Columbus Cardinals
Head Coach: Matt Schobel (7th season; 72-13 record)
Last Season: 15-1; 3-1 in district (Defeated Malakoff in 3A Division I State Title Game)
Columbus Key Players and Storylines
Columbus won its first state title in school history with a 48-14 rout of Malakoff in last year’s 3A Division I State Title Game. Now, it’ll be up to a new flock of Cardinals to try and keep up that standard. Gone are now-TCU quarterback Adam Schobel and now-Arizona State running back Grayson Rigdon.
The good news is the trenches are mainly in tact headlined by three-star offensive lineman Keyon Hemphill-Woods. Junior offensive linemen Ivan Valenzuela and Mason Pavlicek and sophomore lineman Weston Krpec all are back too after earning all-district honors in 2024.
Receiver Braylon Fisher will need to lead the charge at the skill positions. He finished with 1,338 yards and 16 touchdowns as just a sophomore last year.
What a throw from @TCUFootball signee Adam Schobel! Braylon Fisher on the receiving end of this one and Columbus is ahead 21-7 going into the second quarter! #UILState #txhsfb #TCU @usatodayhss pic.twitter.com/YnBLfJOf84
— Randall Sweet (@RandallSweet5) December 20, 2024
Defensively, not much will get past the linebacking duo of Rylan Carruthers (164 total tackles) and Brody Vinklarek (168 total tackles). The secondary has experience too. Junior defnesive backs Jack Schobel (64 tackles and three INTs) and Brennan Hicks (64 tackles) will lead the back end.
The headliners from last year’s Columbus team are gone, but much of the talent that surrounded them return. The question will be whether Columbus can replace the production from guys like Schobel and Rigdon as it looks to stay at the top of a deep 3A Division I class.
