11AM - Nick Finnegan Spring Invitational, St. John's
11:00am - 2:00pm Field Events
3:00pm - 6:00pm running events
3PM - Baseball: St. Andrew's vs. St. John's
It’s a long road from El Paso to anywhere in Texas. The trip from that West Texas outpost to Lockhart has been a particularly winding journey for new Lions Athletic Coordinator and Head Football Coach Mike Maldonado.
Following a high school career at El Paso Del Valle, Maldonado was an all-conference defensive back and team captain for perennial D3 powerhouse the University of Mary Hardon-Baylor. After college, he played defensive back in arena football and sniffed the Canadian Football League before embarking on his coaching career.
As the 36-year-old prepares to begin his 10th season as a coach, Maldonado has already served as an assistant coach in various roles at Elgin and Smithville Junior High Schools, Anderson High School (twice), Jarrell High School, and most recently Rouse HS, where he served as a successful defensive coordinator for the Raiders.
Maldonado will inherit a Lions program that’s struggled to rise above .500, finishing 2-8 last season and 22-41 overall, with three playoff appearances under former coach Todd Moebes. However, the relative lack of success on the field didn’t deter Maldonado from taking up the Lions’ flag.
“Researching the district, the three pillars that the district stands on -- LockHeart for People; Unlocking Potential; Locked on Excellence -- really stood out to me,” Maldonado states. “Those values aligned with what I want to focus on as we develop our student athletes in their academic, athletic and personal lives.
“My goal is to elevate the Athletic program to new heights athletically and academically. Surround the kids with coaches that empty the tank every day to impact lives so that our community believes that their children will be better for being in athletics. We expect every program to be competitive in everything we do while creating lifelong memories and relationships.”
After a playing and coaching career that’s already seen more than its share of stops along the way, Maldonado, together with his wife and 4-year-old daughter Emmeline, hopes to be in Lockart longer than a rack of ribs smokes on the grill.
“I just feel very fortunate and extremely grateful to be in my position where our career path impacts young people. I’m excited to see our Lions back on campus as they add another chapter to their stories of success and can’t wait for August 4th as we begin the 2025 Season!”
As of this writing, the Lions’ 2025 journey is already underway – and Mike Maldonado hopes his road trip has reached its destination.
Read More...Read Less
THE FULL LINEUP IS BELOW THE AD
-SCROLL DOWN TO FIND YOUR MATCH-UP AND CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH YOUR GAME LIVE!
The reigning UIL 3A-D1 State Champions -- Columbus Cardinals
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
DISTRICT 12-3A-D1
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Columbus Cardinals
Hitchcock Bulldogs
Hallettsville Brahmas
Yoakum Bulldogs
Hempstead Bobcats
(Bold Denotes Playoffs)
...VYPE PRESEASON AWARDS
Most Valuable Player: Braylon Fisher, Columbus
Offensive Player of the Year: Mycole Pegoda, Hallettsville
Defensive Player of the Year: Rylan Carruthers, Columbus
Breakout Player of the Year: Cam’ron Taylor, Hitchcock
On the Cusp: Yoakum Bulldogs
...
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PHOTOS FROM THE CITYWIDE PHOTOSHOOT
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE 2025 VYPE FOOTBALL PREVIEW MAGAZINE
...
Columbus is coming off a historical season. The Cardinals rolled to a 15-1 record and captured the Class 3A Division I State Championship with a dominating 48-14 victory over Malakof. Columbus, led by seventh-year coach Matt Schobel (72-13) will have to replace some key players, including Adam Schobel, John Schobel, and Grayson Rigdon, but only dressed eight seniors in the title game. WR Braylon Fisher, who has offers from TCU, Houston, Vanderbilt and UTSA, led the team with 1,338 receiving yards and 16 scores in 2024. The entire starting offensive line is back, including Kenyon Hemphill-Woods, who has offers from Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Houston, Kansas State, Illinois and UTSA, and Christopher Quinn. The Cardinals linebacker corps is back and strong with Brody Vinclarek, Rylan Carruthers and Brody Tribe returning after combining for 415 tackles between the trio. Carruthers accounted for 165 tackles of that number. Other players to watch include WR/DB Brennan Hicks, QB/DB Jack Schobel and FB/DL Sean Sutton.
Hitchcock reached the Regional Semifinals a year ago after going 10-2. The Bulldogs will have a new look on offense with only three starters returning. Defensively, Hitchcock should be pretty sound with eight starters back in the mix, including District 12-3A-DI Defensive Lineman of the Year Demarcus Blackmon. Clear Lake transfer Terrell Stinson Jr. will play a huge role this season at DB and WR. The Bulldogs also return the district’s reigning Newcomer of the Year in Cam’ron Taylor, who is listed as RB, WR and OLB. Other key defensive returners include first-team, all-district pick Brian Harris and second-teamers Jaiden Freeman and Averett Lacy. The Bulldogs also return Jamarion Cooper, who was second-team, all-district on offense and defense from his running back and middle linebacker positions. Craig Smith enters year No. 14 at the helm and just eight wins shy of coaching career victory No. 100. Keys to success will be good defensive play and the young skill guys improving on a weekly basis.
Hallettsville went 3-8 a year ago and reached the Bi-District round of the playoffs. Third-year coach Levi Montgomery returns 10 starters to a squad that is seeking a 14th-straight playoff appearance in 2025. What will be a young Brahmas team will lean on young players developing quickly. Key returners for Hallettsville include Matthew Montgomery, who racked up 118 tackles, four tackles for loss, six QB pressures and three pass break-ups on the way to a first-team, all-district selection. Offensively, Mycole Pegoda is back after rushing for 1,130 yards and 16 scores, while passing for another 620 yards and four touchdowns. He was first-team, all-district as well. Finally, first-team, all-district OL Kyle Svetlik is back after registering 21 pancakes a year ago.
Yoakum posted an 8-5 mark in 2024 and reached the second round of the playoffs where they ran into eventual State Champion and district foe Columbus. The Bulldogs return some key pieces for 2025 including first-team, all-district lineman Oliver Ortiz and second-teamer OL Jaydon Johnson. Defensively, first-team, all-district free safety Cayson Gamez and second-team free safeties Bradley and Brenten Jacob and cornerback Tayten Crawford are set to return. Hempstead went 0-10 in 2024. The Bobcats return second-team, all-district running back Dawayne Crawford and second-team, all-district LB and RB Jleon Watts.
Read More...Read Less
TRENDING
GAMES
Join the #VYPETEAM
Get up to date news from all over the country!
FROM THE WEB
