2023 Area Red Zone Preview

LEVELLAND - SUNDOWN - MORTON - SMYER - WHITEFACE - ROPES - WHITHARRAL - ANTON

Levelland & Hockley County News-Press

2023 AREA RED ZONE PREVIEW EIGHT HIGH SCHOOLS COVERED

$3.00

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

WEST TEXAS FOOTBALL

*This photo has been edited*

3/Football Preview 2023

Table of Contents Levelland Lobos .............................................. Pg. 5 Sundown Roughnecks ..................................... Pg. 20 Morton Indians................................................ Pg. 24 Smyer Bobcats ................................................ Pg. 31 Ropes Eagles ................................................... Pg. 35 Whitharral Panthers ........................................ Pg. 42 Whiteface Antelopes ........................................ Pg. 49 Anton Bulldogs ................................................ Pg. 56

The Lobo Way

By Dom Puente Managing Editor Entering the regular season in year three for Levelland Athletic Director and Head Lobo Football Coach Lyle Leong, the culture has been set, and this year’s Lobos are looking to establish themselves as a district champion for the 20232024 season.

For Coach Leong, the past two years have been spent setting a standard within his program’s culture, and this year’s roster is filled with athletes who have been engrained with his staff’s

teachings. Comprised of mainly seniors and juniors, the Lobos came into this year’s two-a-days prepared to work and set the example for sophomores that have had the opportunity to join the varsity ranks.

Observing summer workouts and two-a-day practices, Coach Leong has taken notice to how fluid practices have become due to players continuously coming in throughout the summer to get better.

“The kids have been working hard throughout the past off-season, summer and now in two-

a-days heading into this regular season,” said Coach Leong. “It falls on us coaches to ensure we set our athletes up for success and put them in positions to be competitive every week.”

The program has lacked size and athletic ability in the past years, but Coach Leong feels that his squad’s tenacity and work ethic has made up for those short comings.

“I think we have the best kids in the way they prepare and work towards getting better every year,” explained Coach Leong. “I’m truly excited for this upcoming season. There is nowhere else I would rather be than working alongside these kids and watching them continuously grow.”

Watching his athlete’s growth, Coach Leong feels their progress has been expedited with their desire to stay within the program as underclassmen which allows his veteran leaders to be the voice of the team when they face adversity.

Last season, the Lobos got the taste of playoffs by competing against the Monahans Loboes in the Bi-District Round. Falling short of pulling off the win by 10 points, Coach Leong knows that the returning Lobos have that hunger to return and earn a gold ball in the playoffs.

Losing only nine seniors and four of whom were starters on either side of the ball, the Lobos return with 16 seniors, 10 juniors and four sophomores this go around.

“Coming into this season, this is the deepest we have been at the skill positions since I have been here,” said Coach Leong. “The main hurdle we are facing is the offensive line as we lost multiple pieces and we are not necessarily the biggest or deepest in that unit.”

For the Lobo program, grades and overall academics are not the problem this season, but injuries and attrition. Injuries plagued the Lobos last season towards the end of non-district play heading into district.

Coach Leong also added that it is imperative to put the best on the field at all times which requires some athletes playing both sides of the ball throughout a season since the numbers aren’t favorable at the moment. Last season, injuries required a handful of Lobo athletes to see time on the field on offense and defense, but that will be more prevalent moving forward throughout this season to achieve their goals of competing for a playoff spot and district championship.

6/Fooball Preview 2023

Fielding 30 roster spots at the end of two-a-days, Leong will be looking to reach a total of 35 spots field and 38 at a maximum if necessary.

“We’ve always been a squad of whoever can get the job done regardless of numbers at the end of the day,” said Coach Leong. “I think this will be our deepest season in regard to allowing people to come in and fight for a spot.”

A highlight of this year’s roster is the number of three-year starters who are still juniors.

With the confidence established in those individuals early in their high school careers, Coach Leong is confident in the tenacity his athletes will provide in the regular season.

“As a former player, it’s a great thing to see who the veterans are walking around the fieldhouse and in practice,” explained Coach Leong. “They carry themselves well and have the confidence needed to help lift players up when things are tough and not going our way.”

For this season, Coach Leong and his staff will be preparing his roster to be flexible and ready to rotate into different positions when needed. While some players will see action on both sides of the ball, the goal this season is to rotate athletes without drop-off in ability.

“Offensively, we want to get our play makers the ball and move them around quite a bit to give our opponents different looks and keep them on their toes,” explained Coach Leong. “If worst-comes-to-worst, we have guys that can fill in places and do the same thing which hasn’t necessarily been a possibility in past years.”

This season Offensive Coordinator Marlon Winn returns for his third season as the play caller for the Lobos. Currently, the Lobo offense is engaged in a quarterback battle between

senior Rusty Johnson and junior Boston Winfield. Leading the Lobos offensively last season was former senior quarterback Konner Alexander and Leong is prepared to go with the best option who can produce plays this season.

As non-district progresses, Coach Leong and Coach Winn will be rotating between Johnson and Winfield to give each Lobo reps before district play.

The running back core will include sophomore Kysen Niblett, senior Austin Ellis and juniors Eli Randol and Jackson Gibbs. Additionally, the tight-end group or second backfield personnel will include senior Caleb Miller, Ellis and junior Alex Salinas.

The receiving core will be comprised of seniors Jayden Flores, Ezekial Arias, Victor Cisneros, Ben Alvarado, Jose Luna, Mark Buxkemper, Elijah Salazar and Robert Cage.

Juniors in the core include Gage Potter, Rance Massey, Noah Tienda, and Zaden Carrillo.

Sophomore Braden Brogden will also be taking snaps at receiver.

In regard to the offensive line, seniors Joe Pena and Kain Maldonaldo will facilitate left tackle, sophomore Casen Potter and junior Tomas Garcia will make-up the left guard position. Juniors Zarian Valderas and Gibbs will comprise the center position, seniors Luis Castellanos and Damien West comprise of the right guard position and junior Matt Romero and Miller comprise the left guard position.

Defensive Coordinator Tony Eggleston will be calling plays for his third straight year with a large group of returning veterans. The Lobo defensive was the highlight of last season keeping the team in tight games when offensive production fell short at times.

Maldonaldo, Romero and Casen Potter will make up the left defensive end position, Pena, Garcia and West will make up the nose guard position and Valderas, Miller and Castellanos will make up the right tackle position.

Alvarado, Salazar and Arias will be the left side cornerbacks while Flores and Cage will be the right-side cornerbacks. Tienda, Carrillo and Brogden will comprise the left side safety

position, and Potter, Buxkemper and Massey will make up the right-side safety position.

Randol, Cisneros and Carrillo will rotate the nickel position while Niblett, Gibbs and Randol will rotate the Sam linebacker position. Johnson, Salinas and Potter will rotate the Mike linebacker position and Ellis, Luna and Johnson will rotate the weak side linebacker position.

With seven returning defensive skill players, six received district honors last season. Known for their defensive strength, Coach Leong knows Coach Eggleston will continue to apply pressure to opposing offensive units.

“If we can hold tight and keep our big guys healthy, I think we will be in a good spot,” said Leong. “Last year we were close to winning a lot of games that we feel that we should have won.

I think that is a part of building the culture and these kids being in those situations and not being successful will be the difference. I truly think this will be a turning point for us and even though we made the playoffs one year now it’s an expectation to at least get into the playoffs with our goal to win one game a week.”

11/Fooball Preview 2023

Working alongside Coaches Leong, Winn and Eggleston are longtime Lobo Coach Mike Brogden who will continue to be the special team’s coordinator program. Coach Leong expressed how happy was to have Coach Brogden who has been a constant within the Lobo program.

Additionally, the staff is comprised of Assistant Coaches Chris Portwood, Kendall Durrett, Pete Richardson, Keith Dixon, John Lange, Gary Thorne, Ramiro Serrato, Matt Bruce, Seth Rose and Brandon Coronado.

The Lobos began the regular season hosting the Plainview Bulldogs in week one followed by a road game against the Snyder Tigers in week two. Level-

land will host the Lubbock High Westerners in week three and visit the Estacado Matadors in week four.

The Lobos will travel to San Angelo in week five to play the Lakeview Chieftains. The Lobos will wrap up non-district with a homecoming game against the Dalhart Wolves in week six.

Heading into district play, the Lobos will travel to Perryton to take on the Rangers in week seven. The West Plains Wolves will come to Levelland in week eight to take on the Lobos. Following West Plains, the Lobos will travel to Borger in week nine to battle the Bulldogs. The final game of district play will be senior night against the Seminole Indians in week 10.

All Lobo games are slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff time.

12/Fooball Preview 2023

2023 Lobo Freshman

2023 Lobo JV

2023 Lobo Varsity

BEN ALVARADO, SR.

NOAH TIENDA, JR.

14/Football Preview 2023

GAGE POTTER, JR.

JAYDEN FLORES, SR.

ELIJAH SALAZAR, SR.

BOSTON WINFIELD, SO.

KADEN BROGDEN, SO.

KYSEN NIBLETT, SO.

RUSTY JOHNSON, SR.

MARK BUXKEMPER, SR

ZADEN CARRILLO, JR.

ROBERT CAGE, SR.

JOSE LUNA, SR.

AUSTIN ELLIS, SR.

RANCE MASSEY, JR.

ELI RANDOL, JR.

EZEKIAL ARIAS, SR.

JACKSON GIBBS, JR.

VICTOR CISNEROS, SR.

KAIN MALDONALDO, SR.

CASEN POTTER, SO.

TOMAS GARCIA, JR.

JOE PENA, SR.

ZARIAN VALDERAS, JR.

LUIS CASTELLANOS, SR.

DAMIEN WEST, SR.

MATT ROMERO, JR.

CALEB MILLER, SR.

17/Football Preview 2023

City of RoughneCks Aalijah Soliz Sports Writer The Sundown Roughnecks had a good season this past season making play-offs over Post and Tahoka with a record of 2-3 against the teams in their district.

They finished in fourth place in their district, falling just short a game to overtake Floydada and Olton.

Their overall season they went 3-7 throughout the season facing some of Texas’s top schools in the area.

Their Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Brannon Rodgers is very hopeful for the season and excited to get back on the football field to show they can turn it up and be a force to be reckoned with. Coach Rodgers and his coaching staff have been pushing the kids to their limits and motivating them throughout summer workouts and two-a-days that this team has the potential to be as great as they let themselves be. Twoa-days started for Sundown July 31, 2023 and they haven’t shown any signs of slowing down on either side of the ball. They have worked hard and long and have been making progress everyday This will be Coach Rodgers second year with Sundown ISD and he is excited to get started with the football season. He graduated from Petersburg in 1994, then attended college at Texas Tech University which he

graduated in 1998 and is a certified math teacher.

Coach Rodgers has been coaching for a total of 25 years and has been Head Athletic Director for 17 years at multiple different schools.

He first started coaching in Crosbyton as an assistant coach for four years. He then went to Lockney and took over the Defensive Coordinator position there. After that he went back to Crosbyton but as the Athletic Director and Football Head Coach for another 11 years. He then took over in Jacksboro for five years as the Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. He is now coaching the Sundown Roughnecks where he is in his second year with them and ready to leave behind a legacy other coaches and players will look back at when he is done with the program. It is good enough to say Coach Rodgers has enough experience to lead this program in the right direction and will make this season a good one just like his others.

Coach Rodgers has a big family including his wife Misty whom he has been married to for 25 years and has two children: Ty Rodgers who is going into his senior year at Texas Tech and Aubrey Rodgers who is in her senior year as well at Sundown High School. He has deep ties with the community and will have the privilege that not too many other coaches have in watching his daughter go through the system and being there on the floor when she does graduate this next year.

Coach Rodgers had a decent amount of players graduate on both sides of the ball but for him that’s just a hurdle they as a team have to overcome. They have a strong class of juniors and sophomores that are ready to step up and make some noise as they have some big shoes to fill.

The Roughnecks started two-a-days in the early morning of July 31, to get their athletes back in shape and workout the junk food out of their systems. The coaches had kept their athletes moving all during that time and kept them hydrated as well as preaching to drink plenty of water before, during, and after practice as well. The Sundown Roughnecks are going to be a force to be reckoned with and they can’t wait to prove it with some additions to the workouts and mental toughness the athletes bring to the table.

Coach Rodgers has a strong coaching philosophy to “grow and develop young men and women mentally, spiritually and physically into the person God has called them to be”, and so far the words have been more than words to him, and he has put more meaning into them as he takes it to heart what these kids do past high school.

The Sundown Roughnecks have a tough schedule as they have to play some of the toughest teams in the state, but they are looking forward to it as they say it gives them a challenge and they are up for it. The Roughnecks have one

of the toughest districts when it comes to this area, having to play Post, Tahoka, New Deal, Olton, and Floydada. One thing the Roughnecks have going for them is where the games are being played; they have six home games including district play and four away games half of those in district as well.

They will kickoff their first game of the season against Shamrock where it will be held in Lockney, so all the support they get from the fans this season will be appreciated not only from the student-athletes but the coaches as well as they feed off of the energy and support they get from the community. Their first scrimmage game will be against Friona on August 11th while two-adays are still going on, so the community will get to see what this team of the Roughnecks have to offer and get a little sneak peak on how they will look this upcoming football season.

23/Football Preview 2023

INDIAN TERRITORY

By Aalijah Soliz Sports Writer The Morton Indians had a shaky season this past season with former Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Brain Ramsey who was with the team for one year and had accumulated a record of 2-8 while finishing last in district with a record of 0-5.

The team had some of the toughest opponents in their district including New Home, Seagraves, Ropes, Plains, and Smyer. The team that won their district went into the state semi-round of playoffs losing to the eventual state champions in Albany with a score of 53-25.

With those days in the past, new Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Keith Mauldin is ready to make a splash this year and ready to get his coaching staff and his team rolling. They started their first week of two-a-days training just like every other team in the area and was one of the first teams to start with pads, get started on their scheming and how they will run their sides of the ball.

This will be Coach Mauldin’s 10-year coaching as a whole as he has been with a few different teams in the area, so he isn’t new to coaching in the slightest. He was with Dalhart High School from 2013-2014 for the first year of his coaching career, he then moved onto Claude ISD from 2014-2016 where there he was Offensive Coordinator and Head Girls Track coach there, from then on he went to Bushland ISD for the next two years of his coaching stint and for the last few years Coach Mauldin has been with Gruver High School where he had the pleasure of coaching one of the best athletes that is currently at Arizona State University in Jaylin Conyers.

Coach Mauldin is ready to get started with his new team in the Indians as he has said this is one big family that has a lot of community support and is ready to give the town something excited for this upcoming season whether it be football or any other sport that their school has to offer, he is excited either way.

Coach Mauldin has been excited about the

new change for him and big family; Coach has four daughters in Lily who is eight years old, Emma who is six years old, Eleanor who is four years old and his youngest daughter Cyrus who is one year old, and his wife Ginger Mauldin who he says was very excited to move down here since they have some family from around the area.

Coach Maudlin has made some big new hiring some new coaching staff and getting things started with some of the students he has already met during summer workouts and two-adays training sessions that he can’t wait to meet is hardest workers and even the students have showed excitement during the training as they are eager to get started. The coaching staff has been keeping a close eye on their athletes and taking care of them physically making sure they get frequent water breaks and lengthy ones at that since the Texas summer heat has not cooled down at all and has no signs of doing so anytime soon.

With that, the coach is looking forward to the challenges that await them with a tough district and tougher opponents that this area has to offer he plans to implement his own coaching ways and change the culture of Morton football for a while to come. Coach Mauldin’s coaching philosophy is, “I get to work with young men and women who are learning a variety of skills and life lessons through competitive sports. My hope is that I can adapt to the different needs of our athletes and put them in the best position to grow. All of this translates into wins.” explained Coach Mauldin. “In football, we like to play with a mindset of no fear. We will be aggressive in our approach to the game, take risks, and have fun playing this wonderful game. There’s a lesson to be learned in every outcome. Our goal is to continue to learn while we are blessed to play.”

Coach Mauldin’s teaching experience has led him to this area for a while as he went to graduate from Bushland High School, from there he went to college at Texas Tech University where he would earn his bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science, after that he went to United States Sports Academy where he would earn

24/Football Preview 2023

his master’s degree in Sports Coaching. Coach Mauldin has been doing what he loves for years and has many years ahead where he hopes it will keep him here in Morton where he can build a team and teach the youth coming up the great different aspects of not only sports but in life.

The Morton Indians will play their first game of the season against Tornillo where the teams will play at a neutral site in Wink at 1 p.m. on a Saturday August 26. The team can’t wait to showcase what they have been working for all

summer long including optional workouts that even if the students couldn’t make, they would show up later during the evening to make up for what they missed. The Morton Indians have the drive and determination to accomplish what their goals are but they will need everyone in their community to buy in and show up to the games for all the support they can get. With this tough competition the Indians will have to earn every win and show up to every game as they have one of the toughest schedules in the state of Texas.

XAVIEN RODRIGUEZ, JR.

ALEX LOPEZ, SR.

EJ RIVAS, SO.

ANDRES BEJARANO, JR.

LUIS YANEZ, JR.

DANTE CHAVEZ, JR.

JAEDEN ALVARADO, SO.

CHRISTIAN ENRIQUEZ, JR.

LANE LYON, JR.

ADRIAN LUEVANO, SO.

JORGE REGALADO, JR.

AJ MENDOZA, JR.

BRITTON BOGGS, SO.

CADE LYON, JR.

ISMAEL TENIENTE, SO.

27/Football Preview 2023

ABEL VIZCARRA, JR.

GILBERT VIGIL, SR.

BOBCATS ON THE PROWL

By Jay Kelley High school football coaches know they will not have the same team year to year, but some have to deal with more changes than others.

Smyer Head Football Coach Scott Funke knows that problem. He has not only lost eight seniors from last season, but entered that campaign short 10 seniors from the 2021 season after losing 14 seniors off the 8-4 playoff team in 2020. Funke says replacing a large number of graduated seniors can be a two-edged sword.

“The negative is that those young guys are thrust into varsity play early with very little varsity experience, if any,” said Funke. “The plus is that they will have plenty of experience by the time they are seniors.”

Funke believes that, at the Class 2A-2 level, a number of players with multiple years of varsity experience can made a big difference. He also believes that Smyer is at that point.

Even with the losses, the Bobcats have several returning starters, including quarterback Peyton Casillas and running back Preston Moore. In nine games last season, Casillas had a 52 percent pass completion rate with 1476 yards and 12 touchdowns. Moore averaged 5.8 yards per carry as a junior last season and is expected to carry the ball more often in the coming campaign.

Defensively, Moore had nearly four tackles per game. Both Casillas and Moore have significant varsity time from their sophomore seasons as well. Gavin St. Clair also returns from a strong season as both a receiving threat and a defensive standout. St. Clair has been a consistent performer on defense for the last two seasons. Last season, as a junior he had more than seven tackles per game and two fumble recoveries in the season as well as a 22 yard per carry performance as a receiver. In his sophomore season, St. Clair average 6.5 tackles per game and averaged 9.1 yards per throw in nine games at quarterback.

Senior linemen Brayden Wade, Brodie Medart and Jayden Martinez will again play on both sides of the ball. In addition to all three

starting last season, both Wade and Medart saw significant time on the field as sophomores.

Last season, the trio teamed up for nearly eight tackles per game.

Other returning lettermen include: Senior Cody Armes averaged 18.3 yards per catch with three touchdowns and three tackles per game on defense.

Junior Aiden Martinez had more than six tackles per game. Junior Mattheu Corder had 18 tackles in seven games.

Additionally, returning senior Christian Hernandez, senior Kaden Price, junior Rylan Smith and sophomore Skyler Pond are expected to contribute this season.

The Bobcats went 2-8 last season, but missed the playoffs by the thinnest of margins, losing a must win playoff shootout with the Plains Cowboys with a 37-36 loss.

The Bobcats open the season by hosting Crosbyton. Last season, Smyer went to Crosbyton, downing them 47-26. The Chiefs went 1-9 over that last campaign with their only win coming against Morton, but they have a new head coach again. Cobey Emery, who spent the last five years in Bovina will lead the program and hopes to turn things around.

Game two finds Smyer traveling to Ralls to avenge a tight 24-18 loss in Smyer last season. The Jackrabbits finished their season at 9-3 with a loss to Clarendon in the area round of the UIL Class 2A-2 football playoffs. The Jackrabbits have 12 starters back from a co-district championship year.

Game three is homecoming on Sept. 8 against Division I Floydada. The Whirlwinds defeated the Bobcats 42-18 in Floydada last season. They finished their season at 6-5 with a bi-district loss to Panhandle. They have a lot of returning starters.

The Bobcats start a two-game road trip the next week with Clarendon first and Cross Plains the next week. Clarendon downed Smyer 55-8 and finished their season 10-4 and ranked 15th in class 2A-2, falling 14-8 in the regional playoff round to sixth ranked New Home.

Clarendon will not have J’Maury Davis,

31/Football Preview 2023

GO SMYER BOBCATS!

however, who will be playing at Texas Tech and a new head coach in Aaron Wampler will be calling the shots.

The Bobcats will play Cross Plains in Roscoe. Last season the Buffaloes beat the Bobcats 45-20 and finished 7-4 with a 61-0 bi-district loss to Wink.

The Buffaloes are returning a number of starters including an offensive line that averaged 235 points last season.

September 29 is a bye week before district games start.

On Oct. 6, the Bobcats start district play in Ropes. Last season, the Eagles won 35-24 and finished 4-7 with a 43-12 bi-district loss to Sudan.

Ropes finished third in the district and has made the playoffs each year since moving up to class 2A in 2020. Under new head coach Beau Riker, the Eagles are looking for another playoff spot this season.

Next up is the New Home Leopards, who finished the season ranked sixth in class 2A-2

by MaxPreps with a 13-2 record and a trip to the state semi-finals. The Leopards are picked to repeat as district champions.

The Bobcats will host Morton on Oct. 20.

Last season, Smyer downed Morton 24-12. The Indians finished 2-8. The Indians hope to improve under new head coach Keith Mauldin.

Mauldin comes from Gruver where they finished 7-4, losing to Clarendon.

Seagraves is next. Smyer lost 42-24 last season. Seagraves finished 6-6, falling to Vega 48-7 in the area round of the playoffs. The Eagles have a number of starters returning.

Plains will round out the season in Smyer.

Last season, the Bobcats and Cowboys found themselves playing for the last spot in the playoffs with Smyer down. The Bobcats rally fell short, 37-36. Plains finished their season in the

33/Football Preview 2023

bi-district round with a 34-18 loss to Ralls. The Cowboys will have six starters returning and will most likely compete for a playoff spot.

Funke is not without some experience in the coaching staff as well. Line coach Cory Hatter has been with the program for nine of his 17 years coaching. Mike Schaap will be coaching defensive backs and running backs. He has been coaching for 26 years with 24 at Smyer.

Luke Vedder will coach wide receivers and assist Schaap with the defensive backs. Vedder has been at Smyer for three of his four years’ experience.The newest coach, Jonathan Gomez, came on last season, but has been coaching for seven years. He will guide the junior high school team.

HOME OF THE EAGLES

By Aalijah Soliz Sports Writer The Ropesville Eagles had a decent football season this past year finishing third in district behind only New Home, who went undefeated in district play, and Seagraves who they lost to by one point during district play.

The team ended their regular season with a record of 4-7 losing in the playoffs to the Sudan Hornets. The Ropes Eagles were coached by longtime Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Lane Jackson who just recently stepped down from his role as head football coach.

Coach Jackson finished with the Eagles after 27 years of being with the program and has ended with a record of 164-126-1. Out of the 27 years he had coached there he won 25 playoff games, nine district championships, and five bi-district championships with the teams. With that big resume Coach Jackson has now handed that honor to Beau Riker who has come in from Post with the antelopes.

This year will be the first year for Head Football Coach and Defensive Coordinator Beau Riker as he has big plans for the future of this team. His other responsibilities at Ropes will be the Head Powerlifting Coach and Assistant Track Coach. Coach Riker has been coaching for a total of 15 years as he is heading into his 16th year coaching. He coached at Hubbard High School for one year before moving onto Archer City High School where he spent the next two years there. He then went on to Post where he stayed with the team for a total of 11 years and even got to be a part of the team that went to a state championship. He went on to Brock High School for one year before landing with the Ropes Eagles and can’t wait to get started with the team.

Coach Riker is originally from this area of Texas graduating from Anton High School in 2003, and then attending college at Lubbock Christian University for a total of four years

earning his bachelor’s degree in education.

Coach Riker has brought his whole family together in Ropes including his wife Stacy Knight Riker whom he has been married with for 20 years, and two young men in Brennan Riker who is currently attending Lubbock Christian University and Kaden Riker who will be a freshman at Ropes High School.

Coach Riker will have the opportunity to coach his son Kaden and he is excited to do so.

Coaches’ philosophy to coaching his football team believing in an athletic program that develops young men into great citizens for our future. His hard work and dedication to the team is contagious as he is changing the culture in Ropes and making the kids believe that they are the team to beat with all the work they are putting in.

Coach Riker has the resume to back it up with an appearance in the state championship and is not afraid to get the ball rolling in the community. He also had the privilege to coach one of the finest young men in the area, Isaiah Crawford, who is currently attending Texas Tech as a defensive end and has high hopes to make a splash soon in the college atmosphere.

“Hard work is at the forefront of our athletic program. As a football team, we will be disciplined and tough players. It’s a mentality! Tough people are successful due to their never give in attitude. We want to play fast and physically,” says Coach Riker.

The Ropes Eagles started two-a-days like all the other schools in the area on July 31 as their workouts started early in the morning at 7 a.m. and did not end till noon. The Eagles plan on making a huge difference in the way they play the game and can’t wait to show their skills when they play their first football game against Boys Ranch in an away game.

They have shown a lot of improvement during the summer including team meetings where they meet as a team outside of school hours

35/Football Preview 2023

and work on their team chemistry. With a team that has put in so much effort and time getting to know each other and care about one another outside of school, it will be hard to beat a team that cares.

The Ropes Eagles will start district play October 6 against Smyer as the home team so the fans that show up and cheer their team on will make this team hard to beat.

This team has a very tough district and can’t wait to make their community proud with the amount of new coaching staff they have added and the new young talent that they are adding to their roster every year.

The teams that are in their district include the Smyer Bobcats, Morton Indians, Seagraves Eagles, Plains Cowboys, and the New Home Leopards who went undefeated last season in district play and finished off their season with a winning record of 13-2 losing to Albany who ended up winning the state championship. To say they have a tough district is an understatement, but they are ready to prove to the area that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with and that they have the potential to be a powerhouse in the area that has no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

37/Football Preview 2023

MASON MARMOLEJO, JR.

BODE FRANKLIN, JR.

BREGG FELDMAN, JR.

COLTON MORTENSON, JR.

BEN SALDIVAR, SR.

BRANSON BECK, SR.

REESE WILLIAMS, JR.

KADE FRANKLIN, SO.

BRADY BRYAN, JR.

HAYDEN TORRES, JR.

BRAYDEN HOGG, SO.

GABE SANCHEZ, JR.

JONATHAN ADAMS, SR.

KANON BUCKNER, SO.

BROXTON VARNELL, SO.

REID MCCALEB, JR.

REED HYATT, SR.

BRAXXIN PARTINGTON, SR.

39/Football Preview 2023

MIKE SANCHEZ, JR.

SAM MCCALEB, JR.

PANTHER ATTACK

By Jay Kelley The Whitharral Panthers lost seven seniors to graduation from a 12-2 team that went to the UIL Class 1A-2 State High School Football Quarterfinals last season, but head football coach Jeremy Holt thinks his team has the potential for success this year as well.

“We’ll have to replace nearly everybody on offense,” he said, “but our defense is solid.”

The loss of Shamadrick Weaver and his back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons will be felt.

“We’ll look different,” Holt said.

Weaver is running track at West Texas A&M this year.

Whitharral went 9-1 over the regular season, winning their district 4-0 and downing Silverton (who was their only loss in the regular season) 46-0 in the bi-district round, Klondike 64-20 in the area round and Balmorhea 34-20 in the state quarterfinals.

In spite of the graduations, Whitharral returns five lettermen who are expected, along with Landon Lee moving up from the junior varsity, to be impact players.

Seniors Nomar Gomez and Rayden Potter will anchor the defense. Gomez averaged a phenomenal nine tackles per game with more than one tackle for loss per game. He also had three interceptions during the season.

Potter was slowed by injuries during the season, but still managed six tackles per game.

Junior Dawson Rodgers was also a defensive stalwart whose timing and ability to pursue was instrumental in breaking up opposing offenses’ playbook. Junior Jack Griffin will see more action this season as a quarterback and defensive back. Last season Griffin was a 78 percent point after kicker and hit a field goal in the playoffs against Balmorhea that put the Panthers in the lead for good.

The final returning letterman is sophomore

Brent Robinson. Although used sparingly last season, Robinson still amassed 297 yards with a 6.3 yard per carry average and eight touchdowns. He also had 147 yards receiving with two touchdowns and averaged 2.3 tackles per game.

The Panther coaching staff looks a little different as well. With the departure of head basketball coach and athletic director Clayton Fryar, who worked the press box in football, Whitharral has added first year coach Brett Berger. Berger will assist Holt and second year assistant coach Matthew White in football as well as assisting White during basketball season.

Whitharral is ranked sixth in division II and 26 overall in the sixmanfootball.com preseason poll.

The season starts on August 25th with a trip to Springlake to take on the Wolverines. The Wolverines are a division I team and are ranked 19th overall in the pre-season poll and will try to avenge a 72-32 shellacking in Whitharral last season that included 24 unanswered Panther points in the third quarter.

Springlake-Earth went 7-5 in their first season under head coach James Ball, falling to Nazareth in the playoff area round. The Wolverines return a number of starters from last year’s team.

Game two brings the Kress Kangaroos to town. Last season, the Kangaroos fell behind early on their way to a 60-38 loss. The Kangaroos finished their season 6-4 and missed the playoffs as the number three team in their district.

This season, Kress is fielding a young team under new head coach James Shelton. Shelton comes from Sanderson where he went 8-2, losing to Klondike in the bi-district round of the division II playoffs.

The Panthers host Silverton on September 8.

The Owls stunned Whitharral’s last season 34-30 in the regular season, but the Panthers avenged the loss with a 46-0 win in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Silverton went 7-4 on their season before falling to Whitharral. They return a number of young players. th

Homecoming finds Dora, N.M. in Whitharral.

The Coyotes went 7-4 last season and finished with a loss to Gateway Christian in the second round of the New Mexico playoff system. They did not face the Panthers last season.

Week five finds the Panthers in Guthrie facing the Throckmorton Greyhounds. Whitharral downed Throckmorton last season in a 102-52 shootout that saw 560 yards offense from the Panthers and 430 from Throckmorton.

Throckmorton went 10-4 before losing to the eventual state champion Benjamin Mustangs in round three of the playoffs. Throckmorton is ranked 20th in division II. September 29 finds the Panther playing Nazareth. The division I Swifts are ranked 20th overall in the preseason poll. Last season the Panthers downed Nazareth 54-24 on a strong second half performance. The Swifts finished 10-3 on a season that ended with a 56-16 loss to Happy in the state quarterfinals. Nazareth is always in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Whitharral travels to Hart on October 6 to start district play. Last season the Panthers beat Hart 54-8. Hart finished their season 6-4, narrowly missing a playoff berth with a 30-22 loss to Amherst.

Cotton Center is next on the list. The Elks travel to Whitharral this year. The Elks finished 2-8 last season including a 60-0 loss to Whitharral’s.

Cotton Center has a new coach in Richard Jackson, who comes from Lockney where he was the head coach for one year and served as defensive coordinator prior to that.

Week 10, the Panthers were scheduled to face Lazbuddie, but they were forced to shutdown the football program this coming season due to a lack of players. Coach Holt is currently talking with the UIL to schedule another opponent.

District rival Amherst finishes the regular season. The Bulldogs finished their season 8-3 as district runners up with a 24-20 loss to Whitharral.

Amherst lost to Groom in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Bulldogs are ninth in the division II poll.

They are always a competitive team and will likely play Whitharral tough.

43/Football Preview 2023

GO PANTHER NATION!

MIGHTY ANTELOPES

By Jay Kelley For most UIL Class 1A football teams, the loss of eight seniors would call for a rebuilding year, but while the loss will be felt in Whiteface, the Antelopes have a lot of returning talent.

“We had a lot of sophomores and juniors playing last year,” said head coach Clint Linman.

The Antelopes went 9-3 last season, winning their district with a 3-0 record. They defeated Van Horn 56-6 in Bi-District before falling to Rankin 70-24 in the area round of the UIL High School Class 1A Division I Football Playoffs.

Both the starting quarterback and running back from last season are back and, as juniors, will have another year as well. Jeremiah Rendon had a 58.4 percent completion rating with 1,167 yards and 22 touchdowns in the air. He returns as a starter from the last two campaigns. He also had 327 yards on the ground with three touchdowns, although the yeoman work at running back came

from Ethan Kauffman, who also started as both a freshman and sophomore. Kauffman managed 1,468 yards on 160 carries for a nine-plus yard average with 30 touchdowns. A consistent performer on defense, Kauffman averaged 3.3 tackles per game.

Others returning with varsity experience include: Senior Jeremias Chavez had 532 yards receiving with a 16.625 average and 10 touchdowns. He also recorded more than four tackles per game.

Senior Julio Borunda stepped up last season with 693 yards on 65 carries and 14 touchdowns.

He is also a threat as a receiver with 260 yards on 15 catches and five touchdowns.

Senior Noah Rendon averaged more than nine yards per carry in an injury shortened season.

Junior Auscar Gandara returns on the defense after averaging four tackles per game last season.

Linman will remain as head football coach, but also take on the duties of athletic director with the retirement of head girls’ basketball coach Gary Simmons. Josh Watson, also in his second year at Whiteface, will continue as assistant coach.

The Antelopes play in UIL Class 1A-1 and are ranked 13th in that division by the sixmanfootball. com preseason poll. Whiteface is ranked 18th in the overall poll that includes division II schools.

The Antelopes open the season on August 25 with a home stand against Nazareth, currently ranked 15th in division I. The Swifts downed Whiteface in Nazareth in last year’s season opener 63-20 on their way to a 10-3 season that ended with a 56-16 loss to Happy in the state quarterfinals. Nazareth is always in the hunt for a playoff spot and there is no reason to think this year will be any different.

Week two sees Whiteface on the road against Grandfalls-Royalty, whose last winning season came in 2019. The Cowboys fell to Whiteface last season 44-0 on their way to a 3-7 season. The Antelopes offense did not throw a pass all night, but rushed for 172 yards by half-time in the mercy rule shortened game.

49/Football Preview 2023

The Valley Patriots come to town on Sept.

8. Valley is currently ranked 12th in division I. Whiteface beat Valley last season 66-52 in Turkey. Valley finished the season 6-4 in a down season last year.

Whiteface remains on the road the next week, travelling to Anton. They downed the Bulldogs 53-6 in a mercy rule shortened game. Anton finished the season 1-9 and will be led by new head coach Adam Ramirez who stepped up from assistant to Matthew Hoover who passed away last year.

Wilderado comes to Whiteface for homecoming on Sept. 22. The Antelopes downed the Mustangs 74-8. Wilderado went 1-9 on the season.

Week six starts another road trip at the Kress Kangaroos. Kress downed Whiteface 58-50 last season in a game where the Antelopes trailed until midway through the fourth quarter. Whiteface took a six point lead at that point, but couldn’t hang on.

The Kangaroos finished their season 6-4 and missed the playoffs as the number three team in their district. This season, Kress is led by new head coach James Shelton. Shelton comes from Sanderson where he went 8-2, losing to Klondike in the bi-district round of the division II playoffs.

October 6 sees the Antelopes in Springlake. The Wolverines are ranked 14th in division I by the pre-season poll and will seek to avenge a close 50-44 loss last season. Springlake-Earth went 7-5 in their first season under

head coach James Ball, falling to Nazareth in the playoff area round.

October 13 is a bye before district play starts. Wellman-Union comes to Whiteface on Oct. 20 to start district play. The Wildcats lost to Whiteface 66-6 last season on their way to a second consecutive 0-10 season.

Wellman-Union looks to be a little different this season under new head coach John York.

York was previously the superintendent at Anton and has been coaching six-man football since 1999, including a stint at Follett where he took the team to the finals.

Meadow is next on the list. The Antelopes downed the Broncos 64-6 in a home game last season. The Broncos will be without the services of Jimmy German, who graduated last season. They will be under new head coach Jacob Guzman, who comes from Savoy where he went 4-6.

The final game of the season will be O’Donnell at home. Last season, the Antelopes quashed a second quarter rally from the Eagles to win 62-36 in O’Donnell. The Eagles went 4-7 and lost to Buena Vista 86-36 in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

This season’s version, coached by hall of fame player Fernando Baeza, will look to get back into the playoffs this season. The faces on the sidelines will be familiar to the Antelope faithful. Linman will remain as head football coach, but also take on the duties of athletic director with the retirement of head girls’ basketball coach Gary Simmons.

51/Football Preview 2023

DANE DAMERON, SR.

CASH CRUTCHER, SO.

ETHAN KAUFFMAN, JR.

JEREMIAH RENDON, JR.

SAL LICON, SO.

VICTOR BORUNDA, SO.

PARKER TREJO, JR.

NOAH RENDON, SR.

CHRIS OLGUIN SR.

JEREMIAS CHAVEZ, SR.

ISAAK SOLIZ, FR,

CESAR CHAVEZ, FR.

AUSCAR GANDARA, JR.

TYLER CAMPBELL, JR.

JAXON HODGE, FR.

AXEL RIVERA, SO.

KADEN DOBSON, SR.

HUDSON WILCOX, FR.

JAXON HEFLIN, SR.

JUILO BORUNDA, SR.

DAMIAN CASTANEDA, JR.

NICKOLAS CASTANEDA, JR.

ERIC ALVAREZ, JR.

LAND OF THE BULLDOG’S

By Aalijah Soliz Sports Writer The Anton Bulldogs will be heading into year one with their new Head Football Coach Brian Duncan as this will be the coach’s tenth year coaching off and on.

Although he has coached for many years before this will be his first head coaching job at this level of play. Coach Duncan shared his excitement to get started with the team although he hasn’t had much time with the athletes. Additionally, he feels he hasn’t missed much as he has been around the school and the area for a while.

Coach Duncan added knows quite a bit about the students and the parents.

His previous coaching experience was with the New Deal Lions before he got his head coaching role in Anton. Coach Duncan had originally taken the job in Anton to give back to the community that gave so much to him when he was

at Texas Tech University and wants to take the generation to the next level in their game.

The town of Anton welcomed Coach Duncan and his family with open arms and Coach Duncan explained that this community is one of a kind and missed this hometown feeling for a while. The community is familiar with the coach as he used to referee their youth basketball games and football games, so he is not a stranger to what they have going on there and is really excited to pick up where the team had left off.

The Anton Bulldogs had been working hard all summer long with summer workouts and all the camps that the school had held, not including the two-a-days training. The Bulldogs training started around the same time the other schools in the area had but they were the first ones in the area to go full pads so early and putting an emphasis on lifting weights.

The team had an overall record of 1-9 with

their only win of the season coming from Lazbuddie with a score of 48-0. With Coach Duncan coming in and making an immediate impact on the team, most would say the community has high hopes of the team’s success turning around with a coach such as Duncan’s capabilities.

This upcoming season the Bulldogs schedule looks the same but with more firepower added to their lineup. They have a decent number of returners on both sides of the ball as well as size on the line for their blocking unit.

The team starts their first game of the season August 24 against Booker who last year had an overall record of 4-5 coming in last in their district going 0-5 in district play.

The team is motivated and ready to start their season with a brand-new coach in a new system that he has to offer with the schools tough schedule and hard district the team is cut out to earn every win they get this season. The Anton Bulldogs will start district play against Kress October 6, at 7 p.m.

57/Football Preview 2023

ANDRES SERVIN, FR.

ZIAN MARTINEZ, SO.

ADRIAN AGUIRRE, SR.

KENDALL MATHEWS, SO.

CONNER ARMSTRONG, JR.

SHOOTER CAMPOS, FR.

AUTILANO CASTILLO, SO.

MASON ANDERSON, JR.

JOSHUA GARCIA, SO.

GAVIN MARTINEZ, JR.

59/Football Preview 2023

KADEN STARNS, FR.

DOMINIC GIATAN, SR.

ADRIAN CASTILLO, JR.

JOSE AVALOS, JR.