Cypress Ranch QB Braden Baker named to Touchdown Club of Houston preseason honoree
The Touchdown Club of Houston is pleased to announce its 2026 Public School High School Preseason Team for the 2026 season.
Here are the Preseason Honorees...
The squad will be honored at the Touchdown Clubβs annual Touchdowner of the Year Dinner, scheduled for Wednesday, August 19th at 7 p.m. in the Main Ballroom of the Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road.
This yearβs Touchdowner Award will be presented to Dave Elmendorf, former Westbury, Texas A&M and LA Ram standout defensive back. He will be joined at the banquet by a number of College and Professional Football Hall of Fame members as well as a number of former teammates.
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OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Braden Baker / Cypress Ranch
Camden Hughes / College Park
Carson White / Hightower
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Running Backs
Ian Thomas / Tomball
Antwon Sanders / C E King
Landen Williams-Callis / Randle
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Offensive Linemen
Kennedy Brown / Kingwood
Isaac Coughran / Katy
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Tight Ends
Ryker Reynolds / La Porte
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Wide Receivers
Julian Cromartie / College Park
Benny Easter Jr. / Summer Creek
Alvin Mosley III / Crawford
Aden Starling / Shadow Creek
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Athletes
Joshua Banks / Atascocita
Kasen Jammer / Angleton
Jordan Simmons / Yates
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DEFENSE
Defensive Linemen
Ezekiel Ayangbile / Langham Creek
DeMarco Jenkins / Pearland
Jason Johnson / Atascocita
Amari Vickerson / Cypress Ranch
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Edge
Kaden McCarty / Cypress Falls
Xavier Muhammad / Shadow Creek
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Linebackers
Cade Haug / Katy
Jhadyn Nelson / Langham Creek
Davon Smith / Westfield
Aaron Williams / Ridge Point
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Defensive Backs
Trenton Blaylock / Atascocita
Karnell James / Manvel
Kameron Roberson / Cypress Springs
Brandon Sherrard / Shadow Creek
Prince Washington / Houston Lamar
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Kickers / Punters
Beckett Cocke / College Park
Kaden Rosado / Grand Oaks
To purchase tickets, please use this link:
https://touchdownclub.org/product/touchdowner-of-the-year/
If you have questions about the event, or about ticket reservations, please contact Neal Farmer, the clubβs executive director, at his home office at 713-849-9860, or send emails to Neal at: houtdclub@att.net. You can look up event details on the TD Clubβs website: www.touchdownclub.org
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VYPEβs βFresh Facesβ series introduces new Head Football Coaches in the Austin areaβ¦
The Rouse Raiders had just one coach in the schoolβs 16 years of varsity play. Theyβre about to get their second.
Mark Hopkins is set to pick up the reigns at Raider nation, taking over from Joshua Mann whoβs moved up Interstate 35 to Belton.
βIt's a tremendous honor. Coach Mann built a solid foundation and established traditions that deserve a great deal of respect. I appreciate everything he did for the program,β stated Hopkins, a 44-year-old Houston native. βOur responsibility now is to build on that foundation while creating our own identity. We want to establish a culture that our players believe in and that the entire Rouse community can be proud of for years to come.β
After high school, Hopkins played at the University of Houston under both Dada Dimel and Art Briles and credits that experience for laying the foundation of his coaching career.
βCompeting at that level taught me the value of discipline, preparation, and accountability,β Hopkins explained. βThose experiences had a tremendous impact on me and continue to influence how I coach and lead young men today.β
Hopkins has made numerous coaching stops on the road to Rouse. Most of those previous 21 seasons have been in the Houston area, with stops at Willowridge, Mayde Creek, and Stony Point preceding stints at powerhouses North Shore and Katy Tompkins.
βI've been fortunate to be part of football programs that reached the playoffs 17 times, including two state semifinal appearances,β Hopkins summarized his previous experience that also included coaching baseball, track, girls basketball, and club softball. βEvery stop has helped shape my belief that successful programs are built on relationships, consistency, and a commitment to excellence every day.β
Together with his wife of 22 years, Valerie, an elementary school teacher in Round Rock ISD, two daughters, Julia and Holly, in elementary school and two more daughters, Paige and Kate, in college, Hopkins leaves the crucible of Houston football for an Austin area thatβs rapidly making its own mark on the state football scene.
βFamily has always been the foundation of our lives, and it's one of the core values we emphasize in our football program,β Hopkins declared. That sense of family and community also attracted him to Rouse when the opportunity opened up.
βFrom the moment I stepped on campus, I could tell Rouse is a special place, Hopkins declared. βThere is tremendous pride in the school and community, and I saw an opportunity to build on an already strong foundation. Our vision is to build a program that develops outstanding young men while competing for championships. We want people to recognize Rouse Football not just because of how we play, but because of the character and class with which we represent our school.β
Ironically, not only did an unexpected redistricting quirk reunite Rouse with fellow Leander ISD rivals Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, Cedar Park and Leander, it placed the Raiders in Region 3. Meaning those Houston powerhouses are on the postseason horizon right off the bat.
Not that that deters Hopkinsβ confidence in elevating a program thatβs already usually pretty decent to the next level.
βOur expectations are high because our standards are high,β stated Hopkins. βWe believe success is earned every day through the little things. Our mission is to Earn the Right to Win with Class and Character by living out our core values of Hard Work, Toughness, Discipline, Family, and Finish.
βIf we focus on getting 1% better every day and stay committed to that process, we'll put ourselves in position to compete for championships. More importantly, we'll develop young men who are prepared for success long after football is over.β
Change is hard. And for the first time in 16 seasons β 17 counting Rouseβs first sub-varsity season β someone new is in charge. Hopkins knows it will take some time to get used to the new faces on the Raiders sideline. But heβs grateful for the positive start to this new era of Raider Football.
βI want to thank Raider Nation for the incredible welcome our family and coaching staff have received,β Hopkins emphasized. βThe excitement surrounding Rouse Football has been evident from day one, and we're grateful for the support of our players, parents, alumni, and community.
βWe're excited about what's ahead. We know there are no shortcuts, but we're committed to building something special together. Our players have embraced the challenge, and I truly believe the best days of Rouse Football are still in front of us. We're excited to go earn it.β
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VYPEβs βFresh Facesβ series introduces new Head Football Coaches in the Austin areaβ¦
New Manor head coach and athletic coordinator Peter Hopkins is aware that the Mustangs endured a rough 0-10 season last year. Hopkins came to Manor from Humble where, as associate head coach and offensive and recruiting recruiter, he successfully coached against the likes of powerhouses such as Galena Park North Shore, C.E. King and Atascocita. While the hurdles ahead wonβt intimidate Hopkins after facing down those opponents, heβs decidedly clear-eyed and ready for the challenge.
βNumber one, I prayed about it,β Hopkins explained. βAnd the more I heard everybodyβ¦ everyone I reached out to in the area told me not to come. But I kept hearing, βcome.ββ
Conversations with the Manor administration, including principal Kandice Smith and superintendent Robert Sormani influenced his decision, as did a familiar face in new district athletic director Carlesa Dixon.
βKnowing Carlesa Dixon, we both came from Humble, (so) there was some familiarity there,β he agreed.
Then there was his upbringing. The 39-year-old is a native of, βthe Crockett, TX, home of the Crockett Bulldogs in East Texas,β (he emphasized the βthe,β as opposed to Austin Crockett. Can a new rivalry be far behind?) As such, he was familiar with Manor from his youth.
βBeing from Crockett and playing Manor, through my high school days and watching the older guys play Manor, thereβs always talent here.β
But what may have attracted him to the job the most was what might have scared off others.
βI gravitate to where, I guess youβre gonna get more muddy here. Where it ainβt ready-made or ready-fixed; youβve gotta go out there and actually develop that. Thatβs the things that gravitates me to most of my career in coaching,β he continued. βGoing to those places where you have to give kids rides, you have to feed them, you have to step in the gap and be mentors, fathers, brothers, homeboys, councilors, guidance or whatever. Those are important traits of my coaching side, because these kids deserve to be winners and they havenβt won in a while. And thatβs the things that weβre trying to give them.β
Itβs a tall task for anyone, let alone someone at the relatively young age of 39-years-old.
βSome say itβs pretty young. But when I was being raised by my grandfather, who coached for 64 years, and being a coachβs kid and being around football β I was a ball boy since I was like 3 or 4 years-old. So, yes. Am I pretty young? Absolutely. But Iβm very seasoned. I was raised with seasoned people.β
βSeasonedβ is a pretty good word to describe Hopkins, whoβs already jammed a ton of coaching into those 39 years. Hopkins played college ball at Tyler Junior College and closed out his playing days at Sam Houston State.
ββNah, absolutely not,β he chuckled when asked about playing after college. βI wasnβt good enough to do all that. I went straight to coaching. It was good because I had actually played junior college ball at Tyler Junior College. So right as soon as I got done playing at Sam Houston, I went straight to coaching at Tyler Junior College for Danny Palmer. I coached running backs for him, and Iβve just been in it ever since.
βI spent nine years at the college level between Tyler Junior College, Kilgore College and Louisiana Tech and a little bit with Sam Houston. So, I had a great run at the college level,β he continued. βI had a great time. Learned how to recruit people, develop people and thatβs the biggest thing.β
Hopkins then made the transition to coaching in high school, with stops at La Marque and Klein Oak before Humble where he developed a new outlook on his craft.
βIn high school itβs a little different. Youβve gotta recruit your hallways. Youβve gotta recruit your (schoolβs) borders. Youβve got to make sure people are wanting to be Manor Mustangs, right? But the biggest thing is, the difference between high school and college is that (in college) I go recruit the talent that Iβm looking for. Here, Iβve got to be able to create the talent. Iβve got to convert the talent; have to mold it, right?
βItβs like a new vehicle. In college, all I had to do was put some rims on it to make the vehicle look nice. Here, I had to get the whole vehicle. And thatβs the exciting part about it. We havenβt won many games the last 4 or 5 years, so thatβs the exciting part about being here and getting this thing rolling the right way that it should be rolling.β
It quickly becomes apparent when talking with Hopkins that heβs not just talking about βrolling the right wayβ on the football field. Though unmarried, he makes it clear that family and community are every bit as important to him as Xβs and Oβs.
βI have a family. I have a village that supports me and loves me and shows up for me every step of the way,β he stated.
βWe have Family Fridays where we talk about everything but football. Weβll get to know our community in such a good way where weβve been to every food bank, weβve been to nursing homes, weβve been to every elementary school, weβve fed every teacher in the district, weβve just done so much stuff in our community. Those things were important to me because I want our community to know that weβre on the front lines. But I also want the kids to know itβs more than just football. Footballβ¦ to me, doing those things is the byproduct of playing football.β
Hopkins gives a lot of credit for that off-the-field perspective to his first hire.
βI brought the first DFO (Director of Football Operations) here to Manor, Ebony Gordley,β he declared. βSheβs a mother, so we have a mother figure in the football facilities with us to give us that motherly heart. To understand what kids expect from a motherβs part. Because certain things she can reach them that we canβt. It also gives that feeling as a wife, too, though. As far as being proactive; as far as scheduling; as far as doing all those things.
βSo, my thing is that Iβm not going to be the reason why youβre not at home with your wife or with your kids, right? Youβre not gonna be able to use me as an excuse or the reason why you have friction with your family. The number one thing that will get you let go here or get you fired is missing your daughterβs recital or missing a little league football game or baseball, or missing a birthday, whether itβs your wifeβs or, your in-lawsβ matter too. Iβm a big family person, so those things are huge to me.β
Hopkins understands that reestablishing off-the-field values goes hand-in-hand with restoring Manor footballβs success on the field. After all, it wasnβt that long ago that the Mustangs were regular playoff contenders.
β(Our) expectations are having championship behaviors. We donβt have that right now. Learning that everything we do, weβve gotta have championship behaviors. Weβve gotta have a plan of action; a plan to win. And before you win, youβve got to eliminate the reasons why you lose. And my thing is, it is showing that we can compete with anybody. I want us to show the fight that we have, the grit that we have.β
Hopkins summed it up in one phrase: LETβS RIDE.
βThe βLβ stands for βLove,ββ he explained. βEverything that we do in this programβs gonna be about love. The βEβ stands for βEnergy.β Weβre gonna bring the right energy every day. βTβ stands for βToughness.β Weβre gonna be mentally tough; physically tough; emotionally tough. βSβ -- weβre gonna be βSmartβ here in the building and weβre gonna be smart football players.
ββRβ because football is about βResilience.β Youβre gonna get punched in the face, so weβre gonna show a lot of resilience. And when we coach, weβre gonna be very Intentional; thatβs what the βIβ means. And the βDβ stands for βDetail,β but also weβre gonna βElevateβ everywhere we go. And weβre gonna earn the right to win.β
Only time will tell if that voice that told Coach Peter Hopkins to come to Manor, to get in the mud, as he put it, was right and if we is able to return the Mustangs to playoff contention.
βIβm instilling to my kids right now -- we havenβt won in a long time -- Iβm expecting to make the playoffs,β he insisted. βAs crazy as this is; Iβve got 35 kids in a 6A/5A program right now. And Iβm expecting to make the playoffs. But weβve got to learn how to compete first.
βWeβre excited for this fall. Hopefully some exciting things going on around here.β
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