The Champion Gridiron Kings event being held at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex from Friday until Sunday will feature 10 Texas HS Football Players. They are as followed:

Tony Brown, CB – Beaumont Ozen (2014)
Deon Hollins, OLB – Fort Bend Marshall
Devante Kincade, QB – Dallas Skyline
Mike Mitchell, OLB – Plano Prestonwood
Jake Oliver,  WR – Dallas Jesuit
Ra’Shaad Samples, WR – Dallas Skyline
Maurice Smith, CB – Fort Bend Dulles
Durham Smythe, TE – Belton
Jacorey Warrick, WR – Cypress Falls
Dontre Wilson, RB – DeSoto

Beaumont Ozen’s Tony Brown is one of two 2014 players that have been invited to Gridiron Kings event.   Virginia Beach (VA) Bayside saety Quin Blanding is the other 2014 player on the roster.

Championship Game airs live on ESPN3 Sunday at 11am CT and tape delay on ESPNU Sunday at 6pm CT

Pool A
Pflugerville Connally
Austin Bowie
Temple
Waco

Pool B
Bastrop Cedar Creek
Marble Falls
Copperas Cove
Belton**

Pool C
Elgin
Killeen
Grand Prairie
Lake Travis**

Pool D
Georgetown
Pflugerville Hendrickson
Cedar Park Vista Ridge
Killeen Shoemaker

Pool Play begins at 9:00am; Semifinals start at 1:15pm
** Belton and Lake Travis have already qualified for the State Tournament and cannot advance past pool play.
Click Here for a Complete List of State 7on7 Tournament Qualifiers and Upcoming Tournaments

Pool A
Lake Travis**
Belton
Georgetown
RR Cedar Ridge

Pool B
Copperas Cove
Austin Bowie
Leander Rouse
Elgin

Pool C
Austin High
Pflugerville Hendrickson
CP Vista Ridge
Hays Consolidated

Pool D
RR Stony Point
Cedar Park
Dripping Springs
Austin McCallum

** Lake Travis & RR Westwood cannot advance past pool play; already have qualified for State 7on7 Tournament 

Thanks to our friends at Friday Night Fanstand! 

Three Texas HS Football coaches have been named to the U.S. National Team U-19 Coaching Staff for the upcoming IFAF U-19 World Championships that will take place at Burger Center in Austin from June 30-July 7. Team USA will face American Samoa in their opening round match up on June 30.

The three Texas HS Football coaches are as followed:

Greg McCaig (Cypress Creek – Head Coach)
McCaig has been a head coach for 15 seasons, including the last 10 at Cypress Creek, where he is 56-50. He also was the head coach at Houston Stratford and Giddings high schools, compiling an 86-75 overall record with six playoff appearances. He is a four-time District Coach of the Year and past president of the Texas State 7 on 7 Association.

Charlie Ward (Houston Westbury Christian – Head Coach)
In four seasons at Westbury Christian, Ward is 17-23, including a 5-6 mark in 2011. The former Florida State quarterback won the national championship and Heisman Trophy in 1993 before embarking on an 11-year career in the NBA. Ward took over Westbury Christian in 2008 after a year as an assistant coach.

L.D. Williams ( RR Westwood – OL Coach) 
Williams has been a high school football coach for 23 years and will embark on his first season at Austin (Texas) Westwood High School in 2012 as offensive coordinator. Previously, as head coach at Austin High School, he led the Maroons to back-to-back Texas Class 5A playoffs (2010-11). Williams also spent 19 years at Leander High School as offensive coordinator, reaching the regional finals in 2002. He served as an instructor at the U.S. Under-19 Regional Trials last February in Austin.

Currently named to the U.S. National Team player roster are four current Texas HS Football players:
LB Reggie Chevis (Houston Sharpstown)
LB Sammy Douglas (Arlington)
TE Durham Smythe (Belton)
WR Desmond Wyatt (RR Westwood)

portions of information courtesy of USA Football

USA Football has added two Texas HS Football linebackers to the National Team roster for the 2012 U-19 IFAF World Championships.

Houston Sharpstown LB Reggie Chevis and Arlington LB Sammy Douglas have been added by USA Football for the event at Burger Center in Austin from June 30-July 7.

As a junior in 2011, Chevis registered 12 sacks and 102 tackles. The 6-2, 247-pound linebacker has received offers from Baylor, Boise State, LSU, Houston and Texas A&M. Chevis is ranked 52nd on the 2013 Texas HS Football Elite Top 200.

Douglas was an all-district linebacker last fall as a junior, recording 148 tackles, six sacks, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Verbally committed to TCU, Douglas at 6-2, 180 is a tall, athletic player who can make plays all over the field. Douglas is ranked 85th on the 2013 Texas HS Football Elite 200.

Douglas and Chevis join Round Rock Westwood WR Desmond Wyatt and Belton TE Durham Smythe on the National Team roster.

In an ongoing series over the next few weeks, we will be take an early look at the 2012 Season and examine the depth chart region by region on both sides of the ball. In this edition, the early look focuses on Class 5A Region I Defense. Keep in mind, while we recognize there are a good number of other prospects, this is a general look and feeler for what lies ahead in the 2012 season.

Defensive Tackles
Looking at defensive tackle in 5A Region I, it would be hard not to look in the direction of the Euless Trinity Trojans and the Trojans do have two players at the position to keep an eye on. Gaius Vaenuku, a 2013 prospect and Hafoka Olie, a 2014 prospect, are the two Trojans to watch. Harker Heights’ Darius James, EP El Dorado’s Trey Smith and Midland Lee’s Wayne Roberson also key players to watch in the region. Overall, defensive tackle is not as deep as most would expect within the region, but there are still a number of quality players that will be entering the spotlight in a big way.

Defensive Ends
The depth chart at the region’s defensive end spot is not only competitive but it is very balanced between 2013 and 2014. Coppell’s William Udeh and Levini Vili of Hurst LD Bell are two of the big names to key in on for the Class of 2013. Players out of the 2014 class to watch are Myles Garrett from Arlington Martin, Jake McMillon from Abilene and Xavier Washington from Cedar Hill. It is very possible the DE 5A Region I 2014 class will be better overall than the 2013 class in terms of talent, depth and intangibles.

Inside Linebackers
The class of 2013 for inside linebackers is be one that can be a very hungry and late blooming group. That said, there is good talent and depth in the region at the position up for grabs among the FBS and FCS schools. Look for players such as Mansfield’s Chad Whitener, Belton’s Ryan Stinson, DeSoto’s Taylor Young, Odessa Permian’s Tanner Vestal to be on the rise up the watch list from a statewide perspective. Looking at underclassmen, Amarillo Tascosa’s Austyn Beesley and Killeen Harker Heights’ Jonte Burton are a pair of names to grind and focus on.

Outside Linebackers
Already a pair of 2013 commits out of the 5A Region I Outside Linebacker position with Naashon Hughes of Killeen Harker Heights to Texas and Sammy Douglas of Arlington to TCU. This year in 5A Region I, there will be some elite players that will blossom much like the inside linebacker position, but there are already some names that could ones to watch in the overall recruiting scene. Mansfield’s Ryan LeRoy and Copperas Cove’s Darius McClinton come to mind out of that group. A pair of 2015 guys to watch includes Cedar Hill’s Richard Moore and Midlothian’s Mason Quinn.

Cornerbacks
Overall for cornerbacks, 5A Region I has certainly what some could call a mixed bag. Not an overall impressive group but a fairly decent group of players to watch in the region. West Texas certain has some talented players that are up and coming including Nate Kittley from Abilene, Fred Lawrence from cross-town rival Abilene Cooper and Jacob Chavez from EP Montwood. DeSoto’s Zach White is another name to watch out for of the cornerbacks for 2013. A 2014 name to watch would be Mansfield Timberview’s Edward Paris. The question remains for the cornerbacks in the region is whether they are ready to step up and bring their “A Game” on a week in, week out basis.

Safeties
The safety position is probably one of the deeper and more impressive groups on the defensive side of the ball and possibly both sides when it comes to evaluating an entire region such as 5A Region I. Not only is the 2013 class fairly deep in talent, the 2014 class also has some up and coming players that could prove to be a difference maker. The 2013 class has players like Southlake Carroll’s Tanner Jacobson, Mansfield’s George Baltimore and Timberview’s Trevor Walker alongside Midland’s Brent Stewart looking to be the guy on defense and the end of the line for opposing offenses. Out of the 2014 class, watch for Arlington Bowie’s Edwin Freeman and DeSoto’s Nick Orr to be a hot commodity by the end of the year.

If you have a prospect we missed in this article and would like to see us include in the very near future, please feel free to chime in or drop us an e-mail to football@texashsfootball.com.

In an ongoing series over the next few weeks, we will be take an early look at the 2012 Season and examine the depth chart region by region on both sides of the ball. In this edition, the early look focuses on Class 5A Region I Offense. Keep in mind, while we recognize there are a good number of other prospects, this is a general look and feeler for what lies ahead in the 2012 season.

Quarterbacks
Taking a look at the offensive side of the ball, there are some high profile 2013 prospects residing in 5A Region I, which is usually the case year in year out. Southlake Carroll’s Kenny Hill and Colleyville Heritage’s Cody Thomas lead the pack of quarterback prospects while Keller’s Davis Webb, Abilene’s Evin Abbe and Cedar Hill’s Damion Hobbs look to make their own names known. Overall a very good quarterback class for 2013.

Running Backs
Much like the  quarterback class, the running back depth chart is top heavy for the 2013 class with a number of up and coming 2014 backs to keep and eye out for. Texas A&M commit and Cedar Hill’s LaQuivonte Gonzales is the headliner for running backs along with DeSoto’s Dontre Wilson. Other names to keep an eye on in the region include Arlington Martin’s Kyle Hicks, Mansfield’s Kenneth Burks, and EP Coronado’s Bobby Chacon, who is a 2014 talent.

Wide Receivers
Wide receivers, year in year out are plentiful, the 2013 class is no different. The fact that 11 overall wide receivers statewide have committed to a D1 school by March 14, should give a strong indicator. One of those 11 committed wide outs have come out of the region. Cedar Hill’s Quincy Adeboyejo committed to Texas A&M alongside his fellow teammate LaQuivonte Gonzales on March 8. Look out for EP Bel Air’s Dylan Hunt and Amarillo Tascosa’s Payton Brooks to have very big years.

Tight Ends
In the age of the spread offense, the tight end position is becoming more and more, a luxury position to recruit and grab college-ready and college-built players out of the pack. 5A Region I does have two of the state’s top tight ends and possibly the nation. Mansfield’s Trent Gow and Belton’s Durham Smythe, who committed to Texas on March 8. Others to watch includes Copperas Cove’s Girod Fluellen and Coppell’s Josh Self.

Offensive Tackles
The offensive tackle spot is not as strong in 5A Region I this year as it has been in recent years, but there are still plenty of tackles in the region to watch. Hurst LD Bell’s Jesse Robinson, EP Franklin’s Connor Potts and Southlake Carroll’s Cam Manning are three names for starters. The future is already bright at the position with Xavier Washington from Cedar Hill, who is a 2014 prospect alongside Kris Thigpen from Arlington Bowie. A pair of 2015 players to watch are Hebron’s Zach Rogers and Keller’s Tristian Tehuna.

Offensive Guards
Much like offensive tackle, the offensive guard spot, not as strong as it has been in recent years but it does have it’s strong suitors ready for battle and ready to take the step to the next level. A couple names to watch includes Arlington Martin’s Alex Riley and Denton Ryan’s Matt Griffen. Keeping a watch on Cedar Hill’s Korliss Johnson and Keller Central’s Josh Maronski could be a wise choice for college recruiters. Johnson is the top 2014 prospect to keep a watch on.

Centers
The Class of 2013 is an above average year in the state and in 5A Region I when it comes to college prospects at the center position. A few of the names to watch this season among those centers includes Cedar Hill’s Anthony Pullins, Abilene’s Chantz Anderson and Mansfield’s Austin Davis. Irving’s Jaxon Salinas and Harker Heights’ Darius James should also project to make a major impact on their teams and their playoff chances in 2012.

If you have a prospect we missed in this article and would like to see us include in the very near future, please feel free to chime in or drop us an e-mail to football@texashsfootball.com.