DISTRICT 9-5A-DII
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS (Playoff teams in bold)
Port Neches-Groves Indians
FB Marshall Buffs
Dayton Broncos
Texas City Stings
Nederland Bulldogs
Santa Fe Indians
Willowridge Eagles
Galena Park Yellowjackets
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Most Valuable Player
Shea Adams, PN-G
Offensive Player of the Year
Caleb Bell, Texas City
Defensive Player of the Year
Joshua Lair, FB Marshall
Breakout Player of the Year
Kendron Penson Jr., Willowridge
On the Cusp
Texas City
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Dayton Broncos
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Texas City Stingrays
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The first year of Jeff Joseph leading Port Neches-Groves couldn’t have gone any better. The son of legendary coach Gary Joseph (Katy HC) led the Indians to AT&T Stadium in his first season and fell just short to South Oak Cliff in the title game. It was PN-Gs first title game appearance since 1999. Now, can they win their first title since 1975 in 2023? The run game is in good shape for the Indians. Isaiah Nguyen rushed for more than 1,200 yards and six scores, followed by Shea Adams’ 800-plus yard year and 23 scores. Adams also had 429 yards and five touchdowns receiving. Offensive tackle Jackson Christian (6-5, 309) will be a force to open holes. Christian already has offers from Texas, North Texas, Texas State and UTSA. Sean Gardiner is the returning leading tackler for PN-G (46), while Kameron Drodd (45) and Jonathan Hernandez (43) are right behind.
Fort Bend Marshall is loaded with talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Start with three-star safety Joshua Lair and then go down the list… DBs Caleb Chester and William Mitchell, and DL Koryn Randals are high-level recruits. They have the talent on defense to be special. The offense is a different story as the Buffs lose a lot. They do return Ja’Kayden Ferguson, who has 15 offers and is rated as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2025. Other key returners include Andre Feast (WR - 4 offers), Jarrod Howard (RB) and Jonathan Haynes (RB). The Buffs fell to PN-G in the Regional Finals a year ago, now the district mates get a rematch in Week 4 (9/22) on the road.
Dayton has been building back up under Blake Ware since he arrived. The Broncos have been an impressive turnaround story. From going 0-10 in Ware’s first year in 2020 to going 7-4 in 2023 and making the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Ware was a part of the coaching staff in New Caney when that program was turned around. Now, he’s doing the same in Dayton. Denim Foster steps in at QB1 and will have Braeden White (427 yards, 6 TDs) as one of his top targets. Andrew Soliz will pace the defense after racking up 95 tackles a year ago. Other key returners include Jakari Cooper (3 INTs), Jeremiah Stevens (27 tackles, 2 sacks) and Hayden Campbell (64 tackles).
Texas City has been in the playoffs in back-to-back years. The Stingarees will be paced by the run game as Caleb Bell is coming off a 1,300-yard rushing campaign. Quarterback Joey Duran can do his own damage through the air after passing for more than 1,300 yards. Defensively, Camryn Grief will give offensive units grief after registering more than 80 tackles and also reeled in four interceptions in 2022. Szyron Scott is another name to remember after a double-digit sack season with an even dozen.
Nederland and Santa Fe were right on the cusp of making the playoffs in 2022. Key returners for the Bulldogs includes Hubert Thomas (RB), Ayden Sunday (QB) and Ellis Walker (LB), while the Indians bring back Kase Albrecht (QB), Franklin Alfaro (TE/DE) and Joseph Floyd (RB/LB). Willowridge and Galena Park look to rise from the bottom of the standings after just one district win between the two in 2022. Willowridge has Kendron Penson Jr., son of head coach Kendron Penson, at QB1. Penson Jr. passed for over 1,400 yards a year ago. Other key returners for Willowridge include Athony Lattimore (WR), Travis Willis (CB/WR) and Rome Jackson (WR/DB). Galena Park has Daniel Gomez (QB), Francisco Martinez (RB), Jordan Balderas (RB), Diego Quintanilla (DE) and Israel Barboza (LB) set to return.