Coach: KEVIN WITT

10-4

OFFENSE

It’s a great day to be a Longhorn. Especially when you have 11 starters returning on offense. Head coach Kevin Witt is looking forward to having that experience on the field in 2023. “We are excited to have a lot of experience coming back on both sides of the ball. We return everyone on the offensive side of the ball. We have a couple big spots to fill on defense but on both sides of the ball we have had guys develop a lot this offseason. There is a lot of excitement for this season,” said coach Witt. VYPE Top 100 nominee Clayton Creasey (6-1, 180, Sr.) is back at quarterback after leading Jones to the Class 2A semifinals and throwing for 2,941 yards and rushing for 633 yards with 42 touchdowns. His numbers are beyond impressive. Wide receiver Braydon Scott (5-11, 150, Sr.) accounted for 1,111 yards receiving with 14 TDs, while fellow wide out Trip Elrick (6-0, 160, Sr.) had 285 yards through the air. To control the pace of the game the Longhorns will look to offensive linemen like Clay Hale (5-10, 230, Sr.), Ryan Shuffield (5-11, 240, Sr.), and Quinn Keast (6-2, 360, Sr.). “We are a very multiple spread offense. Our philosophy is to control the pace and give our opponent multiple things to line up to and defend,” said coach Witt.

DEFENSE

The defense appears just as salty with nine returning starters to kick off the season. Mason Tempelton (5-10, 170, Jr.) starts at safety where he made 50 tackles, two interceptions and forced three fumbles as a sophomore. Luke DeBusk (6-1, 215, So.) was just as impressive at linebacker. As a freshman DeBusk recorded 107 tackles and returns as the team leader in that category. Nick Norris (5-7, 165, Sr.) joins DeBusk at linebacker where he grabbed 101 tackles last season. Creighton Jones (6-3, 185, Jr.) is a big safety who can cover and help stop the run. Jones made 40 tackles with four picks last year. Cruse Cranford (5-9, 190, Jr.) is a force off the line. Cranford made six sacks with 65 tackles as a sophomore. Mason Weiher (5-10, 155, Sr.) is another secondary player with speed and experience who loves a challenge. The longhorns will base out of a 3-3 stack and play an aggressive style of defense. Also look for linebacker Will Jasper to have an impact this season. Last year he made 76 tackles and three sacks on the season. The coaching staff consists of Ted Dorrell, David Quinn, Colin Steverson, Denton Miller, Grant Haynes, J Dee Marinko, Nick Warehime, Rick Oliver, Kanan Hansen, Nick Vandever, Gallen Wolfe, and Austin Nesbit.

SCHEDULE

8-25 – vs. Bethany

9-1 – vs. Lincoln Christian

9-8 – at Washington

9-15 – OPEN

9-22 – at Star Spencer

9-29 – vs. Crossings Christian

10-6 – at Luther

10-12 – vs. Meeker

10-20 – at Chandler

10-26 – vs. Kellyville

11-3 – at Bethel