Austin area's top 10 high school football teams: All about No. 8 Weiss Wolves
No. 8 Weiss
Coach: Steve Van Meter (12-6, third season)
2021: 10-2, Class 5A Division I area finalist
Hello: DL Chad Otutu, WR Micah Gifford, RB Daelen Alexander
Goodbye: QB Dior Bradfield, WR Price Morgan
Returning starters: 7 offense, 8 defense
2020 stats: Averaged 47.1 ppg, allowed 28.2 ppg.
More:2022 Austin-area high school football preview: Class 6A districts
Questions to ponder
1. How quickly can the Wolves adapt to Class 6A? Is one season quick enough for you? Weiss may be the newest program in the Pflugerville school district, but it’s already the largest and the only one of the four competing in Class 6A. The Wolves have elite talent at every position and should contend with 6A stalwart Temple for the District 12-6A crown.
2. Which college pledge is the most valuable to the team? Three Weiss seniors — Baylor receiver pledge Gifford, Air Force running back pledge Alexander and uncommitted defensive lineman Lorenzo Diggs — have FBS offers, but none of those players look more important than Alexander. A perfect fit in the Wolves’ spread offense, the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder rushed for 1,272 yards and 17 TDs last season and had 30 catches for 503 yards. He could be the focus of the offense, especially as the Wolves break in a new starter at quarterback.
3. Speaking of which, who will replace Dior Bradfield? The graduated Bradfield rewrote the school’s short list of passing records last season when he threw for 3,386 yards and 43 touchdowns with a QB rating of 139.4. Van Meter and his staff say 6-1, 195-pound senior Tate Reiland has a complete understanding of the offense and is ready to step in as the starter, but they also love the potential of 6-1, 170-pound sophomore Jax Brown, who is already fielding offers from FBS schools. Don’t be surprised if both get extended playing time in nondistrict games.
Here's the beef
An impressive collection of skill players helped the team average 313 yards passing and 153 yards rushing last year, but don’t overlook how much a dominant offensive line contributed to those numbers. Some of those starters are back, including 6-4, 290-pound senior Isaiah Mworia and 6-5, 300-pound junior Wesley Trevillion. Mworia enters his third season as a starter, and the Weiss coaches love the quick feet of Trevillion. Both look like future collegiate players, say the coaches.
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Big D
The Weiss offensive linemen must get all they can handle in practice, considering the talent on the Wolves’ defensive front. Otutu, a 6-2, 280-pound junior, earned his district’s defensive lineman of the year honor in 2021 after 53 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and three sacks. Diggs, a 6-3, 220-pound edge rusher with 4.7 speed, is a three-year starter that had 37 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks last season. Senior Damare Green, another three-year starter, had 12 tackles for a loss and three sacks in 2021 for arguably the best unit on the team.
Catch-all
Gifford, the 6-3, 185-pound Baylor pledge who had 893 yards and 13 touchdowns on 44 catches last season, may headline the Wolves’ crop of receivers, but there’s plenty of talent and depth. Shifty seniors Tory Simmons and Zerian McQueen both contributed last season, and coaches love the promise of 6-2, 170-pound sophomore Adrian Wilson.
Did you know?
With the offseason retirement of Todd Dodge and his 233 career wins, Van Meter becomes the Austin area’s leader in coaching wins with 198. Van Meter spent the first 20 of his 27 years as a head coach at Friendswood High School in the Houston area, where he won 147 games. He went 39-20 in four seasons at Hutto before compiling a 12-7 record since taking over the Weiss program in 2020.
Our view
Will Weiss have the best season of all the area teams moving up to Class 6A?
Thomas Jones: They certainly have a softer landing spot in District 12-6A than, say, Dripping Springs, which must face off with Westlake and Lake Travis in District 26-6A. But Dripping Springs seems better prepped for the rigors of 6A ball with higher participation numbers and stellar depth. Weiss has an impressive collection of talent in its starting 22 but only about 55 or so varsity players. That lack of depth will be a challenge as the season wears on.
Rick Cantu: By process of elimination, yes. Dripping Springs, Anderson and Johnson will be in a new district that includes Lake Travis and Westlake. Manor finds itself with playoff regulars Vandegrift and Round Rock. The only negative for Weiss will be traveling to distant places such as Hewitt Midway, Copperas Cove and Harker Heights.
-Thomas Jones
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Weiss No. 8 in Austin-area high school football rankings
