EARLY – A four-overtime Saturday afternoon 17-15 loss to the Brady Bulldogs has left the Early Longhorns on the outside looking in at a potential District 5-3A Division II championship, but there’s still plenty of work left to be done before the postseason begins.
First-year head coach Marvin Wilson’s Longhorns (3-5, 2-1) look to return to the win column at 7 p.m. Friday as they face the Eastland Mavericks (0-8, 0-3), who have struggled to find their way in 2025.
“The big positive that comes out of it is we can tell our kids if you play hard and play disciplined, you can play with anybody,” Wilson said, reflecting on the contest against Brady. “We played overtime after overtime Saturday, and I think that game proved something to us about who we are. We may not be as big as some teams, but we can play hard and play physical and good things can happen.”
Early will be facing an Eastland team that averages just 12 points per game, and has been held to single digits five times with one shutout. Meanwhile, the Longhorns are allowing just 11 points per outing since the start of district competition.
“You can just see everything finally being understood,” Wilson said of the defense turning the corner in recent weeks. “They’ve bought in, and the technique and the physicality are coming now.”
For the season, Early is giving up 26 points and 322 yards – 191 rushing and 131 passing – on average, with five takeaways.
Leading the charge are Angel Marquez (78 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception), Brayden Schafer (67 tackles, 1 for loss), Mario Vasquez (45 tackles, 1 sack), Aaron Mendoza (44 tackles, 1 for loss), Aiden Driskill (43 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack), Rhett Williams (43 tackles, 2 for loss), Andrew Reedy (42 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 interceptions), and Weston Harrison (38 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack)
Eastland is coming off a 57-7 loss to previously winless Dublin, with the Lions passing for 371 yards and six touchdowns a week ago. For the season, Eastland surrenders 53 points per game on average.
Meanwhile, the Longhorn offense is generating 20 points and 265 yards – 137 rushing and 128 passing – per game, with 10 turnovers.
Quarterback Caden Wilson has connected on 74 of 140 passes for 1,026 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for a team-high 366 yards and six more scores. Top receiving threats are Andrew Reedy (31-516, 9 TDs), Stone Ratliff (13-214, 1 TD; 136 rushing yards, 1 TD), Brennen Rasor (8-109) and Jaxson Stockman (7-54), while weapons out of the backfield include Cameron Love (258 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Isaac Ybarra (203 rushing yards, 2 TDs).
“The first series against Brady we marched down the field with a good mix, but then we stalled in the run game,” Wilson said. “Brady’s d-line and linebackers are good and they clogged holes and can run fast. The run never got going the way we wanted it to go, but having receivers that we can raise up and hit is good for us.”
Regarding his greatest concerns heading into Friday night’s contest, Wilson said, “Coming off a big, emotional, taxing game, your mentality and work ethic has to pick back up, which is tough. We can’t have letdowns. We have to jump back in Friday where we left off this past week. Eastland runs the mid-line veer, the offense where if you’re out of your spot and don’t do your job, big plays happen. We have to get in our gaps and be where we’re supposed to be and limit the big stuff from happening.”
According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, Early is a 21-point favorite, while Harris Ratings Weekly lists the Longhorns as 35-point favorites.
***
Early Longhorns 2025 Football Season Stats
Through 8 Games (3-5, 2-1)
TEAM OFFENSE
19.5 points per game (156)
264.8 yards per game (2,119)
136.6 rushing yards per game (1,093)
128.2 passing yards per game (1,026)
PASSING
* Caden Wilson
74 of 140 for 1,026 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INTs
RUSHING
* Caden Wilson
366 yards on 85 carries, 6 TDs
* Cameron Love
258 yards on 59 carries, 1 TD
* Isaac Ybarra
203 yards on 40 carries. 2 TDs
* Stone Ratliff
136 yards on 23 carries, 1 TD
* Brandon Walker
95 yards on 14 carries, 1 TD
* Andrew Reedy
35 yards on 1 carry
RECEIVING
* Andrew Reedy
31 catches, 516 yards, 9 TDs
* Stone Ratliff
13 catches for 214 yards, 1 TD
* Brennen Rasor
8 catches, 109 yards
* Jaxson Stockman
7 catches for 54 yards
* Aiden Driskill
5 catches, 41 yards
* Cameron Love
2 catches, 68 yards
* Aaron Mendoza
2 catches, 10 yards
* Isaac Ybarra
2 catches, 8 yards
* Brandon Walker
2 catches, 5 yards
###
TEAM DEFENSE
25.8 points per game (207)
321.6 yards per game (1,930) – not including Hamilton, Tolar
190.6 rushing yards per game (1,144) – not including Hamilton, Tolar
131.0 passing yards per game (786) – not including Hamilton, Tolar
TACKLES
* Angel Marquez
78 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception
* Brayden Schafer
67 tackles, 1 for loss
* Mario Vasquez
45 tackles, 1 sack
* Aaron Mendoza
44 tackles, 1 for loss
* Aiden Driskill
43 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack
* Rhett Williams
43 tackles, 2 for loss
* Andrew Reedy
42 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 interceptions
* Weston Harrison
38 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack
* Caden Wilson
31 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 interception
* Brennen Rasor
27 tackles
*Logan Jackson
21 tackles, 3 for loss
* Will Speck
21 tackles, 1 for loss
* Jaxson Stockman
20 tackles, 1 interception
* Grant Stacks
18 tackles, 4 for loss
* Ben Wilson
13 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack
* Brandon Walker
13 tackles, 1 for loss
* Kaden Burleson
13 tackles, 1 for loss
* Riley Barton
11 tackles
* Miguel Brunette
8 tackles
* Rhett Smith
7 tackles,1 for loss
* Isaac Ybarra
7 tackles
* Braedyn Peek
5 tackles, 1 for loss
* Dacorian McBride
4 tackles
* Skyden Stoddart
4 tackles
* Stone Ratliff
3 tackles
* Matthew Walker
3 tackles
* Eli Pallette
3 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack
* Cameron Love
1 tackle
* Darryl Watkins
1 tackle
###
TURNOVER MARGIN (-5)
* Early: 10 (5 fumbles, 5 interceptions)
* Opponents: 5 (5 interceptions)