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District 29-6A Season Preview

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This district was incredible competitive a year ago with a three-way tiebreaker deciding its final two playoff spots.

There are a couple of changes this season. New Braunfels heads back to 5A. In its place come in a proven winner in 5A in Canyon and a Buda Johnson team that’s been knocking on the door to the playoffs in a tough Austin-area district the past couple years.

All told, it should be another tight race for those four playoff tickets this fall.

Here’s what to watch for in District 29-6A.

Buda Johnson Jaguars

Head Coach: Sam Carlin (1st season)

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

Buda Johnson Key Players and Storylines

The Jaguars will have a new head coach for the first time in school history after Steve Hoffman retired late in the offseason.

Sam Carlin takes over as interim head coach. He had been serving as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Johnson will have plenty of experience with eight starters back on offense and six returning on defense.

Kael Hatnot will lead the way on offense. The senior running back us coming off a 1,000-yard season which earned him first team all-district honors. The Jaguars will lean on offensive lineman Warner Erwin and tight end Blake Behl to open the holes Hatnot needs to operate.

Tim Boyd can go both ways at receiver and cornerback. He was a defensive first team all-district selection last season.

The Jaguars also are pretty stout in their front seven. Carlos Logan (86 total tackles) and Dre Gello (62 total tackles) will anchor them at linebacker. Defensive end Charles Steward can get after the quarterback after finishing with seven sacks last season.

Carlin and his staff are excited about the senior leadership that is present throughout this Johnson squad. That has them feeling confident the Jaguars can push for their first playoff berth in three years this fall.

Cibolo Steele Knights

Head Coach: David Saenz (8th season; 69-20 record)

Last Season: 13-2; 5-0 in district (Lost to Summer Creek in state semifinals)

Cibolo Steele Key Players and Storylines

The Knights re-introduced themselves as a state title contender with a state semifinal run a year ago.

Now, they’re geared up for another run at all the marbles in 2024 with nine starters back on offense and four returning on defense.

The offense is flat out scary. Quarterback Chad Warner (3,541 passing yards and 36 touchdowns) is coming off a phenomenal season where he earned District MVP. He has a stacked receiving core headlined by Oklahoma State commit Royal Capell (788 receiving yards and five touchdowns) and SMU commit Jalen Cooper (1,578 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns).

The Knights also have an incredible one-two punch at running back with Oklahoma commit Jonathan Hatton Jr. (1,222 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns) and three-star prospect Samuel Harris (791 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns). It’s no wonder the Knight coaching staff is so excited about their skill talent.

Defensively, they have to replace several key players in the front seven. Still, the defensive line will be dangerous with Julian Hugo (44 tackles, three TFLs) and Chris Chavez (33 tackles, eight TFLs) as its bookends. Defensive back Christian Watson, a Lafayette commit, is the “leader of the defense.” He had three picks a year ago.

It’s easy to see why optimism is so high in Knight Country. With so much talent back, the bar is set at another district title and deep playoff run this fall.

Converse Judson Rockets

Head Coach: Mark Soto (3rd season; 9-15 record)

Last Season: 4-8; 2-3 in district (Lost to Dripping Springs in area round)

Judson Key Players and Storylines

The Rockets haven’t had a winning record the past two seasons, but they’ve won playoff games in both years.

They’ve got peaking at the right time down, so now they’ll look to put together a more complete season in non-district and district play.

Early on in the season,  the Rockets will likely look to lean on their aerial attack as almost their entire running back room is new.

Quarterback Elijah Favela (2,483 passing yards and 22 touchdowns) won’t shy away from the spotlight. He played for the Belize national basketball team at the U18 Americup tournament over the summer.

He’s got plenty of weapons at his disposal with senior receivers Kenyon Smith (490 receiving yards), Jack Call (414 receiving yards), and Davian Watson (410 receiving yards).

Defensively, the Rockets have to replace all four of their first or second team all-district honorees. Senior Jordan Dukes and junior Marcel Smith will be two players they lean on in the middle of the field at linebacker.

The Rockets have shown potential with playoff wins in each of the last two seasons. They’ll look to build off of those showings this fall as they go in search of their first winning season since 2020.

New Braunfels Canyon Cougars

Head Coach: Sean McAuliffe (1st season)

Last Season: 7-4; 5-2 in district (Lost to Cedar Park in bi-district)

Canyon Key Players and Storylines

The Cougars will be playing 6A football for the first time in five years this fall. They had good success down at the 5A level, making the playoffs in three out of the past four years.

Now, they return to the biggest stage of Texas high school football with a coach who knows all about it as Sean McAuliffe comes over from Cypress Ranch.

He has a good group to work with as five starters return on offense while seven are back on defense.

The Cougar backfield will be the driving force for the offense.. Quarterback Reese Deitrick has great arm talent and athleticism. Running back Jackson Regan is “explosive” with “great vision and balance.

Up front, Deitrick will be well protected off the edge by tackle Diego Sanchez. He has tremendous size and physicality at 6’5″ and 315 pounds.

Defensively, the Cougars have some players to watch on the back end. Defensive back Tapiwa Hananda has “good ball skills” and can play anywhere in the secondary. Fellow defensive back Luke Bell has “tremendous foot speed.” He qualified for the state meet in the 300 meter hurdles this past spring.

In the front seven, Tate Box (eight TFLs, five sacks) should make his presence felt from his linebacker/edge position. He was a second team all-district selection last season.

While the Cougars have had to work on picking up the schemes of their third coach in three years, McAuliffe said this group is hard-working and very coachable. He wants them to continue to take it just one practice at a time as they look to be playing their best football come district play.

San Antonio East Central Hornets

Head Coach: Joe Hubbard (9th season; 26-56 record)

Last Season: 4-7; 2-3 in district (Lost to Reagan in bi-district)

East Central Key Players and Storylines

The Hornets clinched just their second playoff berth in eight years in 2023.

This season, they’re going to need several new playmakers to step up. Just seven starters (four on offense/three on defense) return from last year’s squad.

The good news for the Hornets is that quarterback Isaiah Mackey (1,859 passing yards and 24 touchdowns) is one of those starters that will be back. He’s “a solid leader” and will be a dual threat out of the backfield.

He’s got some options at receiver with Jay Crosby (129 receiving yards), who can play multiple positions, and fellow junior Deirionn Smith-Cline (403 receiving yards and six touchdowns), who’s East Central’s leading returning receiver.

Keegan Garcia will be expected to lead the offensive line. He “has great instincts” and a really good football IQ.

Defensively, the Hornets will lean on linebacker Myron Robinson. He’s getting looks from the Division I level and will be a big-time playmaker for the East Central defense.

Marcus Serda will anchor the interior defensive line, while defensive back DeAnthony Anderson has great instincts on the back end.

Head coach Joe Hubbard admits that his squad may not be the biggest, but he is excited about their team speed.

After last year’s success, he wants his guys to stay hungry as they look to push higher up the district standings in 2024.

San Marcos Rattlers

Head Coach: John Walsh (5th season; 11-30 record)

Last Season: 0-10; 0-5 in district

San Marcos Key Players and Storylines

The Rattlers will look to bounce back from a winless campaign last fall.

They have a couple of high profile Division I recruits in their junior class, although they will have to wait another year to get those guys eligible to play on varsity due to UIL transfer rules.

For the guys that will be on the field, junior Shavien Anderson will be one of the anchors of their offensive line.

When it comes to skill talent, running back Donovan Garcia is the guy to watch. He should be a key part of the Rattler offense this season.

Some question marks remain about this San Marcos squad, but after bottoming out last year, they’ll hope to get things pointed back in the right direction this fall.

Schertz Clemens Buffaloes

Head Coach: Alan Hill (1st Season)

Last Season: 4-6; 2-3 in district

Clemens Key Players and Storylines

Clemens will have a new head coach for the first time since 2012 after Jared Johnston departed to take over at Orange Grove.

Alan Hill will lead the Buffaloes this year as the interim head coach. He had most recently been serving as their offensive coordinator.

Last year, a three-way tiebreaker denied the Buffaloes their first playoff berth since 2019. They have four starters back on each side of the ball this year to help them try and end that drought.

Offensively, they won’t be afraid to get after it.

Running back Joshua Jackson will be “everything” to the Buffaloes in the ground game. He was a first team all-district selection last season. When they turn to the air, receiver Derrick Williams has great size and speed while fellow receiver Christian Dupree “has the knack for making the first man miss.”

That skill talent will especially be important as the Buffaloes settle in a new quarterback and deal with some inexperience on the offensive line.

Defensive end Jordan Yalowski and linebacker Ocean Zuniga bring great experience to Clemens’ front seven. They were both all-district honorees last season.

The Buffaloes have some holes to fill in the secondary, but Aszir Cumby will help. He’ll be sliding back to safety after playing linebacker a year ago. He “can hit and cover.”

After last year’s close call, Hill and his Buffaloes have one thing on their mind: They want to get back into the playoffs for the first time in five years this fall.


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