BIG LAKE, TX — When Reagan County beat Crane 42-40 in Week 3 last year, it marked the third straight game the Owls topped the 40-point mark to open the season.
On the surface, it looked like Reagan County was well on its way to a successful year.
Owls head coach Kyle Brown, however, remembers the Crane game as the moment things began to fall apart last season.
Reagan County Owls
(San Angelo LIVE! Photo/Ryan Chadwick)
Reagan County suffered a pair of season-ending injuries to key starters that night, the beginning of a series of injuries that plagued the Owls the rest of the fall.
A season that began with so much promise in a 4-1 start (that included an overtime loss to state-ranked Wink) ended with a 5-5 record and no playoff trip.
“It was one of those things where the injury bug got us during the Crane game, and then we kind of struggled to recover. And then we had kids going down left and right the remainder of the year,” Brown said.
“We just didn’t have the depth to recover, and it kind of changed the whole make-up of the season.”
The good news is the Owls graduated only four players from last year’s team, and they have a 14-man senior class this year.
Reagan County has a whopping 57 players out for the start of football practices, allowing them to field a 30-man junior varsity.
“I’m excited about our numbers and the depth we have this year,” Brown said.
The Owls return seven starters on each side of the ball, highlighted by 6-foot-5 senior quarterback Kason Brown, who has received offers to play collegiately at Division I Cornell and Division II Colorado State-Pueblo.
Kason threw for 2,036 yards and 26 touchdowns last year with 8 interceptions. He also rushed for 521 yards and 7 TDs, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
“He’s in his fourth year starting, so he’s real comfortable. I tried to give him a playbook the other day, and he said, ‘Dad, I already know it,’” Brown said. “I’m excited about what he can do. He can throw, and he’s a really good athlete that can run. We’re putting a lot on him, but he definitely can handle the responsibility with the experience he has.”
The Owls’ QB was also part of a 4x100-meter relay team — along with wide receiver Nick Franklin and running back Chris Johnson — that advanced to the state track meet last spring.
“We’ve got more speed than we’ve ever had, at least since I’ve been here, and it’s not even close,” Kyle Brown said. “Nick Franklin is a sub-11 kid in the 100, and we’re expecting big things out of him. We need to do our best to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.”
Franklin (24 catches, 399 yards, 5 TDs last year) will be joined by fellow returner Omrie Johnson (26-455, 4 TDs).
Another key part of the receiving corps will be Kason’s brother, Jarrett, who suffered a season-ending thumb injury last year.
“He was really going to have a breakout season. He was doing great things on both sides of the ball,” Reagan County’s coach said.
Chris Johnson will be part of Reagan County’s stable of running backs that includes Ruben Bernal, Alfredo Hidalgo and Lyric Holland.
Seth Avalos (5-10, 210) is back to lead Reagan County’s offensive line after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. He’ll be joined by returning Joel Jimenez and Angel Hernandez.
“We have some good experience up front,” Brown said. “We’ve got a little bit of depth this year, not a whole lot, maybe 8 or 9 kids. But we like the kids that we do have.”
Reagan County’s defense will feature many of the same players from the offensive side of the ball.
The Owls are back in District 3-2A Division I with Forsan, Sonora, Ozona and Christoval, along with newcomer Colorado City.
“I think it’s wide open, and I think we’re right there in the mix to compete for a district championship and get into the playoffs,” Brown said.
Reagan County Owls
2024 schedule
Aug. 29 Olney (at McMurry University in Abilene)
Sept. 6 at Grape Creek
Sept. 13 Odessa Compass
Sept. 20 McCamey
Sept. 27 at Iraan
Oct. 4 Open
Oct. 11 Ozona*
Oct. 18 Christoval*
Oct. 25 at Sonora*
Nov. 1 Colorado City*
Nov. 8 at Forsan*
*District 3-2A Division I game
2023 results
Wink L 48-54
McCamey W 57-27
Crane W 42-40
Iraan W 22-14
Kermit W 41-40
Forsan L 12-42
Sonora L 12-57
Ozona L 31-40
Anthony W 46-41
Christoval L 13-42
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