All-Southeast Texas high school football teams, awards: DJ Lagway nabs MVP

Lagway, one of nation's top prospects, headlines a list of the the region's best high school football players

The 2023 Texas high school football season is in the books. After a fall filled with tremendous storylines, breakout performances and historic runs, SBLive is taking a look at the best of the best in Southeast Texas.

We're going region-by-region to honor the most impactful players during the 2023 season in a large, talent-laden region with our individual postseason awards, then first team, season team and honorable mention. 

Top 25 Texas high school football rankings: DeSoto finishes No. 1 (12/19/2023)

We started with all-East Texas, all-West Texas, all-South Texas and all-North Texas teams and awards. Who made the cut in Southeast Texas? Dive into the top individual performers across the region this fall.

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ALL-SOUTHEAST TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL AWARDS

MVP

DJ Lagway, QB, Willis, sr.

One of the top prospects in the country, Lagway's final high school season was, remarkably, his best / Photo by Rob August

Most of the season it looked like he was playing Madden, but only in real life. He threw for 4,604 yards with 58 touchdowns — compared to only 8 interceptions — and completed 72% of his passes. He twice passes for 8 touchdowns in a game this year and in four more he had at least 5 TD passes. The Florida signee nearly hit a 1,000 yards on the ground, running for 957 and 16 touchdowns, and led Willis to its best season ever, which ended in the 6A Division II regional semifinals with a loss to eventual state champion DeSoto (the No. 2 team in the country).

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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Trey Owens, QB, Cy-Fair, sr.

Owens, a Texas commit, finished his prep career with a remarkable 3,000-plus-yard season. 

The pro-style quarterback threw for 3,093 yards — completing 72% of his passes, and threw for 3,093 yards and 42 touchdowns. He was the Touchdown Club of Houston's 2023 Offensive Player of the Year this year. He was one of the first commits to Coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff at Texas. Now, he signed to be a Longhorn.

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DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Justin Williams, DE, Conroe Oak Ridge, sr.

Williams is a five-star recruit and the No. 1 linebacker in the country (per 247Sports) and was the No. 2 overall player in Texas in the 2024 class. He had 108 tackles, 36 TFL, 9 1/2 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. He’s signed to play at Georgia.

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FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Landen Williams-Calls, Richmond Randle, RB, fr.

He already holds 13 offers to play at Division I schools, and the Lions relied heavily on the ninth grader. He has 206 carries — out of the team’s 368 as a team — and he delivered 1,944 yards with 23 touchdowns. The rest of the team combined for 19 TDs, for scale.

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NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Jermaine Bishop, WR/KR/DB, Willis, so.

Willis standout Jermaine Bishop Jr. thrived as a two-way standout, helping the Wildkats' post their best season in program history.  / Photo by Tom Dendy

He did a little bit of everything for the Wildcats. He ran for 7 touchdowns on 26 carries, had 80 catches for 1,414 yards and 17 touchdowns, had 37 tackles, 5 interceptions, returned a kickoff and an interception for a score.

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COACH OF THE YEAR

Jeff Joseph, Port Neches-Groves

PNG coach Jeff Joseph consoles his team at the 2022 state championship. Their title postgame scene looked much different in 2023 / Photo by Tommy Hays

The former Southlake Carroll assistant coach guided the Indians to the state title game his first year. For the encore, he led Port Neches-Groves back to AT&T Stadium in December and this time brought home a championship with an upset of Dallas South Oak Cliff.

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ALL-SOUTHEAST TEXAS TEAMS

North Shore junior Kaleb Bailey, who has more than one 6A Division I state title appearances under him, rolls out of the pocket during a 2023 regular season win over Cy-Fair / Photo by Tom Dendy

FIRST TEAM

QB — Kaleb Bailey, North Shore, jr.

He guided the Mustangs back to the Class 6A Division I title game for the second time. He completed 74% of his passes for 33 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. He threw for 2,965 yards. He also added 14 touchdowns on the ground.

RB — Taji Atkins, Spring Westfield, sr.

He ran for 2,576 yards and ran for 100 yards or more in 12 of the team’s 14 games. He scored 34 touchdowns on the ground, 2 on catches and 1 touchdown passes. He’s currently uncommitted.

RB — D.D. Murray, Bellville, jr.

In a run-first slot-T offense, the Brahmas had plenty of options to carry the ball he was one of two 2,000-yard backs. He led the team with 2,072 yards rushing and 36 touchdowns and had 11 games of 100 yards or more for the Class 4A Division II runners-up.

RB — Kedren Young, Lufkin, sr.

The Notre Dame signee left as the all-time leading rusher in his school history with 3,926 yards. He also had 45 touchdowns in his carer and will played in the All-American Bowl on Saturday.

WR — Dre’lon Miller, Silsbee, sr.

One of the top receivers in the state was committed to Texas A&M but got flipped late by Coach Prime at Colorado. The four-star recruit had 52 catches for 1,010 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Tigers.

WR — Andrew Marsh, Katy Jordan, jr.

He was a key cog in the passing attack of the Warriors, accounting for 65 catches for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns. He had more catches, yards and touchdown than the next two targets for quarterback Colin Willetts. Marsh currently holds more than 30 offers but is uncommitted.

WR — Ashton Bethel-Roman, Fort Bend Ridge Point, sr.

The Arkansas signee hauled I 49 catches for 964 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games this year for the Panthers. He also added a touchdown running the ball and returning a punt 65 yards for a score.

TE — Kade Caton, Manvel, sr.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound target accounted for half of the Mavericks touchdown passes this year with six. The Oregon signee caught 39 passes for 447 yards.

OL — Blake Ivy, League City Clear Springs, sr.

A coaching change didn’t stop Ivy from keeping his commitment to the Aggies. He is the No. 9-ranked tackle in the country. He played in the Under Armour All-American game in early January.

OL — Coen Echols, Katy, sr.

The four-star recruit is a top-15 interior offensive lineman based on 247Sports composite rankings. He was a late flip by LSU, getting him away from Texas A&M.

OL — Bennett Warren, Fort Bend Christian Academy, sr.

Standing 6-foot-7 and being 330 pounds, the tackle caught the eyes of coaches early as a three-year starter. He had more than 30 offers to play at the next level. Warren, the No. 10-ranked tackle this year, signed with Tennessee.

OL — Dramodd Odoms, Lamar Houston, jr.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound tackle has drawn plenty of inters from SEC and Big 12 schools with 12 offers so far. The Texans’ offense had more than 5,000 yards this fall.

DEFENSE

DL— Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Conroe Oak Ridge, sr.

The five-star recruit is headed to reigning national champion Georgia with high school teammate Justin Williams. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive end was ranked No. 7 in the country at the position.

DL — Edward Smith, Pearland Dawsonh, sr.

The edge rusher finished his senior season with 33 tackles, 12 TFL and 5 sacks and was a District 23-6A first-team pick the last two years. He signed to play at Texas Tech.

DL — Carlon Jones, Bay City, sr.

The USC signee put up big numbers this fall for the Blackcats. He had 95 tackles, 30 TFL, 17 1/2 sacks, 23 quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. He was the District 12-4 Division I MVP this season.

DL — Kmard Kimble, Sheldon C.E. King, sr.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder was a force on the line for the Panthers. He had 85 tackles, 38 TFL, 17 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries, forced two fumbles, recovered one and also added an interception. He’s headed to play at Stephen F. Austin.

LB — Xavier Atkins, Humble Summer Creek, jr.

The No. 39-ranked linebacker in the country, he signed with LSU. He racked up 98 tackles, 18 TFL, 2 sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, picked off two passes, broke up five passes and forced three fumbles for the Class 6A Division II runners-up.

LB — Dakyus Brinkley, Katy, sr.

The four-star recruit will head to Lawrence, Kansas, with the distinction of being the highest-ranked recruit ever signed by the Kansas Jayhawks. His dad, Jasper, played in the NFL for seven years.

LB — Connor Gaines, Bellville, sr.

He was a tackling machine for the Brahmas, the Class 4A Division II runners-up. He recorded 180 stops — 11.2 per game — while adding three sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

LB — Sam Mattingly, Magnolia West, sr.

The Stanford signee averaged nearly 14 tackles a game this year for the Mustangs. Of his 167 tackles, 95 were solo ones. He added 6 TFL, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups and recovered a fumble.

DB — Jarvis Solomon, Alvin Iowa Colony, jr.

The 5-foot-8 defensive back helped the Pioneers to a 12-1 record by recording 10 interceptions, while also breaking up nine passes.

DB — Rakwan Reed, Houston Westbury, sr.

The uncommitted recruit had 21 tackles, 9 interceptions, broke up 7 passes and forced a fumble this fall for the Huskies.

DB — Devin Sanchez, North Shore, jr.

The 6-foot-2 cornerback has offers from more than 30 schools and is committing on Jan. 6 to either Alabama, Ohio State or Texas A&M. He is the No. 1 cornerback in the country among 2025 recruits, according to 247Sports.

DB — Braylon Conley, Humble Atascocita, sr.

A four-star recruit, he started three years for the Eagles at safety. He was ranked as the No. 53 recruit in the state by Rivals. He signed to play at USC.

ATH — Quanell Farrakhan Jr., The Woodlands, jr.

He was a jack-of-all-trades for the Highlanders. He had 52 catches for 820 yards and 12 touchdowns — all team-highs. Added 5 touchdowns on 12 carries, while adding a touchdown on a punt return and another on a kickoff return.

ATH – Jonah Williams, Galveston Ball, jr.

On defense, he had 58 tackles, 4 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumbles. The four-star recruit with 26 offers had eight touchdown catches and ran for two more.

K — Gio Oceguera, Port Neches-Groves, sr.

How good was he? Well, he made four field goals in the Class 5A Division I finals and set a UIL record — and was the game MVP as well. For the year, the senior made 15 field goals.

P — Jace Hernandez, Spring Grand Oaks, sr.

He averaged 46.2 yards per kick. His longest punt was 67 yards and he pinned 26 of his punts within the 20-yard line for the Grizzlies.

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SECOND TEAM

Woodlands QB Mabrey Mettauer, a Wisconsin commit, finished his third consecutive high school season with more than 2,300 passing yards, more than 25 TDs and this time did it with just one interception on the season

OFFENSE

QB — Mabrey Mettauer, The Woodlands, sr. (154 for 229 passing, 2,305 yards, 29 touchdowns, 1 interception; 392 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns. (Wisconsin signee)

RB — Da’Shawn Burton, Needville, jr. (He carried the ball 326 yards with 2,455 yards and tallied 36 touchdowns. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry.)

RB — Johann Cardenas, Houston St. Thomas Catholic, sr. (2,268 yards rushing, 33 touchdowns) (Vanderbilt signee)

RB — Lloyd Avant, Humble Summer Creek, sr. (2,068 yards rushing, 28 touchdowns) (Tulsa signee)

WR — Ashton Cartwright, Silsbee, sr. (65 catches, 1,069 yards, 14 touchdowns)

WR — Jaylan Brown, Nacogdoches, sr. (55 catches, 908 yards, 11 touchdowns)

WR — Tristen Brown, Houston Lamar, sr. (44 catches, 866 yards, 10 touchdowns) (Vanderbilt signee)

TE — Cole Snodgrass, The Woodlands College Park, sr. (27 catches, 446 yards, 5 touchdowns) (TCU signee)

OL — Nate Kibble, Humble Atascocita, sr. (Blocked for an offense that generated nearly 7,000 yards of total offense) (Texas signee)

OL — Jackson Christian, Port Neches-Groves, jr. (Offense generated nearly 7,000 yards on way to Class 5A Division I title)

OL — Weston Davis, Beaumont United, sr. (LSU signed the one-time Texas A&M pledge)

OL — Ashton Funk, Katy Tompkins, sr. (6-7, 300-pounder was 3-year starter) (Texas A&M signee)

DEFENSE

DL— Zion Taylor, Alvin Shadow Creek, sr. (28 tackles, 9 1/2 TFL, 4.5 sacks) (Houston signee)

DL — Charles Anderson, Pearland Dawson, sr. (66 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 pass breakups) (Texas Tech signee)

DL — Luke Webb, Deer Park, sr. (3-star recruit is headed to Oklahoma State)

DL — Landon Rink, Cy-Fair, jr. (62 tackles, 24 1/2 TFL, 7 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, 5 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles)

LB — Braxton Jones, Nacogodoches, sr. (163 tackles, 20 TFL, 6 sacks)

LB — Kaleb Blanton, Manvel, sr. (96 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 pass breakups, one fumble recovery) (Rice signee)

LB — Johnny Crawford, Houston Stratford, sr. (150 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks)

LB — Ethan Fountain, League City Clear Springs, sr. (141 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 4 forced fumbles)

DB — Josh Lair, Fort Bend Marshall, sr. (54 tackles, 13 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, 3 sacks, two interceptions) (Washington signee)

DB — Braydn Gilliam, Needville, jr. (46 tackles, 3 1/2 TFL, 6 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble)

DB — Clourid Johnson Jr., Spring, sr. (24 tackles, 6 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble)

DB — Jacob Quiorga, Pasadena Memorial, sr. (7 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles in 6 games)

ATH — Zion Brown, Humble Atascocita, sr. (3,211 yards passing, 38 touchdowns, 559 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns) (Texas-Rio Grande Valley signee)

ATH — Aaron DeLeon, Houston Stratford, jr. (3,301 yards passing, 42 touchdowns, 557 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns)

K — Alex Abbott, Montgomery Lake Creek, sr. (11 field goals, 71-for-71 on PATs, long of 48 yards)

P — Walter Kilgore, Houston Clear Lake, sr. (43.1 yards per punt, 57 longest punt, 13 downed inside the 20)

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HONORABLE MENTION

QB — Austin Carlisle, Fort Bend Ridge Point, jr.

QB — Issac Mooring III, Spring Klein Cain, sr.

QB — Colin Wiilletts, Katy Jordan, sr.

RB — Isaiah Nguyễn, Port Neches-Groves, sr.

RB — Hunter Andrews, Magnolia, sr. (Utah signee)

RB — D’Andre Hardeman Jr., Galena Park North Shore, jr.

RB — Salahadin Allah, La Marque, sr. (Oregon State signee)

RB — Jeremy Payne, Fort Bend Hightower, sr. (TCU signee)

RB — Sam Hranicky, Bellville, sr.

RB — Frankie Arthur, Conroe Oak Ridge, sr. (Central Florida signee)

RB — Cardae Mack, Humble Atascocita, so.

RB — LaDamion McDowell, Pearland, jr.

WR — Zechariah Sample, Katy Jordan, sr. (Arizona State signee)

WR — Jelani Watkins, Humble Atascocita, sr. (LSU signee)

WR — Owen Carter, Cy Fair, sr. (Rice signee)

WR — Christopher Barnes, Galena Park North Shore, sr.

WR — Zion Kearney, Fort Bend Hightower, sr. (Oklahoma signee)

TE — Jordan Washington, Houston Langham Creek, sr. (Texas signee)

TE — Kaleb Thomas, Galena Park North Shore, sr. (Houston signee)

TE — Nick Townsend, Houston Delaney, jr.

OL — Ray’Quan Bell, Spring Westfield, sr. (Houston signee)

OL — Gibson Pyle, Spring Klein Cain, sr. (Nebraska signee)

OL — Tyler Thomas, Dickinson, jr.

OL — Ryan Hughes, The Woodlands, sr. (TCU signee)

OL — Samir Camacho, Cypres Falls, sr. (TCU signee)

DL — Michael Riles, Port Arthur Memorial, jr.

DL — Kaleb Walker, Humble Summer Creek, sr.

DL — Eduwa Okundaye, Katy Tompkins, sr. (Arizona signee)
DL — Jaylin Jones, Beaumont West Brook, sr.

DL — Demarcus Johnson, Fort Bend Marshall, sr. (Houston signee)

DL — DJ Sanders, Bellville, jr.

DL — Max Granville, Fort Bend Christian Academy, jr.

DL — Demarcus Johnson, Fort Bend Marshall, sr. (Houston signee)

DL — Michael-Anthony Okwura, Houston St. Thomas Catholic, sr. (California signee)

DL — Omar Khan, Cypress Bridgeland, sr. (Washington signee)

LB — Maurice Williams, Alvin Shadow Creek, sr. (Houston signee)

LB — Charles Anderson Jr.,Pearland Dawson, sr. (Texas Tech signee)

LB — Trent Lancaster, Spring Klein Cain, jr.

DB — Braylen Prude, Alvin Shadow Creek, sr. (Nebraska signee)

DB — Devondre McGee, Conroe, sr. (TCU signee)

DB — Isaiah Collins, Huntsville, sr. (Texas Tech signee)

DB — Carson Wiliams, Spring Westfield, sr.

DB — Avery Demery, Manvel, sr.

DB — Ashton Hampton, Pearland, sr. (Texas Tech signee)

DB — Deyjohn Pettaway, Katy Paetow, jr.

ATH — Kelshaun Johnson, Hitchcock, jr.

ATH — Lloyd Jones, Hitchcock, sr. (Texas Tech pledge)

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx

Lead photo by Daniel Grant / @danielcapturedit