SAN ANGELO, TX — Rolling out of bed to start the day wasn’t easy for Mason Van Sickle during the fall of his sophomore year at San Angelo Central High School.
He could still feel every hit from the last Friday night football game.
Amid all the bumps and bruises he endured — physically and mentally — during a season in which Central won only one game, he became a better player for it.
“I think that kind of shaped me into the person I am now,” said Van Sickle, a senior leader for the Bobcats who had 132 tackles last year at linebacker.
“Mental toughness is something that was always stressed to me. And having that struggling year, it kind of helped build that mental toughness where OK, maybe things are rocky, but you’ll get out of it eventually.”
Van Sickle helped Central turn the corner last season as the Bobcats improved their record to 4-6 and closed the gap between them and the district’s top teams.
During the offseason, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Van Sickle was offered his first football scholarship from the University of Texas Permian Basin.
He’s also ranked No. 8 academically in a class of more than 700 students, helping set a standard on and off the field.
“I think that when it comes to leadership, there are a couple types. You’ve got your vocal, rah-rah types. Then you’ve got the types that lead by their actions. Then when you’ve got a special one, they do a little bit of both,” Central head coach Mark Smith said.
“Mason’s one of those guys where if you don’t know him, it doesn’t take long to get out here and in a few days being around practice and around the building, you say, ‘I want to do it like that guy does it.’ He’s got that attraction about him to others on the team. And when your best players are those types of leaders, you’ve got a strong player-led team.”
Van Sickle said his sophomore year taught him about the importance of leadership, because he doesn’t believe the Bobcats had enough of it at that time.
“There were a lot of seniors that really didn’t enjoy being here and didn’t want to be great. And when they got out, new guys kind of stepped up into leadership roles, and that’s what kind of helped turn the culture around,” Van Sickle said. “Also, Coach Smith, of course, came in and revamped everybody’s ideas and was like, ‘Hey, if you believe we can win, it’s a whole lot easier to win than if you think it’s not possible.’”
Van Sickle was a team captain last year as a junior, and his leadership role on the team is elevated even more now as a senior.
Central linebacker Mason Van Sickle makes a tackle against Abilene High during the 2024 season.
“I love it, and I try to instill that in all the guys and make them believe, because I really, truly believe that’s the first step. And if we don’t have all the guys on the board, then it’s not going to happen. So I’m trying to influence the other guys and trying to plant seeds, you know, so they can have somebody in their careers that I didn’t necessarily have.”
His sophomore season taught Van Sickle something else — he loved football more than baseball.
Growing up in San Angelo, Van Sickle had attended Central football games since he was little, but baseball was his first love.
He began playing travel ball at 8 years old, and he didn’t play tackle football for the first time until seventh grade.
He made the varsity baseball team as a freshman, but once he was promoted to the varsity football team the next year, everything changed.
“When I got moved up to varsity as a sophomore, it was so much bigger and it was more fun. And I like being physical, and I don’t really get to do that outside this sport, so it’s a good outlet for me,” Van Sickle said.
“Football’s my No. 1 sport now, but I still love baseball. I really don’t want to stop playing it. I want to be a college football player, but my plan is wherever I go, I want to walk on for baseball as well.”
Van Sickle began his sophomore year at safety before being moved to linebacker midway through the season.
He has proven to be a natural at the position.
By the end of his sophomore year, he had racked up 101 tackles, including a 19-tackle game against Abilene Wylie.
He has been in on 233 tackles in 20 games.
Smith said Van Sickle has great football instincts and has also been coached well by defensive coordinator Jacob Martin the last two years.
“I think what separates Mason from most is not only is he gifted athletically, but he’s intelligent, and his football intelligence is very high and he can anticipate things,” Smith said.
The next step for Van Sickle would be to help push Central over the top as a program. The Bobcats haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, and they haven’t had a winning record since 2019.
Van Sickle is looking for more. He wants to win their first district title since 2017.
“I think this team’s capable of a district championship in straight, blatant truth,” he said. “I just think this defense has come a long way. We have guys that have been playing for three years together and really just jelling and understanding how each other plays. … Offensively, it’s a similar story. We’ve got skill guys that are coming back for their third year and a new system that I think really fits the personnel we have. I’m excited.”
Van Sickle could potentially see a role on offense this year. After all, he caught the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of last year’s 31-27 win over Abilene Cooper that snapped the program’s 10-game losing streak.
It was a special goal-line set – and his only catch of the year – but it showed Smith was willing to put the game in Van Sickle’s hands.
“I think you’ll see him on offense this year in one variation or another,” Smith said.
Though the senior only has one season left with the Bobcats, there could be another Van Sickle to watch out for in a few years.
“My little brother Marshall will be a seventh grader, and he’s playing his first year of tackle football, too, so I’m excited to go watch him,” he said.
Mason Van Sickle celebrates after catching the winning touchdown in the final minute of a 31-27 win over Abilene Cooper during the 2024 season.
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