Early seeks fresh start with arrival of district as Tolar visits

October 9, 2025 at 7:15 am Derrick Stuckly

Cameron Love (33) and the Longhorn offense will attempt to improve on the 14 points and 234 yards per game the team averaged over five pre-district contests. {Photo courtesy of Mike Jones}

EARLY – The Early Longhorns are hoping the start to District 5-3A Division II action cures their ails as they look to put a four-game losing streak behind them when they host the reigning champion Tolar Rattlers at 7 p.m. Friday in the league opener.

“Last week was kind of refreshing for us to be able to breathe a little bit and try to heal some guys up,” Early first-year head coach Marvin Wilson said of the bye. “Our kids understand the teams we went through already are very good ball clubs. If we get out of our own way, we’re in the mix in all those ball games. We played well at times, and we learned some hard lessons, but you take those lessons and learn from them it’s a positive for the future. We have to clean ourselves up and get better at what we do, but it’s a new start, everyone’s 0-0, now we need to go do the best we can do.”

Early (1-4) looks to put an end to its drought against a Tolar (2-3) squad that hasn’t been as dominant this year as it has in recent years. The Rattlers have dropped their last two contests to Comanche (36-33) and Breckenridge (19-12), and started the year with a loss to Peaster (34-0). Wins this season for Tolar came against Teague (13-12) and Millsap (42-18).

“Tolar’s a good ball club, they went to the wire with Comanche,” said Wilson, whose team dropped a 34-7 decision to Comanche in its most recent outing. “They’re physical, they run the ball well and have some guys that can go, and they throw the ball well, too. Their O-line is good, and receiver wise, they’ve got some guys that can catch the ball. Their quarterback makes good decisions, too. Defensively, every defense has a weak point. We have to find those open holes and take advantage of them. We’ve got to be physical, play hard and do what we’re supposed to do every play.”

The Rattlers are averaging just 20 points and 289 yards – 153 rushing and 136 passing – per game, as quarterback Briton Rice has connected on 52 of 104 passes for 671 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. The ground game features Kelvin Murray (425 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Kheyon Murray (208 rushing yards, 1 TD), while top receivers are Noah Boulanger (20-269, 3 TDs) and Dacen Cochran (13-171, TD).

Defensively, the Rattlers allow 24 points per game on average with 11 takeaways and five sacks. Standouts defensively for Tolar include Nolan Cauble (58 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack), Taylen Pendleton (41 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack), Anson Laminack (39 tackles, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries), Cayden Abrego (36 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), and Boulanger (30 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery).

The Longhorns head into the district opener generating just 14 points and 234 yards – 125 rushing and 109 passing – per outing, with seven turnovers.

Quarterback Caden Wilson (42 of 84 for 545 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs; 240 rushing yards, 3 TDs) continues to lead Early in both rushing and passing yards, while receiving threats include Andrew Reedy (17-268, 5 TDs), Brennen Rasor (6-91), Stone Ratliff (6-68, TD), and Jaxson Stockman (4-21), while weapons out of the backfield are Cameron Love (119 rushing yards; 2-68 receiving), Brandon Walker (95 rushing yards, 1 TD), and Isaac Ybarra (84 rushing yards).

On the flip side of the ball, Early surrenders 35 points and 374 yards – 211 rushing and 162 passing – on average, with four takeaways.

Leading the charge are Angel Marquez (55 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 interception), Brayden Schafer (39 tackles, 1 for loss), Caden Wilson (31 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 interception), Mario Vasquez (31 tackles), Aiden Driskill (28 tackles, 3 for loss), Rhett Williams (26 tackles, 2 for loss), Aaron Mendoza (22 tackles, 1 for loss), Weston Harrison (21 tackles, 1 for loss), and Andrew Reedy (20 tackles, 1 interception).

“We’ve got to move the ball and get first downs offensively, and not stall ourselves,” Wilson said. “Defensively, we have to get off the field on third downs. We put ourselves in some good third-down spots against Comanche and blew things and allowed them to get first downs. We have to put ourselves in the best position, and call the plays that are good for our kids.”

According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the Longhorns are 47-point underdogs. Harris Ratings Weekly lists Early as a 13-point underdog this week.

Regarding the importance of opening district with a win, Wilson said, “Any time you get a win is big, but coming off the stretch we’ve come off, the kids have put in the work and for their mentality and peace of mind, a win would be huge. They need to see their hard work is paying off and that we can go compete when we need to compete.”

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Early Longhorns 2025 Football Season Stats

Through 5 Games (1-4)

TEAM OFFENSE

14.0 points per game (70)

234.0 yards per game (1,170)

125.0 rushing yards per game (625)

109.0 passing yards per game (545)

PASSING

* Caden Wilson

42 of 84 for 545 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs

RUSHING

* Caden Wilson

240 yards on 56 carries, 3 TDs

* Cameron Love

119 yards on 34 carries

* Brandon Walker

95 yards on 14 carries, 1 TD

* Isaac Ybarra

84 yards on 17 carries

* Stone Ratliff

52 yards on 11 carries

* Andrew Reedy

35 yards on 1 carry

RECEIVING

* Andrew Reedy

17 catches, 268 yards, 5 TDs

* Brennen Rasor

6 catches, 91 yards

* Stone Ratliff

6 catches for 68 yards, 1 TD

* Jaxson Stockman

4 catches for 21 yards

* Cameron Love

2 catches, 68 yards

* Aiden Driskill

2 catches, 13 yards

* Brandon Walker

2 catches, 5 yards

* Aaron Mendoza

1 catch, 11 yards

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TEAM DEFENSE

34.6 points per game (173)

374.0 yards per game (1,496) – not including Hamilton

211.0 rushing yards per game (844) – not including Hamilton

163.0 passing yards per game (652) – not including Hamilton

TACKLES

* Angel Marquez

55 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 interception

* Brayden Schafer

39 tackles, 1 for loss

* Caden Wilson

31 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 interception

* Mario Vasquez

31 tackles

* Aiden Driskill

28 tackles, 3 for loss

* Rhett Williams

26 tackles, 2 for loss

* Aaron Mendoza

22 tackles, 1 for loss

* Weston Harrison

21 tackles, 1 for loss

* Andrew Reedy

20 tackles, 1 interception

* Brennen Rasor

19 tackles

* Will Speck

12 tackles

*Logan Jackson

11 tackles, 2 for loss

* Kaden Burleson

10 tackles, 1 for loss

* Jaxson Stockman

9 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception

* Riley Barton

8 tackles

* Rhett Smith

7 tackles,1 for loss

* Isaac Ybarra

6 tackles

* Brandon Walker

5 tackles, 1 for loss

* Ben Wilson

5 tackles, 1 for loss

* Miguel Brunette

4 tackles

* Braedyn Peek

3 tackles, 1 for loss

* Stone Ratliff

3 tackles

* Dacorian McBride

2 tackles

* Skyden Stoddart

2 tackles

* Cameron Love

1 tackle

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TURNOVER MARGIN (-3)

* Early: 7 (4 fumbles, 3 interceptions)

* Opponents: 4 (4 interceptions)