November 2023

With Clifton Cubs drawing accolades in All-District 13-3A, DII selections, Finney, Parker, Galindo and Baggett receive superlative honors, eight named to first team

With making the playoffs always the expectation, not the goal, for the Clifton Cubs football program, the accomplishment of back-to-back trips to the Class 3A postseason gave the senior-laden squad plenty to celebrate for the 2023 Texas high school football season.

Reaping the rewards of success when the All-District 13-3A, Division II selections were announced last week, senior running back Parker Tunnell was named the Co-Offensive MVP, senior fullback-linebacker Riley Finney was named the Co-Defensive MVP, sophomore lineman  Luis Galindo was named the Co-Defensive Newcomer of the Year, junior Brody Baggett was named the Utility Player of the Year, while eight Cubs drew all-district first-team honors.

“We were extremely proud of our kids and the recognition they received,” Clifton’s second-year head coach Brent Finney said. “For Parker and Riley to share both the offensive and defensive MVPs is quite an accomplishment. Tunnell ended the year with over 1,000 yards of offense and Finney had over 100 tackles on the season. And Luis had a great first year on the varsity. He started for us all year and was one of our best defensive and offensive lineman.”

“Brody was a guy that moved around and played many different positions for us. Offensively, he was a receiver and running back some, but also one of our best blockers as a tight end and wing back. Defensively, he played some outside linebacker, but also some defensive end. Again, we were very proud of our kids and how they performed.

By wrapping up third place in District 13-3A, Division II behind champion Rogers (5-0 in district, 9-4 overall) and runner-up Lexington (4-1, 9-4), the Cubs (3-2, 5-6) advanced to the Class 3A, Division II playoffs for the second straight season after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021.

With Finney leading the way as a two-way all-district, first-teamer, junior quarterback Joaquin De La Hoya, senior lineman Royer Lopez, Finney and Galindo were placed on the first-team offense, while senior defensive back Clay Kennedy, senior defensive back Ervin Rodriguez, senior linebacker Levi Knox along with Baggett made the defensive first team.

Clifton second-team selections included junior lineman Hunter Weir, senior lineman Brandon Evans, junior linebacker James Liardon and Rodriguez on offense, as well as Liardon, Lopez, Tunnell and junior defensive back Dylan Atkins on defense.

Drawing Honorable Mention recognition were freshman Alijah Calderon, junior Diego Rodriguez, senior Camdyn Mobley and junior Landon Knox.

Spearheading a strong ground game, Tunnell led the Cubs with 899 yards rushing and five touchdowns along with 14 catches for 108 yards, followed by Finney with 645 yards and nine scores. De La Hoya proved productive in the running game as well, rushing for 383 yards and six touchdowns while completing 46 of 104 passes for 583 yards and four scores.

Defensively, Finney topped Clifton with 104 total tackles, followed by Liardon with 68 tackles, a sack and two fumble recoveries, Rodriguez with 60 tackles and an interception, and Baggett with 47 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery, while Kennedy grabbed three interceptions.

Although 17 seniors will be lost to graduation this season, the Cubs will return a strong junior class, along with both the junior varsity and 7th grade teams winning the district titles, the Clifton football program has plenty to look forward to in the near future.

“We’re very proud of the third place finish and return to the playoffs,” Finney said. “We will definitely miss our seniors as they have provided great leadership over the past two or three years. But with 18 returning lettermen ready to step up, along with our 7th grade and JV team district championships, we are very excited about the future of Cub football.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

With dominating Class 1A, DII Area playoff victory over Bynum, 10th-ranked Iredell advances to coveted rematch with fifth-ranked Oglesby in Regional III Final in Gatesville

After catching everyone by surprise last season, the Class 1A, Division II’s 10th-ranked Iredell Dragons have stormed past opponents through out the 2023 Texas high school six-man football campaign despite still fielding a young team. And as they prepare to face the long-awaited and hoped for postseason matchup, the Dragons aren’t done yet.

Posting their 11th straight win in dominating fashion, the Dragons obliterated the 19th-ranked Bynum Bulldogs, 51-6, in an Area Playoff matchup on a damp and drizzling Friday night at Meridian’s Jacket Stadium as sophomores Jordan Gutierrez and Cole Heutzenroeder ran wild.

With the convincing victory, Iredell (11-1) advances to the Class 1A, DII, Region III Finals to face the fifth-ranked and undefeated Oglesby Tigers (11-0) at 6 p.m. Friday on Tommy Davidson Field at McKamie Stadium in Gatesville. Last season, the state-ranked Tigers eliminated the surprising upstart Dragons, 60-30, in a Bi-District Playoff matchup.

“When we started this, even this year, we knew that we were young,” Iredell’s veteran head coach Luis Guereca said. “And it has shown that the experience from last year to this year has changed tremendously. But yeah, we’re young, and we see that sometimes with some of the little mistakes we make. It’s going to be huge next week for us to eliminate those mistakes.

“The good things is that we played Oglesby last year, and we know what to expect. They’re going to be a tough team and a tough task, but I know these guys will be ready. From day one, we felt like this was out path, and we’re here.”

Even though the Dragons finished off Bynum (8-4) three plays into the second half by virtue of the 45-point mercy rule, the matchup looked very different at the start. In fact, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-0 lead when senior Blane Mynarcik ripped through the Dragons defense for a 31-yard scoring romp. And in the meantime, the Iredell offense struggled to find their footing throughout the first quarter.

But with 51 second remaining in the opening period, Gutierrez cut through a seam and darted for an 18-yard touchdown run to finally put the Dragons on the scoreboard. And from that point on, the Iredell running game proved unstoppable as the Dragons raced to 39 unanswered points in the second quarter to run away in a rout.

“We had a bit of a slow start from maybe some nerves, they sprung one and got that score,” Guereca said. “But after that, we started doing better and gained the confidence we needed. When these guys get their confidence up, they’re dangerous.”

With the wet conditions, the Iredell offensive attack never needed to take to the air against the Bulldogs as the Dragons only threw the ball once. But once they got started, Iredell ran all over Bynum, piling up 252 yards on the ground in little more than one half of play.

Leading the Dragons by scoring three touchdowns Gutierrez finished with a game-high 134 yards rushing, while Heutzenroeder scored twice while tacking on 49 yards. Junior Walker Johnson turned the corner on an end around for a 60-yard touchdown run, freshman Gavin Vara sprinted to the pile-on from five yards out for another score, and sophomore Adan Aguilar-Diaz nailed five of seven two-point kicks to complete the scoring spree for Iredell.

“The mentality we’ve had this season of getting a little tougher and a little more physical and flying to the ball has paid off,” Guereca said. “And the concept of team, being there for your team, being accountable, six guys to the hat, makes a difference. Overall, that’s the reason out defense keeps getting better.”

And for the Dragons, the real difference in the game proved to be the dominating defensive effort. After surrendering the touchdown on Bynum’s opening possession, Iredell completely shut down the Bulldog attack the rest of the game with an aggressive, swarming assault. Sophomore Caleb Garland, Gutierrez and Heutzenroeder led the Dragons with 10 tackles apiece, followed by sophomore Caden Sweat with nine and Vara with four.

“Once again, we played some impressive defense,” Guereca said. “They did the job last week, and Coach (Shane) Gallagher is stepping up doing his thing. They guys are flying around to the ball. The biggest thing is the commitment to each other. And overall, it’s showing offensively, defensively, one guy scoring here, and another guy scoring there. I’m really proud of the commitment these guys are showing to what we’ve been talking about since the beginning.”

And a rematch with Oglesby has been one thing the Dragons have been talking about all season long. With both teams carrying 11-game winning streaks into the showdown, something has to give.

Averaging 56.2 points per game, junior Kyler Fossett leads the Tigers with 2,112 yards rushing and 42 touchdowns, followed by Morgan Eagle-transfer EJ Aviles with 642 yards and 14 scores. While the running game accounts for almost three quarters of the Oglesby offensive production, senior Hunter Walter heads the passing game by completing 30 of 56 passes for 735 yards and 11 scoring strikes, while senior primary receiver Landon Williamson has hauled in 20 catches for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Giving up only 11.1 points per game defensively, Oglesby has six players flying to the ball as Williamson leads the Tigers with 79 tackles, followed by Aviles with 63, junior Jakson Tippit with 58 takedowns and seven fumble recoveries, sophomore Jack Hendricks with 56, Fossett with 55 and senior Johnny Gomez with 48 tackles and three interceptions.

“Coach (Jeb) Dixon has done a heck of a job over there,” Guereca said. “They’re a tough team, and it’s going to be a task. But the biggest deal is that they’re considered the team to beat in the East. So, if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it now. We’re going to have to play well, have a good week of practice, and see what happens.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Drawing All-District 10-1A, DII accolades, surprising & young Kopperl Eagles recognized for turnaround with Davis named Coach of the Year in first season at the helm, Morgan’s Alonzo named Newcomer of the Year

By finishing second to the District 10-1A, Division II champion Blum Bobcats, the surprising Kopperl Eagles clinched their first trip to the postseason since 2018. And after doing so, the Eagles were rewarded with accolades for their success.

With Kopperl first-year head coach Ken Davis leading the way as the district’s Coach of the Year, the Eagles earned seven first team selections as well as six second team members.

“This was an especially gratifying season for Kopperl football,” Davis said. “All 10 of my players received an honor, and they deserved it. We ran into a couple of roadblocks during the season, but the guys remained focused on our goal which was to make the playoffs.”

Kopperl players selected to the all-district first team offense include junior spread back and placekicker Christian, junior Kevin Eilers, junior Anthony Johnson and freshman special teams player Junior Vega, along with first team defensive picks junior defensive lineman Anthony Johnson and junior defensive back Christian Falk.

Accounting for 214.5 yards per game, Falk completed 76 of 131 passes for 1,092 yards, tossing 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions while rushing for 1,053 yards and 18 scores. Eilers led the Eagles with 251 yards receiving on 15 catches for six scoring strikes.

Defensively, Falk topped the Kopperl tackle chart with 97 takedowns and four interceptions, while Johnson came up with 66 tackles, six fumble recoveries and three sacks.

Second team offense selections for Kopperl include junior Hunter Johnson, junior center Aerian Patterson, junior running back Isaac Payen and freshman special teams player Dalton Tidwell along with second team defensive picks junior nose guard Aerian Patterson and sophomore Bearon Brinkley.

“The team has come a long way from a winless 2021 season,” Davis said. “The best thing of all is we lose nobody to graduation. So, we are already excited about next year.”

Bynum (3-0 in district, 8-4 overall) captured the district title with a convincing 62-14 victory over Kopperl (2-1, 7-4) in the regular season finale. While the Bulldogs advanced to the Area Playoff round with a 61-12 win over Apple Springs in a Bi-District playoff matchup, the Eagles suffered a 51-6 loss to Oakwood in first round.

Also in District 10-1A, DII, the Morgan Eagles (0-3, 2-7) struggled through a disappointing season as injuries took their toll. Regardless, sophomore Adrian Alonzo drew the district’s Newcomer of the Year honors as Morgan collected five first team selections as well as seven second team spots.

“These young men have really come a long way this season,” Morgan first-year head coach Chuck Wilson said. “We faced some adversity as we dealt with injury and other stuff. But down the stretch, they gave their all and are ready to begin building for next season.”

Morgan players on the all-district first team offense include junior wide receiver Zach Mitchell, sophomore running back Adrian Alonzo, senior spread back Mark Anthony Garcia, along with first team defense selections Alonzo at linebacker and junior safety Leo Gonzalez.

Engineering the offensive attack, Garcia completed 77 of 127 passes for 1,105 yards and 16 touchdowns, connecting with Mitchell 25 times for 568 yards and seven scores. Defensively, Alonzo led the Eagles with 84 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks, followed by Mitchell with 77 takedowns, three sacks and an interceptions, and Garcia tallied 61 tackles and three interceptions.

Second team offense selections for Morgan include senior tight end Sergio Ramirez, junior wide receiver Leo Gonzalez, and senior quarterback Mark Anthony Garcia, along with second team defense picks freshman defensive lineman Rolando Monroy, junior defensive end Zach Mitchell, senior cornerback Sergio Ramirez and utility Heath Tedder.

“We had a couple of young men who had never played varsity football until this year, both of them upper classmen. We were very young. And even though we fell short of our goal this season, we will be back and ready to go next year, bigger and better.  I say “Sometimes We Win, Sometimes We Learn.” Well, we learned a lot this season.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.