When the Brownwood Lions roll into Lampasas Friday night, a 58 year tradition can be heard on KOXE 101.3 FM. Dallas Huston, the Voice of the Brownwood Lions, will describe each play for the 58th year. He’ll be joined in the broadcast booth by Carl Wayne and Linda Huston with Michael Richardson handling sideline game coverage.
According to Harris Ratings Weekly – a service that has been ranking Texas high school football programs since 1963 – the Lions enter the season at No. 10 in the Class 4-A Division I poll. However, Brownwood’s foe, the Lampasas Badgers possess the No. 1 ranking in the state.
Lampasas is coming off a 13-2 season, a trip to the state semifinals and is the District 13-4A Division I favorite, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, over Austin LBJ, Canyon Lake, Fredericksburg, Burnet and Taylor. The Badgers are also projected to meet Waco La Vega – a District 5-4A Division I rival of the Lions – in the state championship game.
The Badgers return six offensive and five defensive starters, including quarterback Ace Whitehead, the DCTF 4-A Cover Athlete who has committed to pitch for the University of Texas baseball team.
Whitehead, who stands 5-foot-11, completed 260 of 373 passes for 4,259 yards with 54 touchdown passes and just six interceptions in 2019. He also rushed for 723 yards added 21 touchdowns on the ground.
Whitehead isn’t the lone weapon for the Badgers though, as running back Jack Jerome rushed for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago while receiver Mike Murray netted 1,014 receiving yards and 15 scores.
“They’re very explosive on offense so we’re going to have to be sound in what we do defensively, be clear minded and play fast, but we’re up to the challenge,” Head Coach Sammy Burnett said. “They’re very big up front on the offensive line, some kids are about 6-5 and 280 to 300 pounds, and they do a great job protecting the quarterback.
The defense is anchored by linebacker Case Brister, who amassed 207 tackles, including 22 for loss, with a dozen sacks in 2019.
“The key to their defense is their two linebackers, Brister and Keagan Richardson,” Burnett said. “They have very good inside linebackers, their defensive end is very good, and their outside linebackers are strong. We also feel like we have a strong run game and if we can get by those stunt backers and get to the next level I think we can have some success.”
While Lampasas returns several key cogs from last year’s playoff run, Brownwood welcomes back just four offensive and three defensive starters from the 2019 squad. Much of the preseason has been spent evaluating talent and determining a starting 11 on each side of the ball.
Friday night offensive starters will consist of Blaize Espinoza at quarterback; Royshad Henderson at running back; Jimi Brown, Brad Robinson, Ethan Pesina, Slayde Espinoza – filling in for Logan Gillem – and Jared Northcutt along the line; slot receiver/H-back Elias Huerta; and receivers Dane Johnson, Khyren Deal and Jason Jackson.
Defensively, the ends will feature Kris Hobbs and Spencer Scull, while Tyler Tiner and Zach Bond will share time at nose tackle. Dryden Anderson and Konlyn Anderson will man the inside linebacker positions with Cade Jetton and Hunter Day on the outside. The secondary will feature Henderson and Malachi Revada at the corners, with Deal and Jordan Leach at the safety positions.
Conditioning could also play a role in the outcome, especially with temperatures expected to exceed triple digits Friday.
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Brownwood is a 14-point underdog. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday in Lampasas.
Listen to all the KOXE football shows shown below.
BROWNWOOD LIONS
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| DATE & TIME | SEGMENT/SHOW | HOSTS |
|---|---|---|
| 6 pm | PIGSKIN PICKEM | DALLAS HUSTON, CARL WAYNE, & DERRICK STUCKLY |
| 6:30 pm | LION’S TALK | CARL WAYNE & DALLAS HUSTON |
| 7:00 pm | COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF | MIKE BLAGG & COACH BURNETT |
| 7:15 pm | PREGAME SHOW | DALLAS HUSTON & CARL WAYNE |
| 7:30 pm | LIONS FOOTBALL KICKOFF | DALLAS HUSTON & CARL WAYNE |
| 10:30 pm- 12:00 am | DR PEPPER SCOREBOARD SHOW | MIKE BLAGG & CODY COIL |
WEEKLY SHOWS
| DATE & TIME | SEGMENT/SHOW | HOSTS |
|---|---|---|
| AUGUST 27th 5:30 pm | BROWNWOOD LIONS PREVIEW SHOW | COACH BURNETT AND DALLAS HUSTON |
| FRIDAY 8:45 am & 4:45 pm | EXTRA POINT | DALLAS HUSTON |
| MONDAY & WED. 5:30 pm | COACH’S CORNER | CARL WAYNE & COACH BURNETT |
| EVERY TUESDAY 5:30 pm | BANGS FOOTBALL COACH’S SHOW | MIKE BLAGG & COACH MAXFIELD |
| TUES. & THURS. 5:45 pm | AREA COACHES INTERVIEWS & UPDATES REPORT | MIKE BLAGG |