Once all the Texas high school football state champions were crowned last December, SBLive then went to work choosing the top players in the state.

We subsequently released all-region teams for each of the state’s six regions, from North Texas to East Texas, to Southeast Texas, West Texas and South Texas. And of course, Central Texas.

The SBLive all-Central Texas team for 2023 was compiled by our SBLive correspondent, Ryan Childers.

>> Charting Vandegrift’s rise to Texas high school football power: ‘Tradition really matters’

Now, with the upcoming season fast approaching, we’re taking a look at the top returners in Central Texas.

Here is every SBLive all-Central Texas honoree returning in Texas this fall:

ALL-CENTRAL TEXAS SELECTIONS RETURNING IN 2024

Award winners

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Chad Warner, QB, Cibolo-Steele, sr.

As a junior, the Knights’ gunslinger led his team to a 6A Division II state semifinal appearance and a District 27 championship. Warner – who recently committed to UTEP – had a great year under center for the Knights, tossing 36 passing touchdowns and threw for 3,547 yards, while setting eight different school records in the process. He also added five touchdowns with his feet and 204 rushing yards.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Bradley Sowersby, RB, Smithson Valley, sr.

The Ranger running back made a name for himself as one of the top backs in the area. As the lead back for the Smithson Valley offense, Sowersby racked up 1,134 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in 2023 while averaging over six yards per carry. He helped his Rangers reach the Class 5A Division I state championship for the first time in 20 years.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Hank Hendrix, QB, Boerne, soph.

As a freshman, Hendrix came in relief for the injured junior Jaxon Baize and helped lead Boerne to a second consecutive district championship. Hendrix accounted for 1,586 yards and tossed 18 touchdowns to just one interception.

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

Cole Pryor, RB, San Antonio Reagan, sr.

Pryor propelled the Rattlers offense all season long, finishing with 1,556 rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns, and will be back for one more round this season. 

Jalen Cooper, WR, Cibolo-Steele, sr.

Cooper set the record for touchdown receptions in the state last year, hauling in 23 TDs on 63 total receptions and totaled 1,578 receiving yards to help Steele sweep to a District 27-6A title and 6A Division II state semifinal appearance.

Logan Schram, OL, Boerne, sr.

Schram is the leader on an offensive line nicknamed ‘The Great Wall of Boerne.’ He will be a four-year starter on varsity, and has yet to allow a sack in the previous three years. He holds multiple FBS offers and helped the Greyhounds rush for 2,369 yards this season.

DEFENSE

Hudson Woods, DE, Smithson Valley, jr.

As a sophomore, Woods burst onto the scene by helping lead the Rangers to the state finals. On the season, the sophomore totaled 67 tackles with 14 sacks, 16 QB hurries, three forced fumbles, and 29 tackles for a loss.

Elliot Schaper, LB, Austin Westlake, sr.

A Duke commit, Schaper was named District 26-6A Defensive MVP. He tallied 108 tackles (13 for loss), nine sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

>> How Austin Westlake, national high school football power, prepares for another photo finish

SPECIAL TEAMS

Michael Terry, ATH, Alamo Heights, jr.

The do-it-all four-star athlete for the Mules never leaves the field and stars as quarterback, running back, receiver, returner, and as a defensive back. Offensively last season, he tallied 1,531 all-purpose yards and 31 total touchdowns, while defensively he had 15 tackles with one pick-six.

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

Cody Stoever, QB, Wimberley, sr.

4,577 total yards and 73 total touchdowns

DEFENSE

Connor Vasek, DE, Austin Westlake, sr.

27 tackles, three sacks.

Braden Bays, DT, Boerne, sr.

53 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 8 QB hurries.

Braylen Wortham, DB, College Station, sr.

8 interceptions.

Peyton Matthews, ATH, San Antonio Harlan, jr. 

1,223 all-purpose yards, 13 TDs.

Ty Bush, P, Boerne, sr.

20 punts, 38-yard average, 50-yard long, 8 punts pinned inside the 20 yard line.

HONORABLE MENTION

Jax Brown, QB, Pflugerville Weiss, sr.

Lorenn Johnson, RB, San Antonio Johnson, sr.

Brooks Perez, WR, Boerne, sr.

Jack Tyndall, RB, Dripping Springs, sr.

Jonathan Hatton, RB, Cibolo-Steele, jr.

Colton Chmelar, K, A&M Consolidated, sr.

Reece Dietrick, QB, New Braunfels Canyon, sr.

Barrett Fallon, RB, San Antonio Davenport, jr.

Isaiah Champagne, WR, San Antonio Pieper, sr.

Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX 

Standing at just five feet, eight inches, and having 25 wide receivers ranked ahead of him in the 2024 transfer portal, it’s easy to overlook Silas Bolden. Literally.

The Oregon State transfer was one that could’ve felt like overkill for the Longhorn receiving core in 2024. With two higher-rated transfers, three notable sophomore returners, and a five-star freshman, the fifth-year pass-catcher felt a bit out of place in the group.

But, like clockwork in fall camp, an unexpected veteran has emerged for Texas, and people are talking about him. In 2023, reporters were feeding the Austin area tidbits of a 360-pound mammoth in the trenches looking to replace NFL-gone DT Keondre Coburn. Six months later, T’Vondre Sweat was an All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Though depth charts are far from confirmed, Bolden seems to have earned the graces of head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Quinn Ewers, likely earning a starting spot in Week 1.

“When he first got here, I could just tell how much he cared about the game of football and how much he really wants to succeed,” Ewers said about Bolden. “He’s been balling out. It’s cool to see a guy like him do the things that he does.”

Bolden’s short stature is an anomaly for a receiver at this level of play. In the last three years in the NFL, just two players have recorded over 600 receiving yards in a single year while being shorter than 5’9, and neither eclipsed the 700-yard mark. Despite this, Bolden carved out a strong year for himself in 2023, still corralling 54 catches for 746 yards, 14th in the Pac-12 despite OSU throwing the second-fewest passes per game in the conference.

Bolden profiles most similar to Keilan Robinson from the 2023 team with Robinson’s shorter stature and incredible burst. Bolden will likely see more snaps and will play much more out wide, but Sarkisian will likely include him in similar plays that Robinson saw. Bolden is great at getting deep downfield, but will also be a weapon in the screen, drag, and even out of the backfield. (Watch his highlights against Utah if you aren’t convinced)

“He makes strong catches. He’s a heck of a ballplayer, and he may be little, but he has some heart,” veteran cornerback Jahdae Barron said. “He has a lot of heart to him (and) I love (Bolden) in routes.”

If there’s anyone who has had to endure the speed and quickness of Bolden, it’s Barron. Barron’s primary position as a nickel cornerback means he plays most of practice guarding slot receivers, which Bolden is expected to work out of in the fall.

Despite a loaded receiving group, Bolden adds something that few other players possess. Leadership and experience. The entire receiving core is either a junior, sophomore, or freshman, and Bolden is the only player to have spent more than three years in college football already. Though it took later in his career to see meaningful snaps, Bolden has embodied the culture and mentality that Sarkisian has brought to Texas: and plans to win with.

Later in the same media availability, Ewers described Bolden’s leadership and energy on display. Working in the ‘Red Zone Lockout’ drill, where the offense competes against the defense to score from inside the red zone, Bolden’s offense took the win in the drill, but not at the hands of the short route-runner. Juan Davis, a fourth-year tight end who looks to be primarily a backup in 2024, caught the game-winner, and the most prominent man in celebration was Bolden.

“Silas (Bolden) ran over to him, he’s like jumping on (Davis) and firing him up,” Ewers said about the drill. “You love to see things like that. Silas didn’t get the ball, he didn’t need to go over there and celebrate with Juan. But, you know, he does that. It’s those types of things that really fire you up.”

Bolden seems to have already assimilated himself into the culture and dynamic that this 2024 Longhorns team looks to play with, and getting in good graces with your quarterback means you’ll be seeing the field. Despite him being the shortest player on the field, expect Bolden to make immediate and noticeable impacts both as a teammate and as a pass catcher in this explosive Longhorn offense.

The Oregon Ducks are finalists for elite five-star recruit Michael Terry III. The class of 2025 athlete is the nation’s No. 1 “Athlete” and No. 7 overall prospect in Texas.

The 6-foot-3, 217-pound prospect from San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights has narrowed his list of schools to Oregon, the Texas Longhorns, Nebraska Cornhuskers and Texas A&M Aggies. However, Oregon, Texas and Nebraska are emerging as frontrunners to land the coveted recruit, according to 247Sports.

Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples are the primary recruiters of Terry III. The critical time in his recruitment, Terry III has yet to announce a commitment date as he starts his senior season at the end of August.

Terry III visited Eugene for Oregon football’s “Saturday Night Live” recruiting event, a massive success for the Ducks staff. Nearly 100 recruits for the 2025, 2026, and 2027 participated in drills coached by the Oregon Football staff in Autzen Stadium in late July.

“I love Oregon,” Terry told On3. “Just as much as I love Texas. I’ve built relationships with both coaching staffs. Both are on the path of greatness… How Coach Stein and Coach Lanning calls more advanced plays If you watch their plays they can make a basic play look like a play you never seen.”

Terry III met with former Oregon star athlete, De’Anthony Thomas while in Eugene. The electric Thomas played a role for the Ducks that could be similar to Terry III – both at running back and wide receiver. Scouting reports on Terry III’s skillset show he could evolve into a tight end at the next level in the NFL.

Directly after his visit to Eugene, Terry III traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to visit the Cornhuskers and head coach Matt Rhule. The Texas-native has also visited Austin and the Longhorns multiple times this summer.

Texas is the leader to land Terry III, based on commitment predictions from 247Sports and On3. However, both Oregon and Nebraska have pushed to remain in the mix.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s 2025 recruiting class currently ranks No. 9 nationally on 247Sports rankings. Terry III would be Oregon’s fourth five-star recruit in the class: joining Duncanville (Texas) wide receiver Dakorien Moore, Mater Dei (California) running back Jordon Davison and Shaker Heights (Ohio) safety Trey McNutt.

Joining the Big Ten makes it easier for coach Lanning to connect with recruits who are father away from Oregon, geographically.

“It also gives us an opportunity,” Coach Lanning said. “We’ve always been a team that has recruited nationally but it has certainly made our footprint stronger here in the Midwest. Where that is states in the area that we had not tapped into as much. It gives us the opportunity to recruit those kids.”

“We’ve always recruited east coast to west coast but now to have the opportunity to have some of those games played in venues that are close to players that we are recruiting certainly helps,” coach Lanning said.

The Ducks have been successful in their recruiting efforts in Texas, recently. Coach Lanning’s strong connection to Texas is partly thanks to rising-star recruiter Samples.

Samples was the primary recruiter for the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver Dakorien Moore committed to the Ducks over his hometown state’s Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Samples had a unique connection with Moore – Samples’ father is Moore’s high school head coach at Duncanville (TX). The Oregon coach expects to win recruiting battles in the lonestar state.

“I mean, it feels normal. I think that’s what Dan expects of me,” Samples said after Oregon practice last week. “That’s what I expect of myself, so I mean, it’s part of the job. That’s what I came here to do to be able to sign some of these guys, – bring a different landscape, bringing in guys from Texas, and winning recruiting battles. It’s a part of the job at this level and it’s an expectation for me, it’s the standard for me, it’s the standard that Dan expects from me, it’s why he brought me here.”

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