DISTRICT 21-6A
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS (Playoff teams in bold)
North Shore Mustangs
Atascocita Eagles
Summer Creek Bulldogs
C.E. King Panthers
Humble Wildcats
Kingwood Mustangs
West Brook Bruins
United Timberwolves
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MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Kaleb Bailey, North Shore
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lloyd Avant, Summer Creek
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Devin Sanchez, North Shore
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dionne Sims, C.E. King
ON THE CUSP
Humble Wildcats
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Atascocita Eagles
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Summer Creek Bulldogs
Lorin Cook (VYPE)
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C.E. King Panthers
Lorin Cook (VYPE)
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There isn’t much more that can be said about North Shore after reaching their fourth State Title game in five years last Fall. The Mustangs are a dynasty and that’s a fact. Despite narrowly falling in the championship against Duncanville, and legendary coach Jon Kay leaving for an assistant job at Rice, the baton has been passed to OC Willie Gaston. He will see to it that North Shore’s dominance continues as he takes the reins of the franchise.
Junior QB Kaleb Bailey is back under center after missing the majority of 2022 due to injury. Bailey will look to add another ring to the one he gained his freshman year. He’ll have plenty of help this season with the likes of RB D’Andre Hardeman Jr., WRs Christopher Barnes, Deion DeBlanc and Terrance Guallory III; and Houston-commit Kaleb Thomas (TE) in the huddle. Meanwhile, superstar corner Devin Sanchez will command the defense alongside senior LB Dillon Dixon.
Coach Craig Stump returns to guide Atascocita for another stellar year after reaching the Class 6A-DI Regional Finals in 2022. While his team may be younger than the season prior, the Eagles will still be a force to be reckoned with. Dual-threat signal-caller Zion Brown (Northwestern State-commit) enters his senior year leading the offense behind a hefty O-Line, headlined by senior Texas-commit Nate Kibble. Additionally, Tory Blaylock (Jr. RB) should continue to be a game-changer from the tailback spot, while senior DB Braylon Conley (USC) powers the defensive effort in the secondary.
Summer Creek enters the 2023 season fresh off the heels of an appearance in the Class 6A-DII Regional Semifinals. The main strength of the Bulldogs’ offense revolves around their run game, thanks to the phenomenal 2022 performance of Tulsa-commit Lloyd Avant, who ran for north of 1,700 yards with a whopping 32 scores. However, expect senior TE Kordell Rogers (TSU) to make some big plays when the passing game is introduced. Louisiana-native and LSU-commit Xavier Atkins (LB) will automatically make Summer Creek’s defense one of the scariest in the district, as he is joined by fellow four-star prospect Chadron Woodfork (DE). Others of note are seniors Kyran Duhon (DE), Jaylen Carter (LB) and junior DB Brandon Jones.
The 2022 season was a year of firsts at C.E. King. In coach George Young’s first year on the job, the Panthers advanced all the way to the 6A-DII Regional Finals, which marked the furthest point the team has reached in school history. Considering that only three starters are returning to the field due to so many graduating, C.E. King will have some slight maturing to do. But still expect them to be a contender in district play. Powering the offense will be senior ATH Rae’G Dailey, Channelview-transfer Darius Clark-James (Sr. QB), and Mekhi Emerenini (Jr. TE), while sophomore RB Dionne Sims steps into a bigger role. Furthermore, senior DT K’mard Kimble will be commanding the young defense from the trenches.
With the promotion of former defensive coordinator Robert Murphy to the head coaching spot, there are a few question marks for the Wildcats heading into 2023. However, given the return of veterans Jacory Johnson (Sr. LB) and Juan Lolesio (Jr. LB), the defense should remain a strength at Humble. Sophomore DB Marcus Bourda is coming off a stellar freshman year and should bolster the secondary. Offensively, junior QB MacArthur Baker III should continue to develop his game, while he’s throwing the ball to his top receivers Jalen Lolesio (TE) and junior WR Tyree Maloid.
Kingwood had its fair share of ups and downs in 2022 to end up going 5-5 and finishing sixth in the district (2-5). The Mustangs might see more of the same this Fall, but the youthful team has the potential to surprise opponents. Coach Cale Melton will count on juniors Sam Malone (LB) and defensive end Casen McDonald to take charge of the defense, while senior TE Tyler Harrington and Jailen Monegan (Jr. QB) lead the offense.
West Brook hasn’t been a major player in the district since 2019, but that could easily change this season. If last year was any indication, seniors such as the highly-recruited Jaylin Jones (DE) and Michael Feacher (DB) should be a force on defense yet again. Meanwhile, the offense will revolve around senior RB Terrell Smith, who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and nine scores in 2023.
Beaumont United hit a bit of a rough patch a year ago, having finished last in the district. However, growing pains are to be expected since the program was only established in 2018. The Timberwolves should still feature various playmakers particularly in the offensive line, with seniorsTrevanti and Weston Davis anchoring the trenches. Also look for senior DL Christian Gladney and Edward Taylor Jr. (Jr. DL) to contribute significantly in the front-seven.