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Whataburger Team of the Week: Dickinson FB puts an exclamation point on Week 1 with huge win over Katy
The Dickinson Gators didn’t just start their season with a win—they made a statement.
Traveling to Legacy Stadium to take on perennial powerhouse Katy, Dickinson turned heads across the Houston high school football scene with a commanding 34-21 victory on Saturday. The result wasn’t just an upset—it was a clear message that the Gators are a team to be taken seriously in 2025.
Led by longtime head coach John Snelson, Dickinson’s all-around performance helped vault the program up the rankings. The Gators now sit at No. 6 in the Houston area and are ranked No. 34 in the state by MaxPreps.
Much of that success stemmed from standout performances on both sides of the ball.
Junior quarterback Lorenzo Aguirre played with poise and efficiency, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns against a traditionally strong Katy defense. Senior running back Malachi Gamble provided the ground threat, earning Offensive MVP honors from the team for his efforts.
Defensively, senior linebacker Quintrell Bloom was named the team’s Defensive MVP, while junior linebacker Ethan Sampson also impressed—consistently diagnosing plays and stepping up to shut down the run game.
With the confidence of a big win under their belts, Dickinson now turns its focus to another test in C.E. King. The Panthers are coming off a 32-14 victory over Westfield and bring momentum of their own into Friday night’s matchup, which kicks off at 7:00 p.m. at Sam Vitanza Stadium.
While it's only Week 2, Dickinson’s early form suggests a team with the talent, depth, and discipline to make a serious run this fall. If Saturday’s performance was any indication, the Gators are more than ready for the spotlight.

Dickinson Bounces Back with 14-0 victory over Ridge Point
DICKINSON - John Snelson admitted that the past week had been hard.
A 37-0 season-opening loss to Atascocita on the road was "as tough as we've had", the veteran coach admitted. Despite being beaten down, held to just 122 total yards and zero trips into the endzone, that didn't deflate the offensive or defensive units.
Instead, it fueled them.
On Friday, Dickinson (1-1) regained a bit of its offensive rhythm behind the running of John Solomon, while the defense pitched a shutout en route to a 14-0 victory over Ridge Point.
"Offensively, there wasn’t a whole lot of confidence," Snelson said after last week. "For those kids to believe in each other and their coaching staff and lock in, even though we weren’t clean, we were much better versus a quality defense.”
Ridge Point (0-2) has now lost to Austin Westlake and Dickinson to start the 2022 season.
When Snelson and staff went back and turned on the film from that Atascocita game, the one thing that was glaring was the fact of people trying to do other people's jobs.
The step forward from Week 1 to Week 2 was clear on Friday night. Solomon was able to run more, while incorporating Missouri-commit Marquis Johnson into the offense more. De'Rion Crooms also saw a more active role in the offense, while the offensive line held up to allow Solomon time to work.
“You ask any coach, the biggest improvement that a team will make in the course of a season is from week one to week two," Snelson said. "Because you have so many brand-new guys, the first week sometimes something happens. But they’re just more comfortable.”
VYPE/@KPRC2 Player of the Game: @DickinsonFB QB @johnsolo102 talks with us after the big win. Had some big runs and throws in the 14-0 victory. #txhsfb @KPRC2RandyMc @vjglover2023 @derioncrooms @tredevious @Donovangreen23 @LaydenRoque @TThomas06x @DickinsonISD pic.twitter.com/2eWEI52H5x
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) September 3, 2022
Defensively, the Gators were forcing turnovers and causing havoc in the backfield led by Layden Roque, Kaleb Walker and Diego Sanchez. Evan Wiltz and La'Ron Nelson also came up with some big sacks in the win as well.
“They kept us in that football game and will continue to throughout the course of the season,” Snelson said about the defense.
As the Gators turn their attention to Dobie next week, Snelson wants to see the offense take the next step as they did much better at "everybody locking in and doing their own job" this week.
And, of course, they'll watch some film.
“Whenever you win and you go back and watch film, it’s never as good as you think it is,” Snelson said with a smile. “Whenever you lose and go back and watch film, it’s never quite as bad as it feels.
































