PRESEASON RANKINGS
El Campo Ricebirds
Stafford Spartans
Brazosport Exporters
Navasota Rattlers
Needville Bluejays
Iowa Colony Pioneers
Bay City Black Cats
VYPE PRESEASON AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Rueben Owens II, El Campo
OFFENSIVE MVP: Randon Fontenette, Brazosport
DEFENSIVE MVP: Andrew Huff, Stafford
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jamal Thomas, Navasota
SLEEPER TEAM: Iowa Colony
EL CAMPO RICEBIRDS
The Ricebirds were in uncharted territory a year ago as El Campo reached the Regional Semifinals going 11-2 and 5-0 in district play. Coach Chad Worrell’s squad returns nine starters and none bigger than Rueben Owens. The Louisville-commit rushed for just under 3,000 yards and had 46 rushing TDs as a junior. No wonder he’s one of the nation’s top RB recruits. The OL of Bryce Rasmussen, Taylor Manriquez and Luke Wengler will be relied upon to open some holes for the All-American along with FB/LB Hal Erwin. Stephen Norman will also move the chains coming out of the backfield. QB Oliver Miles will look in the direction of Sloan Hubert and Isaiah Batiste when they aren’t blocking downfield. The defense is going to need some work. Reid Jung, Hal Erwin, Rhenner Spenrath and Casen Braden will be the headliners on that side of the ball. Jung is a tackling machine.
STAFFORD SPARTANS
Don’t count the Stafford Spartans out of the district title conversation. Not by a long shot. Coach Ken Savanah returns 14 starters from a 7-5 team that advanced to the second round. The backfield of QB Brayden Batiste and RB Jamaal Wiley are a lethal 1-2 combination. They ate up over 2,800 yards and accounted for 43 TDs. That’s a lot of points returning. John Longoria and Cameron Cooper will set the tone up front and the deep threats downfield are Caleb Jones and Julius Nealey. The defense should be stout returning eight starters. Andrew Huff is an athlete on the edge, while Dyland McClendon will clean up at the LB spot. DBs Ashton Miller, Braylon Collins, Chase Williams and Darius Sims are sticky in coverage.
BRAZOSPORT EXPORTERS
Coach Mark Kanipes has flipped the culture down south at Brazosport. The Exporters play a fun brand of football and reached the second round of the 2021 playoffs, finishing 5-6 overall. Seven returns are back in the huddle and one in particular is their catalyst. QB Randon Fontenette threw for 1,400 yards and rushed for another 1,000, accounting for 33 TDs on the season as one of Greater Houston’s top offensive weapons. He will be flanked by RB Xavier Butler and WR Toric Goins as the team’s top headliners. Darius Roberson is to the defense what Fontenette is to the offense. Roberson had over 140 tackles and will be the kingpin on defense. Christian Scharrer will plug the rushing lanes at DT. At the Class 4A level, the team’s top players play both ways. That will be the case in the secondary as Goins, Butler, Leo Brown and Manny Williams will play.
NAVASOTA RATTLERS
The Rattlers reached the postseason a year ago with a 5-6 record but are looking for more in 2022 after being bounced in the first round. Twelve starters return for coach Casey Dacus and his team is pretty young. QB Hudson Minor should move into the primary signal-caller role in 2022. Another youngster who played a big part late in the season was Jamal Thomas. Thomas will be the featured back after going off for over 800 yards in limited playing time. The OL will be a strength with Douglas Franklin, Matthew Sosa and Drew Chavez leading the way. The human highlight reel is 6-foot-4 junior WR Kaddon Hubbard, who is great winning the 50- 50 balls. On the flip side, Frankederic Powell, Nick Castaneda and Chris Thompson will lead the defense from their LB positions. Jayden Shepard is solid up front in the trenches.
NEEDVILLE BLUEJAYS
The Needville Bluejays struggled in 2021 to a 3-7 record and did not appear in the postseason. Coach Mike Giles welcomes back 15 starters so experience will be a strength. Da’Shawn Burton exploded onto the scene as a freshman last year with over 1,100 yards on the ground. He will be the bell-cow of the offense. Keilan Sweeny must manage the offense and get the ball into the hands of junior Alex Coffin, Kade Ramirez and Austin Anderson. Kade Whiddon and Dallas Sillman will man the trenches. On defense, eight starters return and need to improve their bite. It starts up front with Bo Spitdowski and Brance Farrell. They need to come up big. Linebackers Camden Babcok, Hunter Brewster and Diego Ochoa have experience and know where to be, while Landon Hobbs will lead the secondary.
IOWA COLONY PIONEERS
The Iowa Colony Pioneers are ready to plant their flag on the Texas High School football landscape. The first-year program is the largest school by enrollment in the district and draws from a talent pool around Shadow Creek and Manvel. Coach Ray Garza could be sitting on a sleeping giant. The Pioneers are going to be led by all sophomores with no varsity game experience, so there will be some growing pains early on. Garza raves about RB Jacody Miles, DL Christopher Johnson, OL Michael Howard and WR/DB Gregory Guidry. It will be all-hands-on-deck as the Pioneers head into uncharted territory.
BAY CITY BLACKCATS
The Bay City Blackcats are predicated on speed. Their most explosive Cat is Brice Turner, who reached the State Track Meet in the 100 and 200 meters. He will be the featured back on a team that went 2-7 and 0-5 in district. They need a playmaker. Jada Andrews had a big freshman year in 2021 and will make up a dynamic backfield. Bay City will likely stay on the ground, move the chains and control the clock. Zo’Maryon Bryan and Marco Mata lead the way up front. The defense will be left to Ayden Smith and Carlon Jones, who play linebacker and DL, respectively. Jones has a nose for the QB. He will be helped by Caden Bradford and Josh Williams up front.
