District 10-5A, Division I, will be one of the more competitive and intense districts in Class 5A. Pick your poison: Manvel, which has outright won or shared the District Championship nine of the last 12 years; Foster, which has averaged nine wins over the last eight seasons; Magnolia West, which has made the playoffs 11 of the last 12 seasons.
And it doesn’t stop there. Angleton. Friendswood. Magnolia. Heck, even relative newborn Fulshear is by no means a pushover. BF Terry and Kempner are teams with tradition. It’ll be a fun district, and whoever makes it out alive will be well-prepared for the postseason.
Bet on it.
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PREVIOUS DISTRICT PREVIEWS (2022)
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PRESEASON RANKING
Manvel Mavericks
Foster Falcons
Magnolia West Mustangs
Angleton Wildcats
Fulshear Chargers
Friendswood Mustangs
Magnolia Bulldogs
BF Terry Rangers
Fort Bend Kempner Cougars
VYPE PRESEASON AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kaiden Smith, Manvel
OFFENSIVE MVP: JT Fayard, Foster
DEFENSIVE MVP: Khai McGee, Angleton
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Deuce Barrington, Fulshear
SLEEPER TEAM: Fulshear
MANVEL MAVERICKS
Manvel coach Kevin Hall said chemistry will be his team’s strength this season. Inexperience, however, is a concern. The Mavs return just two starters, one on each side of the ball, from last year’s 10-3 Regional Semifinalist. Only 17 lettermen in all are back. Key returners are senior 6-foot-1, 190-pound QB Kaiden Smith (1,464 yards, 12 TDs passing; 261 yards, 6 TDs rushing), senior 6-foot-2, 185-pound S Jalen O’Neal (25 total tackles, INT), senior DB Jamari Williams, senior 6-foot, 236-pound LB Kenyon Armstrong (19 total tackles, 2 sacks) and senior 6-foot-3, 335-pound OL Devin Davis. Hall said O’Neal has the chance to be something special. There will be plenty of newcomers to keep an eye on, including senior LB Quentin Lucas, junior DE Jalen Charles, senior RB Steve Polk, junior LB Kaleb Blanton, junior LB Tyler Cooks, senior WR Ja’vhari Taylor, junior DL Mason Fleming, junior OL Micah Williams, junior OL Alan McCarter, senior OL Malcolm Fields, junior CB Avery Demery, senior WR Donavan Semien and junior LB Fred Kalu.
FOSTER FALCONS
The Falcons barely missed out on the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011 but return 17 starters (9 offense) from a 5-5 team. They could be a darkhorse not only in the district, but the region. Foster is loaded on both sides of the ball. Senior 6-foot-4, 190-pound QB JT Fayard (1,687 yards, 16 TDs) is a prolific gunslinger, and he will have plenty of weapons in senior WRs Kendal Stewart (725 yards, 5 TDs) and Jalen Austin (378 yards, 3 TDs). All are potential DI talents. The RB spot will be handled by senior Ashton Ojiaku, who will make an impact both ways. Defensively, Foster is led by the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Ojiaku (29 tackles, 2 INTs), senior LB Christopher Gore (82 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks) and 6-foot, 165-pound senior CB Chase Canada (22 tackles). Coach Shaun McDowell said experience is a strength this year. His concern, though, is his team “being able to withstand the rigors of the hardest district in the state.”
MAGNOLIA WEST MUSTANGS
The Mustangs return 11 starters (6 defense) from a 10-2 Area finalist. Once again, they figure to be in the mix for things with the amount of firepower coming back. Offensively, the key trio is senior 5-foot-11, 180-pound RB Kai Aroca-Disdier (946 yards, 9 TDs), senior WR Colton Adcox (608 yards, 4 TDs) and junior WR Gus Jordan (229 yards, 4 TDs). The QB position is unsettled. Defensively, West is stacked at linebacker with 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior Tyler Harsch (109 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks), 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior Caylon Dygert (63 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 INTs) and 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior Sam Mattingly, who makes the move from receiver. Otherwise, the Mustangs will need others to step up along the line and secondary.
ANGLETON WILDCATS
The Wildcats return 15 starters (9 defense) from an 8-4 Area finalist. There is tons of talent on both sides of the ball. Offensively, senior 6-foot-1, 190-pound ATH Kariyen Goins (619 yards, 6 TDs receiving) does a little bit of everything. Junior 5-foot-11, 165-pound QB Adrian Ewells (1,114 yards, 14 TDs passing; 435 yards, 5 TDs rushing) and senior RB Deseahn Thomas (766 yards, 11 TDs rushing; 123 yards, 2 TDs receiving) are playmakers. The defense is stingy up front behind senior 6-foot-2, 215-pound DL Khai McGhee (73 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 8 sacks) and senior 6-foot, 175-pound LB Sean Blanks (94 tackles). Angleton made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2018 and is hoping to carry that momentum forward.
FULSHEAR CHARGERS
In what is a loaded district stacked with tradition and perennial powers, Fulshear has what it takes to make some serious noise. The Chargers return 15 starters (9 offense) in coach Nick Codutti’s second year in charge. He’s already made a drastic impact after leading Fulshear to the playoffs for the first-time last season. Leading the Chargers’ wide zone attack are senior QB/WR Parker Williams (1,762 yards, 12 TDs passing; 910 yards, 11 TDs rushing), senior 6-foot-2, 205-pound WR Jax Medica (664 yards, 4 TDs), senior 6-foot-5, 230-pound TE Gavin Waits (331 yards, 3 TDs), junior WR Tate Struble (266 yards, 3 TDs), junior RB Davion Godley (732 yards, 3 TDs) and junior QB Deuce Barrington, a transfer from Katy Jordan who has the talent to make his presence felt immediately. Defensively, Fulshear is no slouch either with senior 6-foot, 215-pound LB Germany Williams (90 tackles, 5 sacks) and senior 5-foot-10, 140-pound DB Maverick Schomberg (26 tackles, 4 INTs). Keep an eye on a pair of strong, athletic sophomore DL in 6-foot-1, 205-pound Chance Bryant and 6-foot-3, 200-pound Sheldon Rice.
FRIENDSWOOD MUSTANGS
Friendswood coach Robert Koopmann expects experienced skill kids to be a strength this season. Lack of experience and depth on the offensive line are concerns. Twelve starters (7 defense) return from a 6-5 Bi-District finalist. Offensively, players to watch are senior 6-foot-3, 220-pound TE Hunter Smryl (510 yards, 2 TDs), senior 6-foot, 185-pound RB Jackson Rhodes (714 yards, 8 TDs), senior QB Matthew Dupuis (1,071 yards, 5 TDs), senior WR Kale Koopmann and junior WR Adam Buffington. The standouts on defense will be senior 6-foot-5, 230-pound OLB Braylan Shelby (68 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks), senior 6-foot, 225-pound MLB Jaxson Russo (110 tackles), senior S Eli St. John (51 tackles). Koopmann takes pride in having a stable program that believes in consistency.
MAGNOLIA BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs had a nice 2021 season, going 7-4 and making the playoffs. This season, however, is full of uncertainty, as only four starters—two on each side of the ball—return. Junior 6-foot-2, 187-pound RB Hunter Andrews (784 yards, 14 TDs) will be the centerpiece of the offense. Magnolia is hoping for a huge comeback season for senior WR Dustin Lindvall, who missed all but the season-opener last season due to injury. Defensively, the leader is junior DB Dylan Hayes (75 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack). Also keep an eye on junior OL Gage Patschke, senior DL Andrew Ortiz, senior LB Zach Cleveland, junior TE Gaige Sanders and junior DL Francisco Tirado. All will have opportunities to make an impact this year.
BF TERRY RANGERS
The Rangers return 12 starters (6/6) from a 4-6 team. Senior QB Jason Cruz is a strong dual-threat QB. Junior RB Devin Wilkerson is tough as a ball-carrier. Senior WR Trumaine Mitchell is a dynamic speedster who can blow the top off of defenses. Defensively, Terry leans on veteran senior stalwart LB Juan Rodriguez and a pair of run-stuffers in senior 6-foot, 250-pound DL Johnte McCauley and junior DE Cameron Lewis. Sophomore DE Jordan Randle led the Rangers in sacks last year and is a force on the edge. Expect another considerable step forward in his progress.
FB KEMPNER COUGARS
After coach Darrin Andrus resigned after 11 years to take a job on Kevin Hall’s staff at Manvel, Troy DeGar is in as head coach after leading Houston Yates to a 5-6 record last season. DeGar, who was the starting quarterback at Tulsa and is a Houston Westbury graduate, takes over a program that returns 15 starters (8 offense) from a 2-8 team. Junior 5-foot-11, 195-pound QB Javon Goss (672 yards, 8 TDs) is back, supported by a pair of productive RBs in 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior Abayomi Wiggins and sophomore Luke Maxson. The defense is led by 6-foot-3, 211-pound senior LB Cody Pham, 5-foot-11, 186-pound senior LB Chibuikem Ome (55 tackles) and senior DB Edrion Gray (4 INTs).
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
