MASON — Football coaches love players who can play several different roles when called upon. And why shouldn’t they? Any player who can lend a significant amount of depth and flexibility all by themselves are keepers in any sport — so much so, that the term “Swiss Army Knife” is now a common way to describe them.
The latest area player to earn that moniker is Mason senior linebacker Slade Buell, a 6-2, 205-pound utility man extraordinaire, who is not only an all-state linebacker, but a 1,400-yard rusher as well.
It doesn’t stop there.
Buell, who is already getting Division II collegiate attention, has also seen time at quarterback and in some defensive sets, will slide back into the Punchers’ secondary.
MASON — Since 2010, the Mason Punchers have posted 12 seasons with 10 wins or more, 16 district titles and two state championships. 
Before examining Coleman’s expectations for this football season, you have to set the table with the Bluecats’ late head coaching change.
When watching the Brady football team play, it doesn’t take long to find Nasir Menefield. At 6-foot-5 and 365 pounds, the senior lineman draws eyeballs like a porchlight draws moths.
High school football teams that finished 6-5 and lost 16 seniors from last year might not be optimistic about the upcoming season. But third-year Bangs head coach Colton Buzzard is optimistic because of what positions the returnees play.
Last year, with quarterback Tyler Jackson and fellow senior Cole Heutzenroeder carrying the bulk of the on- and off-field leadership load for Hico, Tyler Hunt was able to shine in a supporting role.
HAWLEY — In high school football, there are standard move-ins during the off-season. And then there are move-ins — players who bring a little extra to the table, both in terms of physical ability and knowledge. 
HAWLEY — When Hawley coach Mitch Ables feels good about the team he’s returning prior to a season, he should be taken seriously. Unless, of course, one wants to discount the 126-34 record and one state title he’s posted in 12 seasons with the Bearcats. 
De Leon graduated a special senior class that helped the Bearcats win nine games last season.
CISCO — When the Cisco Loboes lost talented juniors Garrett Offutt and Hudson Hernandez last year to collarbone injuries, it was actually worse than it appeared. Cisco wasn’t just losing two starters, it was actually losing four, since both players played both ways — Offutt doubling as an OL/DL and Hernandez doubling as a LB/FB. 
CISCO — In the eyes of many, the 2026 Cisco Loboes are a team with a legitimate shot at reaching the state championship game in Arlington. 
After an 8-4 season in 2025, during which Anson came one point from having a chance to advance to the third round of the Class 2A Division I football playoffs, there’s plenty of speculation focused on how good the Tigers might be this year.
If an experienced Forsan team is to achieve the type of success it’s hoping to this season, there’s a good chance senior linebacker Korbett Worden will be at the center of it.
With a year under his belt as a starter at the toughest position on the field, Colorado City quarterback Ace Mejia stands to be one of the area’s more interesting breakout candidates this fall.
The short answer for why Ballinger slipped to 3-7 last year and lost all five of its district games by an average of 41.8 points is injuries. The Bearcats lost four starters with season-ending injuries and were down to their third-team quarterback.
At 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Rylan Griffith isn’t the biggest quarterback around. Nor is the fastest or strongest.
A year ago, as coach Ryan Pannell was just settling into his new office after being named the football coach at Winters, there were more questions than answers.
When Miles Follis opened the 2025 season as Stamford’s junior varsity quarterback, it was the expectation that he’d finish the year in that same role. But fate had other plans.
In 2025, little came easy for a Miles squad that returned just six lettermen and two starters both ways from an 8-3 team the previous year. But through a tough 2-8 campaign, the play of then-sophomore Ryder Satepauhoodle shined through as a major bright spot for the Bulldogs.
While Rowdy Holden’s 2025 defensive statistics were head-turning in and of themselves, they probably didn’t do justice to what the now-senior linebacker means to the Hamlin Pied Pipers.
When Cross Plains coach Jared Sanderson hired former Eastland coach Bobby Schuman to be his defensive coordinator, he knew he’d be getting an excellent athlete in Schuman’s son, Kye. 
ALBANY — The dean Big Country coaches is back at it again. 
ALBANY — With only five offensive and four defensive starters back among just 13 lettermen, there will be a lot of fresh young faces in the Albany camp in 2026. And despite their being some promising young talent on hand, veteran coach Denney Faith isn’t making any assumptions heading into this season. 
Seymour coach Tarrington Rivers is a man with Big Country ties, having coached under Rocky Smart at Clyde.
SEYMOUR — One of the new members of the Big Country Preps family, Seymour has reason for optimism heading into the 2026 campaign after battling through a 2-8 season with a young club last season. 
Having had four coaches since 2020, the Munday Moguls have struggled to find consistency following a dominant run led by Patrick Corcoran that saw the Moguls claim two state championships.
HASKELL — At 5-11 and 185 pounds, He’s not the biggest linebacker in the area, not by a long shot. Nor is he the fastest, with a solid-but-not-blazing 40 time of 4.7. 
HASKELL — The numbers aren’t overwhelming, but there’s reason for optimism in the Haskell camp in 2026.
After graduating a 13-player senior class that was responsible for the bulk of his team’s production in 2025, Roscoe coach Dan Loyd entered his first full offseason as the Plowboys coach looking for a new crop of leaders to emerge.
With only “two or three juniors” and an expected roster of 24 players, the Big Spring Pathway Academy Warriors are set to make their varsity debut this year, and coach Keegan Clark thinks the sky is the limit for his program.