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District 28-6A Season Preview

insoles to jump higher

 

 

Another all-San Antonio district. And this district is deep.

Reagan is likely the favorite to secure another district title, but it won’t come easy with teams like Brandeis and Johnson eyeing the crown.

And it’s anyone’s guess how the battle for the final couple playoff places will shake out with several teams likely to be in contention.

Here’s what to watch for in District 28-6A.

San Antonio Brandeis Broncos

Head Coach: Charles Bruce (3rd Season)

Last Season: 9-3; 7-1 in district (Lost to Dripping Springs in area round)

San Antonio Brandeis Key Players and Storylines

Brandeis has made the playoffs in both years under head coach Charles Bruce. Last year, its 27-14 win over San Marcos was its first playoff victory since a state quarterfinal run in 2019.

This year, Brandeis will roll out a new-look team. Just three starters are back on each side of of the ball, and last year’s starting quarterback JC Evans moved to Florida. Still, there is some talent to work with among the returning players.

The receiving corps will be strong with two promising juniors in Jaden Perez (671 receiving yards and six touchdowns) and Jaylin Baker (223 receiving yards and two touchdowns). On the offensive line, Tyler Murray is an Army commit.

Defensively, the Broncos have a star in safety Jacob Voss (68 tackles and four INTs), who earned an honorable mention on the all-state team last year. Junior cornerback Deron Hall (29 tackles and two interceptions) is also back in the secondary, so opposing quarterbacks will have to be weary when letting the ball fly.

In the front seven, junior Ian Luna (49 tackles and six sacks) will be a threat off the edge.

The Broncos will be young this year, but several players gained experience as underclassmen a year ago. Bruce hopes his team will continue to grow together and progress throughout the year as they aim for another playoff victory in 2023.

San Antonio Churchill Chargers

Head Coach: Ron Harris (9th Season)

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

Churchill Key Players and Storylines

Churchill made it back to the playoffs for the first time in four years last fall.

And with a strong junior class coming through the ranks, head coach Rob Harris believes the Chargers could be even stronger this fall.

Churchill returns five starters on each side of the ball.

Offensively, its strength will be in the trenches with senior lineman Brandon Schuster and juniors Jacob Bentley and Caleb Popham.

Junior quarterback Hunter Pavlicek (367 passing yards and five TDs; 293 rushing yards and three TDs) returns for his second year starting behind center. He’ll be coming back from lisfranc surgery he had last November.

Ty Webb will likely be one of his targets at receiver, but Webb will also see a lot of playing time at defensive back (28 tackles). The Chargers are loaded at linebacker with Cooper Kounsne (73 tackles, five TFLs), Roman Romo (85 tackles), and promising sophomore Aiden Ross. Luke Henry should be a force in the trenches (42 tackles, three TFLs)

Churchill is still looking to build some depth on the defensive side of the ball. However, with the strength Churchill has in the trenches, it’s a good foundation to build on as the Chargers aim for another playoff appearance.

San Antonio Clark Cougars

Head Coach: J.L. Geist (5th Season)

Last Season: 6-4; 4-4 in district

Clark Key Players and Storylines

Clark came oh so close to snapping its nine-year playoff drought a year ago. A 24-7 loss to Churchill meant the Chargers earned the final playoff spot in a tiebreaker. However, last year was the first winning season for the Cougars since 2009.

Clark will look to keep the momentum going in 2023. Just eight starters return from last year’s squad though. There are three starters back on offense and five on defense.

The offense will have a very new look to it as Phillip Metzger takes over the starting quarterback job and Michael Davila swaps his defensive back position to line up at receiver. Two-year letterman Christian Carmona will be Clark’s key player on the offensive  line.

Defensively, head coach J.L. Geist believes the linebackers and secondary will be the strength of his team. Kelvin Ramon (32 tackles, one INT) and junior Logan Childs return in the secondary, while Luke Goertz will lead the way at linebacker.

Clark graduated all 11 players that earned first or second team all-district honors last season.

With that turnover, the Cougars will need to make the most of their two non-district games against Buda Johnson and San Antonio Stevens. Because as last year showed, every one of their eight district games will count as they look to break back into the playoffs this season.

San Antonio Johnson Jaguars

Head Coach: T.P. Miller (2nd Season)

Last Season: 7-4; 6-2 in district (Lost to Cibolo Steele in bi-district)

Johnson Key Players and Storylines

Johnson has made the playoffs in each of its last 10 seasons. The next step for the Jaguars will be finding a way to consistently win playoff games. They have won just one playoff game in the past eight seasons.

However, the Jaguars have a chance to have a special 2023 season. Not only are 14 total starters back from last year’s team, but they also have a true gamebreaker at quarterback in TCU commit Ty Hawkins (2,167 passing yards and 30 touchdowns; 920 rushing yards and eight touchdowns). Johnson also has fellow junior Lorenn “Bubba” Johnson (644 rushing yards and seven touchdowns) alongside him in the backfield at running back.

Johnson graduated three all-district offensive linemen from last year’s team. This year, they’ll rely on Xavier Wilburn to lead them in the trenches.

On the other side of the ball, the Jaguars have their two leading tacklers from last year back in linebacker Walker Diharce (107 tackles) and safety Chad Pantuso (101 tackles). Will Adair (32 tackles) will be Johnson’s premier player on the defensive line.

Watch out for the Jaguars. With Hawkins and Johnson leading the offense as just juniors, expect to be hearing a lot about Johnson around San Antonio these next two years.

San Antonio LEE Volunteers

Head Coach: Wendell Harris (1st Season)

Last Season: 2-8; 0-8 in district

LEE Key Players and Storylines

After previous head coach Danny Kloza retired, the Volunteers named Wendell Harris as their next head coach. Harris most recently was the head football coach at Burbank, a 5A school. He said he’s excited to lead at the 6A level.

He’s tasked with rebuilding a LEE program that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1993. The Volunteers have only had one winning season in that time span.

Harris will have 13 returning starters to work with (seven on offense and six on defense).

Junior Diego Zertuche is back at quarterback and he’ll have some options at the skill positions with running back Dennis Chavez (460 rushing yards and four touchdowns) and tight end Joshua Wayne (176 receiving yards and one touchdown).

In the trenches, Harris said the Volunteers have some rebuilding to do. Juniors Timothy Colbert and Juan Salazar are the lone returners on the offensive line.

Defensively, the Volunteers have a couple of playmakers in their front seven in defensive end Jason Grant (31 tackles, five TFLs) and linebacker John David Crowe (46 tackles, three TFLs). Defensive back Jayden Bryant-Penn (24 tackles) will be the leader in the Volunteer secondary.

Harris said this year’s LEE squad will be senior heavy. That veteran leadership will be crucial as the Volunteers look to get back on track in the Wendell Harris era.

San Antonio Madison Mavericks

Head Coach: Blaine Pederson (7th Season)

Last Season: 3-7; 3-5 in district

Madison Key Players and Storylines

Madison isn’t used to be sitting at home during bi-district week. Last year was the first time the Mavericks had missed the playoffs since 2015.

With six starters back on each side of the ball and plenty of team speed, head coach Blaine Pederson said his expectation is for his team to get back on track this season.

Quarterback Landon Gill (1,371 passing yards and 16 TDs; 356 rushing yards and seven TDs) is back, but he’ll have a new backfield partner as Devin Edwards shifts over from defense to the running back position.

Jordan Clay (488 receiving yards and six touchdowns) announced his arrival to varsity football with a big freshman year last season. He’s a bonafide star with several Power Five programs circling.

Defensively, Dhaylen Stanton (65 tackles, 12 TFLs) is going to wreck havoc on opponents backfields. J’Von McDonald (27 tackles and three INTs) should lead the secondary after earning first team all-district honors last year. In the middle of the field, the Mavericks will have a new but familiar face as Quardarius Williams switches over to linebacker from his former tight end position.

Pederson said his players and staff have had “an outstanding offseason.” Look for Madison to take a step forward in 2023 after an uncharacteristic down year.

San Antonio Marshall Rams

Head Coach: Tim Williams (11th Season)

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

Marshall Key Players and Storylines

Marshall had a breakthrough year in 2021 finishing 8-3, but the Rams couldn’t keep that momentum going last season.

With seven starters back on offense and six returning on defense, head coach Tim Williams hopes his team can use the lessons they learned last year to improve on the field this season.

Quarterback Hector Alvarado is back to lead the Rams’ option-based offense. He’ll be aiming for an increase in productivity after Marshall put up just 15.8 points per game a year ago.

Williams believes junior Jalen Glover is poised to play a bigger role at running back this year, while Nathaniel Davila is back after leading the Rams in receptions last year (274 receiving yards and two touchdowns).

Defensive lineman Romeo Ortiz is Marshall’s lone returning all-district player. Armadeus Mallet also returns in the trenches, while Valentino Ortiz should be a key player in the Ram secondary.

The Rams aren’t the biggest or the fastest team. However, Williams hopes their effort and toughness will keep them in games against the other teams in their district.

San Antonio Reagan Rattlers

Head Coach: Lyndon Hamilton (7th Season)

Last Season: 8-3; 8-0 in district (Lost to New Braunfels in bi-district round)

Reagan Key Players and Storylines

Reagan has fallen in the bi-district round each of the past three seasons, but the Rattlers will be aiming to break through this year.

They have a move-in to lead them at quarterback as Texas State commit Brad Jackson (2,222 passing yards and 21 touchdowns; 450 rushing yards) transfers in from Cypress Creek. And if it’s not Jackson, junior quarterback Caleb Cappuccio was the district’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2022. In addition to the depth at quarterback, the Rattlers also have junior Cole Pryor (1,311 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns) back to lead the rushing attack.


Defensively, the Rattlers have four of their five leading tacklers back form last season. Jett Thompson (76 tackles) and Hector Ucha Aguilar (58 tackles) both return on the defensive line, while the Rattlers will rely on Leo Bisesi (81 tackles) and Patricio Benavides (69 tackles) at linebacker.

Defensive backs Bailey Fletcher, Rice commit, (35 tackles and one INT) and Derek Davisson (42 tackles and three INTs) are two players to watch in the secondary.

This Reagan team is loaded with talent. If the Rattlers can stay healthy, they’ll have a good chance to challenge for that first playoff victory in four years this fall.

San Antonio Roosevelt Rough Riders

Head Coach: Matt Carroll (11th Season)

Last Season: 4-6; 3-5 in district

Roosevelt Key Players and Storylines

The Rough Riders will set out in search of their first playoff berth since 2020 this season. Last year, two of their five district defeats came by 10 points or less, so they weren’t too far off from the postseason.

This fall, three starters are back on offense and five return on defense.

But despite the lack of experience returning on offense, the Rough Riders have a star leading the way in running back Brennan Carroll (963 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns). He’ll be their main source of offense this year. Head coach Matt Carroll also likes what he has in his new starter at quarterback Shai Markajani.

In front of them, the Rough Riders also have a solid foundation with an offensive line led by Jeremiah Bustamante and Jamari Galloway.

On the other side of the ball, defensive end Jussiah Ali (45 tackles, 20 TFLs) is also getting looks from Division I programs. Carroll expects him and linebacker Damarian Miller (66 total tackles, five TFLs) to be Roosevelt’s two primary players defensively.

In the secondary, safety Jamare Smothers (39 tackles) will look to lock down the backend of the Rough Rider defense.

Carroll is encouraged by what he has seen from his team throughout this offseason. He believes they are more unified this season. The Rough Riders will hope that togetherness along with talent upgrades in certain positions pay off with a playoff berth this fall.

 

CLICK HERE to listen to the Texas HS Football Podcast, with Taylor Arenz

 

 

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