DISTRICT 10-5A-DI
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS (Playoff teams in bold)
Manvel Mavericks
Fulshear Chargers
Magnolia West Mustangs
Angleton Wildcats
Foster Falcons
Magnolia Bulldogs
Friendswood Mustangs
Kempner Cougars
Terry Rangers
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Most Valuable Player
Davion Godley, Fulshear
Offensive Player of the Year
Jackson Hamilton, Manvel
Defensive Player of the Year
Sam Mattingly, Magnolia West
Breakout Player of the Year
Caleb Allen, Friendswood
On the Cusp
Angleton
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Fulshear Chargers
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
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Magnolia West Mustangs
Doug Brown (VYPE)
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Angleton Wildcats
Doug Brown (VYPE)
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Among the many big headlines in coaching news in Houston this offseason, one of the biggest was Kirk Martin returning as the head coach of the Manvel Mavericks. Martin led Manvel to two State Title game appearances (2011, 2017) in his tenure. Now, could a potential third trip to AT&T Stadium be the charm for Martin and the Mavericks in his return?
Martin will have an experienced quarterback as Jackson Hamilton, the son of former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, moves over from Pearland. Tight End Kade Caton (Oregon-commit) will be one of his big targets at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds along with Andre Thompson at receiver, while Alan McCarter and Micah Williams protect him up front. The defense will be stout, led by Arizona State-commit Mason Fleming (DL - 9 sacks,), Rice-commit Kaleb Blanton (LB - 106 tackles), Louisiana-commit Avery Demery (CB), Memphis-commit Jalen Charles (DL - 6 sacks) and Tyler Cooks (LB - 89 tackles) and Zion Holmes (LB). Manvel is loaded again.
The Fulshear Chargers, in just their second season of varsity play won their first district crown, went 11-2 and won their first-ever playoff game. So, what’s the encore for Nick Codutti’s squad? Well, start with Davion Godley and the run game. Godley was named the District 9-5A-DI Offensive MVP after bustling loose for 2,147 yards and 24 touchdowns. His best showing was a 281-yard, four-touchdown performance against Angleton. Defensive end Chance Bryant was one of the district’s newcomers of the year, while Sheldon Rice (DE) earned second-team, all-district. This was a senior-heavy team in 2022 but does have key pieces back in the huddle.
In the first two years of the Ben McGehee-era, Magnolia West has gone an impressive 18-6 and made the playoffs in back-to-back years. Defense is where we start with the Mustangs. Stanford-commit Sam Mattingly at linebacker is the heartbeat of the unit. Mattingly registered a team-leading 137 tackles, with 12 of those for loss in 2022. On top of that, he had seven sacks and eight quarterback hurries. Brandon Mills (DE) was also impactful as a sophomore, registering 55 tackles and four sacks, earning District 10-5A-DI Newcomer of the Year honors. On offense, Gus Jordan (WR) will be the top target after 669 yards and three scores in 2022. While Terry Daniels (648 yards, 7 TDs) will carry the load at running back. Martin Reyes (DT) and Clayton O’Hearn (LB) are others to remember as well.
Angleton won its first district crown since 2017 last year and finished 9-3. The Wildcats will be led by University of Houston-commit Jaden Pettway on defense at safety and David Trevino on the O-Line. Foster will be under a new head coach for the first time in a decade as defensive coordinator Shane Hanks takes over. Kicker Nicholas Lopez is the lone all-district selection returning. Ashton Ojiaku and Cannon Kampwerth are others to remember.
Magnolia is looking to bounce back from a 3-7 season and will lean on 1,000-yard back Hunter Andrews (Utah) to do so. Gaige Sanders (TE), Kade Batts (OL) and Gage Patschke (OL) are also notable returners. Denton Guyer offensive coordinator Jordan Johnson takes over at Friendswood in 2023. District Newcomer of the Year Caleb Allen (DE) is back for Johnson along with all-district deep snapper Trent Baker. Fort Bend Kempner went 1-9 in 2022, while BF Terry went 2-8 overall. First-team, all-district running back Giovanny Blanco is back for Kempner, and second-team back Marcus Townsend returns for Terry.