San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
3 UP FOR HIGHEST HONOR
Dubose, Gonzales and Peoples are finalists for Express-News Player of the Year
Editor’s note:
Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year will be revealed at an awards banquet planned for June. Finalists for the Player of the Year are recognized here.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
ASHTON DUBOSE
School, position:
Brennan, quarterback
Class: Senior
Notable: Completed 182 of 250 passes for 3,163 yards and 35 touchdowns. … Rushed 91 times for 544 yards and 13 touchdowns. … Set the city record for career passing yards (9,433), surpassing Somerset’s Stevie Joe Dorman’s 9,253 yards (2007-10). … District 29-6A Offensive MVP. … 2021 Express-News All-Area Offensive Player of the Year.
JACOB GONZALES School, position: Harlan,
running back
Class: Senior
Notable: Rushed for 1,797 yards and 25 touchdowns on 234 carries. … Caught 25 passes for 466 yards and seven touchdowns. … Unanimous District 29-6A selection.
JAMES PEOPLES School, position:
San Antonio Veterans Memorial, running back Class: Junior
Notable: Rushed for 1,904 yards and 28 touchdowns on 191 carries. … District 13-5A-I co-MVP (with Liberty Hill’s Noah Long). … Holds offers from 21 schools, including Alabama, TCU, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma … Ranked No. 11 in Texas by recruiting website 247Sports.com for the 2024 class.
COACH OF THE YEAR CHE HENDRIX
School:
Notable:
Boerne
Led Boerne to the Class 4A Division I state championship for the first time.… The Greyhounds finished 15-1 after a 24-21 loss to China Spring in the state championship … Before this year, the Greyhounds had been to the state semifinals once and hadn’t won more than 12 games in a season.
Also considered for E-N honor: Poth’s Jeff Luna.
CLASS 6A ALL-AREA OFFENSE QUARTERBACKS KK BRASHEARS
School:
Class:
Notable:
Stevens
Senior
Completed 130 of 231 passes for 2,053 yards and 17 touchdowns. … Rushed for 661 yards and 12 touchdowns on 93 carries.
ASHTON DUBOSE
School: Brennan
Class: Senior
Notable: Offensive Player of the Year finalist.
TY HAWKINS
School: Johnson
Class: Sophomore
Notable: Completed 130 of 224 passes for 2,167 yards and 30 touchdowns. … Rushed for a team-best 920 yards and eight touchdowns on 99 carries. … District 28-6A Offensive MVP.
RUNNING BACKS T.J. ANDREWS School:
Class:
Notable:
Taft
Senior
Rushed for 1,666 yards and 17 touchdowns on 190 carries.
JAYDON BAILEY School:
Class:
Notable:
Steele
Senior
Rushed for 1,778 yards and 31 touchdowns on 262 carries. … District 27-6A Offensive MVP.
JACOB GONZALES School:
Class:
Notable:
Harlan
Senior
Offensive Player of the Year finalist.
RECEIVERS AVRON CARTER School:
Brennan
Class: Senior
Notable: Caught 56 passes for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns. … Rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. AARON DUBOSE
School: Brennan
Class: Senior
Notable: Caught 58 passes for 995 yards and 10 touchdowns.
ANTHONY EVANS School:
Class:
Notable:
Judson
Senior
Caught 66 passes for 880 yards and eight touchdowns. … Signed with Georgia.
DARIAN HOLMES School:
Class:
Notable:
Warren
Senior
Caught 81 passes for 1,275 yards and 18 touchdowns.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
GAVIN ESPINOZA
School: New Braunfels
Grade: Junior
Notable: Recorded 56 pancakes.
ETHAN HART
School: Madison
Class: Senior
Notable: Graded at 85 percent. … Madison’s best rush and pass blocker. … District 28-6A first team.
DEVEN NIXON
School: Steele
Class: Junior
Notable: Graded at 91 percent. … Top offensive lineman on team that averaged 228.1 rushing yards and 206.1 passing yards.
EDDIE SOEFJE
School: Clark
Class: Senior
Notable: Recorded 17 pancake blocks and was a District 28-6A first-team selection for the second straight season.
TIGHT END
LANDON MARSH
School: New Braunfels
Class: Senior
Notable: Caught 53 passes for 785 yards and nine touchdowns.
KICKER
KAMERON VAN PROOYEN School:
Class:
Notable:
Churchill
Senior
Made 13 of 15 field goal attempts, with a long of 42 yards. … Converted all 20 extra-point attempts.
SUB-6A ALL-AREA OFFENSE QUARTERBACKS DEUCE ADAMS
School:
Class:
Notable:
New Braunfels Canyon Junior
Completed 216 of 327 passes for 3,007 yards and 34 touchdowns. … District 12-5A-I Offensive MVP.
JAXON BAIZE School: Class: Notable:
Boerne
Sophomore
Completed 252 of 369 passes for 3,575 yards and 53 touchdowns. … District 14-4A-I Offensive MVP.
JAYCE TOSCANO
School: Antonian
Class: Junior
Notable: Completed 183 of 279 passes for 2,575 yards and 30 touchdowns. … TAPPS All-State.
RUNNING BACKS
SHASTIN GOLDEN
School: Davenport
Class: Senior
Notable: Rushed for 2,168 yards and 26 touchdowns on 266 carries. … Caught 16 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. ... District 13-4A-I Offensive MVP.
JAMES PEOPLES School:
San Antonio Veterans Memorial
Class: Junior
Notable: Offensive Player of the Year finalist.
ETHAN SANTOS
School: Devine
Class: Senior
Notable: Rushed for 1,842 yards and 27 touchdowns. … Had 301 yards and five touchdowns receiving … District 14-4A-II MVP.
RECEIVERS RETT ANDERSEN
School: Alamo Heights
Class: Senior
Notable: Caught 50 passes for 979 yards and 21 touchdowns. … Returned 13 punts for a 33.7 average and four touchdowns. … District 14-5A-II Offensive MVP. BRADEN BAIZE
School: Boerne
Class: Senior
Notable: Caught 70 passes for 1,297 yards and 22 touchdowns. XAYVION NOLAND
School: New Braunfels Canyon Class: Senior
Notable: Caught 65 passes for 1,260 yards and 17 touchdowns.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
PHILLIP GALLEGOS School: Somerset
Class: Senior
Notable: Averaged 5 ½ pancakes per game. … Signed with Rice.
JACOB MCLAUGHLIN School:
Class:
Notable:
Boerne
Senior
Graded at 90 percent. … Leading lineman on offense that averaged 223.8 passing yards and 171.8 rushing yards. … District 14-4A-I Offensive Lineman of the Year.
LUKE ROGERS School:
Class: Notable:
Poth
Junior
Anchored line that averaged 371 yards (310 rushing) per game.
Colton Thomasson
School: Smithson Valley
Class: Senior
Notable: Recorded 29 pancakes and allowed zero sacks. … All-American Bowl selection. … Signed with Texas A&M.
MASON TIMMERMAN School:
Class:
Notable:
New Braunfels Canyon Senior
Recorded 57 knockdowns. … Leading lineman that averaged 426 offensive yards per game.
KICKER
ETHAN BALL
School: Alamo Heights
Class: Senior
Notable: Made 4 of 5 field goals attempts, with a long of 47 yards. … Converted 73 of 74 extra-point attempts.
Selection process: Teams were picked by Express-News staff writer David Hinojosa based on information from ballots sent to area coaches. Postseason performances were included in the selection process.