Athletes across southern Denton County are gearing up for another year on the gridiron, and most of the area programs should qualify for the playoffs.
The region fielded five playoff squads, including one state champion in 2023, and this season fans will likely enjoy more of the same level of success.
Liberty Christian completed a perfect season last school year, going 14-0 overall, with a 4-0 mark in district and defeating Austin Regents High School 52-10 in the state championship game.
Coach Jason Witten said last year’s team success can be attributed to the fact that everyone was on the same page and had the same objective. “The team believed on the outset and had a shared commitment for a common goal.”
Witten said the 2024 Warrior Football team has hit the ground running.
The Warriors return such standouts as running back Chase Garnett, a trio of all-district receivers in Brady Janusek, Quinton Brown and Jaylon Hawkins, defensive lineman Madox Sekyere and linebackers CJ Witten and Cade Violi.
Cooper Witten, an all-district selection in just his freshman season, returns for the Warriors as well.
In the playoffs, Liberty Christian defeated Bishop Dunne, Tyler Grace Community, Fort Worth All Saints and then Regents in the state championship game.
The Warriors return a total of 14 starters (7 on offense, 7 on defense) from last year’s state championship squad, and to repeat on last year’s success, Witten said the Warriors need a few things.
“We’re going to need to stay healthy and have a few breaks go our way,” Witten said. “The focus is on a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement, particularly on our offensive and defensive line.”
Over at Argyle High School, the Eagles got off to a rocky start last year, dropping their first two games before rebounding to rattle off eight straight regular-season victories and win a district title.
The dedication and work ethic that led to the massive turnaround was not lost on Argyle coach Todd Rodgers.
“I thought last year’s team excelled at a high level considering the youth and the injuries we incurred,” Rodgers said. “This year’s team had great spring practices, and we identified all of our players for the upcoming season. The summer training has been well attended, and we are looking forward to the beginning of the season.”
Rodgers said he has one huge advantage this season over last year.
“We have a more seasoned team with experience and real game reps,” Rodgers said. “We are still utilizing similar schemes we have used in years past.”
Some of the stronger returners for the Eagles this season include quarterback Maguire Gasperson, receiver Will Krzysiak, offensive lineman Weston Chaney, offensive lineman Tyler Roberts, strong safety Nathan Bruce and linebacker Max Bland.
Rodgers said that reaching the playoffs and having a good run will be more challenging this season thanks to a district change.
“We were realigned into a nine-team district,” Rodgers said. “So making the playoffs will be tough. We play two very good non-district opponents to prepare us for the district grind.”
Over in Flower Mound, the Marcus Marauders finished 4-3 in district competition and fell in the bi-district round to McKinney last season.
Coach Mike Alexander said he was happy with how things unfolded last year given the circumstances his team confronted, but expects more in 2024.
“I believe last year was a good foundational year for us as we took over in April with an abbreviated offseason,” Alexander said. “I believe we are primed to have a great season this upcoming year.”
The Marauders return eight offensive starters and six defensive starters and Alexander said having a productive spring football season has helped his team a lot.
“We have been able to develop our freshmen and JV teams over the past year to fill holes left by graduation with some really talented players,” Alexander said.
Look for linebacker Brock Golwas, defensive lineman Tony Lee, running back Isaiah Keli’ikipi and tight end Jackson Morris to lead the way for Marcus.
In order to pick up where it left off in 2023, Marcus will need to do a few things this coming season.
“We play in such a great district where the competition is so tough each week,” Alexander said. “In order to qualify for the playoffs, we need to win the turnover battle each week by taking care of the football and scoring consistently. Last year we had weeks where we lit up the scoreboard and then would struggle the next week to execute our offense. We have to be more consistent.”
Across town at Flower Mound High School, 2023 started slow but ended with the team right on the cusp of claiming a playoff berth.
Coach Brian Basil said he was proud of the way his players handled adversity.
“We overcame injuries in the middle of the season and finished strong winning three of the last four,” Basil said. “Our players have worked hard in the offseason and we had a great spring.”
The Jags return seven defensive players, but Basil said the defensive side of the ball is where his team will need a few players to step up.
“We’re having to replace starters on our D-Line,” Basil said.
To qualify for the postseason, Basil said it will take three things.
“We need to have great senior leadership, execute with discipline and play with unmatched effort.”
Some of the stronger returners for Flower Mound include receiver Carter Massey, quarterback Noah Spinks, running back Noah Erdman, and defensively, linebacker Elijah Luneke and safety Silas Wilson.
In south Denton, the Guyer Wildcats are wrapping up a season where they fell a little short of expectations and assistant coach Willie Williams said things are already looking up.
“Last season was disappointing because we were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs,” Williams said. “Our expectations are always to make a deep run. We’ve had a great offseason and spring training. We’re very excited about the upcoming season. We have five offensive starters returning and three defensive starters returning.”
Williams said the biggest change between this year’s team and last year’s “is that we have a little more experience on the offensive and defensive lines.”
Guyer is also competing in a new district and will have to be disciplined to make a longer playoff run.
“We have to have a solid defense, which will be made up of several new players,” Williams said. “We also have to keep our playmakers healthy.”
Everything starts up front, and returning starters Vance Adams and Brody Hamilton lead the way on the O-line.
Guyer also expects big things from quarterback Kevin Sperry, receivers Corbin Glasco and DJ Reese, running backs Kaedyn Cobbs and Sterling Schneider and tight end Jackson Shockley.
Defensively the Wildcats have returning starters in nose guard Xavier Ukponu, defensive end Matt Desantis, and safety Kaedyn Cobbs.
Williams said the Wildcats will be navigating different territory this season as well.
“The new district will definitely be a challenge,” Williams said. “We believe that Coppell and Lewisville will be our most difficult opponents. They are two of the strongest programs in the Metroplex.”
Over in Justin, Northwest is coming off of a season in which it won two playoff games and reached the regional quarterfinals.
Coach Bill Poe said it was a great year for the Texans.
“I’m extremely proud of our team last season finishing out with a 10-3 record and three rounds deep into playoffs,” Poe said. “It tied for the best season in school history. We definitely exceeded our expectations. This coming season we have a few challenges in front of us with losing a good number of starters and also moving up a classification.”
Northwest returns four starters on offense and just two on defense.
“Even with those challenges, our players are ready to step up to the plate,” Poe said. “We’ve had a great offseason and our growth during spring ball was just what we were looking for.”
Poe said three offensive linemen “will be the bell cows for the offensive side in Caleb Mormon, Charles Mugo, and Marshall Williams.
“Koby Wall returns in the wide receiver group who had almost 600 yards receiving,” Poe said. “Nate Jean was not a starter last year, but had a very good year with 550 rushing yards and will take over the running back position.”
Jay Harrington, who led the team in tackles, will be the top returning defensive player.
