The Jasper Bulldogs have been a model of consistency since the turn of the century, making the playoffs every year but twice in those 17 years. The Bulldogs made it beyond the second round six times in that span, including the state title game in 2004.
Last year was no exception as Jasper went 8-2 in regular season and another district championship. The only non-district losses were at Silsbee (19-20) and to a good Hardin-Jefferson team (30-22).
Jasper cruised through district and handled Pittsburg and Aubrey in the first two rounds. But their road ended, like many teams, at the hands of Gilmer, in the third round. Jasper ended the season with a 10-3 record.
The Bulldogs, which bring a swagger to the field every Friday night, dominated the all-district team with seniors, but it’s a wealth of returning juniors and sophomores that have Bulldog Nation chomping at the bit to get 2017 kicked off.
Key Losses
RB Bubba Weathered, RB Decorrian Holmes, OLB Juvenile Lee
Weathered was the district’s MVP and Holmes was the district’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Lee was part of a stingy defense.
Key Returners
QB Tata Sells, SS Reese Durand, LB Kolt Thomas, RB Jerkarion Simmons
Kolt Thomas will lead a linebacking corps returning that also includes junior Will Bluitt and senior Luke Collins.
Junior defensive back Cam Adams also returns.
Tata Sells was an all-district quarterback in 2016, and he brings back three offensive linemen (Ryan Jones, Francisco Salas, Caleb Barnett) who were first-team all-district selections.
The Verdict
It’s more than a game when the maroon and white take the field on Friday night — it’s an event. Jasper is quintessential East Texas football, producing one great athlete after another and one scary good team after another.
No matter how much better the opponent may be, they always respect Jasper.
The Bulldogs should light up scoreboards this season with Sell and Simmons returning behind an experienced offensive line. The linebacking corps remains intact and all the pieces are set for a deep run in East Texas.
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The photo credit on this picture goes Jason JDiddy Dunn he takes a lot of our sports pictures. Please give the credit for it to the right person
Courteney, thanks for the heads up. We’ve made the correction so that we properly give credit to the photographer. Thanks for reading!