Gordon controlled this district a year ago, 45’ing every single one of its district opponents. With virtually every starter back from a year ago, the Longhorns will be heavy favorites again in 2023.
There’s plenty of transition in the district this year as Bryson, Lingleville, and Perrin-Whitt all welcome in new coaches. They hope those changes will be the spark needed to snap a multi-year playoff drought.
Gorman will be the team they all are chasing. The Panthers made the playoffs last year but have to reload in 2023 after losing several key contributors.
Six teams mean plenty of storylines to watch. Here are the key players for each of the teams in District 9-1A Division I.
Baird Bears
Head Coach: Derek Schlieve (4th season)
Last Season: 4-6; 1-4 in district
Baird Key Players and Storylines
After Baird won just one game in district play a year ago, its head coach Derek Schlieve said his number one goal is for his Bears to be more competitive this year.
With five starters returning on each side of the ball, that goal seems well within reach.
The Bears have a wealth of options offensively, with the return of running back Skyler Denning (765 rushing yards) and fullback Jake Gerngross in the backfield as well as Jake Collins (303 receiving yards and eight touchdowns) out at receiver. All three players earned second-team all-district honors a year ago.
On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker Devin Lucas (77 tackles) will be one of the leaders of the defense after earning first-team all-district honors last season.
The secondary should also be strong, with Gerngross (77 tackles), Collins, and Denning all returning at defensive back.
With most of his team’s production returning from last season, Schlieve quickly pointed out that the Bears aren’t alone in that category. Several of Baird’s district opponents fielded younger teams as well last season.
That trend means experience should be a common theme across the district. Now, it remains to be seen whether Baird can use the lessons learned from last season to its advantage as the Bears aim to take a step forward in the win column in 2023.
Bryson Cowboys
Head Coach: Kevin Ray (1st Season)
Last Season: 5-5; 3-2 in district
Bryson Key Players and Storylines
Kevin Ray comes in from Yukon High School in Oklahoma to take over at Bryson this season.
He’ll inherit a Bryson program that improved by four wins last season. And while they managed to knock off Lingleville and Baird in one-possession games, they were 45’d by both Gorman and Gordon.
As Ray comes in and looks to develop the Bryson program from the junior high level up, he’s hoping his team can build off of last season and potentially close the gap on teams like Gordon and Gorman.
“My expectation is that we are going to compete at the highest level we are capable of,” Ray said. “Win all games we are supposed to win, win the toss-up games, and sneak up on a couple that are better than us.”
Experience will be one of Bryson’s greatest assets. The Cowboys will return as many as five starters on each side of the ball this season. (Ray said there are a couple of players still deciding whether they’ll play football)
Senior running back Chance Hand will be a dynamic weapon offensively (283 rushing yards; 351 receiving yards. Ray also expects junior Gavin Sadler to contribute at running back or possibly quarterback as well.
Up front, linemen Tyler Cotter and Isaiah Garcia will anchor the Cowboys in the trenches after both were all-district nominees last season.
On the other side of the ball, Ray believes the defensive line will be one of the strengths of the team, with Cotter and senior Miguel Ramirez both returning after strong seasons from their defensive end positions.
Ray said his biggest concern is his team’s speed as a whole as well as their confidence after what he described as a year of moderate sporting success in the 2022-23 school year.
But experience could trump those concerns after Bryson found a way to win close games in district play last year. This year, its task will be closing the gap on Gordon and Gorman as it looks to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Gorman Panthers
Head Coach: Nick Guthery (4th Season)
Last Season: 8-3; 4-1 in district (Lost to Union Hill in bi-district)
Gorman Key Players and Storylines
Gorman has been a playoff regular since dropping down to six-man football in 2015. Over the past seven seasons, the Panthers have made the playoffs six times.
This year, head coach Nick Guthery will have some retooling to do after 12 of Gorman’s 17 lettermen from last season graduated. Just two starters return on each side of the ball.
After the graduation of Gorman’s top two rushers from 2022, Guthery believes senior Maddox Roberts (390 rushing yards and nine touchdowns) is ready to lead the backfield with his great vision, along with shifty junior Nathan Rodriguez (146 rushing yards).
Senior quarterback Preston Parson should help steady the backfield with his lead blocking ability as well, while ends Ryan Renfroe and Ethan Dease should pave the way for the backfield up front.
Defensively, Guthery expects Renfroe to serve as a roadblock for opposing teams on Gorman’s defensive line. He’s also the Panthers’ returning sacks leader from a year ago (six sacks, 20 tackles).
The secondary should be strong as well, with Parson (41 tackles and four interceptions) and Rodriguez. Guthery said Parson can come up and make tackles from his safety position, while Rodriguez is a great cornerback from the Panthers.
Gorman may be young this year, but Guthery is confident that his team can reach similar heights as the last year’s team. He believes their great size will be an asset as they look to battle for a playoff spot again this fall.
Gordon Longhorns
Head Coach: Mike Reed (6th season)
Last Season: 12-1; 5-0 in district (Lost to Abbott in State Quarterfinals)
Gordon Key Players and Storylines
Don’t look now, but Gordon is gearing up for a run at its first state title game appearance since 1999.
The Longhorns were ridiculously young last year but still managed a run to the state quarterfinals, where they narrowly fell to Abbott 32-24.
This year they return five starters on offense and all six on defense.
The offense should be just as explosive this year with the playmaking ability of QB/RB Riley Reed (1,082 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns) and RB Stryker Reed (1,168 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns) while receiver Brayden Walters (23 catches for 477 yards) will be a crucial cog in the passing game. All three of those players will only be sophomores this season.
And while there is plenty of talent at the skill positions, Reed is confident in junior center Juan Cabrera’s ability to lead the Longhorns up front.
Defensively, the Longhorns were stout in 2022, holding opponents to just 15.9 points per game. Gordon will be strong up front again this season.
Linebacker Whit Fuller was last year’s district Defensive MVP, while Walters and Cabrera should also be key players from their linebacker and noseguard positions, respectively.
With so much young talent, Gordon should be one of the best teams in 1A Division I this year. Reed said that with those high hopes, his team would be ready to go to work this fall.
“Our expectations are to focus on a week at a time and continue to improve on things that are our weaknesses to hopefully improve on those areas so we can put ourselves in position to make a realistic state football run,” Reed said.
Lingleville Cardinals
Head Coach: Jim Bays (1st Season)
Last Season: 5-5;1-4 in district
Lingleville Key Players and Storylines
It was an up-and-down season for the Cardinals in 2022. After a 4-1 start, the wheels quickly came off with three-straight losses to open district play, including a nail-biting 48-46 defeat to Bryson.
The Cardinals will head into 2023 with a new head coach. They went with a hometown hire, tasking Jim Bays with taking over the program. Bays is a Lingleville grad who has lived in the town his whole life.
But with only two starters returning on each side of the ball, Bays will certainly have his work cut out.
Lingleville must replace its leading rusher and receiver from last year. However, junior quarterback Jorge Toledo (526 passing yards and 11 touchdowns) is back to lead the passing game. He protected the football well last year as he avoided throwing an interception in his 56 passing attempts.
Joining Toledo in the backfield is fellow junior Cruz Alarcon (354 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns), who is set to step into the premiere tailback role this season.
On the other side of the ball, Toledo should be among the defensive leaders from his linebacker position, while cornerback Wyatt Ray, a second-team all-district honoree in 2022, will anchor the secondary.
Lingleville also possesses another weapon on special teams in kicker Jose Dominguez. He finished 28 for 33 on PATs a year ago.
The Cardinal coaching staff believes they’ll have the speed to compete but are concerned about their lack of size. If all the pieces line up, they hope Lingleville will be able to challenge for the second playoff spot as it looks to snap a playoff drought dating back to 2013.
Perrin-Whitt Pirates
Head Coach: Kevin Loyd (1st Season)
Last Season: 3-7; 1-4 in district
Perrin-Whitt Key Players and Storylines
The Pirates didn’t go far when looking for a new head coach this offseason, as they promoted Kevin Loyd to take over their football program.
Loyd inherits a Pirate program that has won just one district game in each of the last three seasons. Perrin-Whitt last made the playoffs in 2019.
However, he’s encouraged by the players Perrin-Whitt has returning this year. Three starters are back on each side of the ball.
The Pirates will look to build on the 24 points per game they averaged last season with the return of spreadback Cameron Tune and running back Ryan Elrod.
Joseph Welch had an impressive freshman year in the trenches, earning an all-district honorable mention offensively. He’s expected to be a key player on both the offensive and defensive lines this season.
Behind him defensively, look for Tune to be the unit’s leader from his safety position after he earned second-team all-district last season.
Loyd admits that his team won’t have a ton of depth this year, but he’s hopeful the three players mentioned above will be leaders that will help the Pirates in their transition to a new system.
And as the 2023 season quickly approaches, Lloyd praised the community for their backing of his football team. Now, he hopes the Pirates can deliver the on-field results they hope to see.
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