Zephyr broke through with its first district title in nearly a decade a year ago, but Blanket was hot on its tail.
Beneath the top two, Sidney has a ton of returning experience, Mullin has a new coach, and Gustine will be looking to grow in its second year under head coach Joseph Czubinski. Can any of these teams break into the playoff places?
Here’s what to watch in District 15-1A Division II.
Blanket Tigers
Head Coach: Michael Cherry (2nd season)
Last Season: 8-3; 3-1 in district (Lost to Cherokee in bi-district)
Blanket Key Players and Storylines
The Tigers are becoming playoff regulars having made five-straight postseason appearances. Since 2018, Blanket is 18-2 in district games.
Cherry kept the Tigers rolling in his first year as head coach a year ago. He said he expects his players to continue to compete and get better every day this season.
Blanket returns half of its starters from each side of the ball . However, two of the starters the Tigers lost to graduation were their top two backs from a year ago. Look for Kannon Kensing and Cameron Aultman to be among the players helping fill that hole this season.
Up front, center Isaac Smith is the lone first team all-district returner on the Tiger offense this season. Guard Adam McLaughlin should also pitch in on the offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, the Blanket defense pitched two shutouts last season and held opponents to just under 22 points per game.
Kensing made quite the impact as a freshman a year ago on the defensive line. He’s poised to shine again this season. Smith will be another player to watch on the Tiger defensive line, while Aultman will be who Blanket relies upon to lead the secondary.
Cherry mentioned that a couple of the players he named would be asked to do “a lot” this season. He said he’s excited how they handle and “grow from the pressure of that” as the Tigers aim for a sixth-straight playoff appearance.
Gustine Tigers
Head Coach: Joseph Czubinski (2nd Season)
Last Season: 0-10; 0-4 in district
Gustine Key Players and Storylines
Head coach Joseph Czubinski didn’t have the debut season he would have hoped for a year ago. But he’s no stranger to building programs from the ground up. He came to Gustine from Dell City, which is the second-smallest UIL school.
The Tigers lost their quarterback and full back to graduation, but junior utility back Allen Lopez returns. Look for receiver Osyel Garcia to step up as Gustine’s primary target in the passing game, while junior center Gabe Patino should anchor the Tigers up front.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Yahir Torquemada is the lone all-district returnee for Gustine on defense.
The Tigers were 45’d by three of their four district opponents a year ago. With Czubinski’s players having learned his system a year ago, they’ll hope to make some progress on the field in 2023.
Mullin Bulldogs
Head Coach: Thomas Van Zandt (1st Season)
Last Season: 4-6; 1-3 in district
Mullin Key Players and Storylines
Thomas Van Zandt returns to the sideline to lead the Bulldogs this season. He had previous retired from coaching in 2015 and had been serving as Mullin’s Director of Transportation/Maintenance.
Van Zandt said he’s excited to be back as he looks to establish pride and a strong work ethic among his Bulldog players. He hopes that will set a foundation that will help Mullin began building toward its first playoff appearance since 2014.
The Bulldogs return four starters on offense and three on defense this season. Among those returners, Van Zandt expects a handful of underclassmen to be the team leaders.
Running back/linebacker Vash Langford and center/defensive end Jaidan Langford are poised to continue building off of impressive freshmen seasons a year ago. Vash earned all-district honors on both sides of the ball, while Jaiden was a second team all-district selection on offense.
Junior Wyatt Stevens should bolster the offensive attack after earning first team all-district as a spread back, while fellow junior Dameon Gonzalez will be a weapon for the Bulldogs out at receiver. Both Stevens and Gonzalez will also play key roles in the secondary.
There’s no shortage of young talent at Mullin. Last year, the Bulldogs had nine sophomores and freshmen on its varsity roster. If Van Zandt can get his players to buy in as he hopes, the Bulldogs are in a good place to continue to grow over the coming years.
Sidney Eagles
Head Coach: Ryan Grant (2nd Season)
Last Season: 4-5; 2-2 in district
Sidney Key Players and Storylines
Sidney found itself right in the middle of the district a year ago as it 45’d Gustine and Mullin, while falling by over 30 points to Zephyr and Blanket. While that record may not pop off the screen, the Eagles competed with virtually only freshmen and sophomores on their roster a year ago.
With so much of that young talent coming through the ranks, the Eagles plan to field a JV team for the first time in a long time.
For the varsity team, head coach Ryan Grant expects them to make it back to the playoffs. All six starters are back on each side of the ball.
Junior running back Cameron Grant will help lead the Eagles on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he rushed for 1837 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2022, while also racking up 126 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
Fellow junior quarterback Lehman Lindeque (700+ passing yards and 11 touchdowns) will join Grant in the backfield and help lead the Sidney passing attack, while spread center Tanner Crawford will anchor the Eagles up front after earning first team all-district a year ago.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles expect junior defensive back Peyton Terpstra and sophomores Collin Grant, a defensive lineman (84 tackles) and Dylan Terpstra, a cornerback, to be among the unit’s leaders this season.
The Eagles are on the rise after gaining valuable varsity experience a year ago. Grant likes how his team competed a year ago and believes with that work ethic, Sidney can take another step forward on the field this season.
Zephyr Bulldogs
Head Coach: Jeremy Phillips (5th Season)
Last Season: 9-2; 4-0 in district (Lost to Richland Springs in bi-district)
Zephyr Key Players and Storylines
What a difference a year makes.
In 2021, Zephyr was one of the smallest 1A Division I schools and its players had very little varsity experience. The result? An 0-10 season.
Last year, however, couldn’t have gone better for the Bulldogs. With a drop down to 1A Division II and the experience gained from 2021, Zephyr completed a 9-2 season and won its first district title since 2015.
Head coach Jeremy Phillips said his Bulldogs will be young again this season with just two starters returning on offense and three back on defense.
The Bulldogs will be looking to replace the production of last year’s Offensive MVP Jayden Milican in their backfield. Expect running backs Tripp Ballard (532 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns) and Karsen Floyd (209 rushing yards and three touchdowns) to see increased carries this year.
Sophomore offensive/defensive lineman Trapper Schoenhals and utility back/linebacker Jim Evetts are two players Phillips also anticipates taking on larger roles this year in the wake of several key players graduating.
Floyd (60 total tackles) also earned first team all-district from his safety position on defense, while Ballard (72.5 tackles) will be expected to patrol the middle of the field from his linebacker position.
Heading into this season, Phillips knows that his Bulldogs may be inexperienced at some positions. Despite that, he has high hopes for his team’s potential and said he expects them to be back in the playoffs for the second year running.
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