 10-2A Division I — West Sabine, 12-2A Division I — Lovelady, Centerville, Groveton, West Hardin
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District Season W-L W-L PF PA Granger 5-1 5-6 301 359 Milano 4-2 5-6 207 245 Burton 3-3 5-6 299 289 Snook 2-4 3-7 223 318 Somerville 1-5 1-9 103 440 Bartlett 0-6 0-10 80 422 Previous districts: 13-2A Division II — Burton, Granger, Milano, Snook, Somerville, Bartlett
DISTRICT 16-A DIVISION II
District Season W-L W-L PF Calvert 3-0 11-1 713 Oglesby 3-2 6-4 332 Prairie Lea 0-3 2-8 127 Buckholts 1-2 1-9 152 Previous districts: 14-A Division II — Oglesby; Division I — Calvert, Prairie Lea, Buckholts
PA 210 351 503 523 16-A
TAPPS DISTRICT 4 DIVISION III
District Season W-L W-L PF PA Texas School for the Deaf 4-2 7-5 342 356 Waco Reicher 4-3 6-5 369 249 Brazos Christian 6-1 6-5 404 315 Central Texas Christian 3-3 4-6 282 342 St. Joseph 2-5 3-7 131 293 Marble Falls Faith 1-5 1-9 144 355 Previous districts: TAPPS Division III District 2 — Waco Reicher; TAPPS Division III District 3 — Texas School for the Deaf, Temple Central Texas Christian, Marble Falls Faith; TAPPS Division III District 4 — Brazos Christian, St. Joseph
EDITOR’S NOTE
The records and point totals are from the 2015 season, but the teams are listed in their 2016 districts after the latest UIL realignment. Schools’ 2015 districts listed under the standings.
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