Editor's note: He's done it again. Leman has started to lament on the season. This is the first installment of the 2018 season. Get ready!
Here are six players from each division that I feel everyone should know about in each division, if you don’t already, as we enter the 2018 campaign.
DI
Taron Smith – Milford – SB/QB/S
The highlight reel of six-man football. One of his touchdown runs against Oakwood last year was the Fox Sports Southwest Main event High Five Play of the Year and looked like it was a video game highlight reel run! Explosive with a great arm. If you don’t know who Taron Smith is, you aren’t a Texas high school football fan! He accounted for over 4,000 yards of total offense season.
https://www.foxsports.com/southwest/video/1123257923515
Ben Justice – Borden County – FB/LB/DL
1st team all-state defensive line man and the defensive player of the game in the state championship last year, who is also a force at the fullback position on offense as well… this type of justice is just unfair to deal with on the gridiron! Watch out for “Big Ben Justice”, as the Coyote Radio broadcast team likes to say, as he will once again be a big factor on the field for the two time reigning champions in 2018!
Marcos Mendoza – Balmorhea – RB/LB
The Beast from Balmorhea… a bruising back and linebacker Marcos Mendoza is the full package! The 1st team DII all-state fullback last season is a threat running and catching the ball out of the backfield on offense (700+ yards, 22 touchdowns rushing, 580+ yards, 16 touchdowns receiving). Defensively Mendoza is a beast as well having logged 96 tackles and scoring five defensive scores last year alone.
Colt Mallory – Union Hill – RB/LB
Union Hill will be led by Mr. Mallory and Mr. Mallory…the head coach and his son as the Bulldogs will be looking to further their six-man success in 2018 and put together another deep playoff run. He was pretty balanced last season with just under 1,00 yards rushing and 350 yards passing, but I expect Mallory to have a huge senior year and at least double and maybe even triple those numbers in 2018. Oh he’s a big defensive standout as well!
Ben Crockett – McLean – RB/LB
Dude is just a junior and is a bone crushing running back that is a big reason why McLean is so highly ranked and looking to turn some heads in 2018! Crockett rushed for over 2,000 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2017 as a sophomore.
Parker Carson – Valley – QB/LB
Maybe the best quarterback returning for the 2018 season in class 1A and he is just a junior. He received Honorable Mention all-state honors in DII at QB last season having passed for over 2,000 yards and 43 touchdowns.
DII
Tanner Hodgkins – Strawn – RB/LB
The Dave Campbell’s class 1A cover boy a big burly, bruising back that has great bursts of speed out of the back field as his 2017 offensive player of the game in the state championship attests to. Hodgkins is also a standout on the defensive side of the ball making him maybe the most well rounded player in class 1A.
Morgan Whitefield – Iredell – RB
The classic running back. That best describes Mr. Whitefield as he has the perfect combination of speed, agility, toughness, with field vision and game awareness which makes him maybe the most dangerous back in division two. He rushed for 1,449 yards and 35 touchdowns last season for the Dragons.
James Green – Calvert – QB
Out east Calvert is always a team to contend with and QB James Green will be one of the primer players for the Trojans as they look to advance deep in the playoffs and possibly claim another state title. Green threw for 1,014 yards with 12 touchdowns last season and should have more gaudy numbers this season.
Tye Scogin – Jayton – RB/LB
An all-state Honorable Mention running back last season, Scogins, who rushed for 1,901 yards and scored 48 touchdowns last season, will be back in the Jaybird fold for 2018. He also recorded 125 tackles on defense making him another dual threat, well rounded player to watch out for in 2018.
Christian Barber – Follett – SB/QB
Quarterback/Spreadback Barber was second team all-state at utility back last season and I poised to have a big year this season as Follett looks to be the main contender out of division two, region one yet again this season.
Cameron Coldiron – Blackwell – RB
The returning DII newcomer of the year in 2017 just missed hitting the 1,000 yards rushing plateau in his freshman season last year (942 yards, 12 touchdowns on the ground). This sensational sophomore is set to have a super season.
Here are six players from each division that I feel everyone should know about in each division, if you don’t already, as we enter the 2018 campaign.
DI
Taron Smith – Milford – SB/QB/S
The highlight reel of six-man football. One of his touchdown runs against Oakwood last year was the Fox Sports Southwest Main event High Five Play of the Year and looked like it was a video game highlight reel run! Explosive with a great arm. If you don’t know who Taron Smith is, you aren’t a Texas high school football fan! He accounted for over 4,000 yards of total offense season.
https://www.foxsports.com/southwest/video/1123257923515
Ben Justice – Borden County – FB/LB/DL
1st team all-state defensive line man and the defensive player of the game in the state championship last year, who is also a force at the fullback position on offense as well… this type of justice is just unfair to deal with on the gridiron! Watch out for “Big Ben Justice”, as the Coyote Radio broadcast team likes to say, as he will once again be a big factor on the field for the two time reigning champions in 2018!
Marcos Mendoza – Balmorhea – RB/LB
The Beast from Balmorhea… a bruising back and linebacker Marcos Mendoza is the full package! The 1st team DII all-state fullback last season is a threat running and catching the ball out of the backfield on offense (700+ yards, 22 touchdowns rushing, 580+ yards, 16 touchdowns receiving). Defensively Mendoza is a beast as well having logged 96 tackles and scoring five defensive scores last year alone.
Colt Mallory – Union Hill – RB/LB
Union Hill will be led by Mr. Mallory and Mr. Mallory…the head coach and his son as the Bulldogs will be looking to further their six-man success in 2018 and put together another deep playoff run. He was pretty balanced last season with just under 1,00 yards rushing and 350 yards passing, but I expect Mallory to have a huge senior year and at least double and maybe even triple those numbers in 2018. Oh he’s a big defensive standout as well!
Ben Crockett – McLean – RB/LB
Dude is just a junior and is a bone crushing running back that is a big reason why McLean is so highly ranked and looking to turn some heads in 2018! Crockett rushed for over 2,000 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2017 as a sophomore.
Parker Carson – Valley – QB/LB
Maybe the best quarterback returning for the 2018 season in class 1A and he is just a junior. He received Honorable Mention all-state honors in DII at QB last season having passed for over 2,000 yards and 43 touchdowns.
DII
Tanner Hodgkins – Strawn – RB/LB
The Dave Campbell’s class 1A cover boy a big burly, bruising back that has great bursts of speed out of the back field as his 2017 offensive player of the game in the state championship attests to. Hodgkins is also a standout on the defensive side of the ball making him maybe the most well rounded player in class 1A.
Morgan Whitefield – Iredell – RB
The classic running back. That best describes Mr. Whitefield as he has the perfect combination of speed, agility, toughness, with field vision and game awareness which makes him maybe the most dangerous back in division two. He rushed for 1,449 yards and 35 touchdowns last season for the Dragons.
James Green – Calvert – QB
Out east Calvert is always a team to contend with and QB James Green will be one of the primer players for the Trojans as they look to advance deep in the playoffs and possibly claim another state title. Green threw for 1,014 yards with 12 touchdowns last season and should have more gaudy numbers this season.
Tye Scogin – Jayton – RB/LB
An all-state Honorable Mention running back last season, Scogins, who rushed for 1,901 yards and scored 48 touchdowns last season, will be back in the Jaybird fold for 2018. He also recorded 125 tackles on defense making him another dual threat, well rounded player to watch out for in 2018.
Christian Barber – Follett – SB/QB
Quarterback/Spreadback Barber was second team all-state at utility back last season and I poised to have a big year this season as Follett looks to be the main contender out of division two, region one yet again this season.
Cameron Coldiron – Blackwell – RB
The returning DII newcomer of the year in 2017 just missed hitting the 1,000 yards rushing plateau in his freshman season last year (942 yards, 12 touchdowns on the ground). This sensational sophomore is set to have a super season.
