STERLING CITY, TX — Through a winding coaching career, DJ Howell has had the opportunity to oversee football at the 11-man and six-man level.
At Sterling City, he’s doing both.
While the town’s high school football team is preparing for its third year back in 11-man, the junior high team is set to play a six-man schedule.
It seems to indicate an anticipated move back to six-man for the high school in the 2026 UIL realignment.
Sterling City won a state title in six-man in 2020, then reached the state quarterfinals the next year before its enrollment numbers bumped the Eagles up into 11-man.
Sterling City has held its own in 11-man with a combined record of 13-9 the last two seasons, which included a playoff trophy in 2022.
The Eagles have proven they can play football either way, but it can get tricky when you’re handling both.
Sterling City's Ty Turner and company get set before throwing a touchdown. (LIVE! Photo)
“There’s elements of (six-man) being the same sport, and then there’s elements where it’s absolutely different,” Howell said. “The moment you can leak the center out and you have to go cover him, that changes everything.
“So as a coaching staff, we’ve got to put on a lot of hats right there, going from one to the other. It’s a unique challenge.”
All of Howell’s six-man experience came in the last three years at the Panhandle school of Miami. He led the Warriors to the state quarterfinals last season with a 12-1 record, which was the most wins in program history.
Howell, who is from Odessa, has spent the majority of his 25-year coaching career in Oklahoma, which includes 16 years as a head coach.
The job at Miami gave him an opportunity to come back to Texas.
Now he’s back in West Texas and coaching 11-man — at least for now.
He was able to spend two weeks in Sterling City in May getting to know the players, and the Eagles have been working ever since, he said.
“In June and July, we made a great deal of strides in kind of understanding what the expectations are and working in the weight room and on our conditioning,” Howell said. “We did a really good job this offseason giving ourselves a chance to have success this fall.”
Sophomore Nano Turner and senior Marquise Johnson will battle to be the starting quarterback. Both players will be two-way starters, Howell said.
Seth Turner returns at running back and should see a big uptick in carries.
“We’re going to throw the football a little bit. But at some point, for you to be successful as a football team, you’ve got to be able to run the ball, and I think he’s a guy that can be a feature back,” Howell said. “He’s built right for being able to carry the football, and I think our offense is going to flow through him.”
The Sterling City Eagles after winning Round 1 of the playoffs against the Miles Bulldogs on Nov. 10, 2022
Junior Steve Monreal (5-7, 170) will anchor Sterling City’s offensive line as its center.
“I think he’s going to be a big key to what we do,” Howell said. “He’s a guy that plays with a great deal of effort and determination.”
Other players expected to solidify the line are Slate Clark (6-1, 200), Aaven Helms (6-3, 240) and Anson Parrish (6-5, 235).
Howell said he believes the Eagles have a chance to be strong on defense, particularly with its front seven, led by linebacker Rett Dickison.
Another linebacker, Wrace Blackwelder, has remarkably come back after he was hit by a car last year.
“He’s very fortunate to be alive. He’s very blessed. And he’s given himself a chance to come back this year and have a good season,” Howell said.
Other defensive playmakers include the Turner cousins, Seth and Nano, along with Johnson.
Braydon Pitcock could be a leader in the secondary, Howell said.
“He’s got a lot of range to him and plays with a great deal of intelligence. He’s just a smart guy who always kind of ends up in the right spot,” Howell said.
After a nondistrict scheduled highlighted by a game at No. 16-ranked Miles, Sterling City will begin its playoff push in District 4-2A Division II with Wink, Eldorado, McCamey, Iraan and Van Horn.
Wink, which is ranked No. 12, is the district favorite, but it’s wide open after that, Howell said.
Sterling City is picked to finish fifth by Texas Football Magazine and miss out on one of the four playoff spots.
Sterling City’s state championship from 2020 remains the standard, Howell said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a Tuesday during the offseason or game day. The bottom line is every day we’ve got to come to work with that standard in mind,” Howell said.
Sterling City opens its season at home Friday, Aug. 30, against Odessa Compass Academy, which has grown into a 3A Division II school.
Sterling City Eagles
2024 schedule
Aug. 30 Odessa Compass
Sept. 6 at Miles
Sept. 13 Winters
Sept. 20 Christoval
Sept. 27 at Cross Plains
Oct. 4 Open
Oct. 11 at Van Horn*
Oct. 18 at Eldorado*
Oct. 25 Wink*
Nov. 1 at McCamey*
Nov. 8 Iraan*
*District 4-2A Division II game
2023 results
Odessa Compass W 35-0
Miles W 36-32
Abilene TLCA W 52-0
Roscoe L 14-27
Water Valley W 41-14
McCamey W 54-20
Iraan W 28-25
Eldorado L 0-24
Wink L 6-28
Miles L 0-48
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