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RANKINGS
Clear Falls is 27-4 this season, already a program record for wins in a season.
Surging Clear Falls seizing time as playoffs loom
“Earlier in the year, Tristan came in and told me, ‘Carpe tempus!’” coach Eddie Youngblood said. “I had no idea what he was talking about. I’d heard of carpe diem. But carpe tempus? Seize the season, he told me. I haven’t fact-checked him on it, but I think it’s worked. Make the most of this season.
“So far, we’ve done a good job doing that.”
The Knights have the perfect storm of talent, experience and motivation to be a team to keep an eye on as the postseason journey looms, beginning with Alvin in a one-game bi-district playoff Friday in Baytown.
“It’s the same mindset as always,” senior second baseman Chase Bourgeois said. “Just win. Stay focused on us, stay focused on our bond. Win.”
This season is a byproduct of a rise that started for the Knights last season.
Clear Falls was 15-12 in 2021 but finished one game out of the playoffs. A week’s worth of injuries to key pitchers and hitters ultimately doomed its prospects.
That the Knights were even in postseason contention, however, was remarkable to begin with. In the season opener, 14 players took the field as varsity players for the first time. In the season opener against Santa Fe this season, Youngblood did not have a player without varsity experience.
“That’s huge,” he said.
So, when Youngblood, who has been at the helm of the program since it opened 12 years ago, says he saw this season coming, he’s not being cocky.
“I knew we had a strong team coming back,” he said. “We have 19 kids on the roster, 17 are seniors. I knew if we could keep the seniors going in the right direction, we’d be in good shape. I was really looking forward to this year, knowing that we had put in the work last year and hopefully this could be the year we put it all together.”
The Knights are strong in all three aspects of the game. Hitting, pitching and defense.
Senior Travis Bragg (.402, 29 RBIs, 27 walks), senior Evan Aslaksen (.417, 27 RBIs, four home runs) and junior Max Williams (.914 OPS, .540 slugging percentage, six home runs) pace a team that hits .303 with a .412 on-base percentage. Zarella has a .402 on-base percentage with 36 runs scored. He has stolen 34 bases and been caught once.
“Everyone is hitting,” Zarella said. “It’s crazy. I haven’t seen it before. I get on, I know I’m scoring.”
On the mound, junior Alec Beversdorf (9-0, 2.01 ERA, 72 strikeouts to 16 walks) and senior Will Hughes (8-2, 1.87 ERA, 58 strikeouts to 10 walks) are cornerstones of a deep staff. Bourgeois, Williams and senior Josh Wright make up a formidable bullpen.
“It’s an amazing staff,” Hughes said. “The best I’ve ever been a part of. We’ve got two great starters, great bullpen. An amazing closer. It’s lock down.”
But perhaps the biggest ingredient to the Knights’ success is the chemistry. It’s a veteran group that enjoys being around each other. One bonded by one goal.
“We have a bond that I haven’t felt ever since I’ve been at Falls,” Zarella said. “We lost a lot last year, and losing made all of us mad. The key to us is when one guy is down, someone else has his back.”
Clear Falls players look in as a walk-off home run clears the fence during a come-from-behind win over Deer Park earlier this season.Courtesy of Clear Falls social media
That one-for-all mentality has been proven on the field, much to Youngblood’s delight.
Clear Falls started the season with a 10-5 win over Class 5A power Santa Fe, followed by eye-opening wins over Lake Travis (2-1) and Pearland (6-3).
“When we played Lake Travis earlier in the year, and I saw that our entire lineup, all nine guys, were able to give D1 pitchers a challenge, it showed me that we had an offense that could really back up an outstanding defense,” Hughes said.
The Knights followed with a come-from-behind 8-7 win to beat another 5A titan in Friendswood. They rallied to win against Deer Park, 3-1, on a two-run, walk-off homer after being no-hit through five innings. They had another walk-off win, 8-7, via homer against Kingwood.
“When you start picking up those kinds of wins, you start thinking, ‘OK, this can be special,’” Youngblood said. “You could tell it’s a different squad. They responded differently to adversity than some of our teams in the past. Bond and chemistry is important, but realistically it just comes down to getting the job done. Yes, our guys are close and they hang out together, like a lot of good teams do, but they’re there for each other when the game’s on the line. That’s most important.”
Youngblood has a wealth of talent that he says he doesn’t take for granted. Through 34 years of coaching, he knows teams like this don’t come around often.
Players have an opportunity at hand that they, too, say they don’t take for granted.
“We had challenges right off the bat,” Zarella said. “Pearland, which is a good team. Lake Travis. But once we overcame those two challenges, I knew we had something special. We had something Falls had never seen before, and we just kept on building from that. Kept winning and winning.”
VYPE Football 2020 Preview: District 24-6A
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Dickinson
Clear Falls
Clear Creek
Clear Lake
Clear Brook
Clute Brazoswood
(Bold Denotes Playoffs)
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VYPE PRESEASON AWARDS
Most Valuable Player
Quinn Bowen, Clear Falls
Offensive MVP
Donovan Green, Dickinson
Defensive MVP
Keith Cooper, Dickinson
Breakout Player of the Year
Max Williams, Clear Falls
Sleeper Team
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FEBRUARY'S REALIGNMENT BROUGHT A CLEAN SWAP TO DISTRICT 24-6A. ALVIN, WHICH FINISHED 0-6 IN THE DISTRICT EACH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS, IS NOW IN 23-6A. THE NEW FACE IN 24-6A IS BRAZOSWOOD, WHICH WAS 0-7 AND 1-6, RESPECTIVELY, EACH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS IN 23-6A. SO, THE OL' SWITCHAROO WON'T HAVE MUCH OF AN EFFECT AT THE TOP OF THE DISTRICT AS DICKINSON AND CLEAR SPRINGS REMAIN THE CLASS OF THE LEAGUE. CLEAR SPRINGS WON DISTRICT IN 2018. DICKINSON WON IT LAST SEASON. THIS YEAR FIGURES TO BE ANOTHER HEATED RACE FOR THE TOP BETWEEN THE TWO.
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CLEAR SPRINGS CHARGERS
After winning district in 2018, Clear Springs went 6-1 in 24-6A in 2019, losing the crown to Dickinson. But the Chargers have more than enough to get back to the top, as 15 starters (six offense, nine defense) return from last year's 6-5 team. Clear Springs is inexperienced and young on the offensive line, but the defensive line figures to be dominant with senior Christian Cardenas (40 total tackles, 4 sacks) and Zaelyn Smith (30 total tackles, 3 sacks). Junior S Michael McBride (64 total tackles, 2 INTs) ignites the secondary.
Offensively, senior QB Luke Sampson takes over for the graduated Garrett Rooker. Sampson (265 yards, two touchdowns) was impressive in his limited time under center last season. He will have plenty of quality support in senior RB Ky Woods (1,027 yards, 16 TDs) and senior WR Kaleb Hymes (693 yards, 10 TDs).
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Dickinson hopes to defend its 24-6A title, however, only six starters return (four offense, two defense). Coach
John Snelson said the key to success will be the offense dictating games. Offensively, the Gators will be led by junior TE Donovan Green (615 yards, 5 TDs), a four-star recruit and one of the top tight ends in the nation. Either Marlon Allen or Graham Ledbetter will take over for graduated star Mike Welch at quarterback.
Up front, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Canon Boone and 6-foot-4, 255-pound PJ Williams will pave lanes for the Gators' vaunted ground game, which has three productive backs in Ausaru Allah, Reggie Sanders and Donovan Bradley. They combined for 1,319 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Defensively, the marquee talents are 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior DE/ LB Keith Cooper (55 total tackles, 4 sacks, INT) and senior OLB Kyron Smith (38 total tackles, INT).
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CLEAR FALLS KNIGHTS
Clear Falls snapped a five-year playoff drought last season and stands a good shot to make it consecutive postseason
appearances. Last season was just the program's second playoff appearance. Twelve starters return from the 7-4 club—six on each side of the ball. Offensive skill is the strength of Clear Falls, which averaged 42.8 points per game last season. Senior Quinn Bowen (859 rushing yards, 17 TDs; 490 receiving yards, 3 TDs) is a matchup nightmare and the catalyst behind Clear Falls' no-spread offense. Junior WR Luke Vidal amassed 468 yards and five TDs. Senior Pierson Morelli moves from running back to quarterback.
Defensively, the Knights are led by junior DB Tristan Zarella (3 INTs) and junior LB Kannon Garza (60 total tackles). Keep an eye on another versatile playmaker in 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore WR/DB Max Williams. Clear Falls will be relying on more sophomores from a 10-0 freshman team, like OLB Corey Kelly, OLB Eric Tusac and RB David Smith.
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CLEAR CREEK WILDCATS
The Wildcats return 11 starters (six offense, five defense) from last year's 4-7 team. Clear Creek overcame a 2-4
start to make the postseason, snapping a two-year playoff drought. Clear Creek will be paced by its ground game, ignited by senior Rayfield Conley (1,091 yards, 14 TDs) and junior Jeremiah Crum (1,025 total yards, 9 total TDs). The quarterback spot will be a competition between junior Cody Raboin and sophomore Dante Frederick. LB Daqari Tuckson and DB Kaleb Matthews are the defensive leaders.
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CLEAR LAKE FALCONS
Only nine starters return from last year's 3-7 Falcons team, but six of those are on defense. That side of the ball figures to be Clear Lake's identity, specifically the defensive backfield. The Falcons have some premier defensive talent, sparked by Houston-commit Mark Wilson, who averaged six tackles per game with five pass deflections. He will be supported in the defensive backfield by Eric Hunter and Julian Humphrey, two other players who are highly recruited. The offense is young. Quarterback is up for grabs between junior Tyler Durst (491 yards passing, 1 TD, 192 yards rushing, four TDs) and Guilano Villalpando. The veteran of the offense is senior Alex Williams, a three-year starter up front.
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CLEAR BROOK WOLVERINES
Clear Brook made the biggest move of the district during the offseason, hiring former Duncanville defensive coordinator John Towles as its head coach. Towles has quite a rebuilding job on his hands for a program that has only reached the playoffs four times since 2008. Experience will be key this season, as 17 players saw reps as starters last year, nine on offense and seven on defense. Towles has some offensive focal points in junior QB Colby McCallister (1,294 yards, 14 TDs) and junior RB Trent Lacy (483 yards, 6 TDs). Behind seniors Daevien Williams (44 total tackles) and Cameron Brown, who also plays linebacker, the secondary has some bright spots. Senior DE Kam'rin Devault is a talented edge rusher. The Wolverines have a trio of sophomores with terrific potential in Zyon Little, Jaylen Price and Michael Lewis, all of whom are versatile playmakers.
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CLUTE BRAZOSWOOD BUCCANEERS
Brazoswood has its work cut out if it is to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Twelve starters return from
last year's 0-10 team, five on offense and seven on defense. Senior Cameron Whipple is the Bucs' primary offensive playmaker. Whipple, who has primarily been a cornerback in his high school career, averaged 8.4 tackles per game to go with a sack, interception and fumble recovery. Senior CJ Toy and junior Trace Thompson saw most of the reps at quarterback last season. While the offense has its share of unknowns, defense could be something to take note of, particularly the front in senior end Kaleb Manning (67 tackles) and junior end Vontroy Malone (64 tackles, four sacks).