BRADY, TX — The Brady Bulldogs were one of the best football teams in the Concho Valley last fall, and that doesn’t look like it'll change this season.
In fact, the Bulldogs could be even better.
Brady returns seven starters on both sides of the ball from last year’s team that went 8-3 and finished as the runner-up in District 5-3A Division II.
It was a five-win improvement from a year earlier, and head coach Jaron Roberts believes the Bulldogs have some staying power.
“We feel really confident that if we can stay healthy, we think we have the opportunity to have another really good season,” the third-year Brady coach said. “The kids worked extremely hard in the offseason and got stronger. We had a good spring on the track. We were good in 7-on-7 again and went to state. We’ve followed a lot of the same blueprint that led us to be successful last year, and we have a lot of kids back that understand what it takes to be successful.”
Among the returners is senior quarterback Sean Jacoby, a third-year starter who threw for 1,086 yards and 13 touchdowns last season with five interceptions while completing 61% of his passes.
He also had 85 carries for 505 rushing yards and six TDs.
“He’s started every single game since I’ve been the coach here at Brady,” Roberts said. “He sees the field so well now. He’s been out there in the heat, and he’s seen so many different looks from different defenses. He understands what defenses are trying to do. … He’s basically become another coach out there on the field for us.”
Brady graduated one of its 1,000-yard rushers in Johnny Menefield, but the Bulldogs return Ashton Taylor, who rushed for 1,117 yards and 12 TDs last year as a junior.
Taylor averaged an impressive 5.4 yards per carry.
“He’s an electric back,” Roberts said. “I think we’ll see Ashton get a few more carries than he did last year, and I think we’ll see a lot of the same results if he stays healthy. We’ll see Sean Jacoby running the ball more out of the quarterback position as well, and that should help us become a little more explosive offensively. And then we’ve got two or three other guys who are stepping up that will replace some of those carries Johnny had.”
They’ll be working behind a strong offensive line that has four returning starters, led by Demarcus Reed (5-10, 245), who earned third-team all-state honors and was named the district’s Lineman of the Year.
“He really sets the tone for us. He brings a lot of energy, and he’s a very physical player up front,” Roberts said.
Other returners on the line include 6-foot-4, 360-pound junior Nasir Menefield, Caden Gillaspia (6-4, 235) and Zech Ledezma (6-0, 215). South Smith (6-3, 230) is stepping in at center.
Alijah Stark and Emileo Godinez are playmakers who could see time at wide receiver and in the backfield. Ethan Bernal is also expected to be a big part of the passing game.
Defensively, Brady returns all of its defensive linemen, including Reed and Nasir Menefield, along with linebackers Johnny Roque and Benji Valdez.
Colby Hinton is expected to make an impact at linebacker or safety.
The Bulldogs’ most inexperienced area will be in the secondary, but they return Stark at safety, and Jacoby will also see time at safety.
Brady prides itself on being a physical team defensively, Roberts said, and the Bulldogs posted three shutouts last year.
“I like how our defense looks early on. We’ve got things to work on, but I like how the guys are flying around right now,” Robert said.
Despite its breakout season last year, Brady ran into a Jacksboro team in the first round of the playoffs that ended up going 9-4 and reaching the regional semifinals.
Getting back to the playoffs and contending for a district title are goals again for the Bulldogs, along with delivering back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 10 years.
“That’s big for our seniors and something we’ve set as a goal,” Roberts said. “We want to be a playoff team year in and year out and have a winning record year in and year out. I feel like as we do that more consistently, it’ll open the door for us to play for more district titles and have opportunities to win more playoff games.”
Brady opens its season Aug. 29 at San Antonio YMLA. The Bulldogs open district play Oct. 10 at home against Dublin.
Brady Bulldogs
2025 schedule
Aug. 29 at San Antonio YMLA
Sept. 5 at Mason
Sept. 12 Ozona
Sept. 19 Ballinger
Sept. 26 at Ingram Moore
Oct. 3 OPEN
Oct. 10 Dublin*
Oct. 17 Eastland*
Oct. 24 at Early*
Oct. 31 Tolar*
Nov. 7 at Clifton
*District 5-3A Division II game
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