GAMES
RANKINGS
Ridge Point's Austin Carlisle
THE GRIND: Future Houston Cougar Carlisle leaving legacy at Ridge Point
At the helm of this prolific attack is senior QB Austin Carlisle, whose journey to the top has been one noted by determination.
As is the case for many young athletes, Carlisle was inspired from watching others.
“Growing up, my Dad played football, so it was always a goal of mine to continue his dream and legacy,” he said. “I’ve also been impacted by all the professionals – guys like Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud, who have incredible stories – telling myself I wanted to be there one day. I feel like the heart they show kind of fuels my ambition to prove to everybody in my community that I could be there.”
This three-star signal-caller’s path is also reminiscent of that of another professional, Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers), starting from the bottom to become an instant sensation.
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“Initially, I started out at Foster before moving over to Ridge Point my sophomore year,” said Carlisle. “I was a third-string guy and ended up taking over in the fourth game against Hightower. I’ve started ever since.
“The culture is different. They brought me into their family immediately and didn’t treat me as just some new guy. They’ve pushed me to work hard like I was one of their brothers that they’ve known forever, and I’ve fed off of that.”
While he was impressive during his debut, it wasn’t until his junior campaign that Carlisle became a household name, throwing for over 3,000 yards through the air (34 TDs) and tacked on nearly 600 more on the ground (10 TDs), to earn District Offensive MVP honors.
Said performance allowed the University of Houston-commit to truly burst onto the college recruiting scene.
“Coach (Rick) LaFavers would always just tell me to keep my head down, keep working and let all the offers come as they will,” he said. “I knew that God had a plan for me, so I didn’t worry about what everyone else was doing – I just stayed the course, which led me to U-of-H.
“Joining a program that’s being built by head coach (Willie) Fritz, QB coach (Shawn) Bell and the rest of his staff really spoke to me. It means a lot to be in that first recruiting class to come in, while having the city behind my back.”
2024-25 Ridge Point FootballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Ridge Point went 9-3 a year ago, which was highlighted by their fourth-consecutive undefeated district championship.
However, they might be playing with a chip on their shoulders, after being eliminated in the second round of the postseason, in a 31-28 nail-biter against Lamar.
Suffice it to say, the Panthers will be locked in.
“It’s really going to be about us playing our game,” Carlisle said. “We need to do what we do best, which is complementary football –offense having the defense’s back and vice versa. If someone makes a mistake we’ll be there to pick up our brother.
“Obviously, we want to maintain that explosiveness we’ve shown. We want everything clicking by week one, but we don’t want to peak there. That way we’ll be ready for that long playoff run.”
If history is any indication,the Carlisle-led Panthers should remain one of the premier forces to emerge from H-Town this Fall.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE 2024 VYPE HOUSTON FOOTBALL PREVIEW
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2024 VYPE HOU FOOTBALL DIGITAL MAGAZINE
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PHOTOS FROM THE CITYWIDE FOOTBALL SHOOT
Cy-Fair's Senior QB Trey Owens
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: Owens prepared to break second-round stigma
Some of the stars of 2023-24 Cypress Fairbanks FootballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
The Bobcats and Owens are looking for redemption.
The 6-foot-5, signal-caller is up for the challenge, since he’s been doing it for most of his football career.
“I didn’t actually start a game as quarterback until my freshman year, and my sophomore year was pretty rough in my opinion,” Owens said. “I was a little doubtful of myself. I wasn’t playing my best – I played scared and wasn’t really playing up to my potential.
“I started to change that though, and come that Spring before my junior season, I started to get offers which was really shocking to me,” he said. “I had the size and the ability, and schools really took chances on me and I’m forever grateful for that.”
That junior season is when Owens turned things around.
He would go on to throw for over 3,000 yards with 34 passing touchdowns, which garnered the attention of several top collegiate programs. However, Owens would ultimately decide to commit to the University of Texas in January.
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“Surprisingly, I grew up a Texas A&M and TCU fan, so Texas wasn’t always on my radar until they pursued me in the recruiting game,” he said. “I ended up going up to Texas several times and just continued to have a great relationship with coach (Steve) Sarkisian and coach (AJ) Milwee. Their ability to put quarterbacks in the league is untouched in the nation, so it was an easy decision for me.”
Before he prepares to pack up for Austin, Owens has one more year to show what he’s got on the high school level with BFND.
Given that the final year is approaching, it’s given him time to reflect on his high school experience.
“I didn’t really know many of them (his teammates) until I moved here, since I went to a different middle school and was initially zoned for Bridgeland,” said Owens. “But since my Mom works at Cy-Fair, I was fortunate enough to get to play here.
“I’ve really gotten to know all of them like brothers, and it’s been a really fun ride,” he said. “The experience, the games and the relationships I’ve made here – I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.”
It will be up to Owens and the core group of returners to lead the Bobcats over that second-round hump this Fall. Something tells us that this might just be the year.