DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

There will be a number of new faces expected to make early contributions for the Van Vandals in 2025.

Coach Jared Moffatt’s Van Vandals are coming off an impressive 10-4 record in 2024 advancing all the way to the Class 4A, Division 2, state quarterfinals for the fourth time in school history before being eliminated by eventual state champion Carthage last December.

Moffatt, entering his 16th season in Van, with a record of 127-52, will have the challenge of replacing 20 lettermen that graduated from last year’s team.

The good news is that the Vandals will have 20 other lettermen returning including four offensive and five defensive starters.

Key returning players for the Vandals include defensive tackle Waylon King, center Collier Bryant, offensive lineman Landon Robinson, cornerback/running back Da’Quavion Williams, wide receiver Aidan Willis, outside linebacker Boston Blaylock, free safety Ian Hopson, and offensive lineman Karter Broyles.

According to Moffatt, the players to watch for the Vandals in 2025 include cornerback/wide receiver Blaise Lineberry, quarterback/tight end Ryder Savage, defensive tackle Oliver Stowe, running back/defensive lineman Adam Beall, running back Marcus Fabian, wide receiver Connor Ammons, wide receiver Gunnar Stanford, quarterback Rawly Hinch, linebacker Carter Admire, defensive lineman Ti’ler Williams, wide receiver Cash Walker, defensive end Brigg Barton, cornerback/wide receiver Dylan Johnson, wide receiver/cornerback Turner Jones, offensive lineman Jayse Wilson, offensive lineman Reed Haltom, offensive lineman Caleb Pickrell, strong safety/quarterback Parker Rainey, and wide receiver Braxton Bass.

Van opened its 2025 regular season schedule at Van’s Memorial Stadium against Dallas Carter Aug. 29.

Their District 7-4A, Division 2, opener will be at Spring Hill in a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday, Oct. 10 against the Spring Hill Panthers.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine predicts that the Vandals will finish third in the district race behind Gilmer and Texarkana Pleasant Grove. 

Spring Hill is picked to finish fourth in the district followed by Pittsburg and Paris North Lamar.

Offensively, the Vandals will be looking for a number of players to step and produce as a high percentage of the offensive production from last season graduated, according to Moffatt.

Expected to see playing time on the offensive side of the ball include the following players:

Quarterback: Junior Rawly Hinch, senior Ryder Savage, and sophomore Parker Rainey.

Running back: Senior Da’Quavion Williams, senior Adam Beall, senior Marcus Fabian, and Rainey.

‘X’ Receiver: Senior Connor Ammons and senior Gunnar Stanford.

‘A’ Receiver: Senior Aiden Willis and junior Ian Hopson.

‘Z’ Receiver: Senior Blaise Lineberry and sophomore Braxton Bass.

‘Y’ Receiver: Junior Cash Walker and junior Turner Jones.

H-Back: Savage and senior Connor McCurley.

Left tackle: Sophomore Reed Haltom and sophomore Caleb Pickrell.

Left guard: Sophomore Jayse Wilson and senior Bernabe Montez.

Center: Senior Collier Bryant and junior Barrett Johnson.

Right guard: Senior Landon Robinson and senior Azure Caldwell.

Right tackle: Senior Karter Broyles and Pickrell.

“Rawly Hinch has had a great spring,” said Moffatt. “He has thrown the ball well. We are really excited about Rawly. He has a lot of potential with tons of ability. He is 6-1, a big kid. Even though he has not started on the varsity football team, he has started on the varsity basketball team and the varsity baseball team. I feel real confident that the bigness of the moment is not going to phase him. He has a strong arm. Ryder Savage has the ability to throw the football well. Parker Rainey, who is going to start on defense for us, is a really good runner. We are in good shape at the quarterback position.

“Da’Quavion Williams is our best natural runner,” pointed out Moffatt. “He is going to need to play some on defense. He runs the football well and brings a lot to our offense. Marcus Fabian is back at running back. Adam Beall is back at running back as well. We need to identify where our production will be coming from at running back. I think there is a place for Parker Rainey to contribute at running back as well. Boston Blalock, our outside linebacker, can play running back as well. He is dependable.

“At H-back, Ryder Savage is back, and Connor McCurley is in the mix as well,” emphasized Moffatt. “Kace Lovette, a sophomore, has also worked at that position and he has a lot of potential. There is a lot of competition for playing time at that position.

“At receiver, Aiden Willis returns this season, and he is a really good football player,” said the Vandal head coach. “Last season, Aiden Willis was our fifth option in the passing game. This season, he is going to surprise a lot of people with what he will bring to our offense. Cash Walker and Turner Jones are battling for playing time at the ‘Y’ position. Ian Hopson, our starting free safety, is one of our fastest, if not our fastest player. We need to incorporate him into our offense. The outside receivers are question marks at this place. Blaise Lineberry and Braxton Bass have lots of ability at the ‘Z’ position. Connor Ammons had a really good spring. He and Gunner Stanford, along with Max Mitchell, are battling for playing time at the ‘X’ position.

“In our offensive line, Collier Bryant is being moved from left guard to center for us,” said Moffatt. “I have a lot of confidence in him playing at that spot. Landon Robinson is back at right guard for us. Karter Broyles is also back at right tackle. Having three returning offensive linemen back gives you a lot of confidence. After those three guys, we have three huge sophomores with a lot of potential. Jayse Wilson, our left guard, is 6-3 and weighs 295. Reed Haltom is our starting left tackle. He is 6-5 and weighs 260. UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso) is looking at him. Caleb Pickrell is our backup tackle. He is 6-6 and weighs 295. There may be times we play with six linemen this season. We have to find a way to get those kids some playing time. We have a 300-pounder, senior Bernabe Montez, a move-in, that needs playing time as well. He weighed 340 pounds when he moved to Van. We have to figure out what we are going to do with our offensive linemen. 

“I don’t know right now what our offensive identity is going to be yet,” shared Moffatt. “Has there been a year since I have been at Van that we have returned less production from the previous season than what we have this season? Surely not. We graduated our top three receivers, our starting quarterback, and our top two running backs last season. That is not saying that these guys we have now are not capable. They just haven’t done it yet. What we have now is potential. We have questions that need answers.”

Moffatt also discussed his defensive unit as the 2025 regular season begins for the Vandals.

Left cornerback: Williams and Willis.

Right cornerback: Lineberry and junior Dylan Johnson.

Free Safety: Hopson and senior Tate Young.

‘Bandit:’ Rainey and Walker.

“Q’ (Da’Quavion Williams) and Blaise Lineberry will be our starting cornerbacks,” said Moffatt. “Q’ ended up playing a lot of downs for us last season at cornerback. ‘Q’ played really well for us. Blaise played some at cornerback as well last season. We have a lot of confidence in those two guys. ‘Q’ is possibly our best running back so when he is playing offense, who is able to come in and be our third cornerback? Dylan Johnson and Aiden Willis are doing a good job at cornerback as well, however, Aiden may be our best receiver. A sophomore, Lochlan Peterson is looking good at cornerback as well. There is a battle for playing time at cornerback. Ian Hopson is our free safety. We expect him to continue improving from his sophomore year. Tate Young is backing him up. Parker Rainey is a physical kid who fits right in to that ‘Bandit’ position for us. Cash Walker is working at the ‘Bandit’ position also.”

‘Rover’ linebacker: Junior Boston Blalock and senior Matt Oxford.

‘Sam’ linebacker: Junior Carter Admire and sophomore Kace Lovette.

‘Mike’ linebacker: Junior Tim Jones and junior Braydon Karwowski.

“Boston Blalock is back at ‘Rover’ linebacker, and he can play at so many spots for us,” continued Moffatt. “He plays well against the run and the pass. I think he is going to have a great year. Carter Admire is a physical player at ‘Sam’ linebacker. He is going to be a really good player for us. Tim Jones is a good athlete at ‘Mike’ linebacker. He is strong and he can run. He has a great personality. All of our linebackers bring a lot of ability, and we have confidence in all of them. Kace Lovette and Braydon Karwowski bring great depth at the linebacker position. We are also real high on a freshman, Easton Yarbrough. If injuries become a factor, he could be in the mix.”

Left defensive end: Junior Brigg Barton and junior Gavin Shipp.

Left defensive tackle: Senior Angel Armendariz and senior Oliver Stowe.

Right defensive tackle: Senior Waylon King and junior Townes Hamman.

Right defensive end: Junior Ty’ler Williams and junior Raymond Guzman.

“Waylon King is back at defensive tackle,” said Moffatt. “He was a surprise for us last season. He was better than we anticipated. He has had a great off-season, and I am so proud of him. He has taken ownership of the defensive line in a leadership role. Ty’ler Williams played some as a sophomore. We need him to be a good player for us at defensive end. That other defensive tackle position will be interesting to watch with Angel Armendariz and Oliver Stowe to see who will be getting the playing time. I can say that about our entire defensive line so far as playing time is concerned. Brigg Barton is tall and has put on some weight. Gavin Shipp is going to help us as well.

“Even though we have about the same number of players back on both sides of the ball, I feel right now that there are less questions on the defensive side,” emphasized Moffatt. “We will need our defense to step up early in the season with the inexperience that we have on the offensive side. If our defense plays well early, it will take some of the pressure off the offense. That would give us the opportunity to find out who we really are as a football team. We might not have that luxury because of the quality of opponents that are on our schedule.”

The Vandal head coach discussed his non-district schedule which includes home games against Dallas Carter and Pine Tree; visits to rival Lindale, and Sunnyvale, and a Homecoming contest against rival Brownsboro.

“Dallas Carter is going to be talented and real fast when they get off that bus in Van,” pointed out Moffatt. “I don’t know who they are, but they are going to be real talented and real fast. Pine Tree had a really good team last season. They lost by one point in the second round of the playoffs last season but that was because their quarterback got hurt. They graduated a bunch of people like us. Lindale is a great rivalry game every year for us. It is always a close game every time we play them. Sunnyvale is going to be ready for us after we beat them twice last season, including the playoff game. Sunnyvale will be plenty motivated for sure. Brownsboro is another rivalry game for us, and we get them for Homecoming this season.  We don’t have any bad teams on our non-district schedule that will give us time to figure out our team. We better get this figured out really fast.”

The kicking game for the Vandals was also outlined by Moffatt for the 2025 season.

The Vandals recently added senior Alex Acves, a member of the Vandal soccer team, as their kicker.

“Aiden Willis is a good kicker, but he is our best receiver,” emphasized Moffatt. “Rawly Hinch is also a good kicker, but he is our starting quarterback. We needed to bring in someone else to handle the kickoff, extra point, and field goal duties and we are happy that Alex has joined us. Aiden could serve as our punter. Connor Ammons returns as our holder, and our deep snapper is to be determined. Right now, Tate Young and Ryder Savage are working in that position. Kickoff returns will be handled by ‘Q,’ Ian Hopson, Marcus Fabian, Adam Beall, and Blaise Lineberry. They could also be part of the punt return game as well along with Cash Walker and Parker Rainey. Whoever the punt returner is going to be, they will have to earn our trust. If we don’t catch punts, we lose a lot of field position.” 

Moffatt discussed the challenging District 7-4A, Division 2, schedule that will feature defending district champion Gilmer and runner-up Texarkana Pleasant Grove at home as the Vandals finished third in the district race last season. 

The district schedule also includes road games against Spring Hill, Pittsburg, and Paris North Lamar.

“If you asked someone who has the best Class 4A football programs in East Texas, they would probably say Carthage first and that would be right,” pointed out Moffatt. “They have 10 state championships. After Carthage, Gilmer and Texarkana Pleasant Grove would be mentioned pretty fast. That is the reality of it. Gilmer and Texarkana Pleasant Grove are going to be really good every year with lots of talent. Their coaches do a great job with their kids. Those will be really tough games at home. We played one-score games in the fourth quarter with both of those teams last season. We had our chances to win both of those games. Spring Hill has been in the playoffs the last two seasons. When they are running the ball well, they are going to shorten the game, and you will have limited possessions. They are going to be a problem. Last season’s game was another one-score game in the fourth quarter. They make me nervous. Pittsburg and Paris North Lamar have new coaches this season. Pittsburg is never short on talent. Paris North Lamar’s quarterback is back, and I thought he played well last season.”

The Vandals won a lot of one-score games, including playoff games, last season and Moffatt believes that the key to success for his team this season will be doing that again.

“Can this team figure out a way to win close games this season because we will be in a lot of close games,” emphasized Moffatt. “If we can find a way to do that, we will have a very good season again. We have a good football team but our ability to win close games is critical. There is a fine line between winning and losing close games.”

Moffatt is pleased that a majority of his coaching staff is back from last season.

“Everybody is pretty much back,” said Moffatt. “We replaced two people. Coach Clayton George comes in here from Mount Vernon where he coached for the last couple of years. I have known him for over 20 years. He has been a head coach at three different schools. I am real excited to have him join our coaching staff. He will coach outside receivers and be our co-offensive coordinator for us. He will be in the press box on Friday nights, and I will be communicating a lot with him. He is going to bring a lot to our offense. Javonta Thomas is going to be our running backs coach. He played running back here and he graduated from Lamar University last December. He started working here in the spring. He was an unbelievable player here. We are excited to have him join our coaching staff as well.”

Other members of the 2025 Vandal coaching staff include Jaron Rainey, defensive coordinator and linebackers; Robby Parish, safeties; Adam Shaw, cornerbacks; Desmond Oliver, defensive line; Clayton Haltom, outside linebackers; Bret Doring, quarterbacks; Zac Bryant, offensive line and co-offensive coordinator; Daniel ‘Red’ Jones, slot receivers; Cole Harms, H-backs and tight ends; and Cason Chaney, junior high coach and offensive line assistant coach.

“We have some veteran assistant coaches, but we also have some coaches who are in their first or second year in Van,” pointed out Moffatt. “We have a good mixture of coaches on this staff.”

On a personal note, Moffatt is coaching a Vandal varsity football squad without one of his sons on the team for the first time in seven years.

“It is different this season for sure,” emphasized Moffatt. “It is not lost on me. I walked out on the practice field for the first time the other day without one of my sons being there and I have been here for 16 years. Even when my boys were younger, before they played, they were always here at practice. We had a lot of really good times together. Those were special moments we will have forever. Being an ‘empty-nester’ is different for me and Amy. I had to go back to mowing the yard. I had no help. I kept calling coaches to help me fix a fence. I had no kids left here to help me. I sure do miss them.”