Texas HS Football 2008

[SteveB]

In this thread, I am going to highlight the top high school teams and players in Texas going into the 2008 playoffs. Texas is known for its high quality high school football and there is a ton of talented white players to watch.

The first team I am going to highlight is Friendswood. Friendswood, a suburb of Houston, is one of the top 4A (second largest classification in Texas) teams in the state and has a number of players who will be going on to play college football. I watched their final regular season game on the local TV station on Thursday against La Marque, an all black team who is perenially one of the top 4A teams in the state. Friendswood won the shootout game 69-48 (if Friendswood could have tackled better, it wouldn't have been this close).

Friendswood has tremendous speedy white skill players all over the field. They start one black player in the defensive backfield, but are white at every other position. Some of their outstanding white players include:

Jacob Karam (Sr QB) - Karam is one of the top QB prospects in the country. His dad is white Lebanonese and his mom is white. In the La Marque game, he was outstanding throwing for 366 yds on 20-26 passing (77%) and 7 TDs. He was the state offensive player of the week last week when he threw for 426 yds and 7 TDs against an all black Brazosport team. Karam has committed to Texas Tech, where he could get a lot of national recognition for his passing prowess.

Andrew Cole (Jr RB) - Cole, at 6-2, 190 lbs, is projected to be a safety in college. He was an all district safety last year as a soph, but was moved to RB this year. While his season stats aren't outstanding (62 att, 546 yds, 8.8 ypc, and 5 TDs), he is very effective in Friendswood's pass happy offense. In the La Marque game he went 190 yds on 19 att. He has good speed (4.5 40 time) and outstanding quickness (set the shuttle record at the Texas A&M's camp last summer with a 4.02). He is compared to another great safety from Friendswood and Texas A&M, Jaxson Appel. He is being recruited hard by Texas A&M and U of Houston.

Andre Gautreaux (Sr WR) - In the La Marque game, this kid was unstoppable, burning the black DBs on a regular basis for long TDs and returning a kickoff for a TD. He ended the game with 9 catches for 181 yds, 4 TDs, and had 422 all purpose yds. His season stats, 44 rec for 1,031 yds and 16 TDs rank him 3rd in yds, 1st in TD receptions, and 2nd in yds per catch in the Houston area. At 6', 180 lbs, with 4.4 speed, Gautreaux has a bright future as WR in college. He is being recruited by Tulane, U of Houston, Kansas, Rice, and Vanderbilt.

Cody Bergeson (Sr WR) - Bergeson plays opposite from Gautreaux and is probably the best all around athlete on the team, excelling in football, basketball, and baseball. In the La Marque game, he had 3 rec for 120 yds and 2 TDs. For the season, he averages over 30 yds per catch. At 6'-2" and 190 lbs with 4.5 speed, he has good size and speed for the college level. He is being recruited by U of Houston, Boise State, BYU, Utah, and SMU. Bergeson is one of the top center field prospects in Texas and may go the baseball route.

More teams to come...

 

[SteveB]

Cinco Ranch is the next team. They are in the same district as mighty Katy, a perennial contender for the 5A (largest classification in Texas) title. This year, Cinco Ranch (a Houston suburb) beat Katy for the district title and are 9-1 with their only loss to Southlake Carroll. Players of note:

Shane Ros (Sr QB) - Ros is a skilled passer and runner. He has passed for 1387 yds and run for 529 yds this season. He was the most outstanding player at the National Underclassman Combine a couple of years ago. At the college level, he is being recruited as an Athlete at 5'-11" and 186 lbs with 4.46 speed. He is being recruited by U of H, Texas A&M, Okla St, and TCU.

Adam Hirtz (Sr RB) - Hirtz has been one of the top RBs in the Houston area for the past two seasons (ranked 8th this year). At 5'-11" and 194 lbs, he runs strong inside or outside. This season he has averaged almost 140 yds per game. The only D1 program recruiting him is Rice.Edited by: SteveB

 

[SteveB]

Andre Gautreaux earns the Houston Chronicle Player of the Week honors, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/6103978.html

Edited by: SteveB

 

[SteveB]

Another team to watch:

The Woodlands is another Houston suburb who is 9-1, ranked 10th in the state, and as been very impressive all season. Every starting player is white. The only exception is Daniel Lasco at RB, who is about 3/4 white. Players of note:

Alex Tweedy (Sr WR) - Tweedy broke his leg over the summer and missed most of his senior season after an outstanding junior season (47 rec for 776 yds). At 6', 177 lbs, he is small and speedy. Being recruited by Air Force, Army, Hawaii, North Texas, Baylor, Cal, and Baylor.

Aaron Charbonnet (Sr S) - Younger brother of Taylor and Daniel Charbonnet at Texas Tech. At 5'-11", 185 lbs he is bigger than both of his brothers were in high school. Look for him to follow his brothers and play at Texas Tech.

Logan Rowe (Sr CB/WR) - Two way player that excels on both sides of the ball. He is the leading receiver on the team with 19 rec for 448 yds (23.5 ypc), but is being recruited as a CB

. At 5'-10" and 187 lbs, he has good size and tremendous speed for a college CB. Read what ESPN says about him, Logan Rowe. Being recruited by Air Force, Colorado St, Northwestern, Purdue, Stanford, Rice, and SMU.

Read about Tweedy and Rowe on Scout.com, http://hstexas.scout.com/2/717068.html

 

[P-NutLane]

Thanks SteveB

Im from the Waco,Temple,KIllen area, and while there are exeptions, for the most part the skill positions are all black. When the white teams like Midway, and Robinson play Black teams like University, Waco High,the white teams win most all the time. I thank you for all these wonderful updates on these talents who I hope will get a fair shot.

 

[SteveB]

Update: In 5A, both Cinco Ranch and The Woodlands were knocked out of the playoffs by the third round. Other 5A teams to watch are perennial white powerhouses Austin Westlake and Smithson Valley.

Westlake is lead by Texas A&M recruit Ryan Swope (see the thread on him in this section). In last week's game, Swope returned two kickoffs for TDs and rushed for another in the first half as Westlake won 49-23. Swope sat the entire second half as the game was well in hand. Swope accounts for the majority of the offense with 1586 rushing yds, 23 rushing TDs, and 431 receiving yds, and 2 receiving TDs despite playing early in the season with a bruised thigh.

Junior QB Tanner Price is a steady QB with 2025 passing yds and 11 TDs. He should get some recruiting interest after the season. Westlake lost the state championship game last season, so look for them to finish the job this year.

Smithson Valley is 12-1 and has made the state finals twice in the last 7 years. They don't have a lot of blue chip talent, but are always in the mix in the playoffs. Players of note are:

Cody Matthews (Sr WR) - At 6'-4" with 4.43 forty speed, you would think that D1 colleges would be all over this kid, but he is only being recruited by SMU. He also scored the highest SPARQ rating at the Dallas NIKE Camp last summer with an incredible 112.8. His 911 receiving yds this season ranks him among the best in Central Texas.

Sr RB Trey Reinhart and Sr S Ryan Wood are good players that will get a shot at the D1AA level.

In 4A, Friendswood continues to dominate and is on track to have a showdown next weekend with top ranked Austin Lake Travis.

Lake Travis is quickly emerging as the powerhouse program in 4A. They are the defending state champions, undefeated, ranked 7th in the nation according to ESPN, and have won their games by an average margin of 47-16, including a 46-31 win over Louisiana powerhouse Evangel Christian in the preseason. Lake Travis starts all white players on both sides of the ball, including these stars:

Garrett Gilbert (Sr QB) - The 3rd ranked QB recruit in the country is bound for the Texas Longhorns. He is a dual threat QB with 3871 yds passing, 43 TDs (with only 3 INTs), and the second leading rusher on the team with 502 yds and 12 TDS. At 6'-4", 205 lbs, with 4.5 speed, look for him to take the reins from Colt McCoy and continue on the QB tradition at UT.

Cade McCrary (Sr WR) - McCrary is on the receiving end of most of Gilbert's passes. At 6'-3" and 185 lbs with 1438 yds receiving and 19 TDs, you would think that he would be getting more recruiting attention. As of right now, he has no D1 offers.

Paden Kelley (Sr OT) - Kelly is a 6'-6", 285 lb OT and is ranked in the top 20 nationwide at the position. He will be joining Gilbert with the Longhorns next year.

 

[P-NutLane]

Thanks again brother

 

[SteveB]

Here's a nice article about Friendswood RB Andrew Cole in today's Houston Chronicle, [url]http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/hso/6154 383.html[/url]

 

[SteveB]

Update: I went to watch the 5A Semifinal game today with Smithson Valley against Katy. Katy dominated 41-19. I haven't mentioned Katy much this year because they haven't been impressive, barely making it into the playoffs. They are now playing very good football and will be playing for the 5A championship. From a racial perspective, it was nice to see white kids all over the field as Smithson Valley featured all white starting units and Katy was all white except at RB and 2 DL. The difference in the game was Katy's huge all white OL that averages 6'-5" and 270 lbs. Some impressive Katy players in the game were:

Austin Sumrall (Sr OT) - The running game went behind Sumrall all day. At 6'-6" and 280 lbs, he is a force on the line. It looks like the only school recruiting him is Rice.

Taylor Brandt (Sr WR) - The 6'-5", 200 lb receiver had 4 rec for 142 yds and 2 TDs including a 79 yarder in the first quarter. The kid is just phenominal at adjusting to the ball in the air and catching with his hands. I can't find where anyone is recruiting him, but he should be playing somewhere on Saturdays.

Zach Swanson (Jr TE) - A 6'-6", 210 lb TE that made some key catches in the game. With his height and hands, he will be on the recruiting radars after this season.

Cody Matthews was the lone bright spot for Smithson Valley. He finished the game with 5 rec for 152 yds and 2 TDs. He is a lanky kid who needs to put on some muscle, but he has some wheels. On the 3rd play of the game, he took a 1 yd WR screen and galloped 74 yds for a TD. Very impressive.

In 4A, Lake Travis continues to impress with a 56-22 stomping of Friendswood.

 

[SteveB]

It was a good season for all white or mostly white teams in Texas. Katy repeated as champions in 5A as did Austin Lake Travis in 4A. Prosper won the 3A championship with one black and the rest white starting players.

It goes to prove our point at Caste Football. In a football crazy state that produces a ton of college and NFL black players, the white high school teams compete and win championships. Most of the players from these championship teams will never see the college level, yet they beat the black players that go on to stardom and riches at higher levels of the sport.

 

[a-train]

It was a good season for all white or mostly white teams in Texas. Katy repeated as champions in 5A as did Austin Lake Travis in 4A. Prosper won the 3A championship with one black and the rest white starting players.

It goes to prove our point at Caste Football. In a football crazy state that produces a ton of college and NFL black players, the white high school teams compete and win championships. Most of the players from these championship teams will never see the college level, yet they beat the black players that go on to stardom and riches at higher levels of the sport.

It seems like this happens all over the US the white High School Teams Dominate but nobody thinks they can at the next level. In Texas since Coach Dodge moved up to College from Southlake Carrol and with the litttle success he"s had you would think he would be smart enough to go after these white kids who are performing at a high level that the kids would jump at the chance and he would look like the genius.If Coach Dodge stay with the status quo he will never win at a small school like North Texas.

 

[whiteCB]

It goes to prove our point at Caste Football. In a football crazy state that produces a ton of college and NFL black players, the white high school teams compete and win championships. Most of the players from these championship teams will never see the college level, yet they beat the black players that go on to stardom and riches at higher levels of the sport.

Ditto for Ohio. It happens every year here.

 

[Bronk]

Good stuff, SteveB.

You can go out on a Friday night -- even here in the urbanized Houston area -- and see a ton of white kids kickin' ass on the football field.

Then you go out to West Texas and see just about nothing BUT white kids doing the same.

 

[P-NutLane]

In the Waco area its more Caste. Most all schools are overun with the bruvas. If a white boy does good he gets promtly benched. Ive heard the crowd screaming "You beta get dat white boy up outa dere coach"

!


Steve B, THANKS a Million for all the focus on Texas high school football. GOD BLESS.

 

[SteveB]

Logan Rowe from The Woodlands committed to Division II Colorado School of Mines. This kind of surprised me because he had some D1 offers. Good luck to him.

 

[referendum]

Steve, excellent work on this. I'm wondering if you could do a comparison of top white teams in Texas and how many of their players go on to play college football with so of the mostly black teams that they have defeated and how many of their players go on to play college football.

 

[johnnyboy]

Fantastic job Steve.

 

[johnnyboy]

a Friendswood kid signed with North Texas



Austin FitzpatrickEdited by: johnnyboy

 

[SteveB]

This is an article from this morning's Houston Chronicle about the Katy Tigers and recruiting. Tapong, who is mentioned in the article, is one of the three black kids that started for Katy, but the Caste system is heavily implied in the article.

On the Outside Looking In

On the outside looking in
While Katy has won two consecutive 5A state titles, the Tigers did not have a player sign with a major college

By DAVID BARRON Houston Chronicle
Feb. 5, 2009, 12:04AM

KATY â€â€￾ If hoisting a championship trophy is the happiest day in the life of a high school team captain, surely the second happiest is national signing day, when captains and champions everywhere relish the challenge of moving on to major college sports.

This signing day, however, was less than lustrous for Elvin Tapong, the All-Greater Houston nose tackle and defensive anchor of the Katy Tigers' Class 5A Division II champions.

Despite his contributions to Katy's second consecutive state title, Tapong was not among the more than 300 Texas high school players who signed letters of intent Wednesday with NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams.

"I'm a little bit confused," Tapong said. "I'm not really sure I know what recruiters are looking for."

This year, at least, they certainly weren't looking for champions. None of Katy's 50-plus senior football players, including 11 starters, signed with a major college.

Offensive lineman Austin Sumrall, who signed with Division II Angelo State, was Katy's only scholarship recipient, Tigers coach Gary Joseph said. Fullback Chris Roberson is contemplating whether to walk on at a Big 12 school.

Katy is the first Class 5A division champion to be shut out on signing day since the 1995-96 Converse Judson Rockets, according to recruiting lists compiled each year for Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine.

So while coaches across the state were hosting signing parties Wednesday, it was just another day at the office for Joseph.

"In this day and age, Division I coaches are looking to fill a mold," Joseph said. "They have all these combines and camps, and if you don't fit the mold, a lot of times you won't be a Division I player.

"I felt we would have a couple. I thought (Tapong) would get some looks. I felt he could play on that level. But they're looking to fit a mold, and some of our guys don't fit the mold. I know that."

Year makes a difference
A year ago, six players from Katy's division championship team signed with FBS schools, including two with Texas A&M. Cedar Hill had 10 major college signees two years ago, and Southlake Carroll had nine after the 2005 season.

Signees from other state champions have ranged from eight to one, but until Wednesday, there always had been at least one for the last 12 seasons.

"It's kind of an insult when you think about it," Tapong said. "I thought it would help that I was the captain of a state-winning team and played two years on varsity for teams that won championships. I guess not.

"I'm not going to say flat-out that (recruiters) made the wrong choice. It doesn't say anything bad about us. They're just not looking for what we have."

Even though signing day has come and gone, Tapong hasn't given up hope.

"I'm still trying to get a scholarship somewhere," he said. "Coach tells me it's not too late."

Juniors have work to do
For Katy's juniors, including free safety Sam Holl and offensive lineman Shep Klinke, the 2009-10 recruiting campaign already has begun in earnest. The future is now.

"You've got to go to junior days and camps and send in questionnaires and let them (college recruiters) know you're interested. That â€â€￾ and play good," Holl said. "We've got good players here who aren't going anywhere, and it makes me realize what I have to do if I want to go to a good school."

Klinke prefers to think that his teammates were victimized by a stereotype that he and others associate with the Tigers during their decade of success under Joseph and Mike Johnston, his predecessor.

"Guys from Katy tend to get overlooked," he said. "It's a foregone conclusion that guys from Katy aren't talented and aren't particularly athletic and that they just have the best coach in the state, which I don't deny. We do have the best coaches, and people tend to think that's the only reason we're a great football team."

Armed with that knowledge, Klinke and Holl plan to take the initiative.

"You have to be the recruiter sometime," Klinke said. "You go out and play as hard as you can, and you go to junior days and talk to coaches. You have to let them know you're interested, and you have to go out and compete hard."

Forget the mold
Joseph said he is available to help his athletes as much as he can, including preparation of highlight tapes. When it comes to closing the sale, though, the athlete is his own best pitchman.

"We would love for them all to get scholarships," the coach said. "But we're not the ones who say you have to be this high, this big and this fast.

"When you go by numbers, though, you miss out on good football players. John Lynch (the former All-Pro safety) probably didn't fit the mold. A lot of good, smart football players slip through the cracks. But if you take a chance on them, they can pan out."

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

SteveB,

that article hinted at the problem, but like so many reporters, the author didn't ask the important question.

i'm learning a lot reading this thread, so keep up the good work!

 

[SteveB]

a Friendswood kid signed with North Texas
Austin Fitzpatrick

I forgot to put him in the section for Friendswood. He is very talented TE.

 

[Gi-15]

Texas running back with back to back 2,000 yards season, but no scholarship offer

 

[sunshine]

Sulphur Springs RB 4.4 speed Ryan Young to Air Force. Also junior Shane McQueen WR is a game breaker with incredible speed.