Hometown Heroes

he Leon Cougars have made 15 playoff appearances and this year the expectations are no different.

Brazos Christian will put an experienced team on the field in 2021. The Eagles have 18 of 22 starters back from a team that went to the regional round of the TAPPS Division IV playoffs last season.

The Calvert Trojans will have a new head coach for the 2021 season. Boys head basketball coach Michael Thomas will also run the football program this year replacing Ja’Marcus Ashley who is now coaching at Bryan High.

In 2020, the Burton Panthers did not play in the postseason for the first time in over a decade, but not because they didn’t qualify.

The Milano Eagles begin a new era in 2021 with first-year head coach Nick Morehead.

The St. Joseph Eagles made the most of last season by rolling off 5 straight victories heading into last year’s TAPPS Division III Semifinals. The Eagles lost 10 seniors off that team that saw their season end to eventual state champion Cedar Park Summit Christian.

The Allen Academy Rams have 3 starters back from last year’s team that was able to overcome a lot to produce a memorable 7-4 season.

The Vikings have building blocks on defense as they move into a new district where they last played in the 2011 season.

Last year the College Station Cougars made their sixth straight playoff appearance.

With three starters returning on each side of the ball, Consol drew a No. 5 preseason ranking from Texas Football magazine.

Rudder has never had a playoff football game, but the Rangers are in position to challenge for one this year.

Once again, the Hornets’ defensive front will be formidable, led by the play of Ed Bobino, who had 32 tackles and 5 sacks. He’ll be joined by DE Sebastian Patterson in that group. Cody McLerran returns in the secondary.

The Rams were 11-2 in 2019, their best season since winning the TCAL state championship with a 13-0 record in 2014. Allen Academy shared the district championship with Conroe Covenant and advanced to the state semifinals, where the Rams fell to eventual Division II state champion Watauga Harvest. Along the way, the Rams knocked off the defending state champion Bulverde Bracken in the regional round.

Brazos Christian returns a particularly strong group of juniors, who should lead an improved defense. Every one of the Eagles linebackers earned honors on the all-district team as sophomores.

There’s a steady stream of electric players to power St. Joseph, which shifts from TAPPS Division II to Division III this season, setting up new district competitors.

Dime Box used its initial six man football season determined if a move to UIL play would be possible. Now, the plans change. “Our goal for the year is to reach the playoffs and I strongly believe they have the ability to do so,” said Rick Frey of the Longhorns’ inaugural season of district football.

Navasota makes the move from 4A Division I to the smaller Division II with a few faces returning for the transition.

Madisonville returns to a six-team district after spending the last two seasons in a tough. well-balanced, seven-team grouping. The new district has a clear favorite with Carthage coming off its second 16-0 season in the last three years and winning the state championship in Class 4A Division I. With UIL realignment sending the Mustangs to East Texas, former district foe Lorena is the only holdover from Madisonville’s schedule last year.

The Caldwell Hornets have defenders of their new artificial turf stadium floor, with returning LB Mark Revilla (50 tackles) and DB Dontavien Johnson back to lead that defense.Larry Davis, who made 48 tackles, returns in the secondary and will be one of the more versatile players on offense, starting at wide receiver. The offensive line, which will take advantage of Garrett Tittle’s leadership, should be much improved as Caldwell seeks a leader to take over at quarterback.

As Mark Fannin steps up to the head coaching job, he inherits an experienced, but still young group of Lions, and retains the same season-long toughness that typifies a Franklin schedule.

The experience is in place for Anderson-Shiro, with a core group of starters, many of whom will be starting their fourth year. They contributed to a record-breaking season.

Buffalo moves from Region II into Region IV and into a district that will provide many challenges, but the Bison retain a strong group of offensive players to deal with it.

QB Dillon Denman is a two-year starter who will lead a backfield that also returns Kaden Dunn.

If 2019 was a building season for the Leon, it worked well, with the near-upset of Price Carlisle in bi-district.

Hearne brings back 7 offensive and 6 defensive starters, including QB Micah Smith, who completed 147 of 251 passes for 2,478 yards with 25 TDs and 12 interceptions.

Freshman RB Pearson Speis should bring a dynamic addition to the Panthers’ attack and he will run behind an experienced offensive line that features juniors Weston Hinze, Waylon Hinze and Eric Flores.

The Tigers are brimming with quality experience in the offensive and defensive lines and bring back quarterback Seth Kasowski.

QB Garrett Lero provides a strong centerpiece for the Bluejays’ offensive attack, after a very good sophomore season.

Senior WR Case Creamer gives Iola an athletic receiver with junior Philip England complementing him well.

Normangee senior quarterback Mason Hardy is a three-year starter at quarterback for the Panthers. He completed 107 of 182 passes for 1,628 yards with 18 TDs and five interceptions. Hardy also rushed for 565 yards and 7 TDs.