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After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen on Wednesday, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2021.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 10 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.
We hope you enjoy our list.
With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2021.
For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this fall.
As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.
With Evan Ren and Dan Youngblood share their district football predictions for 2021.
Without further ado it is time for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
This is the culmination of several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor, so we’re more than ready to post it.
Every year, one of the things I look forward to most, is mapping out the upcoming football season — charting the games I believe will have the greatest impact.
First and foremost, it’s a preseason menu for area fans who enjoy driving to some of the Big Country’s best football games on a weekly basis. Call it a football roadmap of sorts.
STEPHENVILLE — With much of their experience at the skill positions having graduated, the 2021 Stephenville Yellow Jackets still have a big card to play — as in, very big.
Sporting one of the largest offensive lines in the Big Country, the ‘Jackets will have the option getting physical as their varsity newcomers find a rhythm. Beyond that, the SHS offensive front it is expected to provide a consistent running threat and excellent pass protection as Stephenville heads into District 5-4A DI play.
STEPHENVILLE — Plenty of depth, plenty of size and plenty of optimism can be found at the Stephenville fieldhouse in 2021, where the Yellow Jackets have one of their biggest groups of returnees in some time.
With eight offensive and five defensive starters back among 26 returning lettermen, coach Sterling Doty’s crew expects to suit up 44 players each Friday night. This includes promotees from a solid 8-2 JV squad to add extra depth.
“We bring back the big boys up front and anytime you do that, you feel really good about experience leading the way,” Doty said. “We feel good about both sides of the line.”
BROWNWOOD — At only 5-foot-7 and 225 pounds, Brownwood center Ethan Pesina hardly strikes an imposing figure.
Some may say he barely strikes a varsity figure.
At the end of the day, however, few Big County centers are more consistent, more diligent, or more passionate about giving their best effort than the third-year varsity senior. And that was the case early on when he won District 5-4A Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore in 2019.
BROWNWOOD — With only four offensive and six defensive starters back from last year and 40 letterman having graduated, the Brownwood Lions aren’t getting much attention from preseason prognosticators.
Generally projected as a low playoff seed, coach Sammy Burnett’s crew is young, with much of its talent coming in its junior and sophomore classes. The Lions are therefore, viewed by many as being a year away from a breakout season.
Burnett doesn’t see it that way.
BIG SPRING — While the Big Spring offense was inconsistent at times in 2020, averaging 22.8 points per contest over nine games, the connection between quarterback Gabriel Baeza and his deep and talented receiving corps was a big bright spot for the Steers and coach Cannon McWilliams.
With Baeza back for his senior season and all but one of the team’s top five wideouts returning, the Steers could boast one of the best aerial attacks in the Big Country this fall.
A rare offense that passes to set up the run, Big Spring had five players chart at least 100 receiving yards last season. And the four of those who are back are hoping to take Big Spring to another level in 2021.
BIG SPRING — A 5-4 record and trip to the area round of the playoffs may not seem like much to some. But for the Big Spring Steers, those accomplishments in 2020 represented significant improvement.
In posting their first winning season since going 9-3 in 2014 and earning just their second playoff win since that same year, coach Cannon McWilliams’ Steers put a forgettable five-year stretch in the rearview and restored a sense of hope and optimism to the program.
Now, with 28 lettermen returning from that squad, including nine offensive and eight defensive starters, the goal and expectation is to take the next step forward.
SWEETWATER — The biggest coaching change in the Big Country over the offseason is unlikely to fade away quietly.
When long-time Hamlin coach Russell Lucas resigned in March to take the open job at Sweetwater, jumping two classifications (four divisions) from Class 2A DII to 4A DII, the heightened interest was automatically set into motion.
Are you kidding me? This is a great story.
SWEETWATER — As first-year coach Russell Lucas begins his journey as the head of the Sweetwater football program, he can take comfort in knowing that he has inherited a cupboard that is anything but bare.
No fewer than 21 lettermen are expected to return from last year’s 8-2 squad, with five offensive and eight defensive starters among them. This includes standout quarterback Leo Holsey, who begins his fourth season behind center for the Mustangs after throwing for 2,261 yards and 31 scores a year ago.
More good news for the Mustangs: The new system Lucas is installing is quite similar to what they’ve been running at SHS for years, meaning the transition period should be relatively short.
SNYDER — When asked what position he plays for the Snyder football team, Hunter Stewart always gives an honest reply of “quarterback,” knowing full well the kind of response he’ll get.
“Are you kidding? Really?” Or some form of stunned amazement generally follows. But for Stewart, who spent last season as a 5-foot-5 junior signal caller at a Class 4A school, the tiresome responses have become a motivating factor.
SNYDER — If one looks at most preseason picks involving the Snyder Tigers, the prognosis isn’t good heading into the 2021 campaign. But there are reasons to believe that the “experts” could get it wrong — very wrong.
To begin with, the Tigers have eight starters back on both sides of the football from last year’s 2-6 team among 20 lettermen. Secondly, Snyder is using the same offensive and defensive system for a second-straight year — a luxury they didn’t have a year ago.
BROCK — If you were to tell me that you’d be installing the single wing offense at Brock, my expression wouldn’t change. Tell me you’re installing and up-tempo air raid attack and you’d get the same reaction.
So when I was told that new Brock head football coach Billy Mathis would replacing the Eagles’ wishbone base with more of a spread look you know how I took it. And when I heard he was replacing their 10-1 defense with a more conventional 4-3? You get the picture.
The reason for that is, while some programs depend on a “system” for success, others transcend the playbook. By that, I mean they would win, regardless if Mike Leach or Knute Rockne was the OC. Brock is one of those programs and we’re about to get a demonstration of it.
BROCK — From 2012 through 2020, the Brock Eagles pounded out 101 wins against only 14 losses under former coach Chad Worrell — largely through run-heavy offensive sets and hyper-aggressive defense.
But with the arrival of first-year coach Billy Mathis, who comes to Brock via 6A Weatherford, a completely different system will be introduced. In short, the Eagles are about to get a makeover.
WALL — One of precious few returning starters for the Wall Hawks this season, fullback Dominic Garcia knows he’ll be leaned on heavily for both production and leadership.
But the 5-foot-8, 180-pound bruiser wouldn’t want it any other way.
After rushing for 999 yards and eight touchdowns on just 130 attempts last year, Garcia will likely carry an even heavier load in 2021. Fortunately for coach Houston Guy and a young Wall squad, the senior is built for just such a role.
WALL — If Wall coach Houston Guy has had a younger team than the one he’ll field this season, he can’t remember it.
With just 12 lettermen back from last year’s 8-4 squad, including three total starters (all on offense), the Hawks will be leaning on the strength and tradition of their program to make up for a lack of varsity experience.
Fortunately for Wall and its fans, Guy feels confident in the talent he’ll be putting on the field. The Hawks will just need to grow up quickly through a brutal nondistrict schedule, so they’re seasoned and battle-hardened by the time District 3-3A Division I play rolls around.
TUSCOLA — It’s natural to expect a great deal from senior Jim Ned running back Xavier Wishert in 2021. Afterall, he was the Big Country Preps Player of the Year as a junior and the Defensive MVP in Jim Ned’s 3A DI state championship win over Hallettsville.
But can we expect significant improvement from what is already the area’s top player?
If Wishert has anything to say about it, we can.
TUSCOLA — Coming off a 14-1 season that saw them claim the Class 3A Division I state championship, the Jim Ned Indians are about to face the most dangerous opponent every title holder must contend with — complacency.
Finding a way to stay hungry. Finding a way to not be satisfied. Finding a way to improve. Those are the tasks at hand for fourth-year coach Matt Fanning, whose team has every reason to think it’s the best.
EARLY — Sharing carries with Alex Jacobs each of the past two seasons, Early tailback Tre Beam has proven he can produce at a high level. 
But until this year, the talented senior has never had an opportunity to be the Longhorns’ featured ball-carrier.
With Jacobs’ graduation clearing the way to more rush attempts this fall, Beam will see an increased role on the offensive side in his final high school campaign. And after watching him rush for 980 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 154 carries the past two years, coach Daniel Price is excited to see what the back can do with more touches.
EARLY — In Daniel Price’s first year as a head coach last fall, the Early Longhorns took a big step forward, going 5-6 to earn their program’s first playoff berth since 2008.
With 17 lettermen back from that team, including eight starters on both sides of the ball, EHS will be looking to take the next step this season.
Loaded with skill-position talent, and bolstered by a strong group of juniors who gained valuable experience last year, the Longhorns are hoping to not only return to the postseason in 2021, they want to do some damage once there.
Hired to replace Scott Campbell in April, new Clyde coach Danny Dudgeon has been hard at work since laying the foundation for his program.
Coming over from Cooper, where he had previously served as Aaron Roan’s offensive coordinator, the first-time head coach has made setting the culture priority one. 
For Dudgeon, who also worked under Keith Woolf, Steve Freeman and Todd Moebes, X’s and O’s and schemes are important. But nothing’s more vital to the success of a program than establishing a shared set of values and expectations that will guide it through good times and out of the bad.
For Bulldogs fans wondering what those values and expectations might look like, a quick peak to the west will provide a pretty good glimpse. After seeing firsthand the impact a positive culture built around a family atmosphere can have at Cooper, Dudgeon plans to bring those same aspects with him to Clyde.
CLYDE — The 2021 season will be one of transition for the Clyde football team. With a new coach and just nine lettermen returning from
last year’s 4-7 squad, a young Bulldogs team will have to adjust to a number of new realities this fall.
With a new culture and new schemes under former Cooper offensive coordinator Danny Dudgeon, Clyde will operate differently both on and off the field. And with first-year starters occupying six spots on offense and four on defense, the Bulldogs will make those changes with a relatively inexperienced roster.
But despite the challenges that lie ahead for this CHS squad, Dudgeon is confident in his club’s willingness and ability to compete. And from what he’s seen so far, the first-time head coach can find no reason to lower the expectations for a program that has reached the postseason in eight of the past 10 seasons.
BRECKENRIDGE — The good news for the Breckenridge Buckaroos is that they bring back several key players from last year’s 1-8 football team.
The bad news is, the Bucks are still young — quite young, with much of this year’s talent situated in its junior and sophomore classes.
That means leadership will have to come from players who normally would be a year or two away from such a role. But, as luck would have it, the Buckaroos have a trio of juniors in Jerry Lawson (RB/LB, Jr.), Anson Rodgers (RB/DB) and Zeke Castillo (WR/DB) who are not only willing to tackle the job, but have already started the process.
BRECKENRIDGE — Through seven COVID-marred games a year ago, the Breckenridge Buckaroos played solid team defense, allowing just 19.4 points per game in a 1-8 season (with two forfeits).
This included impressive showings in which they limited explosive teams from Jacksboro (6-5), Ballinger (11-2) and Cisco (10-4) to 14 points or less.
There was just one problem: The Buckaroos struggled to put points on the board. So much so, that they were shutout four times while averaging only 10.7 points per game.
MERKEL — Like it or not, coaches move around a lot.
In fact, the average stay for a high school head coach at any particular location is just a few years. By then, they’ve either accepted a better job offer, escaped approaching low numbers with a lateral move, left while getting was good or they’ve been shown the door.
MERKEL — With its fourth coach in as many seasons, the Merkel football team is looking for a sense of stability and belief heading into the 2021 season. And first-year coach Will Kates believes he can eventually deliver both.
Kates takes over for Britt Hart, who took the job at Stamford during the offseason. That leaves Kates with the task of teaching the Badgers their fourth system since 2018 while convincing them that he’s in it for the long haul.
EASTLAND — For four years, Eastland quarterback Behren Morton was a standard setter at the position — not only for Eastland football but for the entire Big Country in general.
Yes, he was that good, as his signing with Texas Tech illustrated.
Now, in the wake of his graduation, Eastland must not only replace a starting quarterback, but one who hit 266 of 388 passing attempts last year for a Big Country-leading 3,613 yards and 37 touchdowns.
EASTLAND — They graduated 17 lettermen and only return 12. Half of their starters graduated, including a Division I quarterback and an All-Big Country Preps running back. They have new faces on the offensive and defensive lines and a schedule that might be better described as a gauntlet.
Yet the Eastland Mavericks and coach James Morton are upbeat and positive about the 2021 season and what it may offer.
DUBLIN — The Dublin coaching staff, players and several fans would like to chalk up the 2020 season to growing pains, and they have ample reason.
Fielding a youthful team with the majority of its offensive talent occupied by juniors and sophomores, the Lions stumbled through an injury-marred 1-8 campaign and missed the playoffs after posting back-to-back 8-3 seasons.
Yes, it hurt. And you can count junior starting quarterback Chris Teten among those who enter this season eager to make amends for it.
DUBLIN — There was a positive to look forward to after last year’s 1-8 record that saw the Dublin Lions miss the playoffs. DHS was a very young team that would return the bulk of its size and talent next season, so the only direction to go was up.
That moment has arrived with the onset of the 2021 campaign, with eight offensive and six defensive starters back under new coach Greg Hardcastle — a long-time assistant under Bob Cervetto, who retired following last season.
COMANCHE — Coaching changes are often about timing.
When a school is about to run low on talent, it is common to see a coach depart for greener pastures. Or, when a school has gone several years without success, it is often a low hanging fruit for young coaches to pick in the job market, with very little pressure.
But first-year Comanche coach Joaquin Escobar had no such motivations. In his case, it was strictly about geography. He simply wanted to return home to Comanche High School, from which he graduated in 1992, and give something back to the community which helped him in his youth.
COMANCHE — First-year Comanche coach Joaquin Escobar will have to start from scratch at CHS. The Indians are coming off a lengthy run of success under former coach Stephen Hermesmeyer, but have been hit hard by graduation.
Entering the 2021 campaign, the Indians have just four offensive and two defensive starters back from an 8-3 team and only expect to field nine lettermen.
Escobar, who plans to replace Comanche’s wing-T offense with a power spread attack, will be working with a largely new varsity team, so the introduction of something new won’t be such a shock.
COAHOMA — There’s an axiom among coaches that if/when your best players are also your hardest workers and best teammates, you’ve got a chance to be good.
Fortunately for the 2021 Coahoma Bulldogs, senior running back Brysen Kerby checks all of those boxes.
As a 1,500-yard rusher with 24 touchdowns a year ago, Kerby’s talent is unquestionable. But if you ask fourth-year CHS coach Chris Joslin, that’s only a small part of what makes the 5-foot-9, 185-pound speedster special. It’s what he does in the weight room, on the practice field and around his teammates that really sets him apart — and gives Joslin confidence that his Bulldogs will be just fine despite graduating more lettermen (14) than they return (13).
COAHOMA —Throughout his time at Coahoma, fourth-year coach Chris Joslin has been working to build a program that can absorb significant graduation losses and still compete at a high level on the field.
After losing a combined 32 lettermen the past two seasons, that goal is being put to the test.
The Bulldogs graduated 18 seniors off their 9-3 team in 2019. And after seeing 14 lettermen move on from last year’s 6-4 squad, they’ll try to extend their streak of consecutive playoff seasons to six this fall.
While CHS will certainly have some holes to fill, Joslin is confident the 13 lettermen that remain will join call-ups from a 5-5 junior varsity team to keep the Bulldog train rolling forward.
BRADY — If it’s true that strong line play is the foundation of a successful football team, the Brady Bulldogs should be building from a solid slab in 2021.
Blessed with an ample supply of talent, size, depth and experience, BHS coach Shay Easterwood is in the best shape he’s been up front since taking over the Bulldogs program in 2017.
And coming off back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since Brady reached the postseason in four straight years from 2013-16, Easterwood and his squad are hoping to turn that potential advantage in the trenches into BHS’ first winning season since 2015.
BRADY —Shay Easterwood’s first four years as the Brady football coach have seen the Bulldogs make quiet progress, culminating in playoff berths each of the past two seasons. But BHS is still in search of its first winning season since 2015.
With 16 lettermen back from last year’s squad, including eight returning starters of both sides of the ball, the Bulldogs expect to change
that this fall.
Buoyed by 1,000-yard back JD Ibarra and a deep and talented line, the Brady offense should challenge the 2019 unit as the best Easterwood has fielded thus far. And an experienced defense appears poised to continue the steady growth pattern that’s marked the past four years.
If everything goes to plan, the Bulldogs could be looking at a true breakout year in what appears to be a wide-open District 2-3A Division II race.
BANGS — Damien Santillanes was the student last season as an underclassman receiver and linebacker on a senior-laden Bangs Dragons football team. This year, as one of only five Bangs players with significance varsity experience, Santillanes has switched roles to that of teacher.
“The last couple of years, I had older guys to set us straight. I know good people taught me,” said Santillanes, a third-year starter. “Now, I’m one of the guys helping the younger players get on the right path.
“Most of our new guys are up from the JV last year. We talk to them about the faster tempo on the varsity level and about how there will be a lot more fans at the games now. We tell them to focus on doing their job and don’t worry about the fast tempo or the bigger crowds.”
BANGS — Residue – a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone – is not a common word in a Texas high school coach’s vocabulary. It’s more of a science word.
But fourth-year Bangs head coach Kyle Maxfield used “residue” when analyzing how his Dragons could be District 2-3A Division II contenders again despite returning just four offensive and three defensive starters from last year’s 9-2 team.
“I’m sure we’ll have some growing pains because of our inexperience,” Maxfield said. “But when I’ve had teams in the past that made a good run, there’s a residue that remains there for the players coming back to build from. That’s a lot better situation to be in than starting over from scratch.”
BALLINGER — A year ago, Ballinger’s Carter Arrott made his varsity debut on the spur of the moment — relieving starting quarterback Tyler Vaughn in the second half of a season opener against eventual 3A Division I state champion Jim Ned.
His debut was a memorable one, capped by a 19-yard touchdown run with 3:42 to play to lead Ballinger to a 20-14 upset of the Indians — the only blemish on an otherwise perfect Jim Ned season.
BALLINGER — If the Ballinger Bearcats are to continue the recent run of success that has seen them post a 29-16 record and four straight playoff berths under coach Chuck Lipsey, a new cast of characters will have to keep it going.
Coming off a 10-2 season that included a season-opening win over eventual Class 3A Division I state champion Jim Ned (the Indians’ only loss), the Bearcats have but three offensive and three defensive starters back. Returning lettermen? Only 13.
WINTERS — After getting a taste of the starting quarterback position last fall, Winters’ Jon Kullen Busher is ready for a full meal in 2021.
And it’s a good thing, too, because the senior will be getting a heaping helping of responsibility when the Blizzards’ season kicks off in two weeks.
Not only is Busher going to be the undisputed leader of the WHS offense after taking over the quarterback position for the final four games of the 2020 season, he’ll be guiding a transition from the flexbone to the spread — a move that will put even more on his plate in his first full season as the Blizzards’ trigger man.
WINTERS — Coming off their fourth consecutive playoff appearance under seventh-year coach Matt McCarty, the Winters Blizzards have reached a level where postseason trips are expected.
And with 13 lettermen returning from last year’s team, including six offensive and seven defensive starters, McCarty’s squad feels like it can continue that trend this fall.
While a difficult nondistrict slate and a brutal league schedule await the Blizzards, Winters is blessed with both the talent and experience to compete for a fifth straight playoff berth. And McCarty is banking on a couple of scheme changes and some rapid development along the lines to allow his team to achieve that potential.
SAN SABA — Many high school football teams, out of necessity, will shift a versatile athlete into the role of “utility.” You know the type: big enough to play a couple of positions. Fast enough to play a couple of others. Smart enough to learn all of them.
Finding a good one can be difficult. Finding one as good and as versatile as San Saba’s Wesley Lackey, is a genuine rarity.
SAN SABA — Few teams in the Big Country Preps coverage area have enjoyed more success over the past three years than the San Saba Armadillos, who have posted a combined 35-5 record and two district titles in that span.
But with the passage of time, one of the most gifted groups of athletes to ever pass through this community has been handed their diplomas. Most of the varsity players who posted 14-1 and 13-1 records in 2018 and 2019 are now gone, leaving the Armadillos at a crossroads.
Will all the hard work pay off at this stage? And, do they have sufficient talent on the roster to continue their run of success?
GOLDTHWAITE — The timing may be right for the Goldthwaite Eagles to end their longest losing skid in 45 years.
Third years are often when circumstances improve for new coaches tasked with rebuilding football programs. Third-year Goldthwaite head coach Keith Virdell just completed his first full offseason with his players, and he has 12 seniors that won back-to-back district championships in middle school but have struggled so far in high school.