PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Westfield Mustangs
Dekaney Wildcats
Nimitz Cougars
Spring Lions
Davis Falcons
Eisenhower Eagles
MacArthur Generals
Aldine Mustangs
(Bold Denotes Playoffs)
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VYPE's PRESEASON AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Tanook Hines , Dekaney
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Miles Dent , Westfield
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Javar Thomas , Nimitz
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nicholas Townsend , Dekaney
ON THE CUSP: Nimitz Cougars
Nimitz Cougars
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Davis Falcons
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Eisenhower Eagles
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
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MacArthur Generals
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
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Aldine Mustangs
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
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It is an end of an era at Westfield High School. Head coach Matt Meekins has retired and has turned over the program to Desmar Black, the team’s defensive coordinator. Before Matt Meekins was Corby Meekins, dating back 20 years. Black will have a ton of talent to work with as the Mustangs try to continue to dominate the district. OLs Ryan Anderson and Jordan Reasonover are beasts up front and will bully opposing defenses. Miles Dent looks to build on his resume at QB, after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards in 2023. Emmanuel Yancy will be the big-play WR. The defense returns five starters, headlined by TCU-commit Joseph Albright at safety and Keshawn Monroe also at safety. Nehemiah Allen (Army-commit) is a nose, who is tough to get off the line of scrimmage. Jadden Perkins will come off the edge. New coach, same results and same defensive-minded culture.
Dekaney still remains the only Spring ISD team to win a State Title. Coach Anthony Williams has an uber-loaded team. The alpha is Tanook Hines, an explosive WR with big-play ability. He is committed to USC, but who will get him the ball in 2024? A QB must emerge. It will be either Jamal Frilot or David Edmerson. Both will start at another position if they don’t play QB. Texas-commit Nicholas Townsend plays edge on both sides of the ball, along with junior Calvin Carter. Basically, this team is full of hybrid athletes who can play any position. Dekeidran Jackson will direct the OL, while Samaritan Cunningham will run behind him. Coach Williams has the players, but are they interchangeable and deep enough to put together a special season?
The Nimitz Cougars have become a winning program under the direction of Cornelius Harmon. QB Albert Brown is super steady and calm under pressure. He will throw to WR Malachi Augustus and Ke’Lyn Washom, who are big-league talents. The OL will be a little thin, but will lean on Darien Callier. Defensively, DI linebacker Javar Thomas is a dude. The 6-foot-2 heat-seeking missile sets the tone on that side of the ball. Jevhon Hicks and Armad Bailey has his back in the secondary. The Cougars are a playoff program but can they get a postseason win?
The Lions of Spring High bring back 12 starters off of a 5-6 postseason team. Coach Antonio Singleton will rely on QB Ahran Ogbor, who is more of a runner than a passer, to move the chains. Jeremy Christian will provide protection up front, while Kevin Davis will be the primary WR. The defense is pretty loaded with Floyd Guidry and Jonah Espinosa up front and Rueben Ingram and Rico Phillips cleaning up at linebacker. The Lions will need to fend off Eisenhower, Davis and Aldine for the fourth playoff spot.
The Davis Falcons went 5-5, 3-4 in district play under first-year head coach Kelvin Chatham. Things are movingin the right direction under the young, energetic coach but can the Falcons snatch a playoff spot? Davis will do it with a solid ground game up front and a talented RB in Nicholas Tramble. OL Edward Lopez and Nicolaus Chenevert are the bell cows on the line. On defense, Caedyn Daughtry and Cal Lawrence shore up the DL while Treymaine Gray and Kayden Gilbert punish offenses from the LB spot. The Falcons are on the cusp, but are they are year away?
The Eisenhower Eagles missed the postseason in coach Odell James’ first season, but with a full offseason Ike should be more seasoned. Eugene Durst showed flashes as a sophomore along with his favorite WR Jason Washington and playmaking athlete Robert Hawkins. The defense will headline the season with Logan Draper and Dashiek Nard up front, Reginald Clark and Braylon Alvis at LB and Keeland Foster and Deven Austin in the secondary. Coaching up Durst will be key Eisenhower, but James knows something about great QBs. He was one.
Is Big Mac, back? Dayton head coach Blake Ware returns to his alma mater with hopes of improving on last year’s 1-9 record at MacArthur. Ware is going with Lance Nero at QB, a sophomore, to right the ship. Nero will have tools like Traevon Allen, Sena’i Chatman and Julian Ponce through the air along with hybrid Jason Mohammad at tight end and DE. Aijalek Silvers is the elder statesman on this team, just a junior, who is a ball-hawk in the back end. Halakilangi Muagututia also ignites the defense.
Aldine High will be looking for explosive plays in 2024 under the direction of coach Cirilo Ojeda. The defense will be stout with Keishon Wiser and Cliff Bailey in the middle of the DL. Jashyne Daniels will shore up the secondary and Carlos Cruz will run sideline-to-sideline at LB. It will come down to the offense to put up some points.