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tephen F. Austin head football coach Colby Carthel has been in this position before and knew the journey would be full of bumps from day one.
story and photos
Senior quarterback Trae Self returns for his fourth season as starting quarterback this fall. Last year he completed 63.6% (243-of-382) of his passes for 3,201 yards and 28 touchdowns, compared to only nine interceptions.
“(SFA quarterbacks) coach Jared May and (SFA OC) coach Matt Storm have watched him grow and evolve through the years, and it’s been a great experience.”
And teams might want to get out of the Lumberjacks’ way.
Gipson missed spring ball after undergoing knee surgery in January. Carthel said that turned out to be a blessing because not only did his top receiver heal, but he got an opportunity to see some of the other talent shine during spring ball.
6 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
The 2021 season was a tough one to swallow for the Lumberjacks and their fans, coming within 11 points of an undefeated regular season, before finishing 8-3, and then 8-4 with a playoff loss. Even tougher was the one-point defeat at the hands of then No. 1 and unbeaten Sam Houston 2120. That defeat cost them the Western Athletic Conference championship and forced them to wait for next season. Now the ‘‘next’’ season is here. And the Lumberjacks “Going From Good to Great” motto has changed to simply, “Finish!”
After knocking on the door to a league championship and then earning a FCS playoff berth, only to lose 35-28 in overtime to Incarnate Word, this year SFA is prepared to not bother knocking on the door, but rather knock it down.
Carthel knows all about winning, taking the DII program at Texas A&M Commerce to a national championship in 2017. He did it the same way as he’s planted and watched his garden grow in Nacogdoches. He built most of it with East Texas players.Itwillall
Carthel and his staff built the SFA football team from the ground up, with the blessing of Lumberjack Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey and the administration. From day one, the coach said he did it to “win forever.”
“There aren’t many times you get to go into a season with a fourth-year starting quarterback,” Carthel noted. “That’s a great problem to have. Trae’s development through the years here has been fun to watch.
Self spread the ball out to receivers such as Josh Thomas (Sr.), who plays in the slot, along with wideouts Jeremiah Miller (Sr.), Moe Wedman (So.), Lawton Rikel (Jr.) and Darryle Simmons (Jr.). Carthel said all of those players’ talent level rose during the spring. by JOHN KRUEGER
But from that opening 56-17 loss to Baylor in Waco in the fall of 2019 with 35 freshmen on the field, to the 2022 season that’s on the horizon, it’s the patience and hard work by Carthel, his staff and the players that is getting ready to pay dividends.
In addition to the losses to Sam Houston and UIW, SFA fell to FBS opponent Texas Tech, 28-22, and then No. 24 Jacksonville State, 28-24. The Lumberjacks could have easily gone undefeated during regular season play. But Carthel and company will use those four losses, the past three years of hard work and tough times to motivate them for 2022 and beyond. Fans are busy buying tickets and planning tailgates and road trips because they know this year could be very special. It could be the first season since 2009 that the ’Jacks win a playoff game. And there could be more if the stars are aligned.
Self’s favorite target has been All-American wideout Xavier Gipson. The top returning vote getter for the Walter Payton Award, which is comparable to the Heisman Trophy on the FCS level, is an Athlon Sports Preseason All-American. Last season he led all FCS players with 1,367 yards receiving, pulling in 74 receptions with 14 touchdowns.
SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR ‘JACKS TEAM INFO • STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LUMBERJACKS ENROLLMENT • 13,000 CONFERENCE • WESTERN ATHLETIC STADIUM • HOMER BRYCE STADIUM STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY LUMBERJACKS
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“Xavier is a very special player and hopefully, if things go well, he’ll have a chance to play on Sundays (NFL). He is more than just special, he’s unique.”
Lumberjack fans will settle — and are expecting — that 2022 is the year to claim that first WAC title and more. “I think you build your program to be successful on the national stage and compete for conference championships,” Carthel said. “In my opinion, we were able to do that last year. We were one point short of a conference championship (finishing 4-1) and we qualified for the national playoffs. So I think we’re right on schedule.
“It seems like yesterday we were rolling out there to play the Baylor Bears with 35 true freshmen. It’s really good to see the maturation of the program and the maturity of the players over the years. I think we’re all excited to see what this season has the potential to hold.”
begin on Aug. 27 in Montgomery, Alabama, against AQ7 foe Jacksonville State in a national televised game on ESPN.Despite coming up just short a year ago, the Lumberjacks were impressive along the way, averaging 34.3 points and 423.1 yards a game on offense, including 291.6 through the air.
“I think this is the year I’m excited about, and my players are excited about. That first signing class is really excited because we have a lot of fourth-year players, so we have a lot of guys with a lot of experience.
SFA AT A GLANCE
“Max has done a phenomenal job of handling our punting duties,” the coach said. “And Chris is really in his fourth year here, after redshirting. They’re both team favorites and great teammates.”
SFA will look to shore up its ground game with some healthy runners this season. Leading returning rusher Miles Reed (Sr.) is back after leading the ’Jacks with 678 yards and a 4.1 average a year ago, despite a nagging ankle injury. Reed had surgery on the ankle and is expected to be stronger than ever.
“Keegan Holm (Jr.), Jaret Porterfield (Jr.) and Justice Guillory (So.) and some of those guys have a lot of starts under their belts over the past two-three years. They’ll be the ones we lean on this season.”
“Clint Lapic (Jr.) is a fifth-year guy that will anchor things as center. He was a walk-on tight end from Hallsville when he came here and has turned into an all-conference player for us.
Both Quick and Campos were walk-ons when they first arrived at SFA but are now scholarship players.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Trae Self, Xavier Gipson, B.J. Thompson, Myles Heard, Jeremiah Walker, Brevin Randle, Dennis Osagiede, QuenTyvian Borders, Lawton Rikel, Josh Thompson, Willie Roberts, Miles Reed, Max Quick, Chris Campos, Amad Murray, Chad Aune
Are the pieces falling into place this fall? Only time will tell. But there is reason for excitement in Lumberjack Nation this season.
Another aspect of the offense that Carthel has seen steady improvement in is the offensive line.
Jaquarion Turner (RS-So.), an all-conference runner from 2020, is back after a season-ending injury against Sam Houston a year ago. Carthel said to also check out Ja’Bray Young (So.) and Korbyn White (So.), along with Jerrell Wimbley, a true freshman from C.E. King in Houston that graduated early and spent the spring at SFA.
On the defensive side, there also will be standouts. The Lumberjack front four rotated with a second group last season and the second four was about as good as the first, and they will be back. They are led by B.J. Thompson (Sr.) and Ahmad Murray (Jr.), who are two of the best, according to Carthel.
“Brevin Randle (Jr.) is a conference-player-of-the-year type linebacker. He’s going into his fourth year and has really anchored our defense. He’s a phenomenal leader and coach on the “Andfield.when you look at our safeties, you’ve got two allconference players in Myles Heard (Jr.) and Jeremiah Walker (So.).
2021: 8-4 overall, 4-1 in WAC, 4-2 in AQ7, first round FCS Playoffs COACH: Colby Carthel, fourth year
Nacogdoches native and redshirt sophomore place-kicker Chris Campos is deadly anywhere inside the 50. He was successful on 83.3% (20-of-24) of his field goals last season, including a long of 53. He kicked a 65-yard field goal in the spring game.
8 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
KEY LOSSES: Bert Morris (LB), Aretavious Hendrix (S), Da’Leon Ward (RB), Caleb Lawton (CB), Rayshad Nichols (DT)
“I think we’re going to be really tough throughout the defense on all three levels.”
Heard led SFA in tackles last season with 69, with Randle second with 63 and Murray fifth with 48 to go along with 13 tackles for losses.
And there won’t be any fall-off in special teams. Max Quick (Jr.), the Lufkin native and 2021 Cally Belcher Award recipient, returns after averaging 46 yards per kick on 44 punts a year ago. He had 13 punts over 50 yards, 18 inside the 20-yard line and only five touchbacks.
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: After three seasons under the helm of Carthel, the Lumberjacks finally have a lot of weapons and a long list of strengths. With the NCAA and COVID-19 giving the Lumberjack players another year of eligibility, and the squad going through the growing pains of a young squad for the past three seasons, SFA had depth, talent and a lot of strengths. The
9PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: There aren’t many potential problems for SFA. The Lumberjacks need to shore up their running attack from a year ago that averaged just 113.2 yards per game and 3.2 yards per attempt.
OVERVIEW: This is the year Carthel has been pointing to since being hired in November 2019. He has had some of the strongest FCS recruiting classes in the country, while adding junior college transfers to bolster needs. This should be the year the Lumberjacks are favored to capture the WAC conference championship and go on to record their first FCS playoff win since 2009.
Lumberjack offense is coming off a season where it averaged 34.3 points per game and 432.1 yards of offense, while the defense gave up just 18.8 points and 198.2 yards. Self returns as a fourth-year starter at quarterback, throwing for 3,201 yards a year ago, completing 63.6% of his passes for 28 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. His favorite target was Gipson. A preseason All-American, he caught 74 passes for an FCS-best 1,367 yards as a sophomore, scoring 14 times. Defensively, there are a number of standouts returning. Heard led the team in tackles a year ago with 69, while Randle was second with 63. SFA also has strong special teams, with Quick returning after averaging 46 yards per punt, while Campos successfully kicked 83.3% of his field goals, with a long of 53.
SFA 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD * WAC GAME # AQ7 GAME $ AT NRG STADIUM, HOUSTON AUG. 27 AT JACKSONVILLE STATE 5-6 SEPT. 3 AT ALCORN STATE 6-5 SEPT. 10 AT LOUISIANA TECH 3-9 SEPT. 17 BYE SEPT. 24 WARNER UNIVERSITY 3-8 OCT. 1 VS. SAM HOUSTON $ 11-1 OCT. 8 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 5-6 OCT. 15 TARLETON STATE* 6-5 OCT. 22 AT SOUTHERN UTAH #* 1-10 OCT. 29 UTAH TECH (HC)* 1-10 NOV. 5 BYE NOV. 12 CENTRAL ARKANSAS # 5-6 NOV. 19 AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN #* 5-6 SFA 2021 RESULTS 8-4, 6-2 W TARLETON STATE 20-10 L AT TEXAS TECH 28-22 W MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 58-13 W LINCOLN UNIVERSITY (CA) 61-13 L SAM HOUSTON STATE 21-20 L AT JACKSONVILLE STATE 28-24 W AT DIXIE STATE 37-20 W ABILENE CHRISTIAN 41-27 W EASTERN KENTUCKY 31-17 W AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS 27-14 W AT LAMAR 42-6 L AT INCARNATE WORD 35-28, OT
The Panthers are coming off their first losing regular season since 1995 and their first missed playoff appearance since 1997. A 4-6 season saw Lufkin tie for fifth place in 8-5A DI and finish with a forgettable 38-7 road loss to a Waller team that also didn’t make the postseason. Those memories haven’t faded away as the Panthers try to turn the page for the 2022 season.
Quick said both would likely see action, although the team would name a starter before the season.
“He’ll be one of our outside guys and he’s the fastest that we have,” Quick said. “He really came on before the broken foot so he wasn’t able to finish the year.”
“He’s put on some muscle and slimmed down since last year,” Quick said. “He’s not a rah-rah guy but he leads by example. If you put 90 guys out there, he’s the one you’d pick first. He goes out there and outworks people, which you can see when he’s out there.”
While the focus may be on the young guys, the player that could make the Panthers a threat on any given night is returning running back Kedren Young. He played quarterback for a short stint as a sophomore and missed multiple games with an injury. Despite that limited workload, he led Lufkin with 973 yards and 11 touchdowns on 168 carries.
Moody started last season as the starter, finishing with 190 yards on 18-of-32 passing. He also was a running threat where he had a pair of touchdowns on the ground. However, he was injured early in the season and never able to return to the lineup.After a brief experiment with Young at quarterback, Hammond, then a sophomore, took over down the stretch. He finished the year throwing for a team-high 862 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions on 54-93 passing.
“We’re going to have guys out there that haven’t played on Friday nights,” Quick said. “They have to get ready for that speed before they get out there. We need to have senior leaders out here. But if we’re going to get where we want, we’re going to need some of these young guys to step up early.”
Lufkin has plenty of other options at the outsider receiver position, including Bradyn Walker and Amarion Campbell.
The Panthers have plenty of options at the inside receiver as well with Brayden Murphy and Robert Fields returning.
O’Ryan Hart was one of the players that showed promise last year before the injury bug hit when his season ended with a broken foot. He finished the year with 14 receptions and a team-high 274 receiving yards with a touchdown.
Murphy
I
Young has already drawn the attention of colleges from across the state and that interest will likely ramp up with another strong year. Quick doesn’t understate the importance of Young’s presence on this year’s team.
“Javorie was the one that got a lot of the carries in the spring with Kedren being in baseball,” Quick said. “He had a great spring, and we expect he’s going to give us quality touches once the season starts.”
“Since day one, everybody knows the goal,” Lufkin head coach Todd Quick said. “You have to get into the playoffs first. I think we had the third longest streak in the state of making the playoffs before last year. Not making it is unacceptable. We have to do what it takes to get in the playoffs and compete for district titles.”
The Panthers also have threats outside of Young, mainly with the legs of Javorie Garrett, who is expected to see a larger role after running for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries lastHeseason.wasone of the players that impressed the staff in the spring as well as the early portions of the summer.
Meanwhile, one of Lufkin’s biggest question marks comes at the quarterback position, where Elijah Moody and T.J. Hammond have been battling for the starting job.
t’s been five years since the Lufkin Panthers found themselves a minute away from a spot in the state semifinals. That was followed by a year that included a district title, a Top 10 ranking and one of the school’s most dangerous teams in recentThoseyears.years seem like a distant memory now.
story by JOSH HAVARD | photos by JOEL ANDREWS LUFKIN OUT TO PUT 2021 IN THE PAST TEAM INFO • LUFKIN PANTHERS ENROLLMENT • 2,199 DISTRICT • 7-5A DI STADIUM • JOHN OUTLAW MEMORIAL FIELD AT ABE MARTIN STADIUM PANTHERS LUFKIN
It won’t be an easy task for the Panthers, who have a mixture of returning talent as well as newcomers. Many of those new faces will come from an impressive freshman team that won last year’s district title. With that in mind, Lufkin’s spring practices were held later in the day, allowing the entire group to work out together. In previous seasons, the incoming sophomores would work out earlier in the day. This year it was more of a necessity than a luxury to get all those players on the field.
“If you’ve got two starting quarterbacks, then you don’t have one,” Quick said. “That’s been a pretty tight race. Both have things they can do better than the other. One can do more with his legs and the other can make those quick decisions in getting the ball out. Whoever does more is the one that’s going to come away with the job.” Whoever gets the start at quarterback should have some solid if unproven weapons at the receiver position.
10 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
Walker had 11 catches for 197 yards last season and Campbell had 11 receptions for 120 yards and a score.
Jacob Weibe returns to the team as a starting center while Daniel Torres returns after seeing significant time at right guard. Outside of those two players, Lufkin will look for young contributors, including a group of sophomores.
Crane finished last year with 44 tackles while Holman had 24.“Those are the two vocal leaders of our defense,” Quick said. “They have to be the ones that say it all stops here. They’re going to work hard, and they’re two guys that have earned the right to be the voice of the defense.”
The Panthers have some talent up front, including Bralyn Holman and Christian Crane, two potential playmakers at the defensive end positions.
Ke’vondrick Taylor is expected to fill multiple roles as a sophomore.
The Panthers are experienced at inside linebacker where they are led by last year’s leading tackler Tanner Havard. He finished the season with 93 tackles.
Charlie Deaton made an early impact with 11 tackles before missing the majority of the season with a shoulder injury.
“Tanner’s a guy that’s been there before and led us in tackles last year,” Deaton said. “Charlie lost a little bit of weight and has gotten a little faster where he can really make plays. Both those guys can make a bunch of tackles, and they really play the game the right way.”
While the Panthers have experience on the outside, they’ll need to rely on some new faces on the inside. Brandon Baker is expected to lead the way at tackle with sophomore Zion Williams having the potential to be an immediate force in the middle. Gio Villegas is another incoming sophomore who will need to step up early.
Another potential playmaker is Isaiah Menefee, who made 48 tackles last season and is one of the solidified players at safety. “He’s really tall and had a really good spring,” Quick said. “If you opened the gym 365 days, he’d be there all 365 of
“We’re excited about Weibe coming back as a senior and Torres might have been our most pleasant surprise,” Quick said. “He’s our most consistent and most improved offensive lineman. He’s physical and has a good punch. “Other than those two, we’ll have some young ones with the opportunity to play there. They’ll need to be ready to go so they’ve got to put the time in to be ready.”
Kaden Hooper is an incoming sophomore also expected to make an immediate impact at inside linebacker.
Chrismon Sigler is a versatile player who was second on the team in tackles with 73 one season ago. He can play outside linebacker but also has the potential to play at safety.
“We’re expecting big things from those young guys in order to be good there,” Quick said.
12 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 had 13 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns last year while Fields had 10 receptions for 207 yards and two scores.
Meanwhile, Lufkin will look to take another step on a defense that was strong at times but struggled at others.
“He can play at either receiver position,” Quick said. “He can be a mismatch for a linebacker or a safety. He’ll be one of our return/special teams guys and he’ll play on third downs at Thosecorner.”types of skill players will give Lufkin a chance to improve on what was a struggling offense, but the biggest key may be on the offensive line, where Lufkin struggled throughout the year.
COACH: Todd Quick PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Kedren Young, S Isaiah Menefee, WR O’Ryan Hart, DB Cameron Lister, DB Jacorius Taylor, LB Tanner Havard KEY LOSSES: WR Journie Thomas, K Brandon Cano, WR Cameron Jackson, RB Zach Sigler, LB Ladarius Jackson
It will be a long road for the Panthers both literally and figuratively in 2022. They’re joining a new district that will include plenty of lengthy road trips.
In addition to East Texas rivals Longview and Tyler, the Panthers will be joined by Forney, North Mesquite, McKinney North, West Mesquite and Lancaster.
Regardless of the path, the Panthers know they want the 2022 season to end with a different destination.
OVERVIEW: Missing the playoffs in 2021 didn’t sit well with the Panthers. They’re picked by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football to finish fifth in district once again. However, with plenty of new faces in the lineup, Lufkin wants to return to prominence both at a local and state level.
“We’ve got an older kid in Eddie and a younger one in Nolan,” Quick said. “They both do it all and both of them can be a weapon. It might be one of those things where the duties are split up by the time we get out there.”
LUFKIN 2021 RESULTS 4-6, 3-5 L TYLER LEGACY 35-17 W AT NACOGDOCHES 22-16 L MAGNOLIA WEST 28-14 L AT MAGNOLIA 27-21 W NEW CANEY PORTER 38-28 L AT NEW CANEY 38-27 L COLLEGE STATION 56-7 W AT CLEVELAND 27-16 W CANEY CREEK 38-14 L AT WALLER 38-7 LUFKIN 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD AUG. 26 AT TYLER LEGACY 6-6 SEPT. 2 NACOGDOCHES 3-8 SEPT. 9 AT A&M CONSOLIDATED 10-3 SEPT. 16 LONGVIEW* 9-4 SEPT. 23 AT FORNEY* 7-4 OCT. 7 NORTH MESQUITE* 1-9 OCT. 14 AT MCKINNEY NORTH* 5-7 OCT. 21 TYLER* 6-5 OCT. 28 AT WEST MESQUITE* 2-8 NOV. 4 LANCASTER* 10-2 * DISTRICT GAME
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POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The Panthers know they need to be better on the offensive line and they’ll be turning to a group that may include three sophomores. If they can find their footing early, what was a weakness last season could turn into a strength.
“These kids expect to be in the playoffs,” Quick said. “To do that, they have to take the steps it takes to get there.”
The Panthers have a pair of players coming back at cornerback with the return of Cameron Lister and Jacorius Taylor. Taylor finished with 24 tackles while Lister had 23.
“Those two guys started the entire year last year,” Quick said. “They’re going to be two that keep that group together.”
Michael Mosley, another sophomore, will be another player expected to see key time at safety.
A GLANCE 2021:
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Not many teams have a running back with the playmaking ability of Young, who can break open a game on any play. If Lufkin can get an adequate passing game, Young will be even more dangerous.
LUFKIN AT 4-6 overall, 3-5 in District 8-5A DI, missed playoffs
PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 them. He understands how to play the game and we love what he brings to the team.”
The Panthers also will have new faces at the kicker and punter position after the graduation of Brandon Cano, who signed to play for Tabor College. Senior Eddie Vargas and sophomore Nolan Hansard are battling for positions both at kicker and punter.
“We’re used to traveling, but it adds another dimension when you’re going four hours instead of two,” Quick said. “You can’t just drive straight through, get off the bus and be ready to go. You’ve got to adapt, but teams have to do that when they come here as well.” Prior to those games, Lufkin opens the season with nondistrict games against Tyler Legacy, Nacogdoches and A&M Consolidated.
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Allman mentioned include returning defensive alldistrict player Kaden Fields (DL/TE, 6-2, 265), two-way starter and all-district standout Isaac Jones (QB/DB, 6-1, 180), twoway starter and all-league player D’Marea Weaver (WR/DB, 6-0, 175) and returning all-district offensive lineman Ryan story and photos by JOHN KRUEGER
The Dragons boast eight returning offensive players who saw starting time in the majority of their games last season, in addition to eight players on defense who also could be considered as starters coming back. Nac also has its starting kicker and punter, Denzel Hinojosa (5-11, 160, Sr.) back this fall.
The Nac coach said skill position players on both offense and defense should be the strong suit of the squad heading into the fall. He said some of those players started shining brighter as the season went on and should show off their talent this year. Some of them include Weaver, L.J. Leadon (DB/WR, 5-11, 170, Jr.), J.T. Thomas (DB/RB, 5-10, 165, Sr.), Jones and Jaylon Brown (WR/DB, 6-5, 180, r.).
“Some of our guys that were impact guys last year were juniors,” Allman said. “So having them back, along with those sophomores from last year who had considerable playing time is going to help us out a bunch.”
There is a lot of big-play potential on this year’s team, and it starts with the two quarterbacks returning from a year ago, Allman said. Jones is a senior, along with southpaw Mikail Lockett (QB/DB, 6-1, 180, Jr.), who was injured late last season but gives the Nac offense a different dimension when he’s in the“We’regame.going to have a lot of big-play potential, and going into the year with two quarterbacks will help that to happen,” the coach said. “Isaac got a lot of snaps last year on Friday night, and before Mikail got hurt he was getting a lot of snaps in the second half of district.
Allman said Weaver and Brown, along with Leadon in the slot, will make the Dragon passing game a threat.
16 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
“Having Jaylon on the opposite side as D’Marea and L.J. in the slot should be great for our passing game,” the coach said. “It will give our quarterbacks more threats in the passing game. I think at least one of them should be able to create space and it will help our passing game have a big-play capability.”
“I think the thing that will naturally be an improvement for us will be the experience in age,” Allman said. “At one point last year — in Weeks 9, 10 and 11 — we were playing anywhere from 9-13 sophomores at one time. When you look at the list of our roster and some of the players that will potentially be difference makers for us, they were sophomores and 15 years old last Allmanseason.”saidinaddition to the strong junior class of 25 players on the 2022 roster, there also will be a strong presence of 16 seniors.Seniors
“Some of those guys were a little unknown last year because they were backups or fill-in guys,” the coach said. “Jaylon Brown started most games, but he didn’t get a lot of looks because he was so green.
The juniors who return this season not only played as sophomores, but many got a lot of playing time on both sides of the ball. Allman said by going both ways, it has helped their confidence and enabled them to grow even more.
Larson (OL/DL, 6-4, 285).
DRAGONS COMMITMENTSHOWTO IMPROVEMENT TEAM INFO • NACOGDOCHES DRAGONS ENROLLMENT • 1,816 DISTRICT • 8-5A DII STADIUM • DRAGON STADIUM DRAGONS NACOGDOCHES
“But he has had such an unbelievable offseason. He’s grown and gotten stronger and faster and is also one of the better basketball players at the school. He’s turned into one of our better receivers and he’ll be a difference maker. He’s about 6-5, with good speed, and his hands have become consistent, like D’Marea. They both catch everything that comes their way.”
“Mikail’s ability allows us to use Isaac in many ways, and it will also allow us to continue starting Isaac in the secondary so he’s not playing full time on both sides of the ball. But we’ll continue to use Isaac a lot at quarterback in different packages. They both complement each other.”
Nacogdoches, along with six squads from last season’s District 9-5A DII race, now make up District 8-5A DII, with Jacksonville dropping down a classification and joining District 9-4A DI. Allman, 10-22 in three seasons at Nac, is hoping the commitment his players have shown in the last two offseasons is building strength through the offseason program, which could translate into more wins.
Coming off back-to-back playoff seasons and and fielding a squad with more depth in some areas than they’ve had in the Darren Allman era, the Nacogdoches Dragons could be looking at a move up the league chase this year as they prepare for the 2022 season.
Another player who can be considered a returning starter for
“When you look at the guys that were sophomores last year and think about how much they played — Connor McAninch (LB/TE, 6-2, 190, Jr.), James Williams (LB/RB, 5-11, 225, Jr.), Amari Tatum (RB/LB, 5-10, 190, Jr.), Andrew Rogers (TE/ DL, 6-0, 240, Jr.), Corey Hayter (LB/RB, 6-0, 190, Jr.), Jakyron Pruit (RB/LB, 6-0, 200, Jr.), Lockett, Leadon, Curtis Harris (LB/ RB, 5-11, 170/Jr.) and Brown — all of those guys that were sophomores and played significant time for us last year and should be improved this season.”
The Dragons could have some growing pains on the offensive line. It will return all-district offensive starter Larson and lettermen Christian Ochoa (OL/DL, 6-0, 205, Sr.), Cody Claude (OL/DL, 5-11, 230, Sr.) and Riley Vanscoder (OL/DL, 6-0,On220,Sr.).thedefensive side of the ball, Allman sees strength in his defensive line and defensive backs while the linebacking crew can hold its McAninchown.returns in a starting role at linebacker, and Jones will be back after his injury last season. Williams was a starter on the defensive line last season, but will be making the switch to linebacker. Also look for big plays out of Thacker, Fields and William Whitaker (LB/RB, 5-11, 205, Sr.).
Weaver and Jones are all-district returners in the secondary, along with Leadon and J.T. Thomas, who look to see considerable playing time. On the defensive line, Tatum and Rogers will anchor the squad. Fields is also a a strong returner. With an odd number of teams in its league this year, Nacogdoches and the rest of the District 8-5A DII squads will take their open week during league play, and they will be staggered throughout the district slate. Nacogdoches will play 10 straight weeks before having Week 11 off, which could benefit the Dragons if they are headed back to the postseason.
The challenges the Dragons face are some of the same from a year ago when the squad posted a 3-8 season mark. While carrying a roster in the low 40s as far as numbers, many players will be forced to play a majority of plays on offense and defense. Nacogdoches is probably one of the few teams in District 8-5A DII that has a high number of players seeing a majority of playing time on both sides of the football.
OVERVIEW: This could be the best finish for the Dragons in several years, despite making the playoffs the last two seasons and three of the last four. With the two-quarterback system that should keep defenses off-balance, and if Jones is back on his game, he could not only pick up big yardage offensively but close down holes on defense. Weaver could have his best season of his career, which would give him even more DI college looks. The Dragons offensive line should be improved, led by Larson, although there are still some holes to fill. The Dragons will be in a new district (8-5A DII), but with the exception of Jacksonville moving down to 4A DI, the opponents will all be the same.
KEY LOSSES: Lon’Darious Pleasant (LB/RB), Gus Smith (QB/ DB), Braylon Ratcliff (LB/RB), Brennan Jones (DB/RB), Joe Carter (DB/WR)
2021: 3-8 overall, 3-4 in District 9-5A DII, bi-district finalist
COACH: Darren Allman, 4th year
Allman said he and his staff have made some changes in the offseason that will help the offensive output. Although they won’t be noticed as much to the average fan, it should help the“We’reteam. going to allow our offensive linemen to play more to their strengths by utilizing the quarterbacks to roll out more and stretch the game from sideline to sideline,” he said. “We won’t do a lot of drop-back passing, but we will try to exploit the defenses by the way we run and throw the ball.”
“We have, at least early in the season, to give these two-way starters some spells so they can have a chance to work their way into shape. Later in the season it won’t be such a factor, but it’s those first 4-5 weeks that it would be the most challenging because a lot of those guys won’t be coming off the field.”
NACOGDOCHES AT A GLANCE
PLAYERS TO WATCH: DB/WR D’Marea Weaver, QB/DB Isaac Jones, LB/RB Braxton Jones, OL/DL Ryan Larson, OL/DL Kaden Fields. Top juniors: RB/LB Kakyron Pruitt, WR/DB Jaylon Brown, QB/DB Mikail Lockett. Top sophomore: LB/RB Corey Hayter
the 2022 squad is Braxton Jones (LB/RB, 6-1, 230, Jr.), an alldistrict performer as a sophomore at linebacker who missed the 2021 season because of a knee injury sustained in the 2021 Dragon Spring Game. He will be a huge addition to the squad when he returns for training camp this fall.
“When you look at our challenges, there are a lot of the same that we’ve had in the past,” Allman said. “Behind the great players we have starting (games) we don’t have a lot of depth.
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Nacogdoches suffered some tough losses during the 2021 season, but they return 27 lettermen and eight starters on both sides of the football, which could mean the Dragons’ fourth playoff berth in five seasons. In addition to the large numbers of starters coming back, Nacogdoches will bolster talent from a six-win JV program. Weaver had 434 receiving yards and six TDs to go along with three picks on defense. Jones’ 201 yards rushing, 478 all-purpose yards, 4 TD passes) will split time with Lockett in the QB position, which will lend versatality to the offense, while getting Jones back in the offensive backfield and at LB after missing last season with a knee injury.
18 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: As it has been in the last several years, depth will be an area of concern for the Dragons. Nacogdoches probably has more two-way players than anyone in the league, which means they will get outplayed at the end of ballgames early in the season due to fatigue until they are in better shape. But that could possibly turn to a positive late in the season as long as Nac stays away from the injury bug.
19PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 NACOGDOCHES 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD AUG. 26 PALESTINE 5-6 SEPT. 2 AT LUFKIN 4-6 SEPT. 9 AT LUMBERTON 6-5 SEPT. 16 CHAPEL HILL 11-4 SEPT. 23 WHITEHOUSE* (HC) 2-8 SEPT. 30 AT PINE TREE* 4-6 OCT. 7 HALLSVILLE* 3-7 OCT. 14 AT MOUNT PLEASANT* 5-6 OCT. 21 TEXAS HIGH* 12-1 OCT. 28 AT MARSHALL* 8-4 NOV. 4 BYE * DISTRICT GAME NACOGDOCHES 2021 RESULTS 3-8, 3-4 L AT KILGORE 21-7 L LUFKIN 22-16 L TYLER HIGH 40-12 W AT WHITEHOUSE* 28-19 L PINE TREE* 18-13 L MOUNT PLEASANT* 28-14 W AT JACKSONVILLE* 27-14 W HALLSVILLE* 30-24 L AT TEXAS HIGH* 37-20 L MARSHALL* 28-7 L MONTGOMERY 35-21
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Brody Finley, Jairo Lazcano and Gabe Garcia were each integral to Diboll’s playoff run a season ago and will be back this“Theyseason.did a great job last year,” Morrison said. “They were young then, but they got 14 games in under their belt. It’s going to be exciting to see that unit gel and what they can do with even more experience. You’re only going to go as far on offense as your line can take you.”
“We’ve got four guys there and we’ll need to find two from
story by JOSH HAVARD | photos by GARY STALLARD DIBOLL MEMORABLEBACKLOOKINGNOTAFTERYEAR TEAM INFO • DIBOLL LUMBERJACKS ENROLLMENT • 533 DISTRICT • 9-3A DI STADIUM • LUMBERJACK STADIUM LUMBERJACKS DIBOLL
The Lumberjacks will return three players with experience at the inside linebacker position. Ben Smith, Jaiden Adams and Isaac DeJesus were each contributors last season. Jose Rosales is expected to add depth to the position.
Jenkins, Adrian Villanueva and Elijah Freeman are returning starters on the defensive line. Carson Smith was a regional powerlifting qualifier that could step into a key role.
Diboll went 10-4, captured a district title and advanced to the state quarterfinals in a magical 2021 season that included a nine-game winning streak and plenty of memories along the way. It was Diboll’s longest postseason journey in school history.
The ’Jacks like what they have across the board on both sides of the Haydnball.Harris was a strong contributor at quarterback last season before breaking his collarbone. He is expected to be the starter while Isaac DeJesus will bring an added dimension to the “We’veteam.got two good quality kids we can put out there and be successful,” Morrison said. “We’re confident we can be productive at that position.”
“This is the first time in a few years we’ve been without a Gums,” Morrison said. “You don’t replace guys like them, but we’ve still got guys that have been there before that can handle theZ’Kedricjob.”
“We lost a good one with Jacoby Watts, but we’ve got a good group of kids returning,” Morrison said. “Between those guys, we should have guys that can make plays.”
There are plenty of reasons the ’Jacks will have a hard time repeating last year’s success, including the graduation of district MVP Jeremiah Gums and Offensive Player of the Year James JohnsonHowever,Jr. the cupboard is far from bare for Diboll, which has more than enough returning talent to be legitimate contenders to repeat as district champ before turning its sights to the postseason.“Makingthat playoff run, a lot of people point out how you get another four weeks of practice and all the good that does for the guys still here,” Morrison said. “That’s all good, but what’s most important to me is the experience of what they’ve seen. They know how one play can change everything.
“We’ve got some suspects out there,” Morrison said. “Leo ran a little last year and Kevon had some touches. We’ve got to find that committee that will take a little bit of the burden off theDibollquarterback.”doesn’tlack for playmakers at the H-back and receiver position.IanWillis is a returner who can be a playmaker at H-back while Jadarian Kinnebrew is coming up from the JV. Kolby Stewart, Jeremy Loyd and Zach Phipps are among players who have already made an impact at the varsity level.
“I’ve always thought a good goal is to get to the state quarterfinals,” Diboll head coach Blake Morrison said. “After that, you can go after state. I guess after last year, I might need to start preaching about going to state instead.”
The Lumberjacks will have three returning all-district players on the offensive line.
Some of the newcomers on the offensive line include Christian Holman, Eliant DeJesus and Ryan Fisher. On the defensive side, Diboll’s biggest loss was Gums, who was a playmaker for the last three years. That came after his brother Herbert Gums had dominated the prior three seasons.
Possibly Diboll’s biggest question mark comes at running back, where the ’Jacks are replacing Johnson, an all-state rusher who ran for 2,000 yards as a senior. They’ll be replacing him with relatively little experience with Leo Sanchez and Kevon Freeman expected to see the bulk of the carries, at least early on.
xactly how can a team improve on the most successful season in school history?
That’s the question facing the Diboll Lumberjacks as they prepare to kick off the 2022 football season.
E
Jacob Johnson, Angel Rios and Malakiah Mitchell are expected to make an impact as well.
24 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
“I remember years ago when I was on a bus with coach (Bryan) Barbay after coaching in the state title game. He said after playing there, how are you ever going to be nervous again? I think that’s something we can use here. After playing in games like last year, then you shouldn’t be nervous when you’re playing in a district game in October.”
“People tell me he only played five games last year, but those were the five most important games of the season,” Morrison said. “I think he’s grown three inches in the offseason, so we think he’s going to be good.”
Lazcano, Kinnebrew and Willis are among the players who also could step in at outside linebacker.
From there, Diboll will see if it can add another chapter following an impressive 2021“We’veseason.set up the schedule where we test ourselves early to get ready for district,” Morrison said. “We’ve got guys here that know what it takes to be successful. You want to aim high, but you can’t skip any steps in the process.”
The ’Jacks also have plenty of talent in the secondary with the return of allstate free safety Phipps and all-district cornerback Lloyd. Mitchell, Rios and Freeman are players who also could make an impact in the secondary.“We’vegot guys who have been out there before and other guys that are new faces,” Morrison said. “We’ve got guys penciled in, but I’ve got an eraser.”
“I think when you look at the teams we lost and the ones we added, it’s pretty obvious the district got better,” Morrison said. “We’ll play Woodville right off the bat in district and Coldspring is the game that’s decided the district title for a few years. Winning another district title is what you want to go for, but you can’t take anybody for granted.”
PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 that group,” Morrison said. “We’ll need to find guys that are going to go after the football.”Antonio Palacio is the only returner at the outside linebacker position after he stepped into a key role last year.
25
The ’Jacks will return Bryan Patlan, who made the game-winning 23-yard field goal against Little River Academy in last year’s regional semifinals. That collection of talent should make Diboll a team to watch once again this season.Diboll’s road to the district title will be a tougher one with Woodville and Shepherd being added to the mix. The Eagles were a playoff team with a 7-4 record last year. In addition, Coldspring will be a strong contender for the district title.
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: There is plenty to like across the board for the ’Jacks, but one of the biggest strengths is on the offensive line where they’ll return three all-district performers.
OVERVIEW: Diboll already had high expectations on a yearly basis before it raised the bar with last year’s state quarterfinal showing. They’ve got the pieces in place to duplicate that feat but will need the new additions to fit in order to make some serious noise.
DIBOLL 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD AUG. 26 MADISONVILLE 4-7 SEPT. 2 AT KIRBYVILLE 4-5 SEPT. 9 AT FRANKLIN 16-0 SEPT. 16 HARDIN-JEFFERSON 1-8 SEPT. 23 WOODVILLE * 7-4 SEPT. 30 AT WESTWOOD * 4-6 OCT. 14 SHEPHERD * 2-8 OCT. 21 AT COLDSPRING * 7-3 OCT. 28 HUNTINGTON * 4-7 NOV. 4 AT CROCKETT * 4-7 * DISTRICT GAME DIBOLL 2021 RESULTS 10-4, 6-0 L AT MADISONVILLE 51-20 W SHEPHERD 26-12 L AT LIBERTY 14-7 L LIVINGSTON 38-7 W TRINITY 49-8 W AT HUNTINGTON 59-24 W ELKHART 50-15 W AT WESTWOOD 35-0 W CROCKETT 41-0 W AT COLDSPRING 28-22 W BUNA 56-0 W HALLETTSVILLE 14-0 W LITTLE RIVER ACADEMY 37-34 L LORENA 63-28
26 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 Your hoi Ce in FamilY C 818 W. Frank ave. Lu Fkin TX 75904 936-699-5275 DIBOLL AT A GLANCE 2021: 10-4, 6-0, district champs, state quarterfinalist COACH: Blake Morrison PLAYERS TO WATCH: Haydn Harris, Gabe Garcia, Ian Willis, Z’Kedric Jenkins, Elijah Freeman, Ben Smith, Jaiden Adams, Zach Phipps, Kolby Stewart KEY LOSSES: James Johnson, Jeremiah Gums, Quincy Coleman, Jacoby Watts, Malik Armstead
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The running game is the biggest question mark after the graduation of all-state performer Johnson. Diboll’s offensive line should ease the growing pains, but it still needs to find a back to carry the load.
The Red Devils will lose one of their best quarterbacks in school history with the departure of Chancellor. However, Elijah Mansfield, who will get his first full season as a starting quarterback, has shown he can get the job done. He was a first-team all-district running back last year, running for more than 700 yards. He has also started four games in the previous two seasons when Chancellor was out with injuries or illness. He won each of those four starts. That includes his first varsity game as a freshman when he ran for 100 yards and threw for 150 more in beating Palestine Westwood. That gave Huntington its first four-win season in school“He’shistory.thefirst true dual-threat quarterback we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Colvert said. “He’s as effective throwing the ball as he is running it. He’s the best athlete in our program, a sub 4.5 guy who is 6-2, 180. He’s a strong leader, and we’re excited about what he can bring to the program. There’s not going to be a drop off at that position.”
Winning can be contagious in the world of sports. Losing can seem like an outright plague. That’s what made the 2021 Huntington season one of the most memorable ones in school history.
In the process, Huntington proved once again it’s no longer an afterthought when it comes to high school football.
The Red Devils are expecting Gabe Lee, another speed receiver to step in at the other outside wide receiver position.
Some of the players who played major roles in that success will be gone, including three who are continuing their athletic career at the collegiate level.
He’ll be breaking in several new players at the receiver position with all-district performer Chase Hopson being the only returning starter.
“Chase has good size, strength and catch radius,” Colvert said. “He’s going to be our go-to guy on the outside. Gabe is a good possession guy with great hands that runs good routes. We’re counting on him to replace Ayden on both sides of the ball. He didn’t get as many chances last year because we played so well there, but he’s got a lot of upside.”
27PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
All-district performers Ayden Colbert, Garrett Chancellor and James Paxon will be missed, along with Darion Hale, but the expectations are still high for the Red Devils.
“That’s a huge momentum boost for the entire program,” Huntington head coach Josh Colvert said. “The kids know it can be done. I really feel like we’ve changed the culture here in Huntington and that was evident the last three games.
“As a program, we feel like we can beat anybody when we play up to our potential,” Colvert said. “History says a 1-6 start at Huntington is more likely to turn into 1-9 than 4-6. We talk a lot about being uncomfortable. Being 1-6 while needing three straight wins to make the playoffs is about as uncomfortable as you can get. All the hard work, time, energy and effort paid off. Now we have to carry that into this year. We’d rather not get in that 1-6 hole first.”
story
HAVARD | photos by
A team with as much optimism as any in school history opened the year in miserable fashion by dropping six of its first sevenSamegames.oldHuntington Red Devils? Not Huntingtonquite. responded with the first three-game winning streak in school history. In the process, it took a double-digit win over Palestine Westwood on the final night of the regular season to wrap up its third playoff spot in four years. The school had never made the postseason prior to that stretch.
TEAM INFO • HUNTINGTON RED DEVILS ENROLLMENT • 489 DISTRICT • 9-3A DI STADIUM • RED DEVIL STADIUM RED DEVILS HUNTINGTON WINNING CULTURE HAS HUNTINGTON AS A CONTENDERPLAYOFFPERENNIAL
“It was do-or-die time and history shows Huntington doesn’t win three in a row because it had never happened before. We had a bunch of kids here that made it come to fruition. They’ve experienced success and that goes a long way to change the culture from apathy to a winning one.”
Three players will be competing for time at the inside receiver position. Rain Coronada and Brody Kovar are possession receivers while O’Brian Patton brings a home run threat to the RedTheDevils.lone returner in the backfield is Conner Murray, who by JOSH GARY STALLARD
Like the defensive end position, Huntington is looking for newcomers to fill in at outside linebacker. Those in the mix include Logan Moore, Alex Havard, Corbin Franklin and Hunter Houston.TheRed Devils’ secondary will be led by cornerback Hopson, a second-team all-district performer last season. Sophomore Caleb Brady could make an immediate impact along with Lee.
“Chase is the most experienced and talented linebacker we’ve got coming back,” Colvert said. “We consider him a lockdown corner and we feel comfortable putting him out there to go one-on-one against any receiver. Caleb has had a great offseason, and we feel comfortable putting him out there for reps at corner.
“He brings some experience,” Colvert said. “He’s a physical safety who will come downhill and play the run. He’s got the ability to cover the inside slot receiver.”
The Red Devils will have two returning starters on the offensive line with Nick Smith coming back at center and Jason Payne coming back for a third season at starting right tackle.
“Ashton could be the best receiving H-back I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Colvert said. “I’m excited for what he’s shown us.”He said the Red Devils would likely rotate a group of players at that position. Caul Page will be the more physical run blocker.
Colvert said the team’s most versatile position should be at the H-back/tight end slot. That position will be led by Ashton Capps, one of the players with varsity experience.
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Colvert said. “He had a great offseason. He’s a powerlifter that made great strides in the weight room. He’s who we’ll build our linebackers around.”
Patton is a returning starter for Huntington at safety where he started 10 of 11 games.
Leach is competing for the kicking job with Mansfield also expected to be called upon.
“We feel like we have the talent and the culture to be a playoff team,” Colvert said. “I don’t see any reason we can’t compete for a playoff spot, and our kids feel the same way. The biggest culture change is the kids believe they have the opportunity to compete on any Friday night.”
rushed for more than 300 yards last season. Zane Reynolds has moved from the offensive line to provide a bruising presence in the backfield. Patton also will be in the mix for a spot in addition to“We’llreceiver.see who can handle the load,” Colvert said. “We’ll have a lot of sub packages with multiple kids on the field. We feel like we’ve got a lot of versatility, which is what I like most about our team. We’ll look different, but it’s exciting for a playcaller.”
Sophomore Hunter Houston was a JV quarterback but will be in the mix for time both at H-back and running back. Reynolds will be another versatile player who also could play at H-back.
Kyle Suggs-Strickland and Jaylin Miller will be in the mix for starting jobs along with Shaun Monroe. On the defensive side, the Red Devils have a mixture of youngsters and veterans that should give them a chance to be a solid unit. The Red Devils will have plenty of new faces in the defensive line rotation, but they will be bolstered by returning players in Payne and Smith at nose guard. They will be key early on while the Red Devils break in a new group of defensive ends. J.J. Miller, Suggs-Strickland, Page and Murray will be among those working for starting jobs. Two players with returning experience at inside linebacker are Jason Gee and Capps. Gee started the last half of the season at inside linebacker and will take over at the Mike linebacker position. Capps started the first five games in 2021.
“We’re excited about what Jason brings to the team,”
The other safety spot will be a competition with Coronada, Brody and Kovar.
“Nick is the quarterback of our offensive line,” Colvert said. “He’s a smart, strong kid who was a regional qualifier in powerlifting. Jason was another regional qualifier. He’s 6-1, 375. He’s a road grater. You just want to line up and run right behindSophomoreshim.”
One of Huntington’s biggest question marks may come on special teams with the graduation of Colbert, who was an allstate and all-district performer as well as being a state qualifier in Connertrack.
“I’ve been here five years, and between Hayden Teer and Ayden, we’ve been really lucky,” Colvert said. “It will be interesting to see where we go from there. We recruited Leach out of the halls, and he’s not to their level yet, but hopefully he’ll getColvertthere.”said barring any surprises, the team will dress 28 players, meaning the majority will be on the field on both sides of the ball.
He said the expectation, even with a tougher district, is a return to the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.
Facing what he admits was an athletically superior opponent, Corrigan-Camden took it to Crockett, eventually rolling to a physically dominating 35-14 win.
C
orrigan-Camden head coach Brett Ratlff knows what the Bulldogs’ tradition is about. As a graduate of the school, he understands the expectations that come along with being one of the state’s traditional powers. That’s what made a 2-8 season in 2020 that broke a long playoff streak that much harder. Last season, he showed the wait won’t be a long one for Corrigan-Camden to get back to prominence as the Bulldogs won four of their first five games on their way to a return to the postseason.Itwasagood step in the learning process, but Ratliff and the Bulldogs are far from satisfied.
With Ratliff running the show, Corrigan-Camden is no longer the team that puts the ball in the air one or two times a night. However, he said one of the biggest teaching points was to show that being physical didn’t mean simply lining up and running right at the opponent.
“He was the No. 1 producer up until he went down with the injury,” Ratliff said. “He can run, he can throw and he’s the team leader. I think him going down really hurt us in a couple of the close losses. He’s recovered now.”
Tony Cooper will be a possession receiver for the Bulldogs.
While Guzman is the lead quarterback, the Bulldogs have other options as well. Morgan Rayborn and Jabarian Williams each saw time at quarterback in the final five games while Guzman was out. Williams may eventually prove to be one of the biggest offensive threats in the state by the time the season ends. He was the Offensive MVP last season, accounting for 2,500 allpurpose yards and 26 touchdowns. He can line up at quarterback, running back or receiver and make an impact at any spot. Williams is primarily a threat at receiver but can be the versatile player coaches love to have in their lineups.
“He can throw, catch and run,” Ratliff said. “He’s talented on one-on-ones. He’s a quick receiver that can run the inside routes. Williams is a real hybrid piece for us.”
“Even though we’re running a different style, the mentality wasn’t any different,” Ratliff said. “It took awhile for them to catch onto that the first year. I think it being the second year in the program really helped out as well, because when they’re more comfortable with the offense and the defense, that allows them to go out and be more physical.”
“I think that first game against Crockett was everything,” Ratliff said. “We played against a team that if you looked on paper and looked on the sideline, they looked a lot better than we did. They were bigger, faster and stronger. That didn’t keep us from playing a hard-nosed style of football. I think that game is what showed the kids we could make a run.”
A look at this year’s roster shows Corrigan-Camden should take an even bigger step in the 2022 season. In addition to dropping down a classification to 12-2A DI, the Bulldogs have plenty of firepower to go around. That starts with the return of QB Christian Guzman. Much of Corrigan-Camden’s struggles down the stretch could be attributed to when he went down with an injury. He’s ready for a breakout season.
story by JOSH HAVARD | photos by GARY STALLARD
Rayborn is another player who can line up at different positions and make plays. He can play the tight end position as well as receiver.
The Bulldogs’ running backs will be led by Anthony Harrell, who Ratliff calls “the staple of the backfield.”
BULLDOGS LOOK TO CONTINUE TRADITION TEAM INFO • CORRIGAN-CAMDEN BULLDOGS ENROLLMENT • 226 DISTRICT • 12-2A DI STADIUM • BULLDOG STADIUM BULLDOGS CORRIGAN-CAMDEN
It also allowed them to take the first step into true relevance after a 2020 season that was mostly an unwanted learning experience.“Mebeing from here, I know what the expectation is for this team every single year,” Ratliff said. “It was the first year in the rebuild, and we didn’t live up to those expectations. That broke my heart. But at the same time, I think it put a chip on their shoulders. They knew they weren’t going to let the tradition die with them.”
Corrigan-Camden was overwhelmed for the majority of the 2020 season both with a new system and from an athleticism standpoint. It only took until opening night of 2021 to see Corrigan-Camden was headed in the right direction.
“Making the playoffs is step one,” Ratliff said. “Step two is continuing the process. We want to win district championships. We want to make deep playoff runs. That’s what we expect here.”While looking toward the future, it doesn’t take a long look at the 2021 season to see the steps being put in place.
29PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Christian Guzman, Jabarian Williams, Anthony Harrell, Jonathan Cook, Angel Escobedo, Tony Cooper, Wesley Smith, Pablo Jimenez
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: There aren’t many glaring weaknesses on this team loaded with returning starters. The injury bug kept them from at least a few wins last year, and it seems like the only major roadblock between them making a legitimate postseason run this season.
30 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 1702 N. Timberland Dr., Lufkin 936-632-1123• We Football!Love Germania Insurance Companies, Insuring Texans for over 120 years Commercial • Home • Life • Auto We Support Our Local Teams!! 1507 E. Denman Ave. • 936-632-5171
In addition to Burke, the Bulldogs feature a returning alldistrict linebacker in Maddox Murphy.
2021: 6-5, 3-3 in District 12-3A DII COACH: Brett Ratliff
Meanwhile Williams is a cornerback who had 84 tackles and four interceptions a season ago. Cooper also can fill a spot in theThesecondary.Bulldogs’ kicking game is solidified with returning alldistrict kicker and punter Pablo Jimenez back. So many returning starters all over the field make the Bulldogs a true contender for a deep playoff run.
The Bulldogs will be competing in District 12-2A DI along with Normangee, Leon, West Hardin, Groveton and Centerville.
Corrigan-Camden should also be stellar in the secondary, led by Guzman and Harrell. “They’re good field generals that are going to fly around,” Ratliff said. “They can pick you off.”
Jarius Hood and Blalock are two others in the mix at linebacker.
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: A full season of Guzman at starting quarterback should be huge for the Bulldogs. It doesn’t hurt that they return the versatile Williams, who accounted for 2,500 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns.
Groveton is a longtime rival of Corrigan-Camden while Centerville was a fourth-round playoff team last year.
KEY LOSSES: Ruger McLain, Jess Shows
CORRIGAN-CAMDEN 2022 SCHEDULE
“Being back with Groveton is great because I think that’s one of the best rivalries in the state of Texas,” Ratliff said. “We get them at home this year. Then there’s a state quarterfinalist in Centerville there. We were their only loss in the regular season last year. The district is going to be tough, but they’re all tough in East Texas. We’re excited to get going.”
DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD AUG. 26 AT BUNA 2-9 SEPT. 2 ELKHART 4-6 SEPT. 9 KIRBYVILLE 4-5 SEPT. 16 AT COLDSPRING 7-3 SEPT. 23 HEMPSTEAD 0-10 OCT. 7 NORMANGEE* 5-6 OCT. 14 LEON* 5-7 OCT. 21 AT WEST HARDIN* 4-5 OCT. 28 GROVETON* 1-9 NOV. 4 AT CENTERVILLE* 12-2 * DISTRICT GAME
OVERVIEW: The rebuilding process should be complete this season as Corrigan-Camden returns a wide selection of threeyear starters. This will be the season Corrigan-Camden has a chance to legitimately compete for a district title and make a deep playoff run.
CORRIGAN-CAMDEN AT A GLANCE
One of the strengths of the defense will be at linebacker, which is led by Kadyn Burke. “The anchor is definitely Kadyn,” Ratliff said. “He’s our defensive MVP. Kadyn is small in stature, but he’s mighty. He brings a punch and it seems like he’s in on every tackle.”
Nicole Clark, Agent Jadarius Hood and Kaden Murphy will fill the fullback positions while looking to bring some stability to a spot short onAsexperience.excitingas the playmakers are, the biggest positive on the offense may be the line, which returns all five starters. Jonathan Cook and Angel Escobedo will lead the way from their tackle positions.“Those are some big, strong dudes,” Ratliff said. He describes Nate Blalock and Wesley Smith as strong and aggressive players at guard while Ethan Poole is an anchor at center.Inaddition to an offense that should light up the scoreboard, the defense should be a strength as well as it returns nine starters.Itwillstart on the defensive line with Wesley Smith, who was a first-team all-district defensive end. Rayborn will fill a spot at the edge position while Robert Chinn can provide a speed rush on pass downs. Aidan Stanley and Ricky Inguanzo will be the guys providing a push in the middle of the defensive line.
T here might not be a hungrier football team — in any classification — across the state this fall than the Timpson Bears. And that hunger, along with the talented squad that seventh-year head coach Kerry Therwhanger puts on the field, might just be enough to capture that elusive Class 2A DI championship.Thepasttwo seasons have been filled with plenty of success in Timpson. Using nine offensive and seven defensive starters in 2020, the Bears averaged 53.2 points a game and rolled to a 14-1 record, losing to eventual state champion Shiner, 49-7, in the semifinals.
“With this year’s team, it’s no secret to getting back to where we were, and that’s the skill positions.”
“We didn’t sneak up on anyone in 2021, but we still handled business and made it back to the state semifinals, coming up just short to Shiner,” Therwhanger said. “That is the most that Shiner has been pushed in over two years.
There’s also no secret of who the success of this season’s Timpson Bears will center around. Junior quarterback/ defensive back Terry Bussey will be the dominant player on the team — and most likely in the state.
Senior quarterback/linebacker L.T. Washington has had two strong years on varsity, generating more than 1,600 all-purpose yards and 26 scores offensively. He also recorded more than by JOHN KRUEGER
Despite losing 17 lettermen, the Bears still have a number of weapons returning this fall. With five offensive and seven starters coming back, there’s no doubt Timpson is the team to beat in 11-2A DI and Region III and they could be back in that semifinal round again this fall.
But Bussey won’t be the only player opponents have to watch this fall. Junior wide receiver/defensive back Vosky Howard tallied more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He also produced three interceptions and 40 tackles on defense.
Leading the spread option offense, he begins the season as the 2A Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Bussey threw for 1,847 yards and 24 touchdowns last season while rushing for 1,550 more, to go along with 29 scores. Bussey also leads the THS defense, after picking off eight passes and rolling up 73 tackles in 2021.
This year the Bears are not only setting their sights on the District 11-2A DI championship, but, as they did a year ago, they want to go all the way to AT&T Stadium in December and bring home that elusive championship.
story and photos
The Bears reloaded last season and bolted to wins in their first 12 games of the season, averaging 53.2 points again, while giving up just 12.8 points a contest and boasting four shutouts.
Timpson returned to the 2A DI semifinal yet again, where the Bears squared off against Shiner once more. The Comanches had a much tougher time this go around but held off Timpson, 35-28, in the fourth quarter before going on to their second straight 2A DI title.
31PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
Last year’s defeat in the semifinals left a bitter taste in the mouths of Therwhanger and his players than the one of the previous year because they said they believed the 2021 THS squad had enough experience and talent to get the job done. Yet it was Shiner that managed to capture back-to-back titles and post a 30-0 record over the past two seasons.
ANOTHERRELOADINGTIMPSONFORTITLERUN TEAM INFO • TIMPSON BEARS ENROLLMENT • 219 DISTRICT • 11-2A DI STADIUM • JOHN HERBERT EAKIN STADIUM BEARS TIMPSON
For bragging rights, Timpson will begin the 2022 season ranked No. 2 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Only (Region 4) Shiner (4 offensive, 5 defensive starters back) is ranked higher in the preseason poll, with the rest of the Top 5 consisting of (Region 4) Refugio (5/5 starters back from a 13-1 squad), (Region 2) Marlin (8/9 starters back from an 11-4 team) and (Region 1) Hawley (7/8 returners back from a 15-1 squad).
The Bears’ coach said replacing holes in the offensive line left by graduation will be vital to having another deep run in theNowplayoffs.amember
PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB/DB Terry Bussey, WR/DB Vosky Howard, TE/DL L.T. Washington, LB Tyler Lane, OL/DL Jacorian Grace, RB/LB Nate Scourton, WR/DB Geo Bryant
TIMPSON AT A GLANCE
Timpson also will look for junior wide receiver/linebacker Tyler Lane to contribute more after securing 150 tackles his first two years on varsity to go along with three forced fumbles.
32 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 100 tackles on defense.
Junior linebacker Cam Bennett also will get more spotlight on the THS defense this fall after securing 84 tackles last season.
KEY LOSSES: Braden Courtney (Lamar), Hunter Tipton (Tyler JC), Adrian Caraway (Tyler JC)
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: When strengths of the Timpson Bears are talked about, there are plenty of them. How about junior quarterback Terry Bussey, who passed for 1,847 yards and 24 TDs last season, while rushing for 1,550 more and scoring 29 touchdowns on the ground? He also leads the Bear defense with 73 tackles and eight interceptions. Then there is junior Vosky Howard, who had 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2021, to go along with 15 TDs. He also added 40 tackles and three picks on defense. Senior L.T. Washington is back. He had over 1,600 all-purpose yards, 20 TDs and 100 tackles over the past two seasons. Don’t forget junior Tyler Lane, who has had 150 tackles and three forced fumbles in high school. They have also got plenty of playoff experience with back-to-back trips to the 2A DI semifinals. Strengths? Oh yeah, there are a few.
of District 11-2A DI, Timpson’s league will look slightly different than District 10-2A DI did last year. Back are arch rival Garrison, Joaquin, San Augustine and Shelbyville, with the Rams receiving a No. 20 ranking in the DCTF poll with nine starters back on both sides of the ball from a 5-5 squad. Joining the league after UIL realignment are Grapeland and West Sabine, a program that was part of Class 2A DII a year ago.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: It’s going to be tough to dethrone the Bears from the top of the heap in District 11-2A DI, but the Bears are returning only six starters on offense, with most of the holes in the line. If the Bears can’t fill those holes, it’s going
2021: 12-1 overall, 4-0 in District 11-2A DI, state semifinalist COACH: Kerry Therwhanger - 7th year
“Any time you have extra practices or games, it helps the program,” the coach said. “That’s why we bring some of the guys up to varsity for the playoffs. It gives them some experience of what it’s like to be in big games but also preparing for those games and giving them extra practice time that players at other schools don’t get.”
Therwhanger says playing extra games last year because of the playoffs will not only help his older players, but his younger talent, as well.
There will be holes to fill offensively, including Lamar signee and two-way starter Braden Courtney, along with Tyler Junior College players Hunter Tipton and Adrian Caraway, who were a big part of the Timpson defensive scheme a year ago.
33PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 TIMPSON 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD AUG. 26 AT BECKVILLE 12-1 SEPT. 2 JEFFERSON 5-6 SEPT. 9 AT DAINGERFIELD 11-3 SEPT. 16 WASKOM 13-2 SEPT. 23 GRAPELAND* 4-6 SEPT. 30 AT SAN AUGUSTINE* 1-9 OCT. 7 BYE OCT. 14 WEST SABINE* 4-7 OCT. 21 AT JOAQUIN* 5-5 OCT. 28 SHELBYVILLE* 7-5 NOV. 4 AT GARRISON* 4-5 Pilgrim’s Nacogdoches | www.pilgrims.com | 936-558-6830 Team work makes the dream work!Now hiring with a $2500 sign on bonus, competitive pay, full benefits packages, and paid scholarship opportunities. TIMPSON 2021 RESULTS 12-1, 4-0 W AT FRANKSTON 61-0 W WASKOM 49-28 W PRICE CARLISLE 55-20 W BOONEVILLE, AR 57-40 W GARRISON* 51-0 W AT SAN AUGUSTINE* 61-5 W AT JOAQUIN* 47-0 W SHELBYVILLE* 56-14 W FRANKSTON 62-0 W THORNDALE 74-13 W BECKVILLE 42-21 W CENTERVILLE 48-13 L SHINER 35-28 * DISTRICT GAME to make it harder to run and pass against good teams. OVERVIEW: There’s no rebuilding for the Bears, only reloading. With plenty of talent in the offensive and defensive backfields, it could be another deep run in the playoffs for the preseason No. 2 Bears. They are picked to win 2A DI Region III for the third straight season and it is possible with the skill position talent they have coming back. Experience is on their side, and chances are they’ll be hoisting the District 11-2A DI championship trophy once again. They very likely could go undefeated in league play, but an undefeated regular season mark is up in the air because of their tough non-district schedule. Those non-district games are likely to prepare them for the rest of their run.
A
Alvarez said Christian Clark, Antonio Yarborough and several others also will be counted on to step in and help the ground attack.Thepassing game is an area where Alvarez would like to see improvement this season, and he thinks the Bulldogs have the tools to accomplish that.
mped up with nine offensive returners returning from last year’s playoff squad, the Garrison Bulldogs will be shooting for their third postseason run in as many years under the direction of Brandon Alvarez along with the 43rd in the history of the program when the ’Dogs take to the gridiron in The2022.Bulldogs
34 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
“The passing game has to improve because everybody’s scared of our running game,” the coach said. “Last year people would put everybody in the box. The last two years a lot of our inability to move the ball as well was because of the immaturity and young guys. Now that a lot of those guys are older — our best two receivers this year are going to be Isaac McCrumby (WR/DB, 5-6, 151, Sr.) and Ja’Christopher Shepherd (WR/DB, 6-1, 181, Jr.) — I think the receiver play is going to be better.
“Andrew Parker (OL/DL, 5-9, 227, Sr.) played guard for us and ended up being one of our best, if not the best, linemen last year. We’re moving him to center this year.
are coming off a 4-5 record a year ago, finishing second in the District 10-2A DI race with a 2-2 mark. The only team that finished ahead of Garrison was Timpson (12-1), which advanced all the way to the Class 2A DI State Semifinals and begins the ’22 season ranked No. 2 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
“Another aspect that will make our passing game better, in addition to Brayden (Davidson) being more mature, is the blocking up front. Some games last year we threw the ball really well, but the quarterback kept getting hit. Now that offensive line is more mature.
story and photos by JOHN KRUEGER BULLDOGS READY TO RAMP OFFENSEUP TEAM INFO • GARRISON BULLDOGS ENROLLMENT • 228 DISTRICT • 11-2A DI STADIUM • BULLDOG STADIUM GARRISON BULLDOGS
Most of the district’s squads changed to District 11-2A DI this season, with Grapeland moving in from District 11 with realignment. West Sabine moved in when the Tigers moved up from 2A-DII a year ago. West Hardin, which canceled its program last season, is also gone.
Despite graduating a large numbers of seniors last season, the ’Dogs boast nearly all of the starters coming back who ran the Multiple Pro offense a year ago. The offense will be centered around junior quarterback Brayden Davidson (6-0, 187), who became a starter in Game 6 of his freshman year and led the team throughout the 2021 season.
“Brayden is one of those guys you hang your hat on,” Alvarez said. “He’ll only be a junior this season, but he’s already got a lot of experience at quarterback. And he also played middle linebacker for us last year, so he quarterbacks the defense as well.”Gone is leading rusher D’marcus Miller but filling the gap will be two worthy players in Omarion Rasberry (RB/NG, 5-8, 163, Jr.) and J.D. Black (RB/LB, 6-1, 205, Jr.).
“(Rasberry and Black) were two workhorses for us last year,” Alvarez said. “I know D’marcus had the most rushing yards, but those two guys were sophomores and Omarion also started as a freshman. They are going to be our older guys now and they understand the offense a lot.”
“We’ve grown in numbers,” said Alvarez about the program’s continued improvement since he took over in the spring of 2020. “The first year we had to start five freshmen on varsity. The last two years we’ve been a very young team in a lot of key spots. There have been a lot of growing pains.”
Garrison lost 12 seniors from last year’s team but returns 15 lettermen from the 2021 squad, including eight seniors.
“Jesse Traxler (OL/DL, 5-9, 182, Jr.) had to play because
Alvarez mentioned returners Gatlan Holmes (WR/FS, 6-1, 173, Jr.), Black, Perry, Jones, McCrumby and Shepherd as players the Bulldogs will anchor the defensive side of the ball around. Shaw will be counted on in the defensive line, and Christian Clark as well.
OVERVIEW: Garrison has a lot of talent coming back this season. There will be some key personnel to replace, but the Bulldogs have backs and linemen who have seen playing time and could help the offense shift gears this season. Davidson looks to be stronger at quarterback and middle linebacker, and on defense the ’Dogs will have talent. It’ll be tough in 11-2A DI with No. 2 Timpson to contend with. The Bears have been to the state semifinals the last two years. Joaquin also returns nine starters from each side off a 5-5 squad and is ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll. And don’t forget about Shelbyville, who was 7-5 with six offensive and five defensive starters back.
Garrison will be in the postseason for the 14th straight year, but how far they go is yet to be seen.
“It wasn’t a good situation in some respects for us last year, but it’ll be good for us this year because a lot of guys got experience that we didn’t plan on.” Defense will be a work in progress as a number of seniors graduated. Running the 7 Diamond set, Garrison returns five starters from a year ago, with a lot of experience coming in the secondary.
KEY
COACH: Brandon Alvarez, Record 10-10 (3rd year)
at center, and juniors Traxler and
could
PRIMARY
OL/DL
Alvarez said there are a lot of options at right guard, saying he will take a good look at Adam Rambin (OL/LB, 5-9, 180, Jr.), Jabrahlyn Jones (OL/DL, 6-2, 287, So.) and Gavin Pollard (OL/ DL, 6-0, 233, So.). “Pollard is going to be on the O-line or tight end. He was going to start for us as a freshman, but got hurt in the scrimmages last season,” the coach said.
“Magnum Fitzgerald (OL/DL, 5-10, 306, Jr.) has played left tackle for us for two years and started since he was a freshman.”
GARRISON AT A GLANCE 2021: 4-5 overall, 2-3 in District 11-2A DI, bi-district finalist
PLAYERS TO WATCH: DB/WR Isaac McCrumby, QB/LB Brayden Davidson, WR/DB Ja’Christopher Shepherd, RB Omarion Rasberry, RB/LB J.D. Black, OL Magnum Fitzgerald, Jesse Traxler, WR/DB Gatlin Holmes, OL/DL Jabrahlyn Jones, Andrew Parker, OL Jasper Shaw, OL/DL Parker OL/DL Gavin Pollard, QB/DB Jaxon Shaw, RB/LB Christian Clark, RB/DB Antonio Yarbrough, DB/WR Tryton Kruse LOSSES: RB/DB Maxwell Gipson, RB/DL Marco Miller (SAGU), OL Jeremiah Williams (SAGU), RB/DL D.J. McClure STRENGTHS: Offensive production appears to be good on the horizon for the Bulldogs. With nine returning starters on offense, including junior quarterback Davidson, who has led the team since midway through his freshman year and is also the team’s middle linebacker, and a pair of junior running backs — Rasberry and Black — who have been putting be such a tough task. McCumby and Shepherd spark the passing game, and an experienced led Parker Fitzgerald mean a strong
Perry,
GARRISON 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD AUG. 26 HUGHES SPRINGS 4-6 SEPT. 2 AT ARP 7-4 SEPT. 9 AT WARREN 3-6 SEPT. 16 ALTO 6-3 SEPT. 23 AT WEST SABINE* 4-7 SEPT. 30 JOAQUIN* 5-5 OCT. 7 AT SHELBYVILLE* 7-5 OCT. 14 BYE OCT. 21 GRAPELAND* 4-6 OCT. 28 AT SAN AUGUSTINE* 1-9 NOV. 4 TIMPSON* 12-1 GARRISON 2021 RESULTS 4-5, 2-3 L WASKOM 45-0 L AT ARP 33-7 W AT CROCKETT 33-24 W GROVETON 48-0 L AT TIMPSON* 51-0 L AT SHELBYVILLE* 32-26 W SAN AUGUSTINE* 31-30 W JOAQUIN* 40-32 L HAWKINS 31-20 * DISTRICT GAME in the work since their freshman year, replacing leading rusher D’Marcus Miller might not
offensive line
Alvarez also mentioned Jasper Shaw (OL/DL, 5-10, 350, Sr.) and Parker Perry (OL/DL, 6-0, 261, Jr.) are back from a year ago.
could
“I think we’re probably going to be bigger on the D-line than we’ve ever been since I’ve been here, and that should take some pressure off those guys in (the secondary). Mainly it’s going to be the secondary that we have the biggest holes fromThegraduation.”Bulldogscould have more depth than in recent years in the offensive and defensive lines but less in the skill positions. If they stay away from injuries, Garrison will look to make a run at the Bears for the league’s top spot.
35PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 we had some injuries. He really stepped up and I counted on him, and he’s one of the dudes now because he did step up as a sophomore. He was a little undersized, but he’s no longer undersized after working hard in the offseason.
OL/DL
by senior
“We’ve now got some options on the O-line when we really haven’t had that,” the coach noted. “Last year I thought our offensive line was going to be really good, but then we had some injuries and we shouldn’t have been young, but we ended up with a lot of young guys playing.
year offensively.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The question marks before the season are in the passing game, but that could change as the season goes on, and the defensive front will have to keep linemen off the linebackers. Garrison will have depth in certain areas, but like any 2A school, there will be holes to fill.
The Alto Yellowjackets are headed to a new district with a new leader, but despite the changes, they are hoping the football squad’s winning tradition continues despite some bad news weeks before the season began. Alto was hoping to lock up its 21st playoff berth since 2000 with another strong showing this fall but was banned from playoff contention after the University Interscholastic League on Aug. 2 found administrators underreported enrollment by three students, which pushed the Yellowjackets into a lower classification.The’Jackets are coming off a 6-3 showing a year ago, posting a second-place finish in District 11-2A DI with a 4-1 mark. The realignment numbers Alto turned in dropped the school to Class 2A DII. A year without a playoff appearance will be rare for Alto, which made the postseason 17 times in the past 18 years and clinched six district titles since the turn of the century. Alto, along with Price Carlisle (5-5, 5-1), will both be dropping down a division, joining Cushing (5-4, 3-3), Mount Enterprise (3-5, 2-4), Overton (0-10, 0-6) and Tenaha (9-3, 6-0) in 11-2A DII.Brock
‘JACKETS LOOK TO RISE IN DISTRICTNEW TEAM INFO • ALTO YELLOJACKETS ENROLLMENT • 183 DISTRICT • 11-2A DII STADIUM • CAM’RON MATTHEWS FIELD ALTO YELLOWJACKETS
PLAYERS TO WATCH: ATH Jackson Duplichain, WR/DB Khalil Reagan, LB/QB Keegan Davis, RB/DB Rashawn Mumphrey, OL/DL Mason Holmes, ATH Tyler Bond, WR/DB Jay Benton, QB/LB Landon Cook
Grigsby takes over the program after serving as an assistant coach at Center last year. In 2020 he was an assistant on the Alto staff, meaning he knows the district, the school and the team well.
Alto lost only eight players off last year’s squad while returning 17, with six starters coming back on both sides of theSuccessfootball.and Alto go hand-in-hand, with the program’s last district title coming in 2019 (11-1) and the Yellowjackets posting 10-plus win seasons 18 times in school history. The playoff-less season of 2020 (2-8) is something that doesn’t happen often in Alto. In fact, it was the first time since 2003 by JOHN KRUEGER
Look for Tyler Bond and Jay Benton to battle for receiving spots, along with Cook at the tight end. As in any small school, returners on the offensive line are like gold. Alto has a solid foundation with the return of junior left guard Bryan Hernandez, senior center Clayton Gresham and senior right guard Mason Holmes. Add to that possible starters of Dylan Caldwell at left tackle and Jordan Gravara at right tackle, and the Yellowjacket ground game appears to be in good hands.
that it occurred, and only the second time since 1991. Some of the leaders on the squad who are back from a year ago include senior all-around dominant athlete Jackson Duplichain (5-8, 175), who can play a variety of positions, wide receiver/defensive back Khalil Reagan (6-0, 165, Sr.), quarterback/linebacker Keagan Davis (6-1, 190, Jr.), tight end/ linebacker Landon Cook (6-2, 185, Sr.) and running back/ defensive back Rashawn Mumphrey (6-2, 200, Sr.).
36 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
ALTO AT A GLANCE
2021: 6-3 overall, 4-1 in District 11-2A DI, bi-district finalist COACH: Brock Grigsby, Record 0-0 (first year)
“Our goal is to develop some depth up front on both sides of the ball,” Grigsby said. “That’s always the case with a 2A program.”Sixreturning starters also will help shore up the defensive squad when opponents have the ball. Gresham and Hernandez will lead the defensive line, along with Caldwell. Duplichain, Cook and Davis are all back to build the linebacking corps around, with Dean and Zack Battle battling for the other spots. Grigsby also will test Benton and Bond in the defensive backfield early. The top seniors returning will look to show the way for the younger players, Grigsby said.
KEY LOSSES: Logan Rogers, Landry Smith, Jackson Howell
story and photos
Davis is back as the Yellowjackets’ quarterback, Duplichain will get a large share of carries from a running back spot and Reagan could be the main target for Davis this season.
including QB
The Yellowjackets have six returning both sides of the football, including three linemen and three skill position players on offense, Davis, Reagan defense have a strong core with a pair defensive linemen (Clayton Gresham, Bryan Hernandez), three linebackers (Cook, Davis, Duplichain) and a defensive back (Reagan) returning from a playoff team. There’s always an adjustment when a new coach comes aboard, but Grigsby served as an assistant coach at Alto two years ago, so the players will be familiar with him. Depth could be a problem if the team is caught with the injury bug in key positions.
starters
RB Duplichain and
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OVERVIEW: The Yellowjackets are dropping from 2A DI to 2A DII, which should be a big plus for them. It is also a winning program, with Alto earning 17 postseason berths in its last 18 years, including six district championships. They were a second-place team with the likes of Jewett Leon and Normangee and join a group of teams that includes No. 11 Carlisle, No. 10 Tenaha, Overton, Cushing and Mount Enterprise. That should give them a shot for the 11-2A DII title or, for certain, a playoff spot.
on
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS:
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38 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
It is also beneficial to arrive in a town used to a winning
“It shows you know the expectations and the way to do things,” Woodard said. “You can show the kids this is what happens when you do things successfully. This is the end result that can happen if you do things the right way.”
story by JOSH HAVARD | photo by GARY STALLARD TEAM INFO • GROVETON INDIANS ENROLLMENT • 223 DISTRICT • 12-2A DI STADIUM • INDIAN STADIUM INDIANS GROVETON INDIANS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK: WITH NEW GROVETONLEADER,AIMSTOTURNTHINGSAROUND
Matthew Woodard knows plenty about winning. He has been a part of state championship coaching staffs at Henderson and Allen and has won at every stop along his coaching path. Now he is looking to help lead a turnaround at a school known for its football tradition. It seems like the perfect relationship as the Groveton Indians prepare for the 2022 season.
“I grew up in a coaching family so I’d always hear about Groveton, especially back in the ’80s and ’90s when they were always winning,” Woodard said. “I came from Allen, which was a tradition-based program, so something really caught my eye aboutNowGroveton.”he’sreadyto put his stamp on a program coming off 3-7 and 1-8 seasons. The Indians last made the postseason in 2019 when they went 11-3 and advanced to the state quarterfinals before falling to San Augustine. Woodard expects to return to that winning form sooner rather than later.
“I know they’ve fallen away the last couple of years,” Woodard said. “It’s our job to get them back to being the power they need to Woodardbe.”has had plenty of stops during his assistant coaching career. He was most recently the defensive coordinator at Port Neches-Groves, where they were an 8-5 team and a regional semifinalist.Whileitwas the latest stop in his path, he has won at every step along the way. He started at Henderson where the team won a state championship in 2010 along with making several long postseason runs. He then went to Pittsburg, where a 1-9 team turned into an areaHisfinalist.nextstop was Waco Midway, where the team made the regionalWoodardfinals.was then a part of one of the best powerhouse programs in the state at Allen, where his teams combined for a 65-4 record and a state title. That led up to his most recent coaching job as defensive coordinator at Port Neches-Groves, where the team made an extended playoff run. He said that track record helps earn the confidence of high school kids looking to build their own success stories.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The Indians have a pair of stalwarts on the offensive line with the return of Townsend and Allen. However, they’ll need to get a few newcomers to step up to help the offense make a smooth transition under Woodard.
The secondary should be solidified by Wyatt Hajobsky and Wyatt“BothSnead.ofthose guys will be kids that can help out in the secondary,” Woodard said. “They both do a heck of a job of helping us get lined up.”
The Indians return a pair of starters on the offensive line in Logan Townsend and Tyler Allen. Townsend is a three-year starter for the Indians.
“Both those kids have length to them, and they’ve got high motors,” Woodard said. “Lewis has been big in the weight room and is big on all his maxes.”
From there, he hopes to turn the corner into quickly leading Groveton back into playoff contention.
GROVETON AT A GLANCE
KEY LOSSES: Ruger McLain, Jess Shows
The Indians have a potential game changer in the backfield with Bryon Thomas. David Ayala can provide a steady presence in the backfield, as well.
“This community has been very successful,” Woodard said. ‘That’s what they expect.”
“Logan’s a good player who will be on the offensive and defensive lines,” Woodard said. “They’re both guys you can runGrovetonbehind.”also has some playmakers on the defense it will be able to build around. Jaylen Lewis and Carter Cox are a pair of forces for Groveton on the defensive line.
TO WATCH: Ian Utz, Tanner Steubing, Byron Thomas, Clifton Davis, Logan Townsend, Tyler Allen, Jaylen Lewis, Carter Cox, Chase Blair, Phoenix Bowman, Wyatt Hajobsky, Wyatt Snead
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Groveton’s backfield should be a strength with Woodard calling Thomas his “best all-around athlete.”
SEPT. 2 TRINITY 0-8 SEPT. 9 FRANKSTON 5-6 SEPT. 16 AT GRAPELAND 4-6 SEPT. 23 ALTO* 7-3 OCT. 7 AT LEON* 4-7 OCT. 14 AT CENTERVILLE* 12-2 OCT. 21 NORMANGEE* 5-6 OCT. 28 AT CORRIGAN-CAMDEN* 6-5 NOV. 4 WEST HARDIN* 4-5 GROVETON 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD * DISTRICT GAME GROVETON 2021 RESULTS 1-8, 1-5 L AT LOVELADY 51-30 L AT JOAQUIN 62-0 L SHELBYVILLE 44-13 L AT GARRISON 48-0 L NORMANGEE 42-21 L GRAPELAND 56-7 L AT CENTERVILLE 56-6 W JEWETT LEON 30-26 L AT ALTO 63-0
OVERVIEW: Groveton has four wins in two seasons since making a run to the state quarterfinals in 2019. The step back to the playoffs isn’t a stretch, although they’ll need the pieces to come together quickly before the start of district action. 9-3
“Our No. 1 priority is being the best team we can be,” Woodard said. “We were 1-8 last year and didn’t make the playoffs the year before. It’s about teaching the kids how to be successful and getting back into the playoffs this year.”
Groveton has a competition for the quarterback position with Ian Utz and Tanner Steubing going after the job.
2021: 1-9 overall, 1-5 in District 11-2A DI COACH: Matthew Woodard
Jarrett Lawton is a newcomer who could make a quick impact as well. He was strong in seven-on-seven workouts and was a state qualifier in cross country last season.
“Both those are very close opponents so the kids know each other well,” Woodard said. “That makes them big ballgames for them. But for me, it’s about getting better every week. You’ll make the biggest jump between week one and week two and week two to week three. We need to be successful in gaining ground there to set us up for district.”
39PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 tradition.
“Both those guys have a very strong work ethic,” Woodard said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to be successful. They work their tails off.”
A few of the playmakers at receiver for Groveton are Clifton Davis, Billy Thomas and Dayton Chandler. “(Davis) is one of our big targets,” Woodard said. “Blly is one that if you put the ball around him, then he can go get it.”
Chase Blair and Phoenix Bowman are a pair of players expected to lock down the linebacking corps.
David Ayala is another workhorse in the backfield.
“Bryon is probably the best all-around athlete we have,” Woodard said. “He’s a difference maker that can go. He’s got some shift to him. David is a workhorse who works his tail off on a daily basis.”
PLAYERS
AUG. 26 AT LOVELADY
Groveton will compete in District 12-2A DI alongside Corrigan-Camden, which dropped down in classification. Other district opponents are Leon, Centerville, Normangee and West Hardin. The Indians open the season with a short trip to Lovelady before a home game against Trinity.
While Groveton is coming off a 1-8 season, it has some of the pieces in place that should make a turnaround a little easier.
Cushing is bringing back only three starters on each side of the football, but those three on offense could be vital in the team’s success in 2022. All-district returning offensive linemen
As a freshman, Dawson guided the Bearkat junior varsity to a 7-1 record last season and he was named Newcomer of the Year in the basketball and baseball districts. He’ll be looked at to guide the Cushing offense this season.
Behind Dawson will be a veteran running back who missed last season because of a collarbone injury. Eddie Davis will play fullback and give Dawson some sure hands and strong legs as story and photo by JOHN KRUEGER
The Cushing Bearkats might not have a lot of experienced players back for the 2022 season, but fifth-year head coach Josh Moore believes the returning players have the knowledge and are in the right place to lead his team to a third straight playoff berth.
Other projected starters on the offensive line are Kaleb Leutwyler and Trenton Taylor.
The Bearkats will be looking for their sixth playoff spot in the history of the program and figure to do that with three offensive linemen who know the game and know how to lead. And with Cushing running the veer offense, if he can get his quarterback up to speed, Moore thinks the ’Kats have an excellent shot at locking up a playoff spot in District 11-2A DII.
“When you look at those linemen, you’re looking at probably the valedictorian and salutatorian of next year’s class,” Moore said. “In fact, I think four of the five guys on the offensive line are NOBLE scholars.
to bring up a freshman athlete who has excelled not only in football, but also baseball and basketball, and Eli Dawson showed him a lot, helping the team to a win in the regular season finale. He also was a key in the opening round of the playoffs against Evadale, which CHS lost 19-13.
“Wyatt Sharp is 6-7, 270 and comes off the ball well. Brayden Mobley is 5-11, 245 and is a third-year starter. And Landon Owens (5-10, 185) will probably be the smallest one, but he’s also the most knowledgable and will play center.
“The quarterback is the main position on any offense, but even more so for us because we run the veer,” Moore said. “In our offense, the quarterback is either going to hand it off, keep it or pitch it, basically making it 11 of our players against nine of the defensive players. That’s because we leave their other two players unblocked and we read off of them.
40 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
Landon Owens, Brayden Mobley and Wyatt Sharp are not only strong coming off the football but are smart, and they are a great place to start building toward another playoff run.
Moore said getting used to the speed of the game at the varsity level will be an early test for him, but he thinks by the fourth game he’ll be in good shape. He also said he planned a ‘‘mini quarterback clinic’’ with his sophomore this summer so he would understand the ‘‘ins’’ and ‘‘outs’’ of the offense.
“Then we have some younger guys that are 190-225 pounds. In this offense you don’t have to be big, you just have to come off the ball well.”
Cushing is coming off a 5-4 record, clinching the playoffs on the final week of the regular season with a 40-14 victory over Colmesneil.Moorechose
TEAM INFO • CUSHING BEARKATS ENROLLMENT • 157 DISTRICT • 11-2A DII STADIUM • J.F. WHITAKER STADIUM BEARKATS CUSHING LINEEXPERIENCEDTO‘TOWTHENOTE’FOR‘KATS
“Right now Eli is our No 1 guy. At the end of the day he’s just an athlete. He’s very sport savvy, and he’s shown it in every sport he’s played. If you give him a ball, he’ll be good at that sport.“There’s no doubt in my mind that if you give him a football in his hands, he knows what to do with it. Yes, he’s young, but he was newcomer of the year in two sports, and he would have been in football, except I wanted him to get a lot of snaps on JV.”Moore said he made the decision to start Dawson in the Colmesneil game because it was a game the team had to win and he knew he would get the job done. The Bearkats won. He also started against Evadale at safety in the playoffs.
“I think the experience he got last season was valuable, whether it was in junior varsity or the varsity games. If he can stay healthy and get better at running the veer, I feel pretty good about the direction we’ll be heading.”
2021: 5-4 overall, 2-3 in District 11-2A DII, bi-district finalist
“One of the reasons I like our defensive backs is because those guys that are moving up from junior varsity might not have the varsity experience as some, but they’re like a bunch of crazed dogs out there. They love to hit and I’m really excited about them “If they can put it all together, there’s no telling how well we can do on Friday nights.”
COACH: Josh Moore, record 18-20 (5th year)
CUSHING AT A GLANCE
“Last year we ran the ball a lot because that’s what we hung our hat on. This year I hope we can use our passing game to set up the running game.”
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: A lack of depth and return of skill position players on offense could be the key. The three solid offensive linemen back should help the squad’s ground game, and if the Bearkats can control the football, that will help keep the ball away from opponents.
41
AUG. 26 AT CAYUGA 3-8 SEPT. 2 AT DEWEYVILLE 4-5 SEPT. 9 UNION GROVE 1-8 SEPT. 16 WEST HARDIN (HC) 4-5 SEPT. 23 AT COLMESNEIL 5-4 SEPT. 30 BYE OCT. 7 OVERTON* 0-10 OCT. 14 AT CARLISLE* 5-5 OCT. 21 TENAHA* 9-3 OCT. 28 ALTO* 6-3 NOV. 4 AT MT. ENTERPRISE* 3-5 CUSHING 2022 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT ’21 RECORD CUSHING 2021 RESULTS 5-4, 2-3 W CAYUGA 44-28 W AT EVADALE 22-20 L AT WEST SABINE* 40-16 W MT. ENTERPRISE* 37-0 W AT OVERTON* 42-6 L TENAHA* 49-6 L AT LOVELADY* 38-0 W COLMESNEIL* 40-14 L EVADALE 19-13 * DISTRICT GAME
“Next to the quarterback and offensive line, the fullback is another key position,” the coach said. “I feel good having a skilled offensive line coming back and a strong back in the backfield to hand the ball to.
“It’s great having Eddie back, and his cousin Gavin Crumpton will also be used a lot in the backfield. He brings a lot of speed and power to the fullback spot. He’s a young talent at running back, and they’ll both play on defense.
In addition, Bryan Parker was a guard on the junior varsity but will be used as a tight end this season. And at 6-foot-3, Moore is counting on his size to help him give Dawson another target.
OVERVIEW: Despite the program only qualifying for the playoffs five times in history, three of those postseason bids have been in the last four years under Moore. Last year’s JV posted a 7-1 record and with some solid line play expected on both sides of the ball, the Bearkats could be making their third straight trip to the playoffs. No.10 Tenaha and No. 11 Price Carlisle, along with Alto dropping down to 2A DII won’t make the postseason chase easy, but they could be looking at a postseason berth.
Cushing will still be in District 11-2A DII this season, but the league will look much different. Gone from the league is West Sabine, which has moved up to 2A DI and will play in District 11. Colmesneil and No. 14 Lovelady have been moved from District 11-2A DII to 12-2A DII.
PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022 he leads the ground attack.
Two other players that could help the Bearkat running game are juniors Austin Johnson and Nick Pollock. On the defensive side, Cushing also returns just three starters, including Davis at inside linebacker, along with Johnson and Dawson in the “Defensively,secondary.oursecondary will probably be the most experienced because, with the game of football, the O-line makes a lot of the adjustments on offense, and the secondary makes a lot of adjustments on defense,” Moore said. “So these are the two areas where we have the most talent coming back.
To do that, Moore hopes that Deshawn Tilley will create space on the outside and give Dawson some good looks in the passing game while beating some opponents in 1-on-1 situations.
Two ‘‘big dogs’’ have been moved into the district this season with the addition of Alto and Carlisle, who were both in Class 2A DI a year ago. Remaining are Mount Enterprise, Overton and Tenaha, leaving the district with only six teams this season. Tenaha is a preseason No. 10 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, while Carlisle is right behind, ranked No. 11.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: OL Wyatt Sharp, FB/LB Eddie Davis, OL Brayden Mobley, OL Landon Owens, WR/LB Nick Pollock, WR Ty Brown, DB Austin Johnson, OL/DL Kaleb Leutwyler, QB/ DB Eli Dawson, FB/LB Gavin Crumpton, DL Brian Parker, DB Kade Jones KEY LOSSES: Keyshawn Rollison, Tony Aparicio, Adrian Pollock, Jasper Stiles
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Graduation hit the Bearkats pretty hard, but Moore should have some solid blocking coming back with three all-district performers in Owens, Mobley and Sharp. He also has fullback/linebacker Eddie Davis back after he missed last season with a shoulder injury. Cushing’s defensive backfield will have strength with the return of Eli Dawson and Austin Johnson in the secondary, and Davis holding down the middle linebacker spot.
Now as they prepare for 2022, they have the benefit of playing a full 10-game schedule last year.
Apple Springs has some returning talent that should make them competitive this season.
“I think the big thing was it was a tough year but one we had to go through at some point,” Apple Springs head coach Cody Moree said. “We had to get back on the field and learn to take our lumps. We needed to just get better and the kids did that. They stuck with it.”
Simply fielding a team for the season was half the battle for the 2021 Apple Springs Eagles. With low numbers and no experience, the Eagles went through plenty of growing pains in a tough season. While the results usually weren’t there, it was the next step in their progression.
42 PINEYWOODS BLITZ 2022
The biggest positive for the Eagles was being able to complete a full season after playing just one game in 2020. That year was affected by low numbers and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They’re all back this year,” Moree said. “We didn’t lose a soul because there weren’t any seniors on that ballclub. We didn’t have any significant injuries. Everybody has a year under their belts now and I don’t think we’ll be in shellshock. We’ll be a little bit better.”
“We had to scramble just to get a full 10-game schedule in,” Moree said. “It was huge getting the 10 games in. We kept telling the kids throughout the year there’s an exponential benefit you couldn’t see at the time. We’re so thankful that’s behind us and that we have that year under our belt.”
“He played for the first time last year and really took to it,” Moree said. “He adapted really well to how wide open it is. He’s a tough kid. He’s not tall, but he can find the ball on defense.”
Tanner Smith will return for the Eagles as a two-way player on both the offensive and defensive lines.
“He’s probably our main pass rusher,” Moree said. “He puts a lot of pressure on other teams and makes them do what they don’t want to do. He can play a lot of different places. He’ll play center, tackle, wherever. He’s a smart kid who can call blocks and things like that. Then he’s aggressive on defense.
Ashton Ashford is another player who just picked up the sport last year after moving into the school district.
It starts with Dakota Campbell, who will be a junior and returning starter at quarterback for the Eagles. “He took every snap for us last year,” Moree said. “And I’ll tell you every snap wasn’t a positive experience. He had some really good showings, some really good ballgames. He just grew more than the normal 10 games would usually pay off forKameronyou.”
“He’s a leader for us both on and off the field,” Moree said. “We want to make sure he has a really strong senior year.”
Logan Numley is starting his second season of playing sixman football after picking up the sport last season. He will see time at running back and linebacker.
Moree said one of the biggest positives was the players keeping a positive approach throughout a year that didn’t have the best results.
Those five players are ones who gained experience that can help pave the way for the younger players coming up through the program. He said the returning experience makes it much easier to put a competitive team on the field.
“I think we’re going to be able to fine tune way sooner than we could last year,” Moree said. “We were so fundamentally behind last year that we had to spend more time than normal on that. It’s not that you ever get away from fundamentals, but we’d have to start with ‘this is a football.’ The kids really had to learn what it’s all about.”
He said that while there were plenty of negatives from last year that the biggest positive was the attitude of the team in adverse situations. He also said that effort couldn’t be overlooked in the progression of where the team eventually wants to get. “I’ve been doing this a long time,” Moree said. “They were there every day. I couldn’t ask for any more effort than the kids put in.”
story by JOSH HAVARD APPLE SPRINGS AIMS TO MAKE STRIDES IN 2022 TEAM INFO • APPLE SPRINGS EAGLES ENROLLMENT • 49 DISTRICT • 9-1A DII STADIUM • EAGLE STADIUM EAGLES APPLE SPRINGS
Spencer is the most experienced player on the Apple Springs roster. He is the only player who has been with the team since he was in the seventh grade.
“He was a very good cornerback for us,” Moree said. “He can shut down the sweep and he can cover. He had a really good year and we’re looking forward to him being back there.”
Those fundamentals should be more apparent this season as the Eagles look to put together a more natural game plan on both“Thissides.year we’ll be able to do some more things offensively just because they get it,” Moree said. “We’re looking forward to that and being able to establish ourselves early. We’ve got a schedule where we can have some success early, but we also play some really tough people.”
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