District 3-1A Division II will be hard to pry away from Balmorhea. The Bears won all of their district games by 40 points a year ago and also have the excitement of playing on a new football field this season.
The most intriguing battle will likely be who the second playoff team is in this district. Sierra Blanca nearly knocked off Sanderson a year ago, and the Eagles have a new head coach and a younger football team this year. Grandfalls-Royalty is also on the upswing under second-year head coach Tom McVey.
Unfortunately, this district will be one team lighter this year due to a lack of numbers at one of its programs.
Here’s what to watch for in District 3-1A Division II this season.
Balmorhea Bears
Head Coach: Vance Jones (11th season)
Last Season: 11-2; 4-0 in district (Lost to Whitharral in state quarterfinals)
Balmorhea Key Players and Storylines
The Bears are always in contention for a deep playoff run under legendary six-man coach Vance Jones. That won’t change with a roster heavy on senior leadership. This season, Balmorhea returns four starters on offense and five on defense.
Superstar Tomas Contreras has graduated, but running back Alex Mata and fullback Landon Lopez (971 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns) are poised to pick up the slack in the backfield.
Lopez (399 receiving yards and nine touchdowns) should be a reliable target in the passing game as well for returning quarterback Ethan Villanueva (746 passing yards and 20 touchdowns), while tight end Adrian Mata was a first team all-district selection a year ago.
On defense, Balmorhea held opponents to just under 25 points per game. Expect the unit to be strong again this season.
The Bears return three first team all-district players from last year in safety Elijah Jefferson, Adrian Mata, a defensive end, and Lopez, a linebacker.
Excitement is high in Bear country as they are prepared to open their new turf football stadium this fall. And with so many talented players returning, Balmorhea will expect to put a product just as exciting on the field this season.
Balmorhea is getting more beautiful!!
They’re putting the finishing touches on a new state-of-the-art football stadium and school building.
Oh, and the Bears may celebrate by winning another state championship 👀🏈 #txhsfb @Matt_Stepp817 @Tepper pic.twitter.com/QHbmy8oBgf
— Jakob Brandenburg (@Jakob_BburgTV) August 1, 2023
Dell City Cougars
Head Coach: Trever Czubinski (2nd season)
Last Season: 3-6; 0-4 in district
Dell City 2023 Season Update
Dell City head coach Trever Czubinski confirmed to texashsfootball.com that the Cougars won’t have enough numbers to field a football team in 2023.
The Cougars are usually strapped for numbers with just 14 students enrolled at the high school as of the previous realignment. With so few players, Dell City has turned to multiple female players to help field a team. One of the girls, Iris Ayala, had been an integral part of the Cougar varsity team the past two years.
But unfortunately, this season will bring to an end Dell City’s two-year streak of fielding a varsity football team.
Grandfalls-Royalty Cowboys
Head Coach: Tom McVey (2nd Season)
Last Season: 3-7; 1-3 in district
Grandfalls-Royalty Key Players and Storylines
The Grandfalls-Royalty senior class had three different coaches in their first three years in the Cowboys program. That’s why head coach Tom McVey believes stability could be the biggest positive for his team this year as he heads into his second year in charge.
He believes increased familiarity with his systems will lead to more playmaking on the field.
It also helps to have a good class of upperclassmen, and that’s what the Cowboys have with three starters back on offense and four returning on defense.
Scoring was a problem at times last year. The Cowboys were shut out four times last year, including in all three of their district losses.
Luckily, senior spreadback Jayden Martinez is back to lead the Cowboy offense this season. He’ll also have junior running back Tristan Bryant alongside him to help carry the load in the backfield.
Fellow junior Ethan Vasquez will be Grandfalls-Royalty’s leader in the trenches. He was a second team all-district selection from his defensive end position last season. Expect Martinez to help with containing other teams as well from his linebacker position.
But while these three upperclassmen are ready to contribute, McVey admits the Cowboys don’t have the deepest depth chart behind them. He said young players will need to step up this season for the Cowboys to improve on the field.
Yet, improvement is exactly what McVey expects as he heads into year two at Grandfalls-Royalty.
“I am expecting great things from these young men,” McVey said. “They have had a year to get to know me and know what I expect from them and they will be ready to take on our tasks head on. They work hard in the weight room, so this year should be a better year.”
Sanderson Eagles
Head Coach: Justin Hilliard (1st Season)
Last Season: 8-2; 3-1 in district (Lost to Klondike in bi-district)
Sanderson Key Players and Storylines
Sanderson was right in the middle of the coaching merry-go-round this offseason as James Shelton left to take the head job at Kress.
That paved way for Justin Hilliard to take over the program. It’s quite the change for Hilliard who was previously at Chester in East Texas. It’s a change Hilliard is excited for too. He said he’d been looking at coaching in West Texas and the beauty of the Sanderson area caught his eye.
Sanderson has finished 3-1 in district play the past two years, but this year will be different following the graduation of a large senior class. Still, Hilliard is ready for the challenge.
“I do not believe in rebuilding so the coaches and I are pushing for the younger group to step in and keep us in a winning environment,” Hilliard said. “We will be younger and smaller but have just as much opportunity to compete for a district crown as the team last year.”
When looking for upperclassmen leaders, the Eagles will lean on spreadback Angel Lopez and center Martin Lopez. Both return after earning all-district honors a year ago.
Hilliard also believes sophomores quarterback Kai Hilliard and quarterback/receiver Austin McDonald are ready to contribute this fall
On the other side of the ball, both Mario and Angel will anchor the Eagles from their defensive end positions. Their experience will be vital to the unit as a whole as it settles in its new starters.
And on special teams, Sanderson might have a weapon in Hilliard. He made 35 extra points last year for Chester.
Sanderson will be younger this year. Hilliard is certainly not hiding from that fact.
But while the Eagles may be primed to fly even higher next year once the younger players gains some experience, Hilliard said he and his coaching staff are fully focused on this year as they look to continue the trend of Sanderson’s recent success.
Sierra Blanca Vaqueros
Head Coach: Ismael Ramirez (11th Season)
Last Season: 4-5; 2-2 in district
Sierra Blanca Key Players and Storylines
The Vaqueros have now finished 2-2 in district the past two years. They made some progress last year, nearly toppling Sanderson. However, a 52-44 defeat left them destined to miss the playoffs for the second-straight year.
Looking forward to this year, spreadback Elijah Nunico has graduated, but the Vaqueros still return a good crop of players.
Senior Sammy Sanchez will be a key player for the Vaqueros at linebacker on defense and fullback on offense. Junior quarterback Remington Stewart also returns in the backfield after earning all-district honors last season.
Defensively, Sanchez will be joined by senior safety Caleb Mares and sophomore defensive end Creston Alcorn. All three were second team all-district honorees last season.
With over half of its all-district talent returning from a year ago, the Vaqueros will aim to get by Sanderson this year as they look to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
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