Converse Judson got off to one of the hottest starts in Texas last year, beating eventual title winner Lake Travis by a touchdown and thumping the rest of their predistrict competition.
They definitely struggled during district play, dropping a pair to Cibolo Steele and Smithson Valley, both by significant amounts. Still, this was a young team, and we can definitely see what they were capable of.
Their season ended with a 24-21 overtime loss to Austin Westlake in one of the most underrated games of the year. The Chaps got Sam Ehlinger back for that one, and the moxie of the current Longhorn was just too much for the Rockets to handle.
The fumble that ended up deciding the game was incredibly controversial. The footage doesn’t show much of anything that’s conclusive, so I’ll leave it here, and let the reader decide for themselves.
Texas target Levi Jones (left side of the line) forces a fumble at the goal line in overtime and Westlake survives another week pic.twitter.com/PDsQZGHiuI
— Garrett Callahan (@CallahanGarrett) November 19, 2016
If nothing, the ending can be disputed logically by both sides, but the call on the field means that the final score is concrete.
Key Losses
DT Darren Thomas, WR Kevin Luster, RB Mi’kel Jackson
There are only a few key losses for the Rockets, as most of their firepower and defensive stoutness came from young players. However, the Rockets will miss these three. Darren Thomas was effective at plugging holes, and Mi’Kel Jackson was a star in short yardage situations. Kevin Luster was a first team all district pick.
Key Returners
QB Julon Williams, S/RB Rashad Wisdom, DE Demarvin Leal, LB Brody Stoepler, S Joewel Crawford
Judson is extremely blessed this year. They have one of the best QBs they’ve had in a long time back in Julon Williams, and they’ll have a true running back rotation back as well. On the defense, there’s even more returners, nearly all of the Rockets’ defensive line returns, along with a lot of their secondary.
The Verdict
There’s only one thing that could potentially hurt Judson, and that’s offensive line play. They lose some solid seniors from that group, but if that unit can gel, there’s no reason why Judson can’t make a long playoff run. They’re tough, fast, disciplined, and they play with an edge. This is a young team that isn’t young anymore, they have a lot of experience coming back. Julon Williams might be a statewide household name in his senior campaign.
Brought to you by:
Garrett / Why call attention to Levi Jones? If it is not obvious how the fumble was caused, what part did Levi Jones play?
Thank You
Harry Wellman Email [email protected]
Hunter,
How do you leave out Kevin Wood Jr., as a Sophomore he had 11.5 tackles against Lake Travis and a Crucial 4th quarter interception to get Judson back in the game against Westlake. I do not think there will be a school with better class of Juniors in the state than what Judson has this year. I would love to read about how their junior class ranks across the state.
G.
Sir,
You are correct!! Judson has so much talent returning and all with one to two years of playing time. The RB part alone has two years experience and all with playoff experience. This is the most talented group so far. If the coach can get them focused and keep them there…..
We have a format to these, set in place to ensure that we talk about each team for a similar amount of time. There are some teams, like Judson, that if we had no format, we could easily get into the thousand word count in some sections, which is something that we don’t want. I assure you, he was noticed, but I also have a choice to make on who I put in there.
It’s not intended as a slight against him, it’s merely done with the time of the writer and the reader considered.
I think you’re right in terms of their upcoming Junior class. Judson is in for a very good two years with the next two classes of seniors.
Thank you for the explanation behind ‘why you post what you post’. There are a handful of teams that will get more (attention) than others because of winning. Every team and every issue cannot be covered to every ones satisfaction but some things can be covered to a certain point.
And this is a very relevant critique. We’re working our hardest to give due diligence to every relevant story in Texas, from the undefeated 6A state champion to the 0-10 1A team. There are many teams and stories that are worthy of covering, and we can always do better in that aspect. Thank you.
Hunter,
Thank you, I look forward to reading more of your work. keep it up bud!!