Knox City may be the favorite to take home another district crown as the Greyhounds return every starter from a year ago. However, with Turkey Valley and Spur reloading and Northside looking to build off a positive 2022 season, expect the battle for the second playoff spot to be a fierce one. Here’s what to watch for in District 4-1A Division I in 2023.
Knox City Greyhounds
Head Coach: Caleb Callaway (8th season)
Last Season: 9-3; 3-0 in district (Lost in Area Round to Happy)
Knox City Key Players and Storylines
The Greyhounds won their fifth district title in Head Coach Caleb Callaway’s seven seasons in charge a year ago. With all of their starters returning, Knox City will be the favorite to take home the crown again this year.
District 4-A
Knox City 32 (8-2)
Spur 8KC is District Champ!@KfdxTobin @KTXSSports @gofridaynight @BigCountrySport @Texas1AFan @SixManNetwork @MJ_Baird17 @ARNareaSports pic.twitter.com/n5EoXtonFJ
— Knox City Greyhounds (@kchounds) November 5, 2022
Offensively, Knox City averaged 46 points per game a year ago. A frightening thought for the Greyhounds’ opponents? They could be even more dangerous this year.
Quarterback Bryson Callaway (1,202 passing yards and 27 touchdowns) and his favorite target Devin Guillory (584 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns) both return to boost the passing game. In the run game, the Greyhounds will also have seniors Tristin Baxter and Caleb Arrieta in their arsenal, their top two rushers from a year ago.
Defensively, expect to see similar faces making plays. Callaway and Baxter were Knox City’s top two tacklers last year from their safety and defensive lineman positions respectively. Meanwhile, Guillory led the Greyhounds with seven interceptions.
Happy has ended Knox City’s season in the second round of playoffs two of the last three seasons. But with so much talent returning, Callaway said his Greyhounds will be aiming for not just a district championship in 2023 but a deep playoff run as well.
Spur Bulldogs
Head Coach: Tate Clark (6th season)
Last Season: 7-4; 2-1 in district (Lost in bi-district to Springlake-Earth)
Spur Key Players and Storylines
The Bulldogs made it back to the playoffs for the second-straight season, but Springlake-Earth denied them their second-straight bi-district victory in a 50-42 nailbiter.
This year, Head Coach Tate Clark said his football team will have some rebuilding to do. All six of Spur’s first team all-district nominees from a year ago have graduated and just one starter returns from a year ago.
Clark expects running backs Joshua Ortiz and Ace Walker and quarterback Haden Howell to be among the players to step up on offense. Lineman Preston Abbott should bring some experience in the trenches after earning second team all-district a year ago.
Defensively, Walker earned second team all-district from his safety position, while Ortiz and Howell can contribute on the back end of the Bulldog defense as well.
Clark isn’t shying away from the fact there will be some growing pains for Spur this season. However, he hopes a seven game non-district slate will give his players enough time to click by the time district play rolls around in mid-October.
“We will be very young and inexperienced; [we’ll] have to grow through the season,” Clark said. [But] if we get things down and start rolling, I think we can compete with another chance for playoffs.”
Turkey Valley Patriots
Head Coach: John Stanaland (5th season)
Last Season: 5-5; 1-2 in district
Key Players and Storylines
Valley came up just short of the playoffs last year, finishing third in district play.
The Patriots could have some growing pains early this year as they replace nine seniors from last year’s team. Head Coach John Stanaland said many of the players that will be expected to step up this year will be younger.
And while Valley deals with that roster turnover, Stanaland says his team will need to lean on TE/DE Tucker Schlueter (179 receiving yards; 137 total tackles) and SE/DE Cash Sperry (174 receiving yards; 49 total tackles). Schlueter earned first team all-district on both sides of the ball a year ago, while Sperry was a second team all-district honoree.
Other players to watch include fellow seniors running back Brayson Cruse (637 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns) and cornerback Malikhai Farley (34 tackles and two fumble recoveries).
But even with the Patriots expecting several young players to step up, Stanaland will keep the bar set high for what has historically been a successful program.
“Our expectations never change,” Stanaland said. “Even with losing so much, we expect to be in the hunt for the district championship. With the senior leadership from Tucker and Cash, we’ll go as they go.”
Vernon Northside Indians
Head Coach: Julian Menchaca (2nd season)
Last Season: 4-6/0-3 in district
Key Players and Storylines
After going winless in 2021, the Indians took a step forward in Julian Menchaca’s first year as head coach, finishing 4-6 on the season.
The next step for Northside will be finding a way to be more competitive in district play. Last year, the Indians were 45’d by all three of their district opponents.
Looking back on last year, Menchaca believes his players laid the foundation for continued growth. That foundation will be crucial again this year as Menchaca expects the Indians to field a younger football team due to lower numbers among the upper classmen.
In 2023, Northside will welcome back four starters on offense and three on defense. Junior utility back Mason Brooks (736 rushing yards and nine touchdowns; 200 passing yards and five touchdowns) is the lone all-district honoree back from last season.
However, the return of quarterback Kaden Hall (407 passing yards and eight touchdowns) and receiver Brandon Curtis (405 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns) means that Brooks will have a supporting cast surrounding him offensively.
Defensively, the Indians must replace both players who earned all-district honors on that side of the ball last season. Look for Brooks at linebacker and Hall at defensive end to be among the impact players on that side of the ball.
Menchaca said his players didn’t shy away from the challenge last season. They’ll need that same mentality in 2023 as they look to continue to build off a positive 2022 season.
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