After a winless season in 2023, Coach John Kovar and his staff have pulled off one of the state’s most underrated turnarounds with back-to-back 8-4 seasons. Kovar believes his Bulldogs can be even stronger with 10 returning starters on both sides of the ball.
Kovar says both sides of the line of scrimmage will be the strength of the team, and that’s a credit to offensive line coach Casey McDaniel.
“Coach McDaniel is a film junkie, like all offensive line coaches,” Kovar said. “He’s always got something scratched on his little notebook. There are no wasted reps. If he gets 20 minutes of individual reps, he’s trying to get some real work done. His kids are always the most prepared of any unit on our team.”
McDaniel has two experienced linemen leading the way in OG Cayson Merz (34 career starts) and Wyatt Betak (24 career starts). Merz (6-foot-2, 250) was a First Team All-District offensive lineman and Second Team All-District on defense. Kovar says he pulls really well from the guard spot and finishes all his blocks aggressively. Betak (6-foot-3, 240) was also a First Teamer on offense and Second Teamer on defense. He is extremely athletic for a big guy, excelling as a post on Thorndale’s basketball team and on the baseball diamond.
OG Logan Ferguson (5-foot-10, 220) would have just as many starts as Merz and Betak, if not for a broken foot that sidelined him for much of last season. But Kovar says Ferguson’s road back to the field proved how much the team means to him.
“He was done; there’s no way he’s coming back,” Kovar said. “Then, I get a text with three games left that says, ‘Coach, I’m coming back Monday.’ I said, there’s no way. And he did.”
Ferguson plays with an edge, always blocking to the whistle. If there’s ever a dus-up after the play, the coaches know it’s because Ferguson got under the other team’s skin.
Carson Dahl (6-foot-3, 220) stepped up big time last fall during Ferguson’s absence. His eight games of starting experience – combined with a tenacious work ethic – will make him a contributor in 2026.
“He never misses a weight room session or skips a rep,” Kovar said. “If it’s open in the morning, he’s here. I don’t know that he’s said 10 words to me the whole summer, but he’s a steady, steady kid.”
Center Garrett Schramm (6-foot, 190) was a Second Team All-District performer who gets the offensive line on the same page before every play.
“He’s the smartest kid in the program,” Kovar said. “He thinks he’s an NFL center when he gets to the line of scrimmage. He’s pointing, and I don’t even know what he’s yelling. There’s no telling if all the stuff that he’s saying even matters, but he does make every call known to man, calling out the defenses and Mike linebackers, repeating the play and snap count to all the rest of the offensive line.”
Ozona running back Christian Villarreal was a Built Ford Tough Player of the Year finalist last year who was on pace to break Kenneth Hall’s single-season rushing record before a first-round playoff loss. Villarreal may be off to Sul Ross State, but the offensive line that paved the way returns intact.
“Every lineman that was on the varsity last year returns, and they all started at some point,” head coach Jason Pitts said. “We’re a pretty big O-Line. You can say big for 2A, but we’re pretty big in general. That O-Line that I had in New Diana was really big, and this one may be bigger.”
OG Charles Harger (6-foot-1, 240) is the headliner after winning District Offensive Lineman of the Year. He can play either guard or tackle, but Pitts likes to use him at guard because of his nasty streak as a pull blocker.
“You wouldn’t know it talking to him, but he’s kind of mean on the field,” Pitts said. “He’s gonna drive you until you’re tired of it.”
Alex Mata (6-foot-4, 275) could be another one of Ozona’s guards. He’s a returning First Team All-District performer whose offseason training consists of working in the Midland oil fields. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re not getting away.
Offensive tackle Sergio Almaguer (6-foot-4, 285) was a First Team All-District selection as well. But Pitts, whose son, Boston, is a quarterback on the team, says the most impressive thing about Almaguer is the type of kid he is. When the Pitts family moved to Ozona, Almaguer was the first person to show Boston around and bring him into the friend group. Now, he’ll be blocking for him. Jordan Vega (6-foot-6, 260) is the other tackle, but he also has the versatility to split out at tight end.
Alvord’s 9-3 record in 2025 was the highest win total since 1997, a resounding success in Coach Matt Fanning’s first year. Fanning, who won a state championship at Jim Ned in 2020 and was most recently an assistant at Division III Hardin-Simmons, said the Bulldogs have a chance to be even stronger after winning the first district title since 2014.
His confidence starts in the trenches, where two All-State players return. LG Matthew Gonzalez (5-foot-10, 250) was a First Team All-State selection and the District Offensive Lineman of the Year. Fanning describes him as a high-energy guy who has a multiple-tool set. He had 91 pancake blocks in 2025, most of them as a pulling guard. RT Jaxan Simmons (6-foot-265) took home Second Team All-State honors.
“He’s (Simmons) an earth mover,” Fanning said. “He’s one of the strongest kids I’ve coached in the last few years.”
Fanning says RG Davis Kwasny (6-foot-2, 275) is a potential college prospect, especially after dropping 25 pounds this offseason and gaining more athleticism. He was a Second Team All-District selection.
C Jagar Simmons, Jaxan’s older brother, played a lot of meaningful reps last season, earning Honorable Mention All-District.
TE Callum Taylor (5-foot-10, 185) was a First Team All-District linebacker. But he’s also a versatile offensive weapon who can block in a three-point stance or lead for the running back from his sniffer back position.
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