Goats earn three superlatives, dominate All-District football team

The changes in the Groesbeck football program from last year to this year have been striking and tangible. The Goats went from a team that did not win a district game in 2019 to a squad that finished second in the district this season and returned to the postseason playoffs.

More evidence of the positive changes can be found in this year’s all-district awards. Coach Jerry Bomar spoke

Coach Jerry Bomar spoke about the upward trajectory of the program.

“A year ago we had zero firstteam and two second-team alldistrict,” Bomar said. “We went from zero to 13 on the first team this year. We went from two on the second team to 10. That’s how far we came in a year.”

Indeed, the Goats dominated this year’s All-District 8-3A, Division I team. Of the 13 first teamers, three won superlative awards.

Quarterback Allen Lewis was the co-Offensive Player of the Year. Gavin Carpenter earned co-Offensive Lineman of the Year. Receiver Brenden Morrow was voted the Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Lewis made great strides since starting eight games as a freshman last season. The sophomore proved to be the top dual-threat quarterback in the district. In seven games, he completed 81- of-135 passes for 1,180 yards with 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He carried the ball 57 times for 459 yards and eight touchdowns.

Bomar said Lewis’ improvement over the past year is indicative of what the program, as a whole, can achieve.

“A year ago, he was a freshman quarterback who started eight games,” Bomar said. “A year later he’s the co-Offensive Player of the Year in the district. He was a freshman quarterback starting eight games, trying to find his way, and he didn’t do badly. But then a year later he’s the co-Offensive Player of the Year in district. That speaks volumes of what the possibilities can be.”

Morrow was one of Lewis’ favorite targets. The junior hauled in 34 passes for 544 yards and six touchdowns.

Carpenter was the top offensive lineman on a team that averaged 40 points per game in district. His average grade for the season was 88 percent. In addition to his district honors, Carpenter also is on the ballot for the Whataburger Super Team in Central Texas.

The Goats had five more offensive players and five defensive players named to the first team.

On offense, tackles Aaron Tyus and Kelly Rainer, center Kallen Rogers, receiver Tyson Pringle and running back Ma’Qua Smith made the first team.

Smith is another sophomore who made a huge leap after starting as a freshman. In eight games, he rushed for 1,315 yards on 139 carries and scored 14 touchdowns.

Pringle, like Morrow, was a main target for Lewis. He caught 33 passes for 580 yards and seven touchdowns.

Defensive players who earned first-team accolades were tackle Colby Weihausen and end Kenny Bennett, linebacker Zach Wilson, outside linebacker Bradley Menzel and defensive back Chris Cox.

Wilson was a senior leader for the Goats who led the team with 16 tackles for loss this year. He also played quarterback in the games Lewis was injured, including in the bi-district playoff game when the Goats were edged by Dallas Madison, 36-29.

Bennett, a freshman, had 12 tackles for loss. Menzel, a senior, had 10 tackles for loss. Tyus played both ways on the line and had 11 tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball.

Six defensive players made the second team. They were outside linebacker Coker Holloway, linebacker Brian Valentine, linemen Hunter Flippin and Ethan Gonzales, and defensive backs Arturo Sotelo and Kache Bagley. On offense, receiver Anthony Lewis, running back John Reed and guard Braxton Harris were named to the second team. Punter Zach Ellison also was a second-team honoree.

Bomar said a key to the Goats’ turnaround was getting the players to buy in to the system and the culture the coaches were installing.

“I think once you get kids on board with your thinking and philosophy and your culture, i think anything is possible in high school. But you have to have them on board with your culture,” Bomar said.

Bomar has had a long and successful coaching career, including leading Groesbeck to a state championship in 1991. This team made a huge jump in his second year back at the helm.

“That took a little while,” Bomar said of the culture shift. “We inherited some kids that weren’t coachable. But we got through that and we’re going to stand firm in how we’re going to do things because we know it works. It’s been proven many times.

“The main thing to do as a coach is to stay strong to your beliefs and philosophy, and the kids are going to adapt and that’s the way it’s going to be. They adapted. We started playing well. It became like a big tidal wave that got bigger and bigger.”

Bomar lamented the fact that Groesbeck played its playoff game without two of its top players. Lewis and Smith sustained injuries and were unable to play in the bi-district contest.

“It’s sad that we lost those two main guys at the end of the year. We were really playing with a lot of confidence,” said Bomar, whose team was on a threegame winning streak entering its playoff game.

As the accolades pile up for the Goats, the expectations get higher.

“The good thing is now that we’ve set the tone, every day we show up to offseason and get ready for next year, we start off knowing we’re way up the ladder on what we expect,” Bomar said. “The kids’ expectation is a lot higher now. That’s the way you want them. You don’t want their expectations to be low.

“I think that culture of expectation is the key to where we are. The proof is in the pudding with these awards. It’s something to build on.”