Friday Football Previews for Week 5

It’s quickly passing. The high school football season, that is. Week 5 marks the halfway point for Texas High School football, and several teams from the Central Texas area are making their bid for the post season. We’ll find out over the next several weeks who has the best chance of making the playoffs, and who doesn’t. Let’s take a look at this week’s football previews.

Class 1A Morgan Eagles (1-2) District 11-1A/Six-Man DII at Buckholts Badgers (22) 16-1A/Six-Man DII Jim Hauk Field in Buckholts. Kickoff set for 7 p.m.

The Morgan Eagles were pummeled last Friday night by the Mount Calm Panthers, 51-6. The Eagles are one win away from tying their win total from last season, but it might be tough to pick up looking at their schedule. This week against Buckholts won’t make it any easier for Morgan. They have several players that could help the team eventually turn the corner. Key players for the Eagles are RB Adrian Alonzo, RB/LB Roloando Monroy, QB/C Heath Tedder, and E/LB David Garcia. Coach Alan Berrio will have to do some heavy planning for this Friday’s game, if they expect to walk out with the win.

The Buckholts Badgers faced a stellar opponent last week, in that of the Hill County Wolves. Plagued with injuries all season long, the Badgers limped out again after the Wolves handed them their second loss of the season, 55-22. Coach Robert Smith was astounded with what took place with his guys last Friday night, as he witnessed something he’d never seen before in his entire coaching career. “We had a lot of injuries early on,” Smith began. “We were a skeleton crew! We went through five QBs! It was the worst luck of injuries in my entire coaching career… it was wild!” What the Badgers could use is an off week to get some of those players healed up. Buckholts Joseph Hansen-Blum stepped up to lead the team offensively, throwing for 96 yards and two passing touchdowns, while Miguel Hernandez led the team in rushing with eight carries for 81 yards. Johandy Ventura and Braxton Reese led the D with seven total tackles. This week, fingers crossed, the Badgers can get some guys back, and avoid any further mishaps. The Badgers will be having their homecoming for this game as well, so yes… this one is very important!

Class 2A District 10-2A DII Goldthwaite Eagles (2-1) at Chilton Pirates (3-0) Featherston Field in Chilton. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

This is the district opener for both teams, and will be a big test for each as they vy for the district title. It’s possible that the top four teams in this district (currently, Bremond, Chilton, Frost, and Goldthwaite) could finish somewhat in that order, unless Mart decides to join the crowd. Goldthwaite’s only loss coming into Friday’s game was their season opener against Junction. Since then, the Eagles have a shutout, and a 15-point win over San Saba in their last game before the break. So, Goldthwaite had momentum in their hip pocket, and it’ll be interesting to see if the break didn’t hurt it or will help it. Coach Andy Howard has the core of his team back, that finished (52) in district last season, and as an area finalist in the playoffs. Key watches will be QB Aidyn Lee, OL Jeramiah Avanis, LB Hagen Greenway, and RB Landry Sanderson.

Should we say that Chilton has surprised us this season with their (3-0) record, and the fact that their defense has allowed only 12 points in those three games? And the D has shutout their opponents the past two games? And that the offense is averaging right at 38 points per game? Factor in that the Pirates were (2-5) in district last season, and finished (3-7) without getting the playoff nod… it’s probably safe to say. SURPRISE!!!

Coach Bennie Huitt has his crew primed for bounty with QB Marneko Thomas, Jr. leading the Pirate crew’s offense. So far this season, MTJ has 184 yards passing and five touchdowns, while piling up 357 yards on the ground. Xzavion Taylor has been big for Chilton, rushing for 125 yards and scoring six touchdowns, and joining the ground game is Nathan Wuebker with 15 carries for 168 yards. Jamarion Clark and Wuebker are the team’s top receivers and touchdown makers. Davion Brandon is tops defensively for Chilton, recording 13 total tackles in three games. Teams will have to just face the fact. The Pirates will be a team to deal with in District 102A. They’ll have to adjust their sails accordingly. Aargh mateys!

Marlin Bulldogs (0-4) District 13-2A DI at West Trojans (3-1) District 53A DI Trojan Stadium in West. Game time is 7 p.m.

It’s been a rough season thus far for the Marlin Bulldogs. Their schedule is marred with Ls, and their biggest offensive game was in Week 1 when they scored 26 points against the Lexington Eagles. Since then, the offense has been sluggish with only 13 points scored over the last three games. The Bulldogs need a win. They need one bad before starting district play the second week of October. This week’s game will be another tough one going up against the West Trojans. Coach Jeff Rogers team will need QB Deangelo Wright to have a big game. Wright has been one of the top players at the helm, and in Marlin’s rungame. Keyshaun Massington leads the team in receptions and receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He can be a playmaker and Marlin will need him to explode against the Trojans this Friday night. Jaden Ray and Ivan Ricks have to shore up the defense to keep West from scoring. Brysen Maxwell-Steele should be able to help the D, as he’s been a juggernaut for Marlin all season. Steele measures up at 6’1” and 300 pounds, making it difficult for teams to stop him from getting tackles and putting pressure on the QB. Yep, they’ll need that too. Should be a good game, and maybe this will be the night for the Bulldogs to break the losing streak.

West has the ability to light up the scoreboard. They’ve done that the last two games with a 45-21 win over McGregor, and the shutout win over Hillsboro last Friday night, 34-0. The Trojans are showing signs of consistency on both sides of the ball. They should be with nine starters returning from last season’s (5-5) team, barely missing the No. 4 seed for the playoffs. Coach David Woodard expects the best from his team, and will rely on depth of his bench to step in and do their part. The Trojans look to keep their win streak going against Marlin after beating them last year. Players to watch for West will be DB Bryce Cunningham, LB/RB Ayden Rideout, DB/WR Ledger Nardell, and WR/DB Aidan Green.

District 13-2A DII Milano Eagles (0-3) at Iola Bulldogs (1-2) Bulldog Stadium in Iola. Kickoff at 7 p.m. sharp!

Milano is having a tough year offensively, scoring only 19 points in three games thus far. The Eagles are looking to turn the corner in their district opener against the Iola Bulldogs. Senior Peyton Steinbecker has stepped in at QB this season, and can be a dual threat in Milano’s run-game. Troy Montoya leads the team in rushing, while Jesus Reyes leads the Eagles sky core. The Eagle defense is led by seniors Colten Kirk, and J.D. Chambers, along with sophomore Ayden Fernandez. This is a big game for the Eagles as they look to start district play with a win.

Iola comes in with only one win. Had it not been for the one-point loss to Mildred in their season opener, the Bulldogs could easily be sitting at (2-1) entering district play. Coach Eric Blenden returns 15 starters from last year’s bi-district finalist team that finished (5-6) overall. Playmakers for the Bulldogs are QB Tyler Elliott, RB Adrian Garrett, WR/DB Austin Calvillo, and TE/DL Colin Fowler. Last year, Iola defeated Milano, 35-14.

Normangee Panthers (2-2) District 12-2A DI at Rosebud-Lott Cougars (31) District 13-2A DI Cougar Stadium in Lott. Game time around 7ish, but pretty much straight-up 7 p.m.

Some teams might consider the Panthers to be cute, cuddly, and pushovers, but this Normangee squad begs to differ. After suffering two losses to begin the season, the Panthers are on a two-game win streak, outscoring their opponents by a combined 49 points. The offense seems to be back on track, and the win last week against Bruceville-Eddy was a momentum builder heading into this week’s game with the Cougars. The Panthers are coached by Bret Page, who came into the season with 13 starters returning from a team that finished (2-8) last year. The last winning season Normangee had was in 2020, when they went (11-1). This year, QB Marshall Harris, and RB/LB Rowen Cotten have began to emerge on offense. Other players chipping in are WR/DB Kaleb Brooks, backup QB/DB Kelvin Brooks, and top sophomore OL/DL Rayce Gafford.

The Cougars will be glad to return to their home turf, after their battle of the unbeatens hit a snag last Friday night, as Bosqueville won 35-21. RL will definitely turn up the offense in this one, as they don’t want to give Normangee a chance to stay in the game. Through the first three games of the season, Cougar QB Pryce Rabroker threw for over 450 yards and seven passing touchdowns. Sophomore Zaylon Wells has been the workhorse in the Cougars rungame with over 500 yards rushing. Kaiden Johnson and Daniel Rincon lead the Cougar receivers with over 125 yards each. On defense, RL has at least 10 players with 10 or more tackles, led by senior linebacker, Labron Washington. Washington 26 total tackles for the Cougs, with a 6.5 tackles per game average. Normangee will have a tough time trying to get through him and all the other defenders. The Cougars could quite possibly light up the scoreboard this Friday night. Last season, RL did just that, beating the Panthers in Normangee, 41-2. We shall see how this one paws out!

Thorndale Bulldogs (22) District 14-2A DI at Hempstead Bobcats (03) District 12-3A DI Bobcat Stadium in Hempstead. 7 p.m. start time!

If you have been keeping up with Bubbles, he mentioned that Thorndale’s game against the No. 1 ranked team in Six-Man football, the Gordon Longhorns, could very well be a “trap” game. Well, it was. To a degree. Gordon walked away with a 54-21 win, while the Bulldogs are now (2-2) heading into this week’s game with the Hempstead Bobcats. Thorndale should come out firing in this one, with junior QB Case McDaniel leading the way through the air, while RBs Cole Harkins and Hayden Thigpen taking care of things in the Bulldogs running attack. Look for receiver Will Cloud to have a big haul in catches, and runs after the catch. The defense, led by junior linebacker Kale Meadors – on target to surpass his 86 tackle total from last season – has 48 combined tackles this season (through the first three games). He has 22 solos and 26 assists, with four of those for losses. Meadows has one interception and a pass deflection to add to his defensive totals so far. Harkins plays linebacker on D as well, and is second so far this season through three games, with 28 total tackles, and Becker has 22. Thorndale can be both a force to be reckoned with on offense and defense. It’s just a matter of getting that combination clicking at key times in games. But, they’ll get there. I imagine Coach John Kovar feels the sooner the better, especially with district play starting October 10th.

I’ve been so busy talking about the Bulldogs, have I even mentioned anything about Hempstead, yet? No? Ok then, here goes. The Bobcats are currently advertising for a first win for 2025. They’re looking for Thorndale to answer the ad, but they’ll have to do a lot of creative playing to get one up on the Bulldogs. Coached by Damian Judge, he’ll look for his key players, RB/LB Dwayne Crawford, WR/RB Jamarion Mickle, WR/DB Avis Walton, and RBs J’Leon Watts and Ben Mayes to get the offense cranked up and in running/passing order. It’s going to be a challenge, as the Bobcats are trying to break their 22-game losing streak, dating back to the 2023 season. Last year, Thorndale blasted the Bobcats, 49-14. Odds are, it’ll probably be similar again this year.

Class 3A Mexia Blackcats (0-4) District 5-3A DI at Cameron Yoe Yoemen (1-3) District 11-3A DI Yoe Field, on the campus of Cameron Yoe High School, in Cameron. 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Blackcats came ever so close to getting their first win of the season, but it wound up being their longtime rival, the Teague Lions, holding on for the 14-13 win. Mexia put up a heck of a fight, and maybe things are starting to gel for the crimson and black as district play looms on the horizon. “It was a heck of a football game,” said Coach Aaron Nowell. Mexia utilizes two talented QBs, Aaden Cargile and Ja’Darrius Davis, to compliment the running of Steven Milus, and the receiving abilities of Kadyn Molina. Kashton Williams is the teams leading tackler on defense with 13, and teammate Terry Alexander has 11. Coach Nowell’s team could surprise a few folks once district play starts. It’s happened before with Blackcat teams.

Cameron Yoe’s only win so far came in Week 3 over the Maypearl Panthers by one at home, 27-26. Last week, the Yoemen fell to the Lorena Leopards on the road, 42-13. The Yoemen are still looking for that big offensive explosion, and for the defense to stop the flood of points. This could be another close game for both teams. The Yoemen have a strong history of winning, and it shows on the walkway along the front of the stadium. Coach Aaron Babino will rely on RB/DL De’Marques Lopez-Pinchback to carry the ball a lot for the Yoemen, and hopes his receivers can gain extra yardage on catches to keep the chains moving.