Our 40 Hours of Football continues into its 11th hour with a look at our East Texas TAPPS teams:
ALL SAINTS TROJANS
COACH: Drew Starnes (5th year, 16-25)
DISTRICT: TAPPS Division III/IV District 2
STADIUM: Mewbourne Field, 2695 S.SW Loop 323, Tyler, 75701 (Capacity: 1,628; year opened: 2007)
2020 RESULT: 1-2
RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 18/13 (7 Offensive, 6 Defensive)
OFFENSE: Modified Flexbone
DEFENSE: 3-4
Top Seniors: WR/LB Cayden Mitcham ... QB/DB Will Morgan ... OL/LB Dustyn Rose ... OL/DL Jake Lewis ... RB/LB Cameron Reid ... K/P Barrett Lin ... WR/DB Garrett Huffman ... TE/LB Caleb Heldman ... WR Madi Brazeal ... RB Ethan Fanous ...
Top Sophomores: WR/DB Blake Foster ... OL/DL Isaac Diaz ... RB/LB Nic Ireland ... WR/DB Colton Mitcham ... WR/DB Braxton Bogue ...
DEFENSE: 3-4
DEFENSIVE NOTABLES: FS Cayden Mitcham, Jr. ... LB Will Morgan, Jr. ... LB Dustyn Rose, Jr. ... LB Harrison Williams, Sr. ... DL Parker Bracken, Sr. ... DL Logan Haley, Sr. ... LB Cameron Reid
2021 OUTLOOK: The Trojans look to build off very strong senior class. ... Starnes expects the Trojans will be stronger this year with a good running game. Inexperience is still a factor after All Saints played just three games last year. ... All Saints' opener is Aug. 27 at Big Sandy, followed by the home opener on Sept. 3 against Mount Enterprise. ... The Trojans' rivalry game with Bishop Gorman is scheduled for Oct. 29 at McCallum Stadium on the Crusaders' campus..
GRACE COMMUNITY COUGARS
Coach: Steve Parsons (1st year)
District: TAPPS Division II District 2
Stadium: Orville Rogers Field at Clyde-Perkins Stadium, 3001 University Blvd., Tyler, 75701 (Capacity: 1,507; year opened: 2008)
2019 result: 6-2
Returning letterman/starters: 12/3 (2 offensive/1 defensive)
Offense: Spread
Defense: Multiple
Top Offensive Players: OL Tanner Thyen, Sr. ... OL/DL Caleb Wilson, Jr. ... QB Will Bozeman, Jr. ... RB Grant Turner, Soph.
Top Seniors: Thyen ... LB Tyler Anderson ... DL Eli Martin ... DB/WR Landry Livingston ... Hudson Wilson ... Caleb Carpenter ... OL Lex Romano ... DL Garrett Melton
Top Juniors: Wilson ... Bozeman ... Andrew Winebarger ... OL/DL Kole Crawford ...
Top Sophomores: Turner ... Dylan Taylor ... Blake Harmon ... Grant Faulkner ...
2021 Outlook: Parsons said they 2021 will be "young and inexperienced. We started 19 seniors in 2020." He added the team's biggest strength is "They are resilient and accustomed to winning." ... The Cougars are in a tough district with Dallas Christian and rival Bullard Brook Hill. ... "This team will be a fun team to watch," Parsons said. "They will improve each week and will be at the top of their at the start of district play." ... The Cougars' season opener is Aug. 27 at Austin Regents School with the home opener Sept. 3 against West. ... The opening district game is Oct. 8 at McKinney Christian.
BROOK HILL GUARD
Coach: Scott Ryle (6th year, 29-22 at Brook Hill; Overall: 44-37)
District: TAPPS Division II District 2
Stadium: Young Field at Herrington Stadium, 22450 FM 2493 (Old Jacksonville Hwy.), Bullard, 75757 (Capacity: 2,500; year opened: 2005)
2020 result: 5-4
Returning letterman/starters: 25/14 (7 offensive, 7 defensive)
Offense: Power Spread
Offensive notables: RB Nick LaRocca, Sr. (6-0, 190) ... RB Derrion Hinton, Sr. (6-0, 195) ... OL Allessandro Cairati, Sr. (6-4, 280) ... WR Colton Richards, Soph. (6-0, 160) ... OL John Englehardt, Sr. (6-0, 220) ... WR Jaylon Warren, Sr. (6-1, 180) ...
Defense: 3-4
Defensive notables: LB LaRocca ... LB Hinton ... LB Felipe Tristan, Sr. (6-3, 225) ... DL Cairati ... DB Von Dawson, Jr. (5-9, 169) ... DB Noah Langemeier, Jr. (6-0, 170) ...
2021 Outlook: Brook Hill was young last year and this year the Guard returns 25 lettermen with a host of experience, especially defense. ... The Guard lost most of their offensive leaders. ... The defense should be strong again with Hinton the top returning tackler (80 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 interception), while Cairati had four tackles with five TFL. ... Dawson had three interceptions in 2020. ... Ryle said the biggest strength is defense ÐÔÊӽ紫ý” three of the four starting linebackers, while there is inexperience at offensive skill positions. ... Brook Hill is also in one of the toughest districts in TAPPS with Dallas Christian expected to be a state contender.
TYLER BISHOP T.K. GORMAN CATHOLIC CRUSADERS
Coach: Daryl Hayes (1st year)
District: TAPPS Division III/IV District 2
Stadium: McCallum Stadium, 405 ESE Loop 323, Tyler, 75701 (Capacity: 1,000; year opened: 1958)
2020 result: 1-4 (1-3 in district)
Returning letterman/starters: 6 (1 offensive/2 defensive)
Offense: Multiple
Defense: Even
Top Seniors: LB Alex Jackson ... TE Jacob Favre ... WR/LB Gabriel Paniagua ... DB Max Sobel ...
Top Juniors: OL/DL Josh Hayes ... OL/DL Aaron Ekwurure ... OL/DL Aiden Culpepper ... OL/DL Matthew McKnight ...
Other notable players: ATH Ryan Richbourg (Class of 2025) ... ATH Cole Edens (Class of 2024)
2021 Outlook: Daryl Hayes takes over after Brady McCoy's two years at the helm of the Cru. ... Hayes has 27 years of coaching experience, the last five as head football coach at St. JohnÐÔÊӽ紫ý™s Catholic Prep in Buckeystown, Maryland. ... Hayes guided the Vikings to three MIAA C championships and the 2019 National Association of Christian Athletes Division I title, oversaw the team when it squeezed in an abbreviated 2020 season during the coronavirus pandemic and garnered national attention for continuing to coach from the sidelines after he suffered a heart attack during a game on Nov. 14. ... Hayes took over a Vikings program with just 17 player. St. JohnÐÔÊӽ紫ý™s was 6-4 that season, winning the MIAA C Conference championships. St. JohnÐÔÊӽ紫ý™s won MIAA C titles again in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, the Vikings capped their season by rolling to a 55-14 win over the Tennessee Heat, a victory that earned them the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I championship. ... St. JohnÐÔÊӽ紫ý™s was the only Frederick County high school football team that played during the fall of 2020. The Vikings defeated rival Annapolis Area Christian School before falling 53-0 to Concordia Prep in their final game, which Hayes finished coaching despite suffering a heart attack that apparently happened at halftime. ... During the second half, Hayes had chest pains and numbness in his left arm and part of his left leg. Going to a hospital after the game, the 48-year-old Hayes learned the heart attack was caused by a clot that lodged in an artery that connects to his left ventricle, the Frederick News reported. ... Hayes was quick to point out how dangerous it is for anyone to ignore symptoms he experienced during that game on Nov. 14. ... The Crusaders have only four seniors with Hayes saying the team's strength is the offensive line with its weakness depth and inexperience. ... Bishop Gorman expects to have 30 varsity players.
