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Author: Charles Branch

Colt McCoy update

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

A fractured fibula ended Colt McCoy’s season when he attempted to take the Redskins to the playoffs when starter Alex Smith, who suffered the similar injury earlier in the season, was lost for the year. For all non-medical individuals, the fibula bone is the long slender bone that connects the ankle all up to the knee, it’s commonly known as the calf bone.

McCoy fell to the ground and his leg bent in a rather awkward way against the Eagles. Surprisingly he toughed it out for two more plays before he limped his way to the locker which was the last sight we saw from him the rest of the season. He finished with three touchdowns along with three interceptions in three games this season. Bone fractures are way more beneficial than a ligament injury, which in many cases may require nine months to a year before they can compete again and a whole year before they feel confident and play like they did before the injury. Luckily for Colt after his surgery he should be back before Super Bowl weekend to get ready for the 2019 season.

Bad luck ruined his opportunity in the 2018 season as he signed a two-year deal worth $6.5 million. Colt was on pace to void his contract, whether be a free agent or an increase in salary if he played 65% of his snaps this season. But Washington is believed to bring him back as the backup for the fifth straight season consequently from the fibula injury.

At 32, McCoy is as seasoned at they come with experience. He was drafted in the third round by Cleveland but never placed himself as their franchise signal caller. He was then traded to the 49ers who played for just the one year. Washington signed McCoy in 2014 who went through the whole RG3 and Kirk Cousins debacle. Both of them moved on after the 2017. The Redskins were content with the idea of McCoy as the starter before they traded for Alex Smith this past offseason.

Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles established a need to have a quality backup that can play if need be. Washington still has a need for a backup but won’t feel comfortable with Mark Sanchez who replaced McCoy as the third quarterback that started for the Redskins. There is some trade value for McCoy as many teams struggle to develop a backup quarterback just in case something happens to their signal caller.

A fifth-round pick would be reasonable to acquire McCoy if the Redskins want to take a new path to find their quarterback of the future, but the 2019 NFL Draft is very weak in terms of finding the next franchise saving quarterback. They have yet to find their franchise quarterback when RG3 was behind center who has had jumped teams the last few years and Kirk Cousins signed a mega deal with the Vikings who many thought had not even come close this season as a payoff. The Vikings failed to make the playoffs.

The 2020 season will most likely give Colt the chance to test the free agent market and will attract many offers from quarterback needy teams. He is well respected among his teammates and will be a great presence in the locker room which he brought from the forty acres. Many scouts believed he wouldn’t last in the league this long but the fans have looked in the distance with satisfaction he is still alive and well. The memories of beating Ohio State, the come from behind victories, the record breaking stats, and the wishful thinking of what if he didn’t get hurt in the national championship game against Alabama have given him story to root for.

Tom Herman’s Next Class

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in TEXAS SPORTS, UT FOOTBALL.

Many fans and media were really impressed with the overachieving season the Texas Longhorns had to finish the year, especially with the forever impressive win to beat the fifth ranked Georgia Bulldogs who might have been snubbed from the National Playoff.

A great win to finish the season will intensify the expectations for the 2019 season. And just like every season players come and go. Playmakers jump to the NFL a la Lil’Jordan Humphrey or finish out their eligibility; Gary Johnson, Breckyn Hager, Kris Boyd, and Charles Omenihu come to mind.

What does this mean for the starting offense and defense? The defense will take a big hit losing a majority of their starting first team and a lot of experience. Luckily after receiving draft stock analysis Junior Safety Brandon Jones has decided to return for his final season to graduate. Teaming up with Freshman stud safety Caden Sterns definitely eases some fans minds heading into the offseason. The secondary will need to find cornerback replacements from Devonte Davis and Kris Boyd who has NFL quality talent to compete at the next level. Freshman corners Anthony Cook and Kobe Boyce played extensively in the Oklahoma State game when Davis and Boyd were suspended for the first half. The freshmen were exposed early causing the Horns to play catch up the rest of the game before losing. They will have a full off season and will compete to earn the starting left and right cornerback positions.

Colin Johnson will return to the field to give Sam Ehlinger a big target who will team up with Devin Duvernay next year. The offense should continue where they left off as Keaontay Ingram will run full time from splitting time with Tre Watson this past year. Fans will see if he has the ability to elevate his game in 2019 judging from this season he will be more than capable.

Tom Herman in year two successfully recruited another top ten class to spring board them into the offseason in December grabbing twelve elite prospects from the top 300 athletes.  Three starting offensive lineman will move on from the team leaving multiple spots on the line up for grabs. Tyler Johnson a four star offensive tackle ranked 37th nationally signed in the early signing period and will be enrolled early in January. He will compete with redshirt freshman Junior Angilau another top 300 prospect from their previous third ranked class for one of the tackle jobs.

Gary Johnson was the leading tackler will be missed for the Horns who leaves a huge void in the middle of the of the front seven. De’Gabriel Floyd an All American linebacker who played his senior season at Westlake provides fire power to a lot of question marks that need answers. He will bring toughness to the position to help stop the run in the Big 12 as he too is also an early enrolled player.

Photo: Pat Carrigan Texas Sports Monthly

Herman signed talented receiver in Jordan Whittington from Cuero, Texas who can play all three phases of the game. He took over the state championship game and was the MVP on both the defense and offense sides of the ball. He will enroll early in January to show the coaches his playmaking ability to be used in September.

There were many players that were able to benefit from the 4 game rule that allowed players to qualify for a red shirt season. The depth on the Texas team is very deep which adds the idea the talent that Texas has been able to rack up has greatly improved. Ayodele Adeoye played in four games and will likely take over one of the linebackers jobs vacated from Wheeler and Johnson. Pairing him with Floyd will give them a nasty duo. And last season Texas brought in its third ranked class and many players were able to red-shirt the season. Herman has brought in the talent and has shown he can coach them up to the Texas standard. Sam Ehlinger has weapons to take this offense to the playoff where fans think back of Colt McCoy and Vince Young. It’s been ten years since the Horns has been in the national title game will next year have this team in the hunt? September can come back fast enough.

Baker Mayfield 27 Touchdowns Rookie Record.

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

Lebron James gave Cleveland their first championship after decades of disappointment, but he moved on to the beautiful state of California. The nostalgia of Jim Brown and Bernie Kosar flowed through the Land giving the fans a ray of hope for the future. A hard working town deserves a sports franchise that will excite them from September to all the way to the beginning of February.

On the day of the 26th in April 2018 the Browns under new management, John Dorsey, took a shot on Oklahoma’s Heisman trophy winner and Austin’s own Baker Mayfield with the first pick of the NFL Draft. Scouts were concerned about his brash and cocky attitude. USC’s Sam Darnold was the popular pick and many analysts questioned the move. Why make the move on a kid who was cocky but most of all wasn’t your most physically intriguing prospect? Many compared him to Russell Wilson, but Drew Brees took it upon himself to say he can be a better player eventually than #9 in New Orleans. High praise for a Super Bowl winning quarterback.

The Browns were coming off a winless season but made impressive moves in the offseason to get ready to compete in 2018. They traded for the high volume catcher Jarvis Landry, signed the efficient Tyrod Taylor, and even drafted Georgia’s Nick Chubb who played against Oklahoma in their playoff game a few months before. There was potential brewing.

As expected Tyrod Taylor won first team reps in the off-season. Baker Mayfield waited patiently for his opportunity.

His came in week three for the Browns as Taylor left the game with a concussion and never let go. Of course he faced rookie Jet’s quarterback Sam Darnold who in most cases was the clear cut favorite as the best quarterback in the class. Mayfield took control from a 14-0 hole and led them to their first win on the Thursday night primetime game. He bettered Darnold that night and gave fans a belief that carried through the season.

In the middle of the season head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired when they were derailing the progression of the young rookie since they couldn’t work together. Mayfield teamed up with his new interim head coach and his play caller and believed. Hue Jackson eventually was hired on with the Cincinnati Bengals and Mayfield voiced his opinion about Jackson’s decision to join a team they would play twice a year. He felt betrayed when the coach wanted the team to play for him but joined the team in the same state so he didn’t give Jackson the time of day. He was asked about it. “I didn’t feel like talking… It’s just somebody [who] was in our locker room, asking for us to play for him and then goes to a different team we play twice a year. Everyone can have their spin on it, but that’s how I feel.” Mayfield during the game stared at Jackson after a play and made gesture which were criticized in the media when it wasn’t Jackson’s decision to leave but was forced out of Cleveland. The Browns were able to win twice against the Bengals this season.

In week seventeen the Browns played their final game against the Ravens who were fighting their way into the playoffs as Pittsburgh was watching closely wishing for them to lose so they could sneak in. The game was close to the end Mayfield threw three interceptions and was on the cusp of their first winning season since 2007 before throwing it to a Ravens’ defender. They finished the season 7-8-1.

Mayfield celebrated the best rookie quarterback season throwing 3,725 yards with 27 touchdowns beating out Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson while not playing a full sixteen game schedule. He would have the highest passer rating (93.7) among the top rookie quarterbacks who struggled to even hit 80. Dorsey was the last one laughing.

Lebron left Cleveland in the summer while Mayfield slowly materialized as their new savior in a span of six months. It wasn’t the prettiest of seasons but hope as always was born for Browns fans in Cleveland. A tough kid out of Lake Travis who has had to fight and earn his spot on every team he’s ever played for. Mayfield is a winner and he was able to get the Brown’s out of the losing column and now it’s time to take the next step.

Houston, we have a QB.

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

The Houston Texans last year found their quarterback of the future in Deshaun Watson. Many fantasy owners for about five weeks dominated their leagues because of his dominance in games. And it showed drastically with his chemistry with DeAndre Hopkins and his last four games with a Quarterback rating of at least 100 before suffering a torn ACL in practice. J.J. Watt was also lost for the season from a leg fracture in which Jadaveon Clowney had to step up to prove his first round caliber a few years ago.
Many outside fans and media have questioned how high this Texan’s ceiling and pedigree is under Coach Bill O’Brien who has many wondering if he is the reason they haven’t taken that next stop to become a championship level team. The Texan’s have the franchise quarterback, the playmaking receiver, and a defense that can take over games when they have to. All it needs it for it all to come together.
The AFC South has gotten stronger among the Jags, Colts, and Titans who have made drastic changes. Sacksonville has maybe taken over the top of the division with their elite defense, Andrew Luck is back and can maybe continue where he left off, the Titans made the playoffs and have made a coaching change with former player and coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel spent 2014-2017 on the Texan’s sideline coaching the linebackers and last season as the defensive coordinator. It doesn’t seem like the week division Houston fans have come to be familiar with.
The addition of J.J. Watt and Tyrann Mathieu , the development of Watson, and the continuing growing of the running game can take this team great lengths in the 2018 season.
Unfortunately the first two weeks of the season they got off to slow starts against the Patriots and Titans but made some strides late in the game to come back before falling 0-2. The running game has picked up steam thanks to Lamar Miller.
Houston must come alive early in games to avoid stagnant offensive drives. They have the fire power but there needs to be better game planning and execution from the players and coaches. The AFC isn’t strong like it’s been in past years. The NFC is almost eight deep now with the emergence from the Rams and Vikings. So unless something changes the AFC might have a 9-7 team to sneak into the sixth seed this year, but that’s three months away and there is a ton of football left.
Here’s to a great season, tailgates, cookouts, and yelling fans on Sundays. Get your lungs ready the first couple of weeks are over and the rust is wearing off. Now is the time to get ready for some football.

Glenn Grizzlies get first Win

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

The Glenn Grizzlies hold off the McCallum Knights at Gupton Stadium Thursday night 30-26. The two year program impressed against a competitive effort from the undefeated Knights.
The (2-0) McCallum Knights opened the game with an unexpected short kick that was quickly recovered by the (0-2) Glenn Grizzlies who was able to capitalize on the favorable field position. Junior running back Julian Morris took control of the drive to take the first lead of the game.
The Knights came onto the field to respond with their offense but coughed up the ball swinging the momentum in the Grizzlies favor. Junior quarterback Drew McGuire threw his first touchdown of the game pushing the lead to 14-0.
McCallum finally woke up towards the end of the first quarter as Junior quarterback Cole Davis threw a red zone touchdown to Junior wide receiver Darius Lewis. They held firm in the second quarter as Cole Davis utilized his legs for an eighteen yard touchdown to tie the game up at fourteen a piece heading into halftime.
With Glenn’s offensive struggles in the third quarter Cole Davis got his second rushing touchdown of the game as the Knights took their first lead of the game 20-14. The game slowed down as each team slowed each other down.
On fourth down with 4:01 left in the third quarter Senior running back Lamont Slade got a much needed first down for the grizzlies. Julian Morris thanked him moments later to take back the lead 21-20.
It all came down to the fourth quarter as Cole Davis started off after a failed onside kick attempt. Davis threw a twenty-five yard touchdown to Senior Cruz Escobar for a tug a war battle for the lead 26-21, Glenn was able to intercept the pass on the two point conversion via Samuel Martin.
Glenn was thinking touchdown but McCallum had other plans taking the ball away. The excitement continued for Glen as they made two behind the scrimmage plays. A bad snap for the Knights closed the lead to a field goal.
Samuel Martin again showed up in the game taking an explosive touchdown pass to give the Grizzlies 30-26.
Cole Davis got his chance to take advantage on a potential game winning drive. Davis hit Takai Satberry for a long play that ended at the Grizzlies twenty-five yard line. Fortunately for Glenn they held firm on fourth down to secure their first win of the season.

Texas escapes Tulsa

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in UT FOOTBALL.

Texas pulled out an ugly win against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes 28-21 Saturday to even their record to 1-1. The Golden Hurricanes missed three field goals and had two turnovers.  Lil Jordan Humphrey took over the offense with seven receptions, one hundred and seven yards, including a touchdown. Sam Ehlinger used his legs to clinch the game in their last drive to convert the much needed first down to win their first game of the season.
The game got underway as Freshman Safety Caleb Sterns intercepted Tulsa’s quarterback Luke Skipper on the first play of the game. Ehlinger took advantaged completing a thirty six yarder to Humphrey at Tulsa’s one yard line then ran it into the endzone on the next play.
After a missed field goal and a few change of possessions Texas offense began to click. Four plays for fifty four yards is all it took to extend the lead. Keontay Ingram broke a tackle scoring from twenty nine yards out to make it 14-0, it seemed like it was going to be a blow out early.
And it sure looked that way as Safety Brandon Foster took the ball away from Skipper. Unfortunately Texas punted on their next two drives failing to keep their explosiveness going. It seemed the Golden Hurricanes were going to put some points on the board after a block punt in Texas territory, but they missed their second consecutive field goal.
Texas had a chance to score before halftime so they handed the start of the drive to the running back tandem Ingram and Watson. Texas was able to rush five times for thirty five yards. This opened up the pass for Humphrey for a tremendous forty yard touchdown to end the halftime 21-0.
Tulsa made some adjustments in the second half putting a scare on the Longhorns. They stopped the offense with two punts and a fumble before they put fourteen on the scoreboard cutting the lead to seven.

The Horns responded with their longest drive in the game going thirteen plays after Watson ran in for a touchdown giving them some breathing room 28-14. Of course it had to get interesting it’s college football. Tulsa came after that possession to cut it again to seven putting the horns into a crucial drive.
It all came down to third and one at their own forty yard line. The game was on the line. The game turned to Ehlinger as he rushed for three yards to keep the game going and the clock moving. Daniel Young entered the game for the Longhorns rushing for 9, 30, 2 clinching the win. An ugly loss but wins are just that wins

Tarps take down Horns. Again!

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in Football, UT FOOTBALL.

Texas allowed one to slip away Saturday to open up the season against Maryland losing 34-29 at FedEx Field home of the Redskins. Maryland freshman Jeshaun Jones showed out with his own hat trick catching, throwing, and running for a touchdown. The game began with a moment of silence for the Maryland’s fallen teammate Jordan McNair who died of a heat stroke in the spring. Once it all started the revenge game from last year’s upset loss slowly went out of reach. Where did it all go wrong?
On their first possession, Maryland exploded with a few big plays that put Texas on their heels with a Taivon Jacobs twenty-three yard pass then Jeshaun Jones capped off the drive with a twenty-eight yard run into the endzone. The defense was unable to figure out what was going on early on.
After back to back punts Texas gained great field position as Brandon Jones returned it to the Maryland’s thirty-nine yard line. The Longhorns on their very first play, Sam Ehlinger connected with Devin Duvernay for thirty-nine yards to tie the game 7-7. It seemed the game was evenly matched with each team creating big plays against the defense early.
Jeshaun Jones would keep it going catching a Kasim Hill sixty five yard touchdown by the eight minute mark of the first quarter. Maryland ran away with the game in the second quarter once Jeshaun Jones threw a touchdown to Jaivon Jacobs to take a 24-7 lead.
The ejection of linebacker Gary Johnson and the first half suspension of Anthony Wheeler contributed to a decimated defense.
Texas responded with a Keontay Ingram touchdown, a Terp’s safety, and a beautiful throw to a leaping Colin Johnson to trim the lead 24-22 that changed the momentum of the game at halftime.
The third quarter went underway as both defenses held firm to force punts. Texas was able to stop the Terps on a fourth down when Hill attempted to run for the first down. Sam Ehlinger came out and completed another completion to Colin Johnson at the two yard line. Kyle Porter stepped into the endzone to give the Horns their very first lead of the game 29-24 towards the end of the quarter.
The elements came at the beginning of the fourth to cause an almost ninety minute weather delay. After mother nature left the Terp’s went on an eleven play drive to take back the lead. Tayon Fleet-Davis scored on a seventeen yard run that took a ton of time off the game clock.
Impatiently Texas tried to come back forcing an interception and a fumble with less than five minutes left in the game.
Maryland was able to squeeze a field goal to go up by five and made the decision to run out the clock that Texas was able to stop with three minutes left to play to give the Horns one more drive for a comeback win.
Ehlinger completed a seventeen yard completion to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey to midfield and a fourth down thirteen yard conversion to Duvernay. It looked like a Ehlinger game winning drive, but on their final play he rushed out to the right side of the field launched it over his intended receiver’s head and was caught by a Maryland secondary player; A gut blowing loss to start the season.

Bowie over Pflugerville at the Pfield

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

The Pflugerville Panthers and the Bowie Bulldogs took it to the grid iron Friday night as the Bulldogs won handily 45-13 at Pfield. In a combined effort Trinidad Sanders accounted for four touchdowns; three through the air and one on the ground for Bowie. Bowie’s running back Kyle Carter contributed two long rushing touchdowns.
The game started off on a slow start as both teams went three and out on the game’s first three series. Once Bowie settled into their offense Sanders found Jackson Lord for the first score of the game. Their defense forced another punt for the Panthers and started again with great field position. Sanders continued where he left with another forty yarder to Jayden York and used his legs to extend the Bowie Bulldogs to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Panthers finally past the fifty in the second quarter with the help of senior running back Ik Evbayiro and freshman running back Elijah Oakmon. Oakmon helped the Panthers with a 43 yard reception right before he went into the endzone falling on the one yard line. He would then make up for it getting in the endzone to score their first points of the game.
Sanders would then lead the offense swiftly into Panthers territory running for thirty three yards. He shared the wealth handing it off to Kyle Carter on the eleven yard line to improve their lead 28-7.
Panthers attempted to make an effort to keep up but Bowie’s Terrance Durst intercepted the ball at the forty one yard line. Again Sanders easily led the Bulldogs to a 35-7 lead right before halftime.
The third quarter was underway as Bowie continued their control of the game. Jackson Lord took a thirty one yard reception and Kyle Carter used his legs to run through the Panther’s defense to score his second rushing touchdown of the game.
The Panther’s defense wasn’t prepared for the high powered Bulldog’s offense giving up multiple big plays throughout the game. The game slowed down and by the end of the third quarter Bowie rewarded their starters by keeping them out the rest of the game once the fourth quarter began.
Bowie will look to keep it going against the Madison Mavericks while Pflugerville will look to get their first win against the Leander Lions.

Fantasy Football is Back

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

Fantasy football is back.

The owners have sent out their memos to all returnees from the previous season. Dues have been paid and the previous champ has been bragging all year about how unbeatable he is. It’s time to get ready for the draft.
Zeke Elliot or Todd Gurley? Could David Johnson be a dark house for the top pick. Leveon Bell has been holding out for a new contract and things are getting a little dicey in Pittsburgh. How high can Antonio Brown go? And is Alvin Kamara ready to lead your team as a sleeper pick from his unbelievable rookie season?
This fantasy season is very intriguing as if it isn’t right? The first round of this year’s draft is pretty cut and dry with maybe a few new names. More names are crawling up the draft board like Saints receiver Michael Thomas and his teammate from the above paragraph in Kamara.
There are multiple strategies to winning you can go RB-RB in the first two rounds, RB-WR, and maybe even WR-WR if you take Antonio Brown first and all the top tier RB’s are off the board.
Let’s say you select somewhere in the middle of your draft order in a twelve team league. The top three are off the board and of course Antonio Brown is gone as well. Where do you go from there? Saquon Barkley and Leonard Fournette are intriguing names or maybe you go OBJ or DeAndre Hopkins. The first round is always volume usage and whoever builds on yardage and stats. In this point in time it’s better to go running back. Barkley is believed to be ready to carry the load in New York and Alvin Kamara is ready to take the baton from Mark Ingram. Go ahead and take the proven commodity in Kamara. With Ingram suspended for four games, it’s a guaranteed lock he’ll see a heavy production this season. Drew Brees is still slinging the ball so you know the Saints offense will easily produce.
Always go for the big value and for sure production in the first round. You don’t have to be fancy just pick the logical pick. Save it for the fifth through ninth rounds.
You can wait on the decision to draft a quarterback in the fourth or even the fifth depending how your draft plays out. Rogers, Wilson, and Brady can wait go stack yourself on the runningback and receiver position. According to the ESPN fantasy website Keenan Allen had almost same amount of fantasy production as Tom Brady. Yes the positions are different but make sure you have enough ammo in the runningback and receiver positions before you splash on a quarterback. Philip Rivers is a considerable option in the later rounds with as much a QB1 as you can get without sacrificing your choice of playmakers.
Like every season comes with new players changing sceneries. Kirk Cousins is the prime candidate for such a case along with Jerrick Mckinnon and Jarvis Landry. When do you take a flyer on these guys. Mckinnon is a great option for a quality number two back as well as your flex player. Jarvis Landry is your steal in the mid rounds. Josh Gordon will take some time comeback so there will be plenty of looks coming Landry’s way in the beginning of the year. Cousins can be thought with same quarterback strategy in the draft. You don’t have to stress about it early. Make your selections thoughtfully and you’ll be stable.
There are two tight ends who have WR1 or WR2 value and they can have a significant impact sending your team deep in the playoffs. Gronk and Kelce have the ability to average fifteen points on your team. If they are available to you in the mid second consider them or even at the end of the third don’t even hesitate. These two players and throwing Ertz from the Eagles in to the mix will give you the equivalent of a WR1/RB2 in your lineup. Let’s say that one of your starting RB or WR is either out or on a bye week. This gives you enough flexibility to steal out a win during midseason which has important implications for playoff berths. Everything counts.
The more powerful your bench is the more opportunities you will receive in trades. For example you stocked your stable of runningbacks but maybe a little weak on your WR2 position. The waiver wire is uncertain and you don’t need to release a bench player for an inconsistent player. So what are your options? You have more leverage in this scenario. You can trade your third running back for that receiver you need and don’t have to break your line up.
Always set yourself up with the best outcome and consider the untradeable players you had at the end of the year if the right trade comes available. That one trade can give you wins down the road if you don’t know how to get over the hump. If you believe you don’t have the best team look for ways to improve it. Go small and work your way up.
That trophy is on the line, anyone can win it, why can’t it be you? It’s your year.
Texas Sports Monthly

The Heat of Hutto Hippos

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL, TEXAS SPORTS.

The dry Texas heat, the grass clippings, the pairs of cleats stabbing the dirt, and the yelling from coaches  to play with more effort. It’s football season folks. On the outskirts of Austin lies Hutto a rural town that supports their Hippos, last season brought execution and success into the playoffs for this team.
A lot has changed for the school most notably a new coaching era. Meet Coach Brad Laplante, the former offensive coordinator who takes over the reins from recent retired Coach Steve Van Meter. Van Meter led the Hippos to a very impressive 11-2 record before losing to Fort Bend Marshall 35-32. Hutto is believed to be in great hands in Laplante who has great admiration for his formal coach.
“Coach VanMeter is a person that I will forever be thankful that our paths crossed.  God put us in the position to meet when coaching colleagues of mine informed Coach Van about me and he trusted the coach and person I was during our interview.  Coach got here in 2013, and after 1 season, I arrived to work with him.  Our discipline, leadership, academics, standards, and level of play all rose because of his leadership, the good families we get to work with, and because of the good staff he put together here at Hutto.  His biggest influence for his players and coaching staff was to have us all trust each other and “do what’s in your wheelhouse.”  He wanted us all to be who we were and embrace that.  Love that man.”
 
This will be Coach Laplante’s third coaching gig. Not much will change but he will get creative putting his players to make plays this upcoming season.
”Coach VanMeter and I worked side by side to instill our offensive philosophy, develop plays, and put our players in position to succeed.  We lost 3 very good senior starters on offense.  Other players will be asked to play an expanded role, some players may play both sides of the ball, and the experienced players coming back have great leadership to help out the new guys.  As our team moves forward, we will be better because our defense continues to improve, and last spring ran to the ball really well.  We don’t need to play mistake-free ball, but we hurt ourselves in the losses we had last year.”
A lot of that responsibility falls on junior quarterback Chase Griffin. Griffin recently committed to UCLA and looks to add to his resume this season. Making smart decisions and controlling the game is crucial for the quarterback to put points on the scoreboard. The past two seasons he has limited his mistakes committing less than ten interceptions in each of those seasons.

“Chase is the most complete QB on and off the field I have had the absolute pleasure to coach.  Elite players make the other players better around them.  His numbers, production, limit of turnovers won’t need to improve.  His leadership, we expect, will rise to another level this year, and he will make other players around him better.  For us to go deeper than we ever have, his checks at the line of scrimmage will need to be on point, and his ability to read the pocket pressure and get the ball out quickly will serve him well.”

It all starts in the off-season, practice, as well as the weight room. And it all starts with the coach.
“My vision for this season is to watch our players and see them play so hard, that I never have to question what the scoreboard says.  The excitement level has to be high each and every day.  Good, mature players understand that everything we do matters as a team, and everything we do is for the success of the team.  I would love for our practice intensity to grow, and our football IQ to grow so we don’t understand just the play/coverage etc., but we understand the concept of it as a whole.  We have had an awesome off-season.  Our players have been hungry in the weight room, we did well in lineman challenges, our guys have shown out at camps, and we were very successful at 7 on 7.  When our players work hard, positively affect the others around them, and play at their highest level, we are a tough group to beat.”
The Hippos open the season beginning with West Mesquite then go on to play Liberty Hill and Del Valle. Times are pretty exciting for the Hippo fans which expect a full house in every home game.
“As a head coach, my intention is to build on what our staff has been working on for 5 years.  It’s a great time to be a Hutto Hippo, but we can still raise the bar in academics, recruiting, and our play.  Our players have bought into #EverythingMatters!”
Everything will matter once they step on that field against Mesquite. One things for sure it all starts with their identity on both sides of the ball.
“Our style or brand of play won’t change, we may even try to play faster on offense.  Defensively 2 big goals are to be better in 1 on 1 coverage situations and stop the big play.  I truly believe teams will have a hard time moving the ball on our defense the length of the field without explosive plays.”
Everyone get ready. Central Texas high school football has come alive and is here to stay.