The son of former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris, Chandler was committed to play for his father at Arkansas prior to Chad being fired before the end of the season.
Auburn was in play as much as the Sooners were, as Morris was hired by Gus Malzhan to serve as the Tigers’offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Chandler Morris, standing 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 172 pounds, fits the Riley prototype. Short in stature, Morris can still sling it and can tuck it when he needs to.
Morris is the No. 17 ranked quarterback in the 2020 class and the No. 51 ranked overall prospect in the state of Texas.
Morris passed on offers from , Auburn, USC and TCU among others. Morris will be the only scholarship quarterback in the 2020 class, adding a bit more depth behind Tanner Mordecai and Spencer Rattler.
The Under Armour All-American game broadcast details can be found here.
After committing to Oklahoma in mid-Nov., four-star receiver Marvin Mims broke a state and national record his senior year
After committing to Oklahoma in mid-Nov., four-star receiver Marvin Mims broke the state and national record for receiving yards in a single-season.
The Frisco Lone Star High School (Frisco, Texas) product needed 156 yards to break the Texas state record of 2,427 yards, and broke that with a 62-yard touchdown in the third quarter of Lone Star’s regional final against Lancaster High School. The previous record was set in 1998.
He broke the national single-season record deep into the third quarter, breaking the previous record of 2,464 yards set by J.P. Shohfi in 2015, with a 6-yard reception late in the third quarter of Lone Star’s game.
Mims finished with 214 yards on 10 catches with two touchdowns in his win Friday night. He now has seven games with over 200 receiving yards this season, one with 303 yards and three touchdowns.
If Frisco Lone Star can make it to the state championship, he’ll get his chance at the Texas record for career receiving yards, set by former Longhorn Jordan Shipley who had 5,342 yards from 2000-03.
Mims will sign with Oklahoma on the early National Signing Day on Dec. 18.
“Everybody has the ‘Why not us mentality.’” How Texas high school football teams make the playoffs with losing records.
Texas high school football still believes in Cinderella.
Thanks to “Friday Night Lights” and a lengthy tradition of growing quality players, many people around the country understand Texas high school football. But what you may not know is that it is technically possible in Texas to win a state title after going 0-10 in the regular season.
“Everybody has the ‘Why not us mentality,’” said Brian Bell, a former record-setting quarterback at Sam Houston State who is now coach of the China Spring team.
China Spring was 3-7 in the regular-season and one of 112 teams with losing record to make this year’s playoffs. Now China Spring, a school of 850 students located in the Waco suburbs, is one of 14 below .500 teams advancing to the second round, thanks to 50-12 win against Kennedale last week.
In the second round, China Spring plays Melissa (8-3) Thursday in Waxahachie, Texas.
“When you get this far, you are never facing a bad team, including ourselves,” Bell said.
Bell reminded his players that the Texas playoffs offer qualifiers a fresh start.
“Decatur, last year was 4-6 and then won (four) in a row and went to the semifinals in our division,” Bell said. “I preach that. You have to get hot at the right time. Injuries are a big part of it. What’s the weather like? Are you catching a team at the right time?”
Texas is the largest of the contiguous states, and geography is a primary reason why 15.9% of 704 playoff qualifiers, over 12 divisions, had a losing record this season. Four qualifiers come from every district and sometimes there are only four teams in a district.
China Spring’s district has five teams, and a two-hour drive is required for some games.
“It’s a fair system,” said Logan Lawrence, communication specialist of University Interscholastic League, the Texas governing body for high school sports. “You can’t be faulted because of your geography. Your town is where it is supposed to be. We are not going to force a team to travel three or four hours just to prevent four-team districts.”
Dematrius Davis, the athletic and influential dual-threat quarterback for defending Texas state champion North Shore, committed to Virginia Tech’s Class of 2021 ahead of numerous other scholarship offers from power programs.
Virginia Tech has lured one of the statement recruits of Justin Fuente’s tenure, but he won’t arrive on campus for more than a year.
Dematrius Davis, the four-star quarterback of 2018 USA TODAY Super 25 national runners-up North Shore (Houston, Texas), committed to Virginia Tech ahead of 21 other scholarship offers from elite programs. Davis is the third member of Virginia Tech’s Class of 2021 and the highest-rated quarterback commit under Fuente’s tenure, per 247Sports.
Davis announced his decision in a video posted to Twitter that showcased a personal workout, followed by a brief track sprint and zippered sweatshirt reveal of a Virginia Tech shirt.
The influence of Davis’ commitment could go far beyond his ability on the field. By joining Virginia Tech’s class now, he could prove an influential draw for other elite players, and particularly other Texas prospects who might be looking for other options outside the crowded Texas programs in the Big XII and Texas A&M, which plays in the ACC.
That’s for the future. For now, Davis has plenty of work at hand in the Texas state playoffs. North Shore is scheduled to face Dobie (Houston, Texas) in a home playoff game Friday, Nov. 15 as their title defense gets started.
Jacob Munoz battled leukemia twice and received a bone marrow transplant from his 11-year-old brother. He’s back on the football field as Klein Cain prepares for its first-ever playoff game.
Some athletes’ favorite high school sports memories are of hoisting a trophy, winning a big game or making a crucial play.
Jacob Munoz’s is simply getting back on the field and playing the game he loves.
As a seventh-grader in January 2015, Munoz was diagnosed with pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He was thought to be in remission two years later, but it returned, costing him his junior football season and very nearly his life.
After 11 rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother, Munoz started working back to normalcy.
This season, he returned to the playing field and suited up for the team that left his locker untouched throughout the process for his eventual return.
“It felt amazing just being back with my teammates, getting back on the field one last time,” Munoz said.
Now, after a 6-4 regular season, Klein Cain High School (Houston, Texas) is set to play thefirst playoff game in school history.
It appeared as if a comeback might not be possible for Munoz.
The Munoz family (Photo: Whataburger)
At least, that’s what his mother thought. After all the chemotherapy, doctors warned Yvette Munoz that Jacob might have a heart failure. Before undergoing tests that would determine whether he would be cleared to play, the two were shopping when he came across a pair of cleats he liked. It was heartbreaking for a mother who thought he’d never get to play in them.
“He saw some cleats he wanted for football, and I just started crying, thinking ‘Oh my God, he’s going to be let down again,’” Yvette remembers.
But Munoz was confident he’d be fine.
“He was like, ‘No, I’m going to get back on that field. My heart is fine.’ He believed it,” Yvette said. “And sure enough, when we went the following week, they did every test possible, and they said his heart was fine and they gave him the green light to play football.”
That was his same attitude as he went through chemotherapy. Munoz was determined to be in need of a bone marrow transplant in December 2017, but he wouldn’t be able to receive one unless he was cancer-free. Through 10 rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer persisted. Doctors said there was only one more attempt available before resorting to more drastic measures.
“He didn’t let it shake him. He’s just like, ‘No, I just need a little bit more. I just need a little more chemo. I just need a little bit more,’” Yvette said. “Every biopsy, they would come back and tell me that the cancer was still there. I would cry. And he would say, ‘It’s OK mom, I only need a little bit more. It’s OK. Next time. Next time. Next time.’”
Finally, next time came. Munoz told her he just needed one more. After the 11th cycle of chemo, he was cleared for the bone marrow transplant.
Jacob and Christian Munoz (Photo: Whataburger)
His brother, Christian, who was 11 at the time, had the only matchingbone marrow available for transplant. He didn’t hesitate.
Despite their five-year age gap, the brothers are close. Younger siblings often try to emulate older brothers or sisters, and Christian was no exception. They play the same video games. They both play football. The ordeal only deepened their bond.
“He’s my best friend,” Jacob said. “I love that kid to death.”
In March 2018, Christian donated the bone marrow that helped save his brother’s life.
“He knew completely what was going to happen. He said that he wanted to save his brother’s life, because he was the only match,” Yvette said. “Whenever he had some (pain), he would cry, and he would say, ‘It’s OK, because I’m doing it for Jacob.’”
With the cancer behind him, Munoz began to work back toward his normal life. After spending time in a wheelchair, Munoz needed to regain strength in his body and re-learn how to run.
He said faith in God helped him progress through leukemia and the recovery process.
“Instead of thinking, like, ‘Why me?’ I was thinking ‘What’s in store for me? What’s the plan?” Munoz said.
His goal of returning to the football field remained. Leukemia had already taken his eighth grade season, and the recovery and training would take away his junior season as well.
But it’s not as if he had every truly been away. Munoz’s locker remained untouched. Teammates would Skype him for some team meetings, including one for a jersey vote. And when they’d visit him in the hospital, they’d bring his favorite meal: a Whataburger patty melt.
Jacob Munoz prepares for a football game (Photo: Whataburger)
Whataburger even became aware of his story through Dave Campbell’s Texas Football “Unsung Hero” profile and gave him a $5,000 college scholarship. Munoz plans to attend the University of Houston to study law or physical therapy. He believes his battle and recovery, which included a period in a wheelchair, can help him connect and be a better therapist.
“While I was coming back, trying to get back into shape, I saw what a lot of people go through,” Munoz said. “Mentally, physically, trying to come back from injuries, I feel like I have a connection.”
Said Yvette, “(It’s) given him a new perspective on life. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff.”
On Oct. 18, Munoz made his return. He played in the 63-27 win over Klein Forest (Houston, Texas), and had two tackles, according to MaxPreps.
Klein Cain’s regular season has come to an end and the playoffs are set to begin Friday against Westfield (Houston, Texas). Win or lose, Munoz will be on the field.
And after all he went through, simply being there is what matters.
