District 13 5A D2

By Rodney Rodriguez The Lockhart Lions will look to contend for a district championship in the new mega competitive 13-5A DII. The Lions return 21 lettermen from the 2021 2-8 team including 7 offensive and 6 defensive starters. In his 4th season at Lockhart after many successful seasons at Abilene Cooper head coach Todd Moebes appears to be on a great path to “Restore the Roar” in Lion Country.

Senior ATH- Diante Jackson a 4-year letterman will draw lots of attention after a 2021 that saw 50 tackles and 374 yards tallied for the 1st team safety and 2nd team receiver. Fellow senior and 3 year letterman RB Sean McKinney will look to carry the ground game once again after 1,029 rushing yards and 1,200 all-purpose yards in 2021. Junior QB Ashton Dickens, a 2-year letterman and 2021 Newcomer of the Year passed for 1,449 yards and 15 TD’s while rushing for 940 yards and 2,389 total yards will guide the Lion’s offense.

Senior LB Treveon Hopkins, a 2-year letterman, will help anchor the defense as well as working in the backfield on the offensive side after registering 39 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 PBUs in the 2021 season. Junior DE Trent Holcomb will be a force on the edge off of ‘21 season that included 12 tackles and 2 sacks.

LIBERTY HILL

By Jake Herman In his first full season as the head coach, Kent Walker led Liberty Hill to the state championship game. A loss to South Oak Cliff at Cowboys Stadium meant that the Panthers finished their year with a 13-3 record. “With everything that’s taken place here at Liberty Hill, to be able to fight our way back to the state championship game meant a lot to not only me, but our community,” Coach Walker told IHSFAN. “I’m extremely proud of our kids, and that sets the tone for this year.”

The Panthers’ slot-T offense will once again give opponents fits, returning 9 of its starters. As Coach Walker told IHSFAN, it all starts up front for Liberty Hill -- who returns a pair of senior all-district offensive line stalwarts in Hudson Stillwell and Jackson Harrison. Sr. 2nd team all-district QB Reese Vickers may not get much recognition given the Panthers’ run-heavy tendencies but has impressed Coach Walker this offseason. IHSFAN Top Ten running back Noah Long will shoulder a heavy load in his junior season, but opponents must also account for all-district backfield mates Sr. Logan Dyer and Jr. Joe Pitchford. New faces will be asked to step up on a defense that returns only 3 starters. All-district seniors DT Wyatt Sprinkle, S Carlton Schrank and CB Aden Burrell have worked extremely hard in the offseason, but Coach Walker knows he’ll need all 11 to get up to speed and replace some of the talent they lost. With realignment imposing more travel on the Panthers in 2022, Coach Walker and his staff are excited for the competition. As a program seeking state championships every year, Liberty Hill has embraced being “the hunted” every week. “Our kids don’t really care who comes out of the opposing locker room, they just want to play the game,” Coach Walker said. “It says a lot about them and our tradition.”

By Jake Herman With the departure of longtime head coach Todd Patmon (who is joining Bobby Acosta’s staff at Del Valle), the Jake Griedl era has arrived in Bastrop. The former Lake Travis receivers coach returns to central Texas after a stint as the head coach at Marshall High School in Missouri City. His new staff includes both coordinators from Marshall and longtime Lake Travis offensive line coach Kyle Spano. To kick off his Bastrop career, Coach Griedl told IHSFAN he’s determined to get the absolute most out of his players. “Change can be hard on kids, but they’re resilient,” coach Griedl said. “It’s our responsibility to earn the respect of the players, and we’re here to build new relationships.” From day one, Griedl said, he’s asked his players to lean into a new process to make a visible difference. “We want to build a tough culture,” Coach Griedl told IHSFAN. “We want to establish that when you play the Bastrop Bears, you’re in for a hell of a tough game.”

With the talent returning to Bastrop this season, there is plenty of reason for optimism. Sr. all-district RB De’Mire Thompson and Sr. all-district WR Julius Baynard will be a formidable playmaking tandem. Seth Mouser returns under center and will look to build on his strong season. Sr. All-district DL Carson Klaernar and DE Antonio Sanchez will be the heart and soul of the defense and have shown great leadership in the offseason.

CEDAR CREEK

By Jake Herman This offseason, the Cedar Creek Eagles removed the interim tag and hired Josh Thomas to be their next head coach. Thomas has been an assistant coach in the program since its inaugural season in 2010, serving as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. “Our fan base is growing when they see we’re doing things right. We’re still so young that we can create tradition,” coach Thomas told IHSFAN. This offseason, coach Thomas has placed his focus on mental toughness. “We’ve been challenging the kids every day to build a mentality that gives them a chance,” coach Thomas said. “We’re not shy talking about wanting to win a district championship.”

The Eagles return 7 starters on each side of the ball and will rely on a strong junior class to improve on last season’s 1-9 record. Sr. QB Bryan Allen took over as the signal-caller during district play a year ago and has grown into the role. Junior wideouts Kade Masters and Chris Nino will work out of the slot, but the Eagles will need to execute in the running game to have success. Jr. RB K’Veahon Houston will supply some power while Nino and Sr. RB Tucker Fitzhugh factor in the backfield committee as well. Juniors Hector Arredondo, Lorenzo Chairez and Ayden Abrego return to anchor the offensive line.

A defensive unit that gave up 46 points per game last season will look to turn things around. Coach Thomas is excited about the potential of his defensive line, which includes juniors Mason Thomas, Grant Davis and Tristan Cornwell. A pair of senior safeties will provide leadership in the form of multi-year starters JJ Ruiz and Vincent Mitchell. Senior LB Diego Salinas is another key returner for a unit that is trying to improve physically in pursuit this offseason.