PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Ridge Point Panthers
Hightower Hurricanes
Travis Tigers
Austin Bulldogs
Clements Rangers
Elkins Knights
Bush Broncos
Dulles Vikings
(Bold Denotes Playoffs)
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VYPE'S PRESEASON AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Austin Carlisle , Ridge Point
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Camben Emanuel, Hightower
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kade Phillips, Hightower
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Romin Seymour, Elkins
ON THE CUSP: Clements Rangers
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Hightower Hurricanes
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Travis Tigers
Lorin Cook (VYPE)
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Austin Bulldogs
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Clements Rangers
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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In recent memory, Ridge Point has been the undisputed figurehead of Fort Bend ISD, evidenced by their fourth-consecutive undefeated district title in 2023. Now that they move over to District 21-6A in the realignment, coach Rick LaFavers will see to it that the Panthers make it five in a row this Fall. The reigning district Offensive Player of the Year Austin Carlisle is back under center following an impressive campaign, which saw him throw for over 3,000 yards, with 34 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Not only that, but the dual-threat Houston-commit also led the team in rushing with 566 yards and 10 TDs. Carlisle will still have plenty of weapons to work with on the offense, primarily being TCU-commit Dane Jones (50 receptions, 825 yards, 13 TDs), who earned first-team, all-district honors. Also expect Jakorey Williams (Sr. RB) to shine with more touches behind a stout O-Line that brings back first-teamer Hugh Smith, as well as second-teamers Avery Morcho and Jordan Burnett. The Panthers defense, which allowed approximately 20 points per game a year ago, should continue to be effective with the return of DL Romaire Smith (first-team), DB Bryson Webber (first-team), and senior linebacker Jack Ward (second-team). Don’t forget about George Ranch-transfer Gil Jackson (Sr. DB/Texas Tech), Foster-transfer Daniel Humphrey (Sr.WR) and Iowa Colony-transfer Landrew Ward (Sr. WR), who both got a first-team nod a year ago in their respective districts. Ridge Point was knocked out of the playoffs in 2023 by the narrow margin of 31-28 against Lamar in the Area Round. So, they’ll look to come back with a vengeance.
Hightower was one of the most formidable H-Town squads around last season. After finishing second in district (7-1) behind Ridge Point, the Hurricanes proceeded to surge all the way to the Region III-6A DII Finals, in which they only just fell to Summer Creek by the score of 35-31. Head coach Cornelius Anthony, who guided the team to a 12-2 record in his third with the program, was named the Houston Texans High School Coach of the Year forhis effort and will look to build on that precedent heading into 2024. While several of last year’s premier playmakers have since moved on, Anthony has a proven track record of optimizing his roster. Madison-transfer Camben Emanuel (Army-commit) will take over as the Hurricanes signal-caller, while second-team, all-district selection Austin Bowen(Sr. RB) should play a largerrole on the offense, following the graduation of DistrictMVP Jeremy Payne (TCU). The offensive line will be paramount in the overall production, and the return of Dylan Turner and Johnnie Mauricio bodes well. Defensively, edge-rusher Devyn Phillip is coming off a remarkable sophomore year that saw him earn the district Newcomer of the Year. Meanwhile, senior corner Kade Phillips will command the Hightower secondary. He is committed to the University of Texas. Expect players such as Michael Amey III (Rice-commt) and Gavin Hebert (Jr. DL) to round out one of the top defenses in the district.
After going 7-4 and making an appearance in the 2023 postseason, Travis will aim to uphold their standard if not improve upon it. While there are some gaps to fill for coach Trey Sissom’s offense, first-team WR David Brewer should continue to be a bright spot for the Tigers. The same can be said regarding the team’s defense, however, junior safety Davis Kinney is coming off a first-team, all-district performance, which should indicate some success for the team’s secondary. Now that they’ve moved over to District 21-6A, Travis will no longer have to contend with George Ranch in an already difficult division. Therefore, fans should remain optimistic for their team to make a run to the playoffs.
Austin finished last year with an even 5-5 record, and just narrowly missed out on the postseason. However, compared to the results they’ve seen in years past, that is a drastic improvement for the Bulldogs. Given the fact that they will have numerous starters returning, expect Austin to punch their first ticket to the postseason in nearly a decade. Senior RB David Bishop will be the focal point of the offense, after he ran for over 700 yards with 8 touchdowns in 2023, which earned him second-team, all-district honors. Koen Herrmann (Jr. QB) is also back as the team’s signal-caller and will look to his top target Mason Cress (Sr. WR) to push the Bulldogs’ passing attack. Additionally, second-teamer Will Hermann (Sr. DB) should be a valuable asset to Austin’s defense, which still has some minor issues to sort out this Fall.
Clements wound up placing sixth overall in the district last Fall, ending the year with a record of 4-6. It will be a tall task to return to their 2022-playoff form, given the arduous level of opponents they face on a yearly basis, combined with the inevitable graduation of a significant portion of their stars. Still, that won’t stop coach Bobby Darnell and company from giving it their all. In terms of offensive weapons, first-team, all-district selection Max Cimino was dynamic as the Rangers’ WR1, as he accumulated nearly 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns through the air. There will be new blood coming in to address the team’s need at the QB and RB positions, but there still should be some substantial production with Cimino in the fold. It’s difficult to pinpoint who exactly will be the anchor on the defensive side, but those concerns will surely be addressed when the ball kicks off.
Successes came few and far between for Elkins in their prior campaign, as they were only able to manage to pick up two wins on the year. Regardless, the Knights will look to change that notion in coach Trae Grimes’ second year with the program. The passing game will likely be the offense’s strong-suit, with junior Romin Seymour behind-center, while seniors Jordan Caldwell and Elon Conley should be a nice one-two punch at the wide receiver position. Others to watch on defense include team captain Benjamin Villareal (Sr. LB), David Anigbogu (Sr. LB) and Camari Lewis (Jr. DB).
Bush has experienced their fair share of trials and tribulations since reaching the playoffs in 2021, and last season was no different. Despite that, the Broncos have the ambition of making a comeback within the district. There isn’t a distinct QB1 for the program just yet, but the options of juniors Brody Thorton and DeAaron Davis shows some promise. Michael Richard (Sr. WR), Antione Eakins (Sr. WR), Anthony Poe Jr. (Jr. WR) and Caleb Edwards (Sr. RB) round out the remainder of notable skill players for Bush. One of the bright spots of the team’s defense is the emergence of linebacker David Nwanodu, who put up some solid numbers in 2023. Also look for Aniekeme (Sr. DB), Caleb Fountain (Sr. DT) and Nathaniel Walker (Sr. LB) to play a bigger role.
As it stands, Dulles is in the midst of a near six-year playoff-drought and are most recently coming off a year in which they finished dead-last within their district. Things won’t get any easier, considering every one of the Vikings’ players who got all-district nods have since graduated. Although, one year after taking the reins of the program, coach Bill Garrey will seek a revival from his new team. Seniors Luke Smith and Micah Owens will likely headline the Dulles defense, while Divine Chinagozim (Sr. RB) and Alexander Johnson (Sr. WR) could provide a spark on the offensive side of the ball.