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Photo Courtesy of Coach Jason Cecil, Austin High School
Fresh Faces: Jason Cecil seeks postseason success at Austin High
When the Austin High Maroons defeated Bowie last year to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2020, it marked a rare opportunity to emerge from years in the post-season wilderness. Granted they faced off against eventual 6A D2 state champion Vandegrift, so their post-season journey was short. But they had at least reached the dance again.
The Maroons will turn to a coaching veteran and familiar face in Jason Cecil to try to make a meaningful playoff run in 2025.
Entering his 30th season as a coach, the 51-year-old Cecil brings a wealth of experience to the table. He also has a good sense of the state of Austin High Football, as he’s served the past two seasons as defensive coordinator under former head coach Bernard Riley. Now he’s in charge of the Maroons.
“I love our student athletes at Austin High and we have an outstanding community that supports our teams and our coaches,” Cecil states.
If the name sounds familiar to Austin area high school football fans, Cecil was the head coach at McCallum for two years and at Pflugerville Connally for nine years prior to joining the Austin High staff in 2022.
Born in Greeley, Colorado, Cecil played linebacker at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, then coached the same position at his alma mater for three years. That led to an 8-year run as the defensive coordinator at DC Dumas High School, then five years as a defensive coordinator at Stony Point before taking over at McCallum.
Cecil might be the only “new” head coach to be a grandpa as he and his wife Lana, their daughter Alyssa and her husband Garrett Lee all enjoy grandson Kase. But the seasoned veteran hopes that eventually, even in a district dominated for years by Westlake and Lake Travis, his Maroons will be competing for district titles instead of merely battling for the “last spot in the playoffs.”
“Our goals are to continue to build a top-flight program here at Austin High and develop our student athletes to be leaders in our community.”
If three decades of coaching has taught Cecil anything, it’s that there’s much more to high school football than simply wins and losses – even as Austin High’s program appears to be trending in the right direction.
Tune into Austin High Football Broadcasts on VYPE.com and VYPELive.com!
VYPE/ESPN Austin Central Texas Game of the Week Preview: Austin High vs. Bowie
Several Austin High fans predicted at their scrimmage vs. Brandeis in mid-August that the game against Bowie was going to determine the final playoff spot out of District 26-6A. They were exactly right.
With Westlake, Dripping Springs and Lake Travis all locked into the postseason, the Maroons and Bulldogs will duke it out in what amounts to an elimination game Friday night (11/1) at House Park in the VYPE Central Texas High School Football Game of the Week, simulcast on 102.7 FM ESPN Austin radio.
Bowie has had more success in recent years. The Bulldogs (2-3, 6-3) have played nine straight weeks, with their Bye coming next week, so it’s “do or die” for the Dawgs. While Westlake and Lake Travis handled them with relative ease, Bowie nearly knocked off Dripping Springs, falling 38-35 on October 11th.
Senior quarterback Cruz Tello (99-163, 1,620 Yds., 18 TDs, 6 INTs) and senior running back Kayson Mathabela (130-680, 5.2 YPC, 11 TDs) power a Bowie offense that’s racked up 33 points per game.
Austin High (2-2, 4-4) also fell to both Westlake and Drip by identical 49-7 scores and will close out the regular season against Lake Travis. (The Maroons could technically lose to Bowie and upset Lake Travis but the Bulldogs would have the tiebreaker.)
Senior running back Bryson Batts (72-603, 8.4 YPC, 7 TDs rushing; 16-323, 20.2 YPC, 3 TDs) keys the Maroons offense with senior quarterback John Latham (56-123, 799 Yds., 6 TD, 9 INT) under center.
Westlake and Lake Travis met last week in the “Battle of the Lakes” and Dripping Springs beat everyone else they had to beat to punch their ticket. That means it’s Austin High vs. Bowie in a clash between two Austin ISD mainstays to see who will move on to the playoffs.
What: Austin High vs. BowieWhen: 7:00 Pregame, 7:30 Kickoff
Where: House Park
Who: David Roy, Paul Longoria, James Scott
Watch: https://www.vype.com/7-30pm-football-austin-high-vs-bowie-2669496638
Listen: 102.7 FM ESPN Austin, https://www.1027espn.com/
Note: While we broadcast for both schools, just the Austin High broadcast will be simulcast on radio as they are the Home Team.