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2025 District 4-6A Season Preview

4-6A team previews

Austin Roof Inspection


Southlake Carroll grabbed the headlines last season, advancing to its first state title game in four years, but there’s a lot more to this district than just the Dragons.

Six of the nine teams in this district finished at .500 or above in 2024, so the battle for the final playoff spots should be fierce.

Here’s what to watch in 4-6A this season.

Byron Nelson Bobcats

Head Coach: Zachary Woodward (1st season)

Last Season: 8-3; 6-2 in district (Lost to North Crowley in bi-district)

Returning Lettermen: 23 (3 returning starters on offense; 6 on defense)

Byron Nelson Key Players and Storylines

Byron Nelson will be playing with heavy hearts in 2025 after its head coach Travis Pride unexpected passed away in May. Pride’s two sons are on the team, and interim head coach Zach Woodward said the whole group has really rallied around them through this tragedy.

On the field, the offense will have some adjusting to do with just three returning starters. Expect Parker Almanza (758 receiving yards and nine touchdowns) to have the ball in his hands a lot. The Baylor commit  can play quarterback, tight end, or receiver, and has been an “outstanding leader” for this Bobcat squad.

Wake Forest commit Mahamadou Siby is primarily a defensive back, but Woodward said they’ll use his athleticism offensively too. Tackle Chris Lanis is the lone returner on the offensive line, but he’s got the size the Bobcats need at 6’5″ and 260 pounds.

Safety Nolan Hawkins is another player that might play some offense too. He led the Bobcats in interceptions as a freshman last season. He’ll have hybrid linebacker/defensive back Andrew Thompson alongside him. Thompson is a team captain that will make plays all over the field.

Defensive lineman Will Meyers has “great get off” and can cause problems for opposing offensive lines.

This group has won a total of 32 games the past three years. Woodward said they have a knack for finding ways to get the job done, and he expects more of the same this fall as they play in honor of their late head coach.

Euless Trinity Trojans

Head Coach: Aaron Lineweaver (4th season; 22-14 record)

Last Season: 11-2; 7-1 in district (Lost to Allen in regional semifinals)

Returning Lettermen: 35 (6 returning starters on offense; 6 on defense)

Trinity Key Players and Storylines

Trinity produced a playoff run last year that has become expected from the Trojans. They came up just short of a regional final appearance in a 22-21 loss to Allen in the third round of playoffs last year.

12 starters return from that group. And although Trinity will have a new quarterback, explosive running back JT Harris does return. He’s a threat “to change the game at anytime.”

Harris will have SMU commit offensive linemen Toa Katoa, tackle Leyonte Chandler, and tight end/fullback Kohen Fiefia all opening holes for him. Fiefia also has “very good hands” if called upon in the passing attack.

Defensively, four-star junior cornerback John Meredith has the coverage skills to “change the play calling of an opposing offense.” Safety Caleb Adom is the perfect center fielder with his intelligence and the way he “sees the whole field.”

Linebacker Gordon Mohetau will be Trinity’s enforcer in the front seven. He “gets to the ball with a purpose,” and is also a threat in pass rushing situations.

This Trinity group has great unity and talent on both sides of the ball. Lineweaver is ready to see what his Trojans can achieve this fall as they look to “play as hard as they can as long as they can.”

Keller Indians

Head Coach: Carl Stralow (14th season; 71-67 record)

Last Season: 5-5; 4-4 in district

Keller Key Players and Storylines

A three-point loss to Byron Nelson is all that kept Keller from the playoffs for the first time since 2020 last fall.

The Indians lost their leading passer, leading rusher, and leading receiver from last year, but there are a number of seniors ready to step up.

Dual threat quarterback Brock Burkett (819 passing yards, 507 rushing yards) split time last year, while speedy running back Quintin Shropshire (523 rushing yards and six touchdowns) is a potential lightning bolt out of the backfield.

Receiver Brock Meek (460 receiving yards and two touchdowns) has good size at 6’3″ and is a playmaker with the ball in his hands.

Defensive end Caleb Muse is Keller’s premier threat off the edge. He led Keller with 17 tackles for loss in 2024. Linebacker Matthew Reagan (71 tackles) is Keller’s lone returning first team all-district selection from last fall.

Cornerback Baron Brown will be a three-year starter, bringing some key experience to the Keller secondary.

The defense did lose a number of its leading tacklers, so head coach Carl Stralow and his staff will have had to go to work filling some gaps this offseason. But with the consistent success the Indians have had under his leadership, expect them to be in the playoff mix again this season.

Keller Central Chargers

Head Coach: Eric Vance (2nd season; 1-9 record)

Last Season: 1-9; 0-8 in district

Returning Lettermen: 23 (7 returning starters on offense; 8 on defense)

Keller Central Key Players and Storylines

Keller Central has plenty of returners back as the Chargers look to take a step forward in year two under Eric Vance.

It’ll start with a scrappy defense spearheaded by safety Luke Hamilton (47 tackles). Expect to hear his name called a lot this fall.

Linebacker Holden Myres “is tough to block”, and he certainly proved that last year with 92 total tackles and ten tackles for loss. Alongside him, Austin Martin (54 tackles) has the versatility to play either linebacker or safety.

Keller Central’s best athlete will be found at quarterback in sophomore Isaiah Taylor. He has “breakaway speed” and is already attracting Division I interest. Running back Spencer Martin, “a downhill runner with relentless effort, will pair with him nicely.

Senior DeAndre Henry will be the leader of the offensive line.

Vance said his guys have been hard at work buying into the culture that they started building last year. That has him excited to see “how far the Chargers can go in year two of their program.”

Keller Timber Creek Falcons

Head Coach: Austin Kaehn (2nd season; 5-5 record)

Last Season: 5-5; 3-5 in district

Returning Lettermen: 17 (4 returning starters on offense; 4 on defense)

Timber Creek Key Players and Storylines

The Falcons started 4-0 last year in Austin Kaehn’s first season, but they hit some bumps in the road once district play rolled around as they eventually finished 5-5.

This year, Kaehn wants to see his team focus on maximizing its potential. Offensively, the Falcons only have four returning starters, but they will have a strong foundation up front with offensive linemen Jacob McCandless and Daniel Valencia. Both are three-year lettermen.

The skill positions are where graduation hit the Falcons the hardest as all their running backs and two top receivers graduated. Jackson Bass (227 receiving yards and two touchdowns) is their leading returning receiver. He’s a versatile athlete who’s also a “good blocker.”

Defensively, Kaehn believes his team should be tough in the trenches as well. The Falcons also have a solid flock of linebackers with Colin Vega (52 tackles) and “athletic” safety-linebacker hybrid Landyn Hicks (72 tackles).

The most explosive player on that side of the ball might be found in the secondary in Ty Gowins (59 tackles and two INTs). He was a second team all-district selection last year and should be a threat on special teams too.

Timber Creek has made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. In order to get back there this fall, Kaehn knows his guys will need to try and “dominate the opponent for 48 minutes” in the extremely competitive District 4-6A.

L.D. Bell Blue Raiders

Head Coach: T.J. Dibble (5th season; 17-23 record)

Last Season: 2-8; 1-7 in district

Returning Lettermen: 22 (6 returning starters on offense/6 on defense)

L.D. Bell Key Players and Storylines

After back-to-back winning seasons, the Blue Raiders took a step back in 2024, finishing 2-8.

But L.D. Bell head coach T.J. Dibble has hope his squad can bounce back this year with six starters back on each side of the ball and players coming up from a JV team that finished 7-3 a year ago.

The Blue Raiders don’t have anyone back on their roster that threw a pass last year, so running back Brendon Gleim (485 rushing yards and five touchdowns) will need to spearhead the offense this year.

Dibble believes tight ends David Hackworth and Taysen Rutschman can help out up front, while receivers Caleb Walton (124 receiving yards) and Braeden Solomon (287 receiving yards) should be the go-to targets in the passing attack.

Defensively, Dibble will need junior defensive back Tre’Von Taylor to lead what will be an inexperienced secondary. Look for linebacker Bradyn Clark (40 tackles) and defensive linemen Micaiah Canady and Tabias Thomas (42 tackles) to be the impact players in the front seven.

A strong junior class means that L.D. Bell has “a good mix of experience and younger talent.” Dibble hopes that will be the recipe for his squad to get back in to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Northwest Texans

Head Coach: Bill Poe (12th season; 75-48 record)

Last Season: 6-5; 4-4 in district (Lost to Crowley in bi-district)

Returning Lettermen: 30 (4 returning starters on offense; 5 on defense)

Northwest Key Players and Storylines

It has been an offseason of turnover for the Texans after they graduated a number of key players from last year’s squad. They’ll have to rely on several young players stepping up this fall if they want to maintain their streak of seven-straight playoff appearances.

That is especially the case on the offensive line where junior Jace Mitcham and sophomore Ty Zumwalt will be needed to lead the way. The receiving core will be the offense’s biggest strength. Tyler Singer led the Texans with 573 receiving yards a year ago, while Trey Poe can either play receiver or quarterback.

Junior running back Carlos Sela is next in line for the backfield after the Texans graduated their top two rushers.

Linebacker Tristan Clutter (60 tackles) is the Texans’ leading returning tackler. Defensive end Uriah Crawford (58 tackles, three sacks) will be another threat in the front seven with his pass-rushing ability. The secondary also should be a strength with safety Kaden Olson (50 tackles, two TFLs) and cornerback Nick Curley (18 tackles, two FFs).

Head coach Bill Poe says the Texans’ success this year will rely heavily on how younger players settle into their new roles. And although there may be some bumps in the road, he’s confident this group will soldier on with their “tough, hard-nosed, and blue-collar” mentality.

Northwest Eaton Eagles

Head Coach: Ellis Miller (9th season; 44-40 record)

Last Season: 4-6; 3-5 in district

Returning Lettermen: 18 (5 returning starters on offense; 3 on defense)

Eaton Key Players and Storylines

Eaton has to replace 75% of its roster from a year ago. However, the Eagles have plenty of athleticism coming up through the ranks from JV teams that finished 9-1 and 7-3 in 2024.

One of the players making that jump from JV is sophomore quarterback Kalika Nisa, who will bring his rocket arm to the Eagle offense. He’ll have some help in the backfield with returning starting running back Micah Rivers (751 rushing yards and four touchdowns) and Chris Duharte, who missed most of last year due to injury.

Out at receiver, Keaton Novotny is a “swiss army knife” and can make an impact on defense and special teams too. The Eagle coaching staff also believes sophomore receiver Alex Abbs will have a strong debut season this year too.

The defensive front will be the strength of this Eaton team with defensive ends Alijah Lash (58 tackles, four sacks) and Ahmad Griffin (46 tackles, two sacks), who are both big threats off the edge. Defensive tackle Christian Stewart will anchor the interior.

On the back end, safety Ramsey Villarreal (42 tackles, three INTs) is “great in coverage and a sure tackler in space.” He’ll be a leader for the Eagles in the secondary.

This Eaton team may not have a ton of experience, but it makes up for it with its up-and-coming talent. The Eagles will be hopeful those younger players can hit the ground running as they look to get back to the postseason for the first time in four years.

Southlake Carroll Dragons

Head Coach: Riley Dodge (8th season; 93-9 record)

Last Season: 15-1; 8-0 in district (Lost to Vandegrift in 6A Division II State Title Game)

Returning Lettermen: 40 (10 returning starters on offense; 9 on defense)

Southlake Carroll Key Players and Storylines

The rest of the state should be on notice because Southlake Carroll returns almost its entire starting lineup from its 2024 state runner-up team.

Offensively, the Dragons are a wagon. Quarterback Angelo Renda threw for nearly 4,000 yards a year ago, and he’s got a variety of weapons from Ohio State commit receiver Brock Boyd (1,868 receiving yards and 19 TDs) to three-star running back Davis Penn (925 rushing yards and 18 TDs). Boyd is far from a lone wolf at receiver too. Both Blake Gunter (759 yards and 8 TDs) and Brody Knowles (545 receiving yards and 8 TDs) are coming off strong sophomore seasons that have earned them Division I looks.

On the offensive line, tackles Tristan Dare and Luke Wilson and center Carey Clayton all started all 16 games last season.

Flipping sides of the ball, Robbie Ladd (101 tackles) and William Chen are two tackling machines at linebacker. Zac Hays (10.5 sacks) will be the Dragons’ primary pass rush threat off the edge.

Parker Harris (68 tackles) brings explosiveness to the secondary and special teams as a punt returner. Gavin Strange returns to start at safety (41 tackles) and is also the “top ranked kicker in Texas.”

The talent is there, so Carroll’s biggest hindrance this year could be complacency. The Carroll coaching staff has made sure this group has been putting in the work to combat that as the Dragons look to go one win better in 2025.


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