SportzBuzz - September 2014 | The Buzz Magazines

By Todd Freed, Staff writer | September 1, 2014

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Coming off a standout season in which he threw for 1,700 yards and rushed for another 700 yards, quarterback Trevon Smith is back to lead the Bellaire Cardinals' offensive attack. (Photo: Kevin Long, www.gulfcoastshots.com)

As the high school football season kicked off, it did so with high expectations for the Bellaire Cardinals.

Bellaire returns several key starters from a team that went 8-3 last year, marking its winningest season since the 1970s. “We’re excited about the strides our program has made the last several seasons,” said Bellaire head coach Trey Sissom.

The Cardinals figure to make big strides offensively behind all-district quarterback Trevon Smith, who accounted for 2,400 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. “Trevon is a very athletic quarterback who’s dangerous both with his arm and his legs,” said Sissom.

Another big threat with the ball is running back Xzaviar Campbell, who rushed for 1,150 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. “We spread the ball around quite a bit, so for any running back to rush for that many yards in our system is pretty impressive,” said Sissom. The Cardinals also boast a big-time offensive weapon in junior wide receiver Courtney Lark, who’s ranked as the top junior receiver in the entire state. “Courtney is a phenomenal talent,” said Sissom.

Defensively, Sissom is especially excited about the return of linebackers Jaylon Stiner and Shellie Adams, who are three-year starters for the Cardinals. “Those guys really anchor what we do defensively.” Sissom also had high praise for sophomore defensive end Alex Duke, who also was a standout on the Cardinals’ basketball team as only a freshman last season.

“We’ve made the playoffs the last four seasons,” said Sissom, “but our goal this year is to win a district championship and get beyond the first round of the post season.

After advancing all the way to the Class 4A state semifinals last year, the Stratford Spartans are primed and ready for another big season in 2014.

“Last year was amazing, to say the least,” said Spartans head coach Eliot Allen. “We graduated a big bunch of seniors, but a number of our underclassmen saw significant playing time. We should be a pretty good team.”

After a sensational sophomore season in which he rushed for over 1,600 yards, Stratford junior Rakeem Boyd should be running for big chunks of yardage once again this season. (Photo: Kevin Long, www.gulfcoastshots.com)

Among those returning from last year’s state semifinalist team is junior running back Rakeem Boyd, who rushed for over 1,600 yards while splitting time as a sophomore. If that weren’t enough, Boyd also averaged a lofty 10 yards per carry. Boyd should have some running room ahead of him with the return of three all-district offensive linemen in Wade Touchstone, Jack Whitaker and center Houman Ziary.

Allen also likes what he sees in junior quarterback Bryce Cooper, while wide receiver Torin Justice returns after a standout sophomore season. On defense, the Spartans’ strength will be up front with the first-team, all-district linemen Mikal Pruitt and Alex Miller.

With the likes of Katy, Cinco Ranch and Katy Seven Lakes out of the picture, the Memorial Mustangs are the favorite to win a district championship this season. After competing against the Katy ISD schools for the last several years. Memorial has been realigned into a district composed mostly of schools from the Aldine ISD.

That’s not to say that Memorial didn’t more than hold its own against the Katy schools, earning a playoff spot every season and even advancing to the Class 5A state semifinals in 2010 before falling to eventual state champion Cibolo Steele. Just last season, Memorial advanced to the third round of the playoffs before losing to Manvel in the 5A Region III semifinals.

Now, as a district favorite in 2014 and even boasting a Top 10 Greater Houston pre-season ranking, the Mustangs will have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of their two leading rushers in Matt Collins and Nick Abreus, who accounted for 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. To fill that void, the Mustangs bring back several offensive players, including quarterback Matthew Jordan and wide receiver Morgan Whatley, who caught 10 touchdown passes last season.

On the ground, running backs Kris Beasley and Colton Taylor, who both saw limited action last year, will be called upon to help carry the load for what has traditionally been one of the area’s best rushing attacks. On the offensive line, top returners include George Pappas and Charles Combe. Defensively, the Mustangs lost key starters such as Khari Dotson and Cameron Crawford, but if history is any indication, the Mustangs’ defense should be as stingy as ever. Memorial looks to make another deep run in the post-season playoffs.

Editor’s Note: Todd Freed is the Emmy Award-winning co-host and producer of the KUBE SportsZone, which airs Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 57-KUBE. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email [email protected].