Educated Guesses 2A Division I

We continue into the 11-man football ranks and take a look at 2A Division I.

I call them educated guesses, like your teachers used to, because I feel I have at least a little bit of knowledge about the upcoming season after speaking with area coaches for the 2023 edition of Big Country Blitz.

One of the toughest districts in the state will stay tough in 2023. Hawley looks for another district title on their way back to Arlington, while Cisco and Stamford aim to knock the Bearcats off their perch.

Hawley has to replace some big-time players, namely Austin Cumpton, Hez Parker, Will Scott, Rodey Hooper, and Kason O’Shields, but also has some top-line talent returning that will make them the favorites in 4-2A Division I. Having a pair of Division I talents at receiver is a great way to break in a new quarterback, so don’t look for the Bearcat passing game to slow down at all with Keagan Ables tossing deep balls to Chandlin Myers and Diontay Ramon.

Behind the Bearcats, Stamford and Cisco are the teams most likely to make a run to the playoffs. Stamford welcomes back head coach Wayne Hutchinson, and he has a loaded roster ready to make a move. Many area coaches pointed out the Bulldogs as a team on the rise this offseason. The Loboes lose a lot, including Hunter Long at quarterback, but their tradition and system make them a hard team to count out. Don’t be surprised if Cisco gets off to an 0-4 or 1-3 start against a tough all 3A non-district schedule but bounces back to challenge for the district title.

The battle for the final playoff spot will be a free-for-all, and I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the four other teams claim it.

Olney is the pick for the last playoff spot. The Cubs have been a playoff team for the last three seasons and return 16 starters this time around. They do have a new head coach and a new quarterback with the exodus of the Guy family to Wellington, but they’ll still be running the flex-bone offense under Jason Powers, who was promoted from defensive coordinator.

Anson’s returning and very experienced skill position guys give them a great shot to make a run, and being in the second year of head coach Cory McComb’s system can only help.

Colorado City should also make a jump in year two under their head coach, Monty Leaf. The Wolves are hungry to win and turn around a program that has struggled to a 2-37 mark over the past four years.

Winters also returns some quality talent and will have a very fast squad in 2023.

BIG COUNTRY BLITZ COACHES POLL

1. Hawley
2. Stamford
3. Cisco
4. Anson
5. Olney
6. Colorado City
7. Winters

BIG GAMES

8/25 Hawley at Jim Ned
8/25 Seymour at Anson
8/25 Cisco at Clyde
8/25 Roscoe at Colorado City
8/25 Winters at Cross Plains
9/1 Wall at Cisco
9/1 Stamford at Haskell
9/8 Breckenridge at Cisco
9/15 Albany at Hawley
9/15 Cisco at Jacksboro
9/15 Winters at Miles
9/22 Anson at Haskell
9/29 Colorado City at Anson
9/29 Olney at Stamford
10/13 Stamford at Cisco
10/13 Olney at Anson
10/20 Anson at Stamford
10/20 Colorado City at Winters
10/27 Stamford at Hawley
11/3 Hawley at Cisco

BIG NAMES

Anson QB/DB Tyler Wilburn
Anson WR/S Corey Layne
Anson OL/DL Josiah St. John
Anson TE/LB William Wilburn
Cisco WR/DB Julius Proffitt
Cisco QB/DL Kannon Orsagh
Cisco OL/DL Talon Bruner
Colorado City OL/DL Christian Ashby
Colorado City QB/DB Mayson Monroe
Colorado City WR/DB Nick Santana
Hawley WR/DB Chandlin Myers
Hawley WR/DE Diontay Ramon
Hawley QB/LB Keagan Ables
Hawley RB/DL Landon Sykora
Olney QB/ATH Camron McComack
Olney OL/DL Peyton Valdez
Olney OL Benny Fuselier
Olney OL/DL Jordan Jacoba
Stamford RB/LB Kaston Vega
Stamford QB Christian Duran
Stamford WR Quentin Pryor
Stamford LB Jakain Whitaker
Stamford OL Chance Birdsong
Winters QB/DB Chris Martinez
Winters RB/LB Alejandro Garcia
Winters WR/LB Aidan Bryant
Winters RB/LB Moises Gomez

We aren’t lacking for good 2A football in the Big Country, and this is another district that proves the point.

Tolar, Coleman, Bangs, and Hamilton all won playoff games last season and all hope to make an even deeper run in 2023.

The Rattlers, behind the bruising running game of Peyton Brown, who ran for 2,777 yards and 49 touchdowns as a sophomore, and ten returning starters, look like the best bet to win district again, but do not count out the Coleman Bluecats and their great senior class.

Coleman’s squad is full of experienced players who have been in the playoffs the last two years. They were the only District 5 team to come close to knocking off the Rattlers last year, and their matchup on October 6 should decide the district title.

The other five teams will be duking it out for the final two spots.

Hamilton returns 17 starters coming off its best season in years; San Saba returns a lot of young talent; Bangs loses Guy Powell but has some solid pieces under new head coach Jason Cole; De Leon should be much improved; and Goldthwaite should also be better in year two under Andy Howard.

I see Hamilton and San Saba getting past Bangs, De Leon, and Goldthwaite for the last two spots and making some noise again in the postseason.

BIG COUNTRY BLITZ COACHES POLL

1. Coleman
2. Tolar
3. Hamilton
4. De Leon
5. San Saba
6. Bangs
7. Goldthwaite

BIG GAMES

8/25 Bangs at Early
8/25 Mason at Coleman
9/1 Early at Tolar
9/8 Hamilton at Santo
9/15 Tolar at Comanche
9/15 Merkel at Bangs
9/15 Llano at Coleman
9/22 Hamilton at San Saba
10/6 Coleman at Tolar
10/6 Bangs at Goldthwaite
10/6 De Leon at San Saba
10/13 Hamilton at Coleman
10/20 Goldthwaite at San Saba
11/3 Bangs at Coleman

BIG NAMES

Bangs WR/DB Hunter Newton
Bangs QB Kenny Cole
Bangs OL/DL Noah Pin
Bangs OL/DL Brody Newton
Bangs RB/LB Skyler Minshew
Coleman QB/DB Jadin Jackson
Coleman OL/DL Jorge Salas
Coleman RB/LB Brent Bouldin
Coleman TE/LB Hunter Lackey
De Leon QB/DB Heston Jobe
De Leon OL/DL Wyatt Rasberry
De Leon TE/DL Andrew Coan
Goldthwaite WR/DB Luke Sanderson
Goldthwaite OL AJ Wetzig
Goldthwaite WR/LB Collin Gardner
Hamilton RB/LB Izaac Wood
Hamilton QB /DB Jaxon Edwards
Hamilton OL/DL Carson Marquess
Hamilton WR/DB Garrett Guinn
Hamilton OL/DL Evan Norwood
Hamilton WR/LB Jacob Eanes
San Saba RB Ethan Gonzales
San Saba OL/DL Jesus Gonzales
San Saba WR/DB Levi Glover
San Saba QB Lane Miller
Tolar RB Peyton Brown
Tolar OL Oakley Saffer
Tolar RB/LB Drake Owens
Tolar QB/LB Isaac Blessing
Tolar OL/DL Cash Clark