As summer begins to give way to the fall, football season looms on the horizon.
Southern Denton County produced a state champion and multiple playoff teams in 2024, and while most area programs were hit hard by graduation, 2025 still promises to be an exciting season.
The Liberty Christian football team won its second straight state championship last year, and coach Jason Witten said he believes his team could be in for another strong year.
“The Warrior football program enters the 2025 season with high expectations, coming off back-to-back state championship seasons and a 26-1 record over the last two seasons,” Witten said.
LCS went 12-1 on the season in 2024 and defeated Parish Episcopal in the state championship game.
The Warriors are one of the programs that was affected by graduation.
“Liberty Christian will be replacing all five starters on the offensive line and all four starters on the defensive line,” Witten said.
Top returners for the Warriors include quarterback Quinn Murphy and versatile receiver-linebacker Cooper Witten, who will contribute on both sides of the ball.
Coming off two straight state title runs, the Warriors will have their work cut out to make it three in a row.
“It will be a tall task for us to repeat as state champions in 2025,” Witten said. “Our district is the toughest in the state and is made up of two talented programs: Prestonwood Christian and Parish Episcopal. We will need to improve quickly on the offensive and defensive line.”
Down the road at Argyle High School, the Eagles had another strong season in 2024 as well, going 13-2 and reaching the state semifinals before falling to South Oak Cliff.
The Eagles reached the postseason for the 21st consecutive time in 2024, and coach Todd Rodgers’ team was not impacted by graduation as much.
“I love the experience of our team, especially the offense,” Rodgers said. “Seven offensive starters and six defensive starters return– proven explosive players that can change the game on one play.”
Some of the top returners for the Eagles include quarterback Maguire Gasperson, receiver Julian Caldwell, tight end Braden Bach, safety Nathaniel Bruce, linebacker Max Bland and running back Watson Bell.
Rodgers said that Argyle did graduate some great leaders and players, but return several dynamic players that have looked sharp this spring.
“We must continue to mature and grow as a team,” Rodgers said. “If we avoid the injuries that plagued us last year, we should qualify for the playoffs and have a good showing.”
Rodgers said he anticipates Mansfield Timberview and Colleyville Heritage, the first two district matchups for the Eagles, to be Argyle’s toughest district opponents.
Up in Denton, the Guyer Wildcats finished 10-4 overall in 2024, and assistant coach Willie Williams said things are shaping up well for 2025.
“We feel that we had a fairly successful season last year, advancing to the fourth round of the playoffs,” Williams said. “As a program, we expect to make those kinds of runs, and we were disappointed because we felt we had a team that could have advanced further. We expect to contend again this year. We have had a great offseason, spring training, and summer work.”
The Wildcats did lose one of their biggest weapons (DJ Reese/ACL) during spring training, so someone will have to step up to try to fill his shoes, but Guyer returns 3 offensive and 7 defensive starters
“The biggest difference between last year’s team and this year’s team is that we have very little offensive experience and quite a bit of defensive experience,” Williams said.
Players to watch include running back Kaedyn Cobbs, receiver Corbin Glasco, center Adriano Nevarez, defensive lineman Khyren Haywood, edge Zane Rowe, linebacker Ryder Garcia and linebacker Caleb Fowler.
Williams expects Coppell and Lewisville will be Guyer’s most difficult district opponents, and said it will take two things for the Wildcats to repeat upon what they were able to accomplish last season.
“In order for us to be successful this year, we will have to have a dominating defense, and our offense will need to get to clicking on all cylinders,” Williams said.
Over in Flower Mound, the Jaguars finished 5-5 last season, and coach Brian Basil said the biggest obstacle his team faced was staying healthy.
“We got off to a great start last year, but lost some momentum towards the end of the season with injuries,” Basil said. “We have established some depth on both sides of the ball with the development of some great young players from our 9th grade and JV teams. We have 5 offensive starters and 5 defensive starters returning.”
The Jaguars’ offensive line was hit pretty hard by graduation, as it lost four starters, as well as three starting defensive linemen.
“We are counting on several young players to step into those roles,” Basil said.
Players to watch for Flower Mound this coming season include quarterback Drew Evers and receiver Carter Massey.
Basil said that Guyer, Lewisville and Coppell will likely be his team’s most difficult opponents this season, and said that to reach the playoffs, his team will need to focus on execution.
“We have to consistently play at a high level throughout the season,” Basil said.
Over at Marcus, the Marauders finished 6-4 overall last season and missed the playoffs by one spot.
Coach Mike Alexander said things are looking pretty good for his team as the season approaches.
“We are excited to return 7 offensive and 7 defensive starters, highlighted by our QB (Colton Nussmeier) and entire offensive line returning,” Alexander said
Those linemen include Rhett Harmon, Matthew Wollett, Grant Gauger, Jimmy Graham and Francisco Adams.
Alexander said he believes that his team is capable of qualifying for the postseason in 2025.
“We are in year three of learning our defense and year two of our offensive system,” Alexander said. “With that and returning over half of our starters, we should be an improved team.”
Defensively, look for cornerback Brad Ume-Ezeoke, safety Easton Mitchell, safety Brady Moore, defensive lineman Liam Hoskins and defensive lineman Will Harrison to lead the way.
Also keep an eye on receiver/defensive back Jameson Mayfield, receiver/return specialist Austin Allen and receiver Peyton Belton.
Alexander also expects Guyer to be the team to beat in district this coming season, and said the recipe to earn a playoff spot involves two key ingredients.
“Stay healthy and play the most disciplined brand of football we possibly can,” Alexander said.
Over in Justin, the Northwest Texans return a total of 9 starters (4 offensive, 5 defensive) from a program that finished 6-4 during the regular season in 2024 and lost in the bi-district round to Crowley.
Coach Billy Poe said he was pleased with what his team was able to accomplish in 2024 and expects more of the same this season.
“I’m proud of last year’s group for achieving the results they did after being moved back up into the 6A classification,” Poe said. “We have a good nucleus of starters returning on this year’s squad that will help carry the torch.”
Players to watch for the Texans this season include linebacker Tristan Clutter, safety Kaden Olson, defensive lineman Prince Ngum, defensive end Uriah Crawford, receiver Tyler Singer and running back Caris Sela.
Northwest was hit hard by graduation up front, as the Texans return just one starting offensive lineman (Jace Mitcham) from last year’s team.
Poe said the O-line will be pivotal this coming season.
“Their growth as we go along will have a huge impact on our success,” Poe said.
The Northwest coach said Southlake Carroll will be his team’s toughest district game this coming season and said to make the playoffs, he will need to see “growth and maturity in our inexperienced players.”
