This was the sixth consecutive year that no high schools in the Telegram’s circulation area (currently there are 26) won a state title, the longest drought since 1982-89.
Of course, we shouldn’t forget that there was plenty of stellar team achievements and individual accomplishments to be honored and celebrated.
Back in Class 5A after back-to-back trips to the 4A Division I state title game, Copperas Cove captured the District 12-5A crown. Led by tackling-machine linebacker Tanner Brock, coach Jack Welch’s 13-2 Bulldawgs advanced to the Division II state semifinals for their third straight 15-game season.
Temple’s Lache Seastrunk posted his second consecutive 1,500-yard rushing season and fellow junior Derrick Davis, a linebacker/fullback, emerged as perhaps the area’s best two-way player as coach Bryce Monsen’s Wildcats recovered from another slow start to reach the playoffs two years in a row for the first time since 1996-97.
Although Belton went 3-7 for a second straight season, the Tigers were more competitive in coach Rodney Southern’s second year. Sophomore quarterback David Ash provided significant offensive firepower as Belton tied for fourth place in 12-5A.
The Tigers’ season-ending victory at Bryan pushed Killeen Shoemaker into the playoffs for the first time in its nine-year history, with dynamic junior quarterback Jameill Showers pacing coach Ken Gray’s Grey Wolves.
In 4A, Killeen’s Kangaroos - who hadn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2004 - made good on coach Sam Jones’ preseason declaration: “It’s time for Killeen to get back to the playoffs and start winning in the playoffs.”
The Roos didn’t just reach the playoffs; they won three postseason games before falling to undefeated nemesis and eventual Division I state champion Austin Lake Travis in the Region IV final.
In 3A, talented quarterback Steven Townsend and Cameron Yoe defeated rival Rockdale 41-28 in Milam County’s “Battle of the Bell,” but it was Rockdale that reached the playoffs. The Tigers advanced to the third round before losing to eventual Division II champion Carthage.
Introducing the powerful Slot-T offense at Rogers, first-year coach Jeff Walker guided the Eagles to a perfect record in District 25-2A, which also sent Salado and Academy into postseason play.
Another highlight in 2A came from Moody, whose Bearcats scored a breakthrough win by shocking perennial power Crawford 27-13 in the season finale to keep the Pirates out of the playoffs.
One of the season’s best stories happened in Bartlett, where Joe Mullins - its fourth coach in four years - took a team that was 0-10 in 2007 and turned it into an undefeated District 26-A champion. Led by fierce linebacker Kevin Garcia, the Bulldogs allowed only 14 points against league foes.
And in six-man action, Central Texas Christian pulled off a huge playoff upset. Taylor Truitt accounted for 10 touchdowns as coach Jeremy Wentrcek’s Lions outscored third-ranked Dickinson Pine Drive 62-13 after halftime to prevail 94-63 en route to the TAPPS state semifinals.
With all of that and more to look back on, the Telegram conducted voting among its sports staff to select an Offensive Player of the Year, a Defensive Player of the Year and a Coach of the Year for 5A/4A and 3A-and-under.
We enjoyed covering the area’s gridiron game all season, and now we hope you enjoy the following profiles of the best it had to offer.
- Greg Wille
CLASS 5A/4A OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jameill Showers, Killeen Shoemaker
Before this season began, Gray wasn’t worried about the inexperience of first-year quarterback Showers.
Despite having just one start under his belt, the 6-2, 200-pound junior had attended Grey Wolves camps since he was a kid learning Shoemaker’s shotgun offense.
But even Gray was taken aback at how well Showers performed this season, leading the Grey Wolves (4-7) to their first playoff appearance in the school’s nine-year existence and being voted the Telegram’s Class 5A/4A Offensive Player of the Year.
“He definitely surpassed our goals,” Gray said of Showers, the District 12-5A Offensive MVP. “He did the little things well. He’s a great decision-maker. He does a great job of seeing the field and he takes command of the huddle. His mechanics are excellent.”
With poise, knowledge and an instinct for the quarterback position, Showers completed 117 of 229 passes for 2,055 yards and 21 touchdowns - ranking in the area’s top three in completions, yards and TDs. Also a gifted runner, he has verbally committed to Texas A&M.
In what ended up being a memorable year for the school, Showers actually began the season slowly, completing less than 50 percent of his throws as Shoemaker started 1-4 overall and 0-2 in 12-5A.
He eventually settled in, going 11-of-17 for 128 yards and two TDs in a 46-20 win against Harker Heights. A week later, he was 12-of-18 for 302 yards and three TDs in a crucial 32-24 win over runner-up College Station A&M Consolidated.
Then, with Shoemaker in dire need of a win against Killeen Ellison to keep its playoff hopes alive, Showers’ progression reached its high point, according to Gray. Showers completed 16 of 25 passes for 352 yards and three TDs in a 49-35 Grey Wolves victory that eventually pushed them into the postseason.
“That showed if we could protect him he was a special person,” Gray said. “I think it really showed how good he was or is going to be.”
- Craig Meister
Honorable mention: Belton sophomore quarterback David Ash (area-leading 2,517 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 12-5A Offensive Newcomer of the Year); Temple junior running back Lache Seastrunk (area-best 1,511 rushing yards, 14 TDs)
CLASS 5A/4A DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tanner Brock, Copperas Cove
Brock is the type of player who will excel no matter where is on the football field.
He battled for the quarterback job, has played a little running back and fullback and is a wicked special teams player.
But Brock’s home was at linebacker, where this season he made 259 tackles to finish his high school career with 693. That’s why it’s little surprise that the Texas Christian commitment is the 12-5A Defensive MVP, a three-time first-team all-state selection and the Telegram’s 5A/4A Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
“Everything he does he does with pride,” Cove coach Welch said. “He does so with confidence and he demands that out of everybody that plays defense. But he also helps those around him and he doesn’t act like it’s all about him.”
Brock is a natural leader on the field, and if the defense fails he takes the blame.
Cove’s 23-7 loss to Wylie in the state semifinals was a perfect example. After the game Brock pointed out that the Bulldawgs’ offense scored seven points but the defense didn’t do its job, because seven points should have been enough.
“That’s Tanner,” Welch said. “He puts it on himself. He’s the guy that feels he has to get it done. And if it’s first and goal from the 1, he feels like he should stop them.”
That situation occurred in Cove’s 55-48 playoff win over Houston Cypress Ridge. Cy-Ridge had first and goal inside the 5 just before the half, but Cove’s defense stuffed the Rams and came out without allowing a point, a move Welch called the turning point of the game.
“Tanner is one of the most complete football players I’ve had,” Welch added. “He does what he can to help the team. After he scored a touchdown on offense, he didn’t show off nor have a big celebration with his teammates. He just turned and gave the ball to the referees and got ready to play defense. That’s just the type of player he is.”
- Marcus Hood
Honorable mention: Copperas Cove senior cornerback Chris Miller (area-best 13 interceptions, four returned for touchdowns, 90 tackles, first-team all-state); Temple junior linebacker Stedman Moore (114 tackles, six forced fumbles)
CLASS 5A/4A COACH OF THE YEAR
Ken Gray, Killeen Shoemaker
Gray’s coaching duties at Shoemaker stretch far beyond the football field.
When players’ parents are deployed by the military, he acts as a father figure.
When players’ families are forced to move away, leaving a void on the roster, he usually promotes a junior varsity kid who might not be ready for the Friday night lights.
When new players transfer to the school, it’s Gray’s job to get them up to speed and placed accordingly into the Grey Wolves’ system. When factoring in those variables, getting Shoemaker to consistently perform at a high rate each year is a more daunting task than at most high schools.
After handling those difficult circumstances for the school’s first eight years of existence, Gray finally catapulted the Grey Wolves to their first-ever playoff spot in Year 9 and now shares the Class 5A/4A Coach of the Year honor with Copperas Cove’s Welch.
“In our situation with kids coming and going and moving, it really makes it tough,” Gray said in reference to the fact that of Shoemaker’s 2,112 students, 1,449 have at least one parent deployed. “It makes each year a challenge. But there’s no other place I’d rather be.”
The Grey Wolves went 4-7 overall and tied for fourth place in 12-5A before losing 29-18 to Tyler John Tyler in a 5A Division II bi-district game.
Gray said this season wasn’t his best coaching effort - he went 6-4 in 2004 and ’05 - but with a solid senior class hungry to taste the postseason, Shoemaker’s first playoff berth won’t soon be forgotten.
“I was proud of our seniors to set a goal that high,” Gray said. “It’s a lot of hard work. We’re just glad that we’ve gotten to the point where we can be a playoff team each year."
- Craig Meister
Jack Welch, Copperas Cove
Shortly after Welch arrived at Cove in 1994, he was able to turn a consistently bad football program into a proven winner.
Now a winning season isn’t just expected at Cove - it’s almost de-manded.
It’s that consistency, including back-to-back 4A state championship game appearances, that makes it easy to overlook what Welch’s Bulldawgs accomplished this season.
They went 13-2, won the 12-5A title and reached the state semifinals after losing a plethora of talent and moving up from 4A. Those are the accomplishments that made Welch the Telegram’s 5A/4A Coach of the Year along with Shoemaker’s Gray.
“It means a lot to me,” Welch, who also received Telegram Coach of the Year recognition in 2007, said of the honor. “But I see it as staff of the year. When an award is given to a head coach, to me it represents the whole program.”
Cove gained more than 350 yards per game and limited opponents to just fewer than 280 per game while outscoring opponents 562-229.
Welch said this was probably among the best seasons the Bulldawgs have had since he’s been here, just for what they’ve had to deal with.
For starters, star quarterback Robert Griffin (Baylor) and 2,000-yard rusher Troy Vital (Idaho) were lost to graduation and this year’s offense featured only one player who started the previous season (the defense had five). To make matters worse, starting quarterback Cody Vaughn was lost for the season with an arm injury in the last game of the regular season and Nick Greene struggled in his first couple of games as the replacement.
“How in the world would you ever guess we’d do what we did?” Welch asked. “To put as many points on the board as we did this year with two different quarterbacks . . . and our defense was the stingiest I think we’ve ever been.
“That’s the whole staff, synchronized and pulling together. The coordinators (Tracy Welch on offense, Reb Brock on defense) utilized the talent we had as well as I have ever seen it done. You give me coach of the year, and I am very appreciative. But I take it as staff of the year and give those guys plaques when we get honors like this.”
- Marcus Hood
Honorable mention: Sam Jones, Killeen (led team to first playoff berth since 2004, advanced to 4A Division I Region IV final)
CLASS 3A/UNDER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Steven Townsend, Cameron Yoe
Yoe’s Yoemen missed the playoffs for only the second time since 2000, but it would be hard to pin the blame for that on junior quarterback Townsend, who easily stood out on the field and is the Telegram’s 3A-and-under Offensive Player of the Year.
The Yoemen’s average of 405.3 yards per game was in large part due to the versatile Townsend, who completed 100 of 170 passes for 1,644 yards and 21 touchdowns and also had 119 carries for 665 yards and 10 TDs in nine games.
“What he did for us this year was become a better runner,” Yoe coach Mike Mullins said. “He was such a better running threat this year compared to last it was like having an extra running back.”
Townsend had his best rushing performance against Bryan Rudder, carrying five times for 171 yards.
He had three games in which he passed for more than 200 yards. The most impressive might have been in a 49-28 loss to Caldwell, which ultimately knocked Yoe out of playoff contention.
The Yoemen rushing game was stuffed, gaining only 112 yards, but Townsend kept his options open in the air and completed nine of 13 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
“He started as a sophomore and has really progressed,” Mullins said. “He knew he was going to have to run more in our offense. All our quarterbacks - Brian Scott, Ryan Mullins, Billy Pittman - have been great runners. They’ve had to be tough on the inside. We’re pleased he’s made the decision to do that.
“He sees the people he needs to get the ball to and spreads it around,” Mullins added. “We hope he continues to mature and we’ll go from there.”
- Marcus Hood
Honorable mention: Academy senior quarterback Chase Gommert (1,711 passing yards, 14 touchdowns; 807 rushing yards, nine TDs); Rockdale senior quarterback Mark Drake (1,660 passing yards, 16 touchdowns)
CLASS 3A/UNDER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Garcia, Bartlett
On the field or watching film, Garcia’s attitude toward football was infectious.
His teammates learned just how hard they’d have to practice and prepare just to keep up. Opponents learned quickly each Friday night that few would escape his grasp.
An Sports Editors second-team all-state selection at linebacker, Garcia recorded 200 tackles, including 43 solo, for undefeated District 26-A champion Bartlett.
Garcia’s standout senior season earned him the Telegram’s Class 3A-and-under Defensive Player of the Year award.
“I think he caused our defense to play hard,” said Mullins, his coach. “He was a leader. People looked up to him.”
Garcia headlined a defense that ranked among the area’s best. The Bulldogs, who came back from an 0-10 season in 2007 to claim their first undefeated district season in a decade, gave up just 14 points in 26-A play.
When the Bulldogs needed him most in district, Garcia rose to the challenge. He averaged 20 tackles per game in five district wins, earning 26-A’s Defensive MVP award.
“Once we started district, he was our mainstay,” Mullins said. “He really turned it on.”
Mullins remembers knowing early in the Bulldogs’ fall practices that he’d rely on Garcia heavily.
“It didn’t take us very long . . . you could tell he was a leader,” he said.
Mullins considered Garcia “a coach on the field,” in part because of his extensive preparations throughout the week, studying the tendencies of that week’s opposing offense.
Linebacker, though, was far from Garcia’s only responsibility. He rarely left the field, also playing center and having a role on each special teams unit.
But it was Garcia’s play at linebacker, Mullins says, that made him special.
“He’s the best that I’ve coached at (linebacker),” Mullins said.
- Ryan Schneider
Honorable mention: Rockdale senior linebacker Nic Hammett (128 regular-season tackles); Salado senior linebacker Patrick Prince (154 tackles, five sacks)
CLASS 3A/UNDER COACH OF THE YEAR
Joe Mullins, Bartlett
Coaching veteran Mullins inherited a once-dominant Bartlett program coming off one of its worst seasons.
Mullins took the Bulldogs, winless last season, from worst in District 27-A to first in 26-A, and Bartlett’s dramatic turnaround earned Mullins the Telegram’s Class 3A-and-under Coach of the Year award.
Under Mullins, the Bulldogs captured their first district championship since 2003 and went unbeaten in district for the first time in 10 years.
Bartlett, which had gone 7-23 in three previous seasons, ended its 13-game losing streak with a Week 1 win over Iola.
“It seemed like after that,” Mullins said, “everything just started rolling.”
Bartlett won six of its next nine games, including a 5-0 record in 26-A. The Bulldogs ran past district opponents, winning by an average of 26 points per game.
Their season ended with a 20-14 loss to Chilton in a Class A Division II bi-district playoff.
“These kids, they never quit,” said Mullins, whose previous head coaching job was at Salado from 1997-99. “I’m very proud of the way they played.”
The biggest task Mullins - Bartlett’s fourth coach in the last four seasons - faced in turning around a program that won three Class A state championships in the 1990s was rebuilding confidence.
“We had to convince them that they could win,” Mullins said late in the season. “That was the first hurdle we had to cross. Once we convinced them of that, it’s been a good year.”
- Ryan Schneider
Honorable mention: Jeff Walker, Rogers (led team to undefeated District 25-2A championship in first season); Jeff Miller, Rockdale (led team to 3A Division II Region III semifinals)
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