The "Big-Boy Texas High School Football" season kicked off last week much to the delight of players, coaches and some fans.
So many rules, so many masks, so many empty seats, but we are not complaining.
After attending one game, I have seen the future.
While calling the Bridgeland vs Klein Cain 49-42 shoot-out for KUBE-TV, Bear QB Conner Weigman took me back over a decade.
Weigman is a solid 6-foot-2, 205-pounds and can make all the throws. He expends plays with his feet and when plays break down he can run… like really run. He can out-run angles from defenders and leave defensive backs out of the television screen.
Now this is bold, but Weigman's mechanics, leadership, elusiveness, football IQ and arm talent reminded me of another Houston quarterbacking legend – Stratford's Andrew Luck.
Luck was a dual-sport athlete (basketball) who I first saw as a freshman at the State 7-on-7 Tournament. The ball exploded out of his hand. His decision-making was sharp and his team followed him.
That's a lot to put on a junior in high school and comparisons are tough, but my odd mental library of high school football talent tells me I'm right.
"I faced Andrew Luck twice while I was at Cy Falls and there's a lot of similarities for sure," Bridgeland head coach David Raffield said. "Conner is the best I've ever had. He has all the tools and in a a few weeks, every college football in the country will have offered him."
Coming off his sophomore season in which he threw for over 2,500 yards, 27 TDs and three interceptions, Weigman was named the District Newcomer of the Year. He led his team to the postseason for the first time in school history as well.
After he hangs up the shoulder pads, however, he puts on the cleats and hits the diamond. He stars for Bridgeland and the Twelve Baseball showcase team.
Over the summer, he led the Twelve to the Perfect Game South National title for the 16U division. Weigman was the Tournament MVP.
"The guys moved him up to for the 17U tournament and we won it and he was the Tournament MVP for that event also," Daryn Ebrecht, owner of the Cotton Ranch – the home of Twelve Baseball in Katy. The Ranch and the Twelve is home to over 400 of Houston's top baseball prospects on the west side of Houston.
"He's a potential first-rounder," Ebrecht said. "People would call him a five-tool player, but in the baseball business he's a six-tool guy. His athletic makeup and instincts are rare, and he just plays half the year. Imagine how good he could be if he just did baseball?"
Weigman has been offered to play both sports at the SEC level and more are coming. He has football offers from several Power 5 programs.
"It's tough as a parent of a kid like that," Ebrecht laughs. "Does he go directly out of high school to play baseball or go to college and play both sports and be a Kyler Murray for three years? Then he'd have two options."
For Raffield, he's just getting him ready for Shadow Creek this weekend. The Sharks won the Class 5A State Title last season with a pretty good QB in Kryon Drones (Baylor).
"Here's the kicker," Raffield said, "because of playing shortstop, he knows the arm angles like other great QBs who play in the NFL (Patrick Mahomes). He's a great hitter as well. What does that mean for football? I've had baseball players before but his rotational power in his hips is so natural when throwing the ball."
Has he improved since having a breakout season as a sophomore followed by baseball and a pandemic?
"He had the mechanics and arm talent before he even got here," Raffield said. "He's always been able to relax under pressure. What he's improved on is his footwork. Last year, he would get tangled up with his feet. Now, he's so smooth. He's also learning coverages and his confidence is through the rough."
Scary though for opponents, but a dream for college coaches… baseball and football.