The 2016 Dragons are ready to tackle district 5-6A. Photo by SnappedDragons.com/S. Johnson
Flower Mound Jaguars - 9/23/16
Flower Mound has been a district bottom-feeder for years andbris coming off a one-win campaign. But the tide might be turning in the Jaguars'brfavor. Flower Mound has a new attitude and swagger thanks to first-year headbrcoach Brian Basil, who takes over the struggling program after 10 years atbrIrving MacArthur. A veteran coach, Basil has the experience and determinationbrto right the ship, but he will inherit an extremely young team this season. Thebrdefense, in particular, was marred by graduation as it returns just twobrstarters. Luckily for Flower Mound, one of those starters is junior linebackerbrConnor Lee. He recorded 107 tackles and two sacks and was named the DefensivebrSophomore of the Year last season. The unit will also receive a boost frombrdefensive end Brandon Bascue, who missed all of last season due to injury.brThere is some potential on offense as well. Basil is implementing his versionbrof the spread offense and has a couple of key pieces to the puzzle in runningbrback Ifeanyi Uzowihe and offensive lineman Eric Curl. Simply put, Flower Moundbrhas nowhere to go but up after last season.
Euless Trinity: 9/30/16
No Steve Lineweaver? No problem. Despite losing one of thebrmost iconic head coaches in Texas high school football history, Euless Trinitybrwas once again able to win a district title and advance to the state playoffsbr— knocking off the nation's top ranked football team, De La Salle ofbrCalifornia, in the process. But this year will present an even more dauntingbrchallenge. The Trojans must replace the majority of their offensive productionbrfollowing the graduation of quarterback Tyler Natee and running back Ja'RonbrWilson — the two combined for more than 3,200 yards of offense. Still, EulessbrTrinity will continue to do what it does best, and that's run the football andbroverpower the opposition in the trenches. Offensive lineman Manase Mose andbrdefensive lineman Chris Makahununiu will be expected to control the line ofbrscrimmage. Euless Trinity also has two of the most talented defensive backs inbrthe district in John Davis and Cameron Jones — both hold multiple FBS offers.brSpeedy back Courage Klein will replace Wilson at running back, while MalinibrMaile is the new starter under center. Neither has much experience, but thenbragain youth will be a problem all around. The Trojans return just seven totalbrstarters.
Lewisville Farmers: 10/7/16
Lewisville lost 49 total lettermen but brings back a goodbramount of starters back on both sides of the ball from a team that just missedbrmaking the playoffs last season. The Farmers will be highlighted by one of thebrmost prolific playmakers in not only the entire state but also the country.brAlabama wide receiver commit Tyrell Shavers is an absolute beast on thebroutside. Shavers stands at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds and runs a verified 4.38br40-yard dash. The freak athlete caught 53 passes for 1,081 yards and 10brtouchdowns and will constantly command double teams in Lewisville's Pistolbroffense. Lewisville, however, has yet to decide on a full-time quarterback tobrget Shavers the ball and lost some beef along the offensive line, includingbrTexas signee Denzel Okafor. Lewisville has five starters back in the fold inbrits 3-4 defense, but the Farmers must improve after surrendering more than 30brpoints per game last season. Senior defensive back Matthew Kibbey is thebrunquestioned leader of the unit after recording 104 tackles and earning firstbrteam all-district honors a year ago. Senior linebacker Ahmadric Pelican (101brtackles, 5.5 sacks) and defensive end Khristian Lee will also be keybrcontributors on defense.
Flower Mound Marcus Marauders: 10/14/16
Flower Mound Marcus is coming off a successful season thatbrsaw the Marauders rack up double digit victories and advance to the secondbrround of the state playoffs. But replicating last year's success might bebrasking too much. Flower Mound Marcus was hit hard by graduation. The Maraudersbrlost 56 lettermen, including Stanford tight end signee Kaden Smith and Texasbrdefensive end signee Andrew Fitzgerald. In total, Flower Mound Marcus bringsbrback just 10 returning lettermen. Youth will obviously be an issue, especiallybrearly in the season, but head coach Gerry Stanford is one of the best in thebrbusiness and knows what it takes to win. And it all starts on the defensivebrside of the ball. The Marauders run a 4-2-5 scheme similar to that of TCU,brwhich means they put a heavy emphasis on getting to the quarterback andbrpreventing big plays on the back end. Iowa cornerback commit Matt Hankins willbrlead the charge after notching 34 tackles and two interceptions a year ago.brFlower Mound Marcus runs a balanced offense. Quarterback Michael Henry andbrrunning back Aaron Kovacevich are new faces in the backfield, but both have thebrpotential to make Flower Mound Marcus a contender.
Trophy Club Byron Nelson Bobcats: 10/21/16
It's the beginning of a new era at Byron Nelson as TravisbrPride takes over at head coach after a successful stint at Mansfield Summitbrthat saw him compile a 49-31 overall record and lead the Jaguars to five statebrplayoff appearances. Pride has also been a head coach at Wichita Falls andbrhopes to take a solid Byron Nelson program that finished 6-5 last season onebrstep further. That, however, is much easier said than done. Pride inherits abrBobcats team that was decimated by graduation on defense. Byron Nelson returnsbrjust one starter in defensive tackle Tristan Allen, who will be counted upon tobrprovide plenty of senior leadership. Pride is installing a 3-4 defensive schemebrand will need his new faces to adapt quickly. Pride is also bringing his ownbrversion of the spread offense to Byron Nelson and has two big-time weapons inbrwide receivers Tyler Milliken and Pascal Mondombo. The two combined for 75brreceptions, 1,371 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns last season as Byron Nelsonbraveraged more than 30 points per game. If the Bobcats can grow up in a hurry onbrdefense and adjust to Pride's style, they could make some noise this year.
L.D. Bell Blue Raiders: 10/28/16
It was a rough start to the Mike Glaze tenure at L.D. Bellbrlast season as the Blue Raiders notched just one victory in his first year atbrthe helm. The Blue Raiders struggled in all facets of the game as they werebroutscored by an average of 25 points. But there is certainly reason forbroptimism this season. L.D. Bell is now familiar with Glaze's coaching style andbrschemes and brings back one of the most experienced teams in the district.brSeven starters return on both sides of the ball, respectfully, and the BluebrRaiders are ready to prove they can contend for a playoff spot. L.D. Bell runsbra balanced multiple attack on offense that will be centered around runningbrbacks Terry Pace and Ivan Traylor. Both ball carriers stand at 5-foot-6 but arebrelectric with the ball in their hands. Senior defensive back Nick Dillard andbrsenior defensive lineman Tevita Ahio will anchor the defense. L.D. Bell alsobrhas an X-factor in wide receiver/defensive back Christion Nealy, who will seebrtime on both sides of the ball. L.D. Bell should make strides this season, butbrit might take another year for the Blue Raiders to really have a breakoutbrseason.
Hebron Hawks: 11/4/2016
Hebron found a way to sneak in the playoffs last year andbrcould once again be a threat to reach the postseason. Yes, the Hawks are young,brreturning just five total starters, but they do have key players coming back atbrkey positions, including junior quarterback Clayton Tune. One of thebrDallas-area's most talented signal-callers, Tune passed for 1,825 yards and 21brtouchdowns as a sophomore. Tune, who was named the District 6-6A OffensivebrNewcomer of the Year last season, will be the focal point of the offense, butbrHebron's bread and butter has always been the running back. Veteran coach BrianbrBrazil still operates out of the I-formation and will lean on senior runningbrback Derian Vaughn. The 5-foot-9, 155-pounder is an elusive back that rushedbrfor 845 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago. On defense, Hebron returns justbrtwo starters, but they are now home to one of the state's biggest transfers inbrjunior cornerback Verone McKinley III. With more than 20 FBS offers to hisbrname, McKinley is a true shut down corner that will completely take away onebrside of the field in Hebron's 3-4 defensive scheme.