KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — After a winless 2024 season that came down to just a handful of plays, Morton Ranch football coach Nick Cavallo believes his young team is poised for a dramatic turnaround in 2025.
"When you look at how close some of those games were, and add another year of experience with those same kids, it fuels us," said Cavallo, who is entering his second season with the Mavericks.
"You might take a combined five or six plays out of last year's season, and the outcome would be different."
The optimism isn't unfounded. Morton Ranch returns nine offensive starters and seven defensive starters from a team that showed significant improvement late in the season, particularly in games against Cinco Ranch, Mayde Creek and Seven Lakes.
"We've had a great spring and summer offseason so far," Cavallo said. "We're right on schedule, where we want to be. We have a lot of young kids last year that played. They got a lot of valuable experience under their belt."
Leading the offensive resurgence will be junior quarterback Jaceyon Jenkins, a team captain who took over the starting role midway through last season as a sophomore. The Mavericks will run a multiple spread offense designed to maximize their returning talent.
"When you look at how we ended the year, our offensive production was really coming along," Cavallo said. "We'll be spread, but with some ability to run different formations with similar personnel."
Senior Tyler Gilmore returns as the featured running back after adding 5-10 pounds to his frame during the offseason.
"He has just been a workhorse," Cavallo said of the "big back" who anchored the ground game.
Senior Tyler Williams, who also played forward on the basketball team, returns as the Mavericks' leading receiver. "He's a big-time target receiver," Cavallo said. "He played forward on the basketball team and has good hands."
Of the nine offensive starters returning, Cavallo said four of them are on the offensive line. "That's a unit that played a a lot, and looks to be one of our strong points," Cavallo said. Team captain Douglas Hammond leads that experienced group.
Defensively, Morton Ranch will deploy a multiple front with three, four or five down linemen depending on the situation — a necessity in a district where "a lot of teams like to load it up and try to run it at you," Cavallo said.
Senior team captains Great Obikili and Simeon Fontenette anchor the defensive line, while junior Donovan Sims returns at middle linebacker. Seniors Maurice Kinlaw and Terry Colquitt also return at linebacker, with Colquitt capable of playing in the secondary as well.
The secondary features sophomore Keyon Jenkins at cornerback and senior Dennie Hamilton, an Army recruit who will play both safety and cornerback. Hamilton serves as a team captain.
"A lot of these guys, now sophomores, played a lot as freshmen," Cavallo said. "We have a good mix of juniors and seniors that played a lot of football last year and hopefully we'll be able to utilize that."
That experience could prove crucial in what Cavallo acknowledges is "a tough district."
With nearly their entire roster returning and a year of growth under their belts, the Mavericks believe they're ready to turn close losses into victories.
"When we're in those adverse situations this year, we're hoping we'll be able to make those plays that we weren't able to make last year," Cavallo said.
Read our other 2025 football preview stories here.
2025 Mavericks Schedule
Aug. 30 — Aldine Nimitz at Morton Ranch, 7:30 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Sept. 5 — Morton Ranch at Magnolia West, 7 p.m. at Mustang Stadium
Sept. 12 — Morton Ranch at Katy, 7:30 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Sept. 18 — Taylor at Morton Ranch, 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Sept. 25 — Morton Ranch at Jordan, 6:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
Oct. 3 — Paetow at Morton Ranch, 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Oct. 9 — Morton Ranch at Tompkins, 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Oct. 17 — Mayde Creek at Morton Ranch, 6:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
Oct. 30 — Morton Ranch at Cinco Ranch, 6:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
Nov. 6 — Seven Lakes at Morton Ranch, 6:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium