District 26 6 A

LAKE TRAVIS By Jay Plotkin Death, taxes and December football. Other than a 2020 bi-district playoff loss, those are Lake Travis’ certainties.

The Cavaliers have reached at least the state semifinals every year since 2015. If the Cavaliers want to return to the semifinals – and go a step further – they’ll follow a tried-and-true formula: a Power-5 quarterback, an attacking defense and playmakers across the field who find the end zone with frightening regularity. With his commitment to Michigan State, Bo Edmundson becomes the school’s 10th straight P5 quarterback. Entering his third year as the starter, he’s looking to improve on a 3,300-yard, 40 TD junior season. Defensively, the Cavaliers return proven playmakers return at every level. Griffen Willis and Jacob Henry may be the strongest DL combo in the area. Linebacker Tavin Lewis made 127 tackles in a breakout 2021. Josiah Estes, Kyle Thompson and Jayden Walker return as part of a ball-hawking secondary that generated 13 interceptions and nine touchdowns.

Coach Hank Carter says the offense, despite graduating nearly all its receiving production, shouldn’t miss a beat thanks in part to its large, experienced offensive line.

“We have a lot of big, strong offensive linemen coming back and that’s really the most important part to the offense,” Carter said.

Mo Oratokhai, Daniel Sowell, Jacob Wilsey and Ben Hartman return to anchor a line tasked with keeping the Cavalier offense balanced. Nico Hamilton rushed for 780 yards as DJ Johnson’s backfield wingman and is prime to step into the lineup.

If there’s a question, it’s who gets open for Edmundson? Edmundson completed 259 passes in 2021, but only six to returning players. “We dealt with this a year ago in a lot of ways,” Carter said. “It will take the spring and preseason practice to find out who will emerge, but I feel like we have 10-11 kids who can catch the ball for us.”

WESTLAKE By Joe Taylor The 2021 Westlake Chaparrals captured their third consecutive state championship and the program’s fourth title. Legendary Coach Todd Dodge retired in January and his longtime defensive coordinator Tony Salazar was tapped as the new leader of Chap Nation.

Look for Jr. QB Paxton Land to get a shot to take over the QB1 slot left vacant by the graduation of Kade Klubnik who will be playing Saturdays for Clemson this fall. The offensive line is battle tested. The return of TJ Shanahan and Kyle Natenstedt makes the transition look promising. Westlake’s offensive coaches are looking forward to seeing how juniors Tyler Knape and Riley Kennedy will mesh with seniors Ben Thompson and Jose Acuna.

IHSFAN top 10 player and co-offensive MVP Sr. WR Jaden Greathouse has already written himself into the Westlake and UIL record books. Greathouse enters the 2022 season as a three-time All-American and Westlake’s all-time career leader in receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Sr. WR 1st team AD Keaton Kubecka caught 13 touchdown receptions last year while Sr. TE 1st Team AD Bryce Chambers snagged seven touchdown catches. In the backfield Jr. RB Co-offensive newcomer of the year Jack Kayser will look to improve on his amazing sophomore season where he found the endzone 25 times. On defense the Chaps return six starters on defense including a pair of Senior 1st Team AD defensive lineman in Colton Vasek and Wyatt Dollar. Other players to watch are Kale Williams and Ford Thompson. Sr. DB 1st Team AD Will Courtney earned all-state honors at safety and leads an experienced defensive backfield that includes returning corners Denim Collins, Judson Crockett and SR. LB 1st team AD Byers Petty. Westlake allowed just eight points per game in 2021 and defense will get top billing as Westlake takes aim at more history in 2022. No school has won four consecutive football titles and these Chaps are more than aware of the opportunity ahead.

A new era for Austin High Football started after Head Coach Mike Rosenthal announced his retirement. In November, Bernard Riley got the nod as the new head coach after serving as defensive coordinator for the Maroons for the past 9 seasons. Coach Riley told IHSFAN, “Our motto is ‘Work to win forever’. We are trying to be great all the time and the kids realize that the work that they put in during the off season will be seen during the season.”

The Maroons return 6 starters on Offense and 6 starters on defense. The offense will be led by 2nd Team AD Jr. RB Anthony Rodriguez, 2nd Teams AD Jr. OL Nakia Wilkins-Lee, and Jr. OL Daniel Kregel. The defense will be led by Sr. DB Andrew Alexander, Sr. LB Angel Nunez, and Jr. DB Trent Gray. Coach Riley told IHSFAN, “We are looking forward to facing many familiar opponents in 26-6A as well as welcoming some new rivalries with Dripping Springs and Johnson.” Once again, All Austin High Maroon football regular season games will be available to watch on the IHSFAN Webcast Network. Austin High Football presented by Tarrytown Pharmacy will kick off in August.

ANDERSON

On February 9th the Anderson Trojans named their 3rd head coach in as many years as Coach Donald Hatcher will now steer the ship over at Mesa Drive. Coach Hatcher, a Rockdale native, is not a stranger to the Austin area, though the past 14 seasons were spent running the defenses of both Little Elm and Desoto. Hatcher told IHSFAN, “I am very happy to be back in the area. 26-6A is filled with a ton of great teams. Having coached against the likes of Allen, Prosper, and Denton Guyer I am familiar with great competition.” He went on to say, “When I met with the team for the first time I told them that there are two things they can control…..Attitude and effort and so far all of the young men have really done an amazing job.”

The Trojans finished 3-7 in 2021 in a very tough 11-5A D1 district. Although they lose the amazing Colin Page in the backfield through graduation, they will return 7 offensive starters led by 2nd team AD Sr. QB Fred Dale, 2nd team AD Sr. WR Cole Canaday, and 2nd team AD Jr. OL Jack Middleton. The Defense will return 5 starters including 1st Team AD Sr. LB I.V. Webb and 2nd team AD Sr. DB Austin Miller. Anderson heads back to 6A and will be reunited with many familiar foes.

Coach Joey Saxe enters his second year leading the Akins football program. The Eagles were competitive 4-6 last season in the murderous 26-6A district. The new realignment actually makes this district even tougher with the addition of Dripping Springs and Johnson. Coach Saxe told IHSFAN, “We graduated 34 seniors that set the expectation for years to come. We will be much younger this year but our team is training with tremendous purpose every day. Our strength will be upfront on both our offensive and defensive lines. We have a great competition going for the QB1 spot.” The Eagles will return 4 starters on offense and 4 starters on defense. The offense will be led by Sr. RB 2nd team AD Micah Thomas, Jr. Ath. Dillan Lofton, and Jr. OL Isaac Navarro.

The defense will be led by Sr. DE/LB Micah Thomas, Jr. DL 2nd team AD Jacob Rodriguez, and Jr. LB Dillan Lofton. The Eagles will not have spring football choosing to get an earlier start in August and play 2 scrimmages.

DEL VALLE

Coach Bobby Acosta enters his second season as the Cardinals head coach. Del Valle finished 2-8 in 2021. Coach Acosta told IHSFAN,” As we continue to focus building the program our kids are getting bigger, faster, and stronger. We are looking to grow our program and understand it’s a process and it will take time. We are excited about the opportunity to compete in 2022.” The Cardinals will return 4 starters on offense and 8 starters on defense. IHSFAN was told by IHSFAN Top 10 player Sr. WR Braylon James that his family has moved and he will be playing for Stony Point in 2022. This will be the second straight season that the Cardinals were to lose a key piece of their offense due to a family move. The Cardinals offense will be led by Jr. TE Amare Johnson, Jr. OL Steven Flores, and So. OL Jaxon Taylor. The Defense will be led by Sr. DB 1st Team AD Lawrence Falke, Jr. DB 2nd Team AD Keiondre Lewis, Sr. DB Brock Foster, and Sr. DL Daniel Obinna.

Coach Jeff Ables is “The Dean” of all area head coaches as he enters his 21st season as head coach (35th season overall) of the Bulldogs. 2021 was an amazing season for Bowie as they finished an impressive 10-3 going three rounds deep in the playoffs ultimately losing to SA Brenan 5936. The Bulldogs will have many new players that will be given the opportunity to shine as they return just 2 offensive starters and 2 defensive starters. The strength of the team starts with returning Sr. QB 2nd Team AD Connor Kenyon who threw for 2167 yards last year. Other leaders on offense will be Sr. RB 2nd team AD Max Barnes, and Sr. WR Jacob Kastl. The always stingy Bulldog defense will feature Sr. DB 1st team AD Wes York, Sr. DL 2nd team AD Aaron Gall and a pair of Sr. LB’s that each had over 50 tackles last year in Tres Danaher and Brady Bram. The new district 26-6A is going to be even tougher with the addition of Dripping Springs and Johnson so this young Bowie team will have to really gel in order to compete for one of the four available playoff spots.

DRIPPING SPRINGS

Coach Gaylon Zimmerman heads into his 8th season as the Tigers head coach learning in February that once again his team would be finding a new district. The Tigers head to one of the toughest districts in the state as they make their way to 26-6A home of perennial powers Lake Travis and Westlake. Coach Zimmerman told IHSFAN,” We expect our kids to be competitive and hold up our core values of Trust, Passion, and Discipline. We have a great community with high standards and we expect our program to represent Dripping Springs well this season.” The Tigers return 9 starters on offense and 8 starters on defense that went 10-1 in 2021 losing in the first round of the playoffs. The experienced offense will be led by Sr. QB District MVP and IHSFAN Top 10 Player Austin Novosad. Other leaders on offense will be Jr. WR and Offensive Newcomer of the Year Kyle Koch, and Sr. OL Brendan Kelly. This offense is loaded with 1st Team AD players including: Sr. WR Garon Duncan, Jr. OL Jackson Key, Sr. OL Reid Robinson, and Sr. K Walker Wright.

The defense will be led by Sr. DL and 1st AD Nathan Prehar, Jr. LB Defensive Newcomer of the Year Luca Picucci, Sr. LB 1st team AD Derek Edgar, and Sr. DB Gunnar Betts. The Tigers will be facing their toughest district competition ever but have an experienced and talented team to make some noise and be a factor in 26-6A in 2022.

Coach Steve Hoffman has led the Jaguars in their first two seasons of varsity football competition. The Jags finished last season with an impressive 9-2 season going one round deep into the playoffs. In February they learned that they were headed along with Dripping Springs to the newly revised 26-6A district which includes the current three-time state champ Westlake and the equally impressive Lake Travis. Coach Hoffman told IHSFAN, “We expect to compete and make the playoffs. Our kids are excited to move up to play against some great football teams.” The Jags return 8 starters on offense and 3 starters on defense. The offense starts with Sr. QB 1st team AD Jesse Medina who will fit right in with the incredible QB’s in the district. Other leaders on offense are Sr. WR 1st team AD Caden Winzer, Sr. WR Ethan McAlister, and Sr. OL 1st team AD Chase Taylor. The defense will need some new faces to step up with only 3 starters returning. Look for Sr. DB 1st team AD Caden Winzer, Sr. DB Josh Garcia, and Jr. DL Ezrah Machuca to lead the Jaguar defense. Coach Hoffman has built a great foundation with 15 wins in their first two seasons of varsity football. Look for the Jags to compete with Dripping Springs and Bowie for the 3rd and 4th playoff spot.

DELUXE BURGERS