It’s August and that means I can finally say, “high school football starts this month!” I have been looking forward to this moment since last December when I left Houston’s NRG stadium after the Steele Knights’ overtime loss to the Katy Tigers.
There are five teams in San Antonio who are legitimate contenders to win the state championship this year: the Judson Rockets, the Steele Knights, the Brandeis Broncos, the Brennan Bears, and the Reagan Rattlers.
Judson and Steele will play each other in District 25-6A at Lehnhoff stadium on October 23rd. Last year, the Steele Knights scored the game-winning touchdown with less than 20 seconds remaining. The final score was Judson 22 and Steele 23.
Brandeis and Brennan will probably end up playing each other on November 5th on TV for the District 27-6A championship. These teams played last year in the championship game and Brennan won by a score of 21 to 17. If this happens again this year, I will be rooting for the Brandeis Broncos.
This season, I know that there will be a player who isn’t on anybody’s radar but will have a breakout season. Last year, it was Julon Williams, a freshman running back from the Judson Rockets. Julon started the season as a running back but switched to quarterback (his position in middle school) toward the end of the regular season. The switch was necessary because both the starting and backup quarterback for Judson suffered season-ending injuries. That move sparked the Judson Rockets’ offense and catapulted them to the state semi-finals where they lost a really close game. His stats were impressive: 83 of 128 passing for 1,147 yards with 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions AND 161 carries for 855 yards with 11 touchdowns—as a freshman! How awesome is it that I got to see him play last year (including his first game)?
I already know my Week 1 schedule:
8/27 – Churchill VS Clark @ Farris stadium (CW35 San Antonio or Kmys.tv/tnl)
The Churchill and Clark game is also known as The Gucci Bowl. I get a bowl game as the first game! It is called that because both schools are located in affluent areas of San Antonio. I am a graduate of Clark High School—class of 1995, so I will be rooting for the Clark Cougars.
8/28 – O’Connor VS Reagan @ Heroes stadium
This game features one of the top quarterbacks in San Antonio from Reagan—Kellen Mond. Last year, as a sophomore, Mond was 139 for 232 passing with 1,745 yards and 20 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also ran the ball 165 times for 1,142 yards with 14 touchdowns. Mond verbally committed in June to the Baylor Bears.
Please follow me on Twitter @statmanspeaks for game-day updates, pictures, articles, and more all throughout the season.
