Klein Oak Football
Photo by Justin Hartojo || VYPE Media
Get ready for the season as VYPE goes Inside the Program with Head Coach Brandon Carpenter of Klein Oak Football!
Klein Forest Jaylen Bragg
By Bradley Collier
KLEIN FOREST QB JAYLEN BRAGG HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE’S ENTERING HIS SECOND SEASON WITH THE PROGRAM.
The incoming senior has adapted nicely to Forest, after transferring in following his sophomore year. But that doesn’t mean it was easy for the Golden Eagles signal-caller.
“Transferring schools is already difficult as it is,” said Bragg. “But, transferring as a quarterback is even harder in my opinion, because you have to undertake that leadership role in a new place. So, I came in and I just wanted to establish myself as a leader on the team, and my teammates accepted me.
“I feel like the whole transferring process has helped me to persevere – look through the bad times and push on.”
If his junior season was any indication, Bragg has shown that he can sling it just as well as anybody. Additionally, his explosive acceleration is enough to give any defensive coordinator a headache. But, according to the dual- threat Bragg, those aren’t even his greatest assets.
Some of the stars of 2023-24 Summer Creek Football
Lorin Cook (VYPE)
Last week’s matchup against a tough opponent like Klein Collins, in which they dominated to the tune of a 34-0 victory, reminded audiences that the Bulldogs (3-0) are a team worthy of everyone’s attention.
“It’s a great feeling and it’s just a compliment to our seniors,” said coach Kenny Harrison. “For the last three years we’ve had great senior classes. Our guys had a tremendous offseason and they embraced the grind, understanding that we were going to have a tough non-district schedule to prepare us for district.
“We talk about it all the time, we play quality opponents. I told our guys that we were going to have to overcome some adversity and they’ve risen to the challenge.”
On the topic of adversity, Summer Creek lost their starting QB Tristan Sanchez after he was injured in the Deer Park scrimmage a week prior to their season-opener against Klein Cain.
Junior WR-turned-QB Blake Thomas (#2) celebrates one of his scores against Klein CainMatthew Ogle (VYPE)
However, the Bulldogs’ leading receiver Blake Thomas has stepped up big time, taking on the role of the team’s signal-caller.
“We knew he (Thomas) could throw because he got reps in the spring,” Harrison said. “He’s turned himself into a leader. He got the opportunity to watch his older brother, Myles Thomas, a couple years ago, so he understands what it takes for a football team to be successful and the work that goes into it.”
Furthermore, senior RB Lloyd Avant (Tulsa-commit) and senior LB Xavier Atkins (LSU) have each become tone-setters in their respective fashions, among the many talented players on Summer Creek’s stacked roster.
Summer Creek's Lloyd AvantLorin Cook (VYPE)
“Avant is not necessarily a vocal leader, he’s a young man that leads by example,” said Harrison. “Kids follow him on the field as well as off the field because of the fact that he’s a high-character guy. Anytime you have someone like that on your team, you’ll have the opportunity to be successful.
“Then you move on to that guy, Xavier Atkins, who moved here in January. It was quite an adjustment for him, just the workload and preparing for the way we do things here in the state of Texas. He caught on quickly. He’s definitely a vocal leader, so we have the best of both worlds with those two.”
Summer Creek's Xavier Atkins prays before his Texas football debut Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
Since moving into the Bulldogs program six years ago, Harrison and his staff have turned Summer Creek into a perennial contender, despite being in a brutal district that features the likes of fellow heavyweights North Shore and Atascocita.
How have they done it?
“Just mental and physical toughness that we’ve brought here to the Summer Creek culture,” he said. “I think one thing that separates our program from a lot of others is the emphasis on that during the offseason."
“We do a lot of things during the offseason that gets our kids mentally and physically prepared to play for 48 minutes. We pride ourselves on that, getting them ready to play a very demanding schedule.”
District-play is about to commence for the Bulldogs, starting with West Brook this Friday. To say the least, it’s going to be entertaining to witness the rest of the season play out for this momentous group.
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