Austin, TX
Texas high school football: Top 10 linebackers in the Austin area
As the 2024 Texas high school football season draws near, the American-Statesman is ranking the best players by each position group.
High school reporters Rick Cantu and Colby Gordon will start with offensive linemen and end with quarterbacks next week.
Top 10 linebackers in the Austin area
(Players listed in alphabetical order)
Easton Aird, Lake Travis Cavaliers
Overshadowed last fall by the rest of the Cavs’ stars on the defensive side of the ball, he still made 76 tackles. Aird should have an even more productive season as a senior.
DEFENSE IS GOOD BUT: No. 2 Lake Travis believes passing prowess will spur trip back to state
Jackson Clowdus, Elgin Wildcats
A unanimous first-team all-district pick a year ago after 67 tackles, this senior will lead the Wildcats’ playoff push this fall.
Tieson Ejiawoko, East View Patriots
Ejiawoko, a junior, recently committed to Texas Tech. He was the district defensive newcomer of the year last fall and seems ready for an explosive season.
MORE RANKINGS: Top 10 defensive linemen in the Austin area
Garrett Lindgren, Liberty Hill Panthers
A tackling machine who had 104 stops as a junior, he might surpass that number with a good Liberty Hill defensive line in front of him and being a year smarter, bigger and faster.
[ As No. 7 Liberty Hill’s offense revs up to speed, its defense will lead the way in 2024 ]
Will Peeler, Austin High Maroons
A first-team all-district selection in a district that included Westlake, Lake Travis, Bowie, Anderson and Johnson, this senior is everywhere on defense for the Maroons.
Jahiem Porter, Cedar Park Timberwolves
If you don’t know about Porter, you will soon. He made 90 tackles last year, has an offer from North Texas and seems poised for a breakout junior year.
A STATE TITLE CONTENDER? Why Cedar Park comes in at No. 9 in our area countdown
Elliott Schaper, Westlake Chaparrals
The Statesman’s defensive player of the year last fall should be a monster for the Chaps again. Coming off a season in which he had 108 tackles and nine sacks, the senior committed to Duke over the summer.
REVENGE ON THEIR MINDS: No. 1 Westlake football hopes to redeem itself after 2 straight trips to state semifinals
Seth Warren, Georgetown Eagles
A third-team all-Central Texas pick as a junior ago after making 107 tackles, he’ll lead what should be a very good Georgetown defense this season.
OUR RANKINGS: Strong defense, solid WRs makes Georgetown a top-10 team
Gage Webb, Anderson Trojans
Made 93 tackles a year ago in just 10 games and could be even more dominant as a senior this fall when the Trojans drop to Class 5A.
MORE RANKINGS: Top 10 offensive linemen in the Austin area
Logan Wicketts, Cedar Park Timberwolves
Teams up with Porter to give the Timberwolves a dynamic duol tallied an impressive 108 stops as a junior last fall.
Also keep an eye on: Brandon Bradshaw, Pflugerville; Ousman Jabateh, Connally; Trae Small, LBJ; Trevin Candeh, LBJ; DeMarreo Alba, sr., Glenn; Joaquin Reynolds, McCallum; Caleb Nicholas, Liberty Hill
Austin, TX
Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for an elderly man who has been missing since Friday afternoon in Austin.
The Austin Police Department is looking for Charles Evans, a 73-year-old man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. Evans was last seen at 5:37 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Austin.
Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin
ALSO| Students recount emotional toll of Leander High School possible bomb threat lockdown
Police describe him as a 6’3″ tall white male, weighing 225 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes, and who uses a walker.
Law enforcement officials believe his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.
Austin, TX
Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel
AUSTIN, Texas – A 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder for a deadly shooting at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Austin, police said.
What we know:
Police said on Monday, Jan. 5, around 6:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot at the Cambria Hotel at 68 East Avenue #824. The caller said a person had been shot.
When officers arrived, they found a man with injuries. He later died at the scene. He was identified as Luke Bradburn.
The investigation revealed that Bradburn drove and crashed a car that belonged to 20-year-old Maximillian Salinas. After the crash, Bradburn and the other people in the car left and went to the Cambria Hotel.
Salinas went to the hotel and shot Bradburn.
On Jan. 6, Salinas was arrested and charged with murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.
The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department
Austin, TX
Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis
Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.
Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.
Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”
“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.
Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”
“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”
Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.
“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”
The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.
The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.
Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.
Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.
-
Detroit, MI7 days ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology4 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX5 days agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Dallas, TX2 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Iowa4 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Health6 days agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits
-
Nebraska3 days agoOregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska
-
Delaware1 day agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach