Channelview broke through with its first district title in school history last fall.
Now programs like South Houston are hoping to follow in the Falcons footsteps by making some school history of their own. Plus Sam Rayburn and Pasadena are aiming to be increasingly competitive with their district bunkmates this fall.
Here’s what to watch for in District 22-6A.
Channelview Falcons
Head Coach: Averion Hurts (17th Season)
Last Season: 8-3; 6-0 in district (Lost to C.E. King in bi-district)
Channelview Key Players and Storylines
If you’re wondering if Channelview’s coach’s name sounds familiar, yes, that is Jalen Hurts’ father.
Averion Hurts and his Falcons had a season for the record books in 2022. They brought home their first district title in their 66-year history.
District Champs 🏆
Squad Up ✈️#CV pic.twitter.com/bHIEPUvnHh— Dj McNorton (@DjMac8) November 5, 2022
This season, the Falcons return seven starters on offense and four starters on defense from that team.
Hurts likes the experience he has on the offensive line as well as at running back, led by junior Traveon Jackson (645 rushing yards and five touchdowns).
Channelview lost two of its top receivers, so David Watson will be relied upon to take on an even bigger role this year (414 receiving yards and four touchdowns).
Defensively, the Falcons have some question marks that need to be answered in the secondary. However, they have a lot more answers in a front seven with linebacker Oscar Manzanares (50 tackles, three tackles for loss) and defensive linemen Caleb Atafua (32 tackles, 12 TFLs) and Devin Tanner (20 tackles, 11 TFLs).
Non-district play will be especially crucial for the Falcons as young players look get to up to speed. With much more experience back on the offensive side of the ball, Hurts said the Falcons will lean on that unit early on as the defense gets into its groove.
Deer Park Deer
Head Coach: Austin Flynn (6th Season)
Last Season: 9-2; 5-1 in district (Lost to Atascocita in bi-district)
Deer Park Key Players and Storylines
Austin Flynn has gotten Deer Park rolling since taking over in 2018. After missing the playoffs in his first season, the Deer have finished in the top two in their district every year since.
The biggest challenge for the Deer this year will be replacing the hole left by now-graduated quarterback Rafa Robles.
Deer Park returns a lot of other experience from a year ago with five staters back on offense and eight on defense.
Flynn is especially excited about a deep receiving corps led by Hayden Smith (327 receiving yards and six touchdowns) and deep-ball threat King Phillips (426 receiving yards and five touchdowns). Isaiah Gregoire (470 rushing yards and five touchdowns) is poised to step into the bell cow role this year at running back.
On the other side of the ball, the Deer are going to be a force in the trenches with Oklahoma State commit defensive lineman Luke Webb. He was the district’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.
Just a couple highlights from the few plays I played at our scrimmage!! 🦌 pic.twitter.com/FXJAF2vKql
— Luke Webb (@luke2005w) August 19, 2023
Behind him, linebacker Reed Mallett and safety Diego Bautista both return after earning all-district honors a year ago.
Flynn said that the Deer will be aiming for continual improvement from whoever wins the starting quarterback job. If that happens, the expectation is to win a district title after they fell just short to Channelview last season.
Dobie Longhorns
Head Coach: Demond Stafford (2nd Season)
Last Season: 4-7; 3-3 in district (Lost to North Shore in bi-district)
Dobie Key Players and Storylines
Last season was a down season for Dobie’s standards. It was the Longhorns’ first losing season since 2017.
Still, they earned their fifth-straight playoff berth in head coach Demond Stafford’s first season at the helm.
That will give the Longhorns something to build on heading into 2023.
Another big positive is the return of Dobie’s leading offensive contributor Cameron Mathews. He led the Longhorns in both rushing (1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns) and receiving (425 receiving yards and three touchdowns) in their wing-T offense last season.
— Cameron Mathews (@Cam_ontop) September 4, 2022
The return of offensive linemen Frankie Aleman and Evan Jordan will also help Mathews’ cause. Both were all-district selections last year.
On the other side of the ball, two of Dobie’s three leading tacklers from last season are back in linebacker Dempsey Spears (81 tackles, six TFLs) and safety Derrick Kelley (76 tackles, three TFLs). Fellow safety CJ Richard led the Longhorns in interceptions last year with three.
Up front, Roderick Drumgo (41 tackles and three TFLs) should lead the Longhorns in the trenches.
Mathews is a true gamebreaker that opponents will have to account for every snap. The Longhorns will hope his playmaking ability on offense plus the returning experience they have on defense will prove to be a recipe for success in 2023.
Pasadena Eagles
Head Coach: David Zapien (5th Season)
Last Season: 2-8; 0-6 in district
Pasadena Key Players and Storylines
Pasadena returned to the win column last year after back-to-back winless seasons.. The Eagles snapped their 20-game losing streak with a 36-7 win over Spring Woods last September.
Pasadena will hope to keep its momentum going with 13 total starters back this year (six back on offense and seven back on defense).
Head coach David Zapien said his Eagles aren’t the strongest in the depth or speed departments. However, he is encouraged by what they bring back on offense.
The Eagles should be strong up front and also have quarterback Alijah Cruz (840 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns and 300 yards passing) returning to lead their run-heavy offense. Running back Jarvis McCarty will need to take on a bigger role alongside Cruz in the backfield after the graduation of Ruben Lara.
And when the Eagles do turn to their passing attack, they’ll have Chris Solis (245 receiving yards and one touchdowns) to lead the receiving corps.
Defensively, Zapien said the Eagles have key players at all three levels in defensive lineman Tony Conchas (three sacks), linebacker Will Cruz (45 tackles), and defensive back Cameron Murry (20 tackles, one interception),
The Eagles added a new turf practice field over the offseason. Combine that with the two wins they scored on the gridiron last season, and the Eagles have some positive momentum heading into 2023. They’ll hope to ride that momentum this fall as they look to be increasingly competitive in district play.
Pasadena Memorial Mavericks
Head Coach: Jamie Crocker (5th Season)
Last Season: 5-5; 3-3 in district
Pasadena Memorial Key Players and Storylines
A year ago, Pasadena Memorial found itself on the wrong end of a three-way tiebreaker for the final two playoff spots. Head coach Jamie Crocker said that left a sour taste in his players’ mouths.
And with 14 total starters back (six on offense and eight on defense), including several three-year starters, Crocker has seen a hunger out of his players as they look to put last season’s disappointment behind them.
Crocker likes the experience his team has on the offensive line. That line will have plenty of skill talent operating around it.
Last year’s district Newcomer of the Year Lorenzo Delgado is back at running back, while both Jaylon Bell and Ethan Munoz are back to lead the Mavericks at receiver. Both were all-district selections a year ago.
Memorial’s defensive line is just as strong as its offensive line. Expect Ri’Chard Crawford and defensive tackle Jaiden Longoria to lead the way in the trenches. Behind them, Leon Shirley is expected to be a key player at linebacker.
The talent in the front seven will be crucial as Crocker said the secondary is where the Mavericks need to grow the most.
This summer, Memorial has hung its hat on the mantra, “Hate to Lose.” Crocker has said that the team has gone through difficult workouts during the offseason so their “game reps should be easy to execute.”
He’s hopeful his players’ hard work will pay off with Memorial’s first playoff berth since 2020.
Sam Rayburn Texans
Head Coach: Sergio Gonzalez (2nd Season)
Last Season: 3-7; 1-5 in district
Sam Rayburn Key Players and Storylines
Sergio Gonzalez and his players are hoping to be the change at a Sam Rayburn program that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1997.
The Texans will be younger in 2023 with just five starters back on offense and only four returning on defense.
Both of Sam Rayburn’s all-district selections on offense graduated, including quarterback Estaban Nava. Whoever the new quarterback is will be in good hands when it comes to throwing the ball with sophomore Gonzalo Zapata (450 receiving yards) and senior Chavodrian Harris-Miles (350 receiving yards) leading the receiving corps. Harris-Miles is also a player to watch on special teams. He had two punt returns for touchdowns last season.
Senior Daniel Rodriguez should anchor the Texans on the offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, the Texans have quite the duo in the secondary in Abel Gonzalez (25 tackles, two INTs) and Jermaine Calvin (55 tackles, four TFLs, two INTs).
y’all gone feel me, see y’all in 6 days🤫😈 pic.twitter.com/PxjjpUw1s1
— Jermaine Calvin (@justtjermaine) August 20, 2023
In the trenches, the Texans boast Guadalupe Platas-Herreras (44 tackles and six TFLs) as a threat off the edge from his defensive end position.
Despite so many new starters coming up, Gonzalez has been encouraged by the cohesiveness of his team. But still, the Texans will be young. How quickly those young players develop will likely determine whether Sam Rayburn can make progress in the win column in 2023.
South Houston Trojans
Head Coach: Patrick Longstreet (6th Season)
Last Season: 5-6; 3-3 in district (Lost to Summer Creek in bi-district)
South Houston Key Players and Storylines
South Houston has now made the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 2016-17.
Head coach Patrick Longstreet likes the mix of players his team has coming back with half of its starters returning from last season (six on offense and five on defense).
The offense has a golden chance to improve upon the 26 points its averaged a year ago.
Last year’s District MVP Kamron Webb returns at quarterback giving the offense a dynamic element (1,300 passing yards and 12 TDs; 1,100 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns). He’s a four year starter for South Houston.
He has plenty of talent at his disposal in lengthy wide receiver Jacob Sheppard (678 receiving yards and eight touchdowns) and running back/slot Abraham Escareno. Longstreet described Escareno as a “Swiss army knife” that can line up in a variety of spots for the Trojans.
Defensively, Evyn Ponce (44 tackles, 12 TFLs, three sacks) is poised to dominate the trenches after earning first team all-district last season. Behind him, the Trojans have linebacker Nathan Rosales (42 tackles, three TFLs) and safety Robert McKinney (23 tackles), who should also play some at receiver.
McKinney won’t be the only Trojan playing both ways. With only about 40 players on its roster, Longstreet said several guys will be expected to contribute on both offense and defense.
But despite South Houston’s lack of depth, Longstreet believes it has the overall talent to succeed. If the Trojans make it back to the playoffs in 2023, it would be a historic accomplishment as Sam Houston has never made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.
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