District 11 5A D1

Carl Abseck heads into his 7th season as head coach (17th overall) of the Timberwolves. In his 7 seasons he is an impressive 71-10 that includes 5 district championships and 1 State championship. Cedar Park finished 13-1 in 2020 and added another District Championship to their storied resume. Coach Carl Abseck told IHSFAN,” Our 2021 team has an impressive opportunity to leave their legacy at Cedar Park. Expectations are always high hear and we have a challenge to replace a lot of key contributors. The Timberwolves will return 4 on offense and 4 on defense, The offense will be led by Sr. QB Josh Pell who has big shoes to fill with the graduation of 3 year starter Ryder Hernandez. Other leaders on offense include 2nd AD Sr. RB Kevin Adams, 1st AD Sr. OL Cole Vallente, and 1st AD Sr. OL Connor Mason.

The Defense will be led by 1st AD Sr. DL Murray Robinson, 2nd AD Sr. DB Michael Putney, and Def. newcomer of the year Sr. DE Ian Ferguson. Cedar Park never rebuilds they just reload. This season will provide opportunity for new players to shine in the spotlight.

ANDERSON

Coach Dan Hunter heads into his 4th season at the helm of Trojan Nation. Last season Anderson had to navigate a covid-protocol shortened season that saw them finish at 1-6. Coach Hunter told IHSFAN,”Leadership in key positions is starting to emerge and we feel that if we keep developing throughout the offseason that the sky is the limit for us in 2021.” The Trojans will return 7 on offense and 8 on defense. The offense will be led by Jr. QB Fred Dale, 1st AD Sr. RB Colin Page, 2nd AD Jr. OL Tyler Crownover, and Sr. WR Reed Garcia. The defense will be led by 1st AD Sr. DL Jonathon Winfield, 2nd AD Sr. DL Evan Richards, 2nd AD Jr. LB IV Webb, Jr. DB Cole Canaday, and Sr. DB Will Fonken.

The Trojans will feature the dynamic Colin Page and with their 15 returning starters they will be much improved in 2021.

After a mass exodus of Seniors, Manor Head Coach James Keller knew 2020 would be a rough year for the Mustangs. With an inexperienced bunch, including 18 sophomores that were unable to have Spring Football and Summer workouts, the 2020 Mustangs finished 2-6. “Anytime you got 18 sophomores on the varsity team it is going to be tough to win,” Coach Keller told IHSFAN. “The key is them maturing and getting to work out all the time, and getting a good spring football in, and we will be returning and ready to go.” The 2021 Mustangs will be a much more experienced group, returning 8 starters on defense and 7 on offense. Sr. RB/WR Utility MVP Che Nwabuko will provide Coach Keller’s spread offense with some versatility and leadership. Also, in the backfield, Jr. RB 1st team all-district Quinten Joyner returns. On defense the Mustangs will return 9 starters. The addition of star move-in from Del Valle, Jr. DL 1st team all-district Jayden Cofield, will bolster Coach Keller’s 3-man front. Keller will count on linebackers Sr. 2nd team all-district Wilson Buhendwa and Jr. Ike Esonwune to provide leadership on defense. Keller’s offseason focus is restoring a winning culture. “I’m just trying to get them to learn how to win again,” Keller said.

LEANDER

Coach Kris Price heads into his third season at the helm of Leander Lions Football. In 2020 a much improved 2-7 squad found itself in playoff contention late in the season for the first time in several seasons. Coach Price told IHSFAN.” We are excited about this season. We had some great players graduate but we have some talented young guys that are stepping up to fill those roles.” The Lions will return 6 on offense and 5 on defense. The offense will be led by 2nd AD Sr. RB Alexander Franklin III, and 2nd AD Sr. WR Caden Wheatley. The defense will be led by 1st AD Sr. DB Chancellor Moody. Coach Price also told IHSFAN, “This group is working really hard this offseason and I expect to continue to build in the right direction.

By Ross Fisher

In just Chuck Griffin’s 2nd year in charge of Georgetown, he went 8-2 and led the Eagles to their 2nd best regular season in 30 years. However, the Eagles suffered a disappointing first round loss against Dripping Springs. Georgetown will be a completely different team in 2021, following the departure of 54 seniors. Coach Griffin will only have 1 returning starter on offense, in Sr. QB 2nd team all-district and IHSFAN Top 10 Player Darson Herman, and 3 returning starters on defense. Herman’s main weapon, Sr. TE 2nd team alldistrict Tyler Hawkins, has a good amount of varsity experience as well. In the backfield, Sr. RB Devin Ross will have to step up with the Eagles losing their two best running backs from last year. Ross was the third option in a backfield that averaged 270 yards per game last season. The key returning starter on defense will be Sr. S 2nd team all-district Trent McConnell, who will be tasked with leading an inexperienced secondary. Jr. DT Daniel Obinna and Sr. DT Jacob Noel have some experience starting on varsity as well, and will lead a defensive line that will likely feature 4 up front. With so much uncertainty, Coach Griffin will have to rely on Spring Football to figure out how his team will look in 2021. “Spring Football will be important for us,” Griffin told IHSFAN. “Just getting out there and figuring out who we are, and what is our identity with this team.”

PFLUGERVILLE

By Ross Fisher

Entering his 4th season at the helm for Pflugerville, Head Coach Charles Taylor will look to improve upon a 6-4 2020 season that ended with a narrow first round playoff loss to Canyon. With 8 returning starters on offense and 6 on defense, Coach Taylor hopes to make a deeper run in the playoffs. “Our district is one of the best in the state, but we expect to contend for a playoff spot,” Coach Taylor told IHSFAN. “Our big one is to want to win a playoff game, so that’s what we are pushing towards.” Coach Taylor’s ambition is validated by the return of several key players on offense. Sr. RB 1st team all-district & 2-time IHSFAN Top 10 player Elijah Oakmon returns as a 4th year starter, bringing a wealth of experience. Joining Oakmon in the backfield is Jr. RB Offensive Newcomer MVP Jake Iloka, who looks to build upon his breakout 2020 season. Sr. QB Jaylon Reeves will start under center for a 3rd consecutive season. With key returning seniors on both sides of the ball, Taylor senses that the upcoming season is a prime window to capitalize on. “They’ve been in the system since freshmen,” Taylor said. “So it is pretty big, that they have been in it that long and we get another year with them.” On defense, Coach Taylor is excited about the return of 2nd team all-district defensive linemen Sr. Trey Snowberger and Jr. Ty Chestnutt, as well as Sr. MLB Darrel Jones.

Coach Chip Killian heads into his 14th season as head coach of Hawk Nation. Hendrickson finished the crazy 2020 season 7-3 going two rounds deep into the playoffs losing to Fort Bend Hightower. Coach Killian told IHSFAN,” This season we have a young team that will need to grow up fast. All of our Non-District games are against 6A teams and our first 3 district games are against the top 3 teams. The Hawks will return 3 on offense and 4 on defense. The offense will be led by Sr. RB Breean Arrant and Sr. OL Hunter Hardesty. The Defense will be led by 1st AD Sr. LB Ethan Bell, 2nd AD Sr. DB Maurice Price, 2nd AD Sr. DB Kylar Mahoney, and Sr. DL Cedric Roberts. Look for the Hawks to once again compete for a playoff spot in this very tough district.

WEISS

On April 8th of last year Coach Steve Van Meter was hired as the new head coach of the Weiss Wolves. In his first season at the helm of Wolfpack Nation Coach Van led his squad through a covid-challenged season with record of 2-4. An optimistic Coach Van Meter told IHSFAN,” I expect Weiss to seriously contend for the district title. This is the most talented group of receivers I have had in my career. We will be much improved on defense and our offense should be in full go mode from the start of the season.

The Wolves return 8 on Offense and 9 on Defense. The Offense will be led by 1st AD Sr. QB Dior Bradfield who threw for 1720 yards and had 0 INT’s in 6 games, 1st AD and IHSFAN Top 10 player Sr. WR Tavion Cord, 2nd AD Sr. WR Price Morgan, Sr. WR Jermiah Robinson, and Jr. WR Micha Gifford.

The Defense will be led by Jr. LB Josh Styles, Sr. LB Carl Williams, Jr. DL Lorenzo Diggs, and Sr. DB Kenyon Bunton. Look for the 17 returning starters to pay huge dividends for Weiss in 2021.