All-West Texas high school football 2024 region teams, awards

Kaston Vega, Holden Phillips, Wyatt Davis earn big honors: Who else made first, second team?

Stamford's Kaston Vega attempts to break a tackle by Ganado's Bryce Ullman during the Class 2A, Division I State Championship game on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2024 Texas high school football season is in the books, and after a fall filled with breakout performances and historic runs, High School on SI is taking a look at the best of the best out of West Texas.

We're going region-by-region to honor the most impactful players on the stage in one of the nation's top high school football regions pound-for-pound, with our individual postseason awards, then first team, season team and honorable mention. 

• All-North Texas high school football 2024 teams, awards

• Vote: Who was the top wide receiver in Texas high school football in 2024?

Who made the cut in West Texas? Dive into the top individual performers across the region this fall.

West Texas High School Football All-Region Awards

MVP

Kaston Vega, Stamford, sr.

There might not be any specific way to quantify dominance, but the season Kaston Vega just had - one that saw him carry his team to the UIL 2A-Division I state final – could certainly be described as such. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound, two-way threat could’ve made this squad in several ways.

The running back/linebacking Travis Hunter of West Texas football, if you will, Vega never comes off the field and never stops making plays. He rushed for 1817 yards and had 33 touchdowns. He also had 137 yards receiving and one touchdown.

He was the center of attention on special teams – blasting over 2,000 yards in kickoffs. But he was a holy menace on defense. He led all of Texas with 233 tackles – most of which were solo tackles – and had 33 tackles for loss. He also had 2.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and defended four passes.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Holden Phillips, Wolfforth Frenship, sr.

A three-sport standout who also excels in baseball and basketball at Frenship, Phillips took over the job as starting quarterback this season and passed for 4,438 yards with 57 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 12 games for the 6A Division II Tigers, who finished 10-2. He completed 261 of his 349 passes (74.8 percent).

Frenship's Holden Phillips prepares to throw the ball against El Paso Montwood in a Class 6A Division II bi-district football game, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Peoples Bank Stadium in Wolfforth. / Annie Rice/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Wyatt Davis, Canadian, sr.

It was an incredible, and incredibly challenging, year for the 6-foot, 200-pound Davis. Despite battling health issues, he still managed to rack up a staggering 183 tackles – including 34 for loss – with six sacks, 19 hurries, one pass defense and forced two fumbles.

Canadian's Wyatt Davis (44) gets ready for the snap against the Muleshoe offense during a Region I-3A Division II bi-district championship game Thursday Nov. 14, 2024 at Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon, Texas. / Kelsey Hull/For Amarillo Globe-News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Carlos Rojas III, El Paso Riverside, soph.

Rojas made a huge impact on Riverside's offense. He rushed for 1,247 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for 1,734 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Riverside's Carlos Rojas III (11) runs towards the sidelines against Clint on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Riverside High School in El Paso, Texas. / Alberto Silva Fernandez/ special to the El Paso TImes / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Daniel Ramos, Lamesa

A 5-foot-10 quarterback, Ramos is going to be a problem for defenses for the forseeable future. He completed 174 passes for 2,575 yards, 38 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.

Lamesa’s Daniel Ramos prepares to throw the ball against Amarillo River Road in a Class 3A Division I bi-district football game, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, at Peoples Bank Stadium in Wolfforth. / Annie Rice/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

COACH OF THE YEAR

Wayne Hutchinson, Stamford

In his return to Stamford, Hutchinson is doing exactly what he was doing before he left the first time: winning and competing for state championships.

After taking Stamford to the UIL state finals three seasons in a row during his first stint with the Bulldogs – winning it all in 2012 and 2013 – Hutchinson, then Athletic Director and head coach, left for Lubbock Monterey for eight seasons. He returned to Stamford to resume his prior duties as AD and head coach prior to the 2023-2024 season and led the Bulldogs to a 9-2 record and an area playoff that year.

The trajectory continued in year two. Hutchinson guided the Bulldogs to a 15-1 mark and a state runner-up finish – their only loss a 30-28 triple-overtime classic at the hands of Ganado in the Class 2A-Division I final.

Stamford head football coach Wayne Hutchinson watches the team warm up before the Class 2A, Division I State Championship game against Ganado on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FIRST TEAM ALL-WEST TEXAS

OFFENSE

QB – Wyatt Holmstrom, Seminole, sr.

The 6-foot, 185-pound gunslinger led Seminole to a 10-2 record and an area playoff game while passing for 3,758 yards, 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions. A dual-threat quarterback who is a two-sport star (football and basketball) at Seminole, Holmstrom used his legs to rush for 711 yards and eight touchdowns.

RB – Gavin Black, Odessa Permian, jr.

A load to bring down, Black – who has an offer from UTEP – turned lots of heads this season when he rushed for 2,331 yards – the single-season record at Permian – on 290 carries with 32 touchdowns.

RB – Ryan Estrada, El Paso El Dorado, sr.

Rushed for a whopping 13.5 yards per carry as he amassed 2,422 yards on 179 carries. A three-star recruit with 10 Division I offers, Estrada scored 32 rushing touchdowns and added 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Aztecs went 10-1.

RB – Elijah McCoy, Midland, sr.

After rushing for 1,548 yards as a junior, McCoy made a huge splash and turned a lot of heads as a junior. In 12 games, he averaged a whopping 189.1 yards per game. He rushed 262 times for 2,269 yards and 31 touchdowns.

WR – Chase Campbell, Wolfforth Frenship, jr.

A four-star recruit by 247Sports who is ranked No. 25 nationally at his position and No. 23 overall at any position in the state of Texas, Campbell has offers from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado State, Houston and Kansas State, among others. He led the high-powered Frenship offense with 1,497 receiving yards and added 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for 314 yards and six scores, finishing with 1921 all-purpose yards.

WR – Logan McCormick, Seminole, jr.

He averaged 113.7 yards per game this season. In 12 games McCormick caught 86 passes for 1,364 yards and 20 touchdowns.

WR – Leyton Stone, Wolfforth Frenship, sr.

In 12 games, Stone racked up 1,486 receiving yards and led Frenship receivers with 29 touchdowns. He averaged 20.9 yards per catch and 123.8 yards per game. He has signed with Texas Tech.

TE – Camden Ables, Hawley, soph.

Here’s a young player who picked up a lot of eyes this season. Coming off a freshman campaign where he had 530 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games, Ables (6-4, 215) exploded for 1,419 yards on only 55 catches (25.8 average) in 12 games with 14 touchdowns.

OL – Koldin Averette, Forsan, sr.

At 6-2, 379, he’s been a driving force along the Forsan offensive line for years.

OL – Grayson Page, Wolfforth Frenship, sr.

One of the key pieces to an offensive line that protected Offensive Player of the Year Holden Phillips.

OL – Evan Bustamante, Andrews, sr.

Break out the syrup. Bustamante stacked 55 pancakes this season while helping Andrews amass 326 yards rushing per game.

OL – Hudson Braden, Wall, jr.

He’s not as big as some of the other linemen on this list, but he plays like it. Wall was the driving force along an offensive line that helped Wall amass 6,237 yards of offense this season.

OL – Rowdy Pearce, Midland Christian, jr.

One of the top interior underclassmen in West Texas, Pearce recorded 20 knockdowns and 24 pancakes as a junior.

OL - Pulelei’ite Primus, Midland, jr.

One of the state’s top interior linemen, Primus recorded 63 knockdowns this season. He is entertaining offers from Baylor, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, North Texas, Houston, UTEP, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Miami (Fla.), Tulane, Stanford and USC.

OL – Peyton Arthur, Midland Legacy, sr.

Another imposing center, Arthur had 26 pancakes and 17 knockdowns this season for an offense that racked up 4,920 yards. He is committed to Angelo State.

DEFENSE

DL – Kyran Adams, El Paso Andress, jr.

An impressive junior season saw the defensive end rack up 26 tackles (12 solo) with 11 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 11 games. Seemingly unblockable at times, Adams had 17 quarterback hurries, caused three fumbles and recovered one.

DL – Erick Calsadillas, Sunray, sr.

Quarterbacks hated lining up with Calsadillas across from them. After recording one sack as a junior, Calsadillas racked up 56 tackles (23 solo) and 12 sacks this season. He also added five tackles for loss, defended three passes and forced and recovered a fumble.

DL – JuJu Gonzalez, Canadian, sr.

If Gonzalez got his 6-foot-2 frame near you as a ball carrier, chances are you were going to the ground. In just 12 games, the defensive end managed 86 tackles (29 for loss), nine sacks, nine hurries and two forced fumbles.

LB – Keima’j Barnes, Amarillo Palo Duro, jr.

A two-way player who also rushed for over 300 yards this season, Barnes made his biggest impact at linebacker, where he racked up 174 tackles (121 solo), including nine tackles for loss, six sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

LB – Mark Haygood, Canadian, jr.

Teaming with Wyatt Davis to make one of the most formidable linebacking duos in in West Texas, Haygood had 175 tackles - 35 for loss – with 13 hurries, five sacks, one interception, two passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.

LB – Tryston Hernandez, Amarillo Canyon West Plains, sr.

He was the anchor of the defense that carried the Wolves all the way to the Class 4A-Division I state semifinals this season. The 6-4, 205-pound specimen easily had the best season of his career with 143 tackles (58 solo), 23 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hurries, 5.5 sacks, two passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and forced one fumble.

DB – Dominic Soto, El Paso Eastlake, sr.

He was a one-man wrecking crew for the Falcons’ defense. A defensive back who isn’t afraid to tackle, Soto stopped 139 ball carriers and had 80 solo stops. A ball hawk, he also pulled down five interceptions, returned one for a touchdown, knocked down eight passes and recovered a fumble.

DB – Julian Williams, Midland, sr.

A defensive back who plays much bigger than his 5-9 frame, Williams had 134 tackles (72 solo), six tackles for loss, one sack, one hurry, one interception, four passes defensed and forced two fumbles.

DB – Julian Garcia, El Paso Del Valle, jr.

In 11 games, the 6-foot junior had 64 tackles (37 solo), five interceptions and defended three passes

DB – Garrett Ashurst, Wheeler, sr.

He isn’t afraid to come up and hit the ball carrier. In his final campaign, Ashurst racked up 104 tackles, six interceptions, eight pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

ATH – Julian Dominguez, Canadian, sr.

Name something a football player does and Julian Dominguez probably did it this season. The diminutive 5-9 free safety/wide receiver was everywhere on the field. On offense, he averaged 9.5 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns on just 17 carries and hauled in 53 passes for 749 yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, he was among the state’s leaders in interceptions with five – he had 200 return yards on those picks – and defended four passes.

On special teams he had 12 kick returns for 330 yards (27.5 average) and six punt returns for 162 yards (27.0). He also had an interception return, a punt return, and a kick return for a touchdown.

ATH – Chase Lantelme, Stratford, soph.

The 6-foot sophomore was a busy young man this season. He passed for 1,319 yards and 18 touchdowns, rushed for four touchdowns and had 219 yards receiving. And that was just offense. Defensively, he had 78 tackles, nine interceptions, two interception returns for touchdowns, caused one fumble and recovered two fumbles. He also served as the team’s punter, averaging 33.3 yards per punt, and kicked 26 extra points.

SPECIAL TEAMS

ATH – Armando Lujan, Sunray, sr.

Lujan closed out his high school career in a huge way. As quarterback Lujan passed for 3,563 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 526 yards on 85 carries with 13 touchdowns. Defensively, he was among the state’s leaders with five interceptions (including 78 return yards) with eight passes defended, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.

ATH – Keagan Ables, Hawley, sr.

He finished 23rd in the state in total yards with 4,134. At quarterback he passed for 3,473 yards and 36 touchdowns and rushed for 661 and 10 touchdowns. On defense he had 34 tackles (24 solo) with two interceptions.   

K – Diego Frausto, El Paso Del Valle, sr.

A big kicker (6-foot-3, 255 pounds) with a huge leg, Frausto connected on 10-of-11 field goals and went 31-for-31 on PAT attempts in 11 games this season.

P – Jason Maltos, Midland Legacy, sr.

Maltos punted 28 times for 1,363 yards (41.6 average), pinning 13 inside the 20.

SECOND TEAM WEST TEXAS ALL-REGION

OFFENSE

QB – Reid Macon, Amarillo West Plains, jr.: (3,528 yards passing, 36 touchdowns, five interceptions; 101 rushes, 576 yards, 15 touchdowns)

RB – Jaidyn Vineyard, Coahoma, sr.: (2,174 yards rushing, 27 touchdowns; 17 catches, 301 yards, six touchdowns)

RB – Ernie Powers, El Paso Franklin, jr.: (289 carries, 2,224 yards, 21 touchdowns; 147 yards receiving, two touchdowns)

RB – Julius Atherton, Wheeler, sr.: (244 carries, 2,108 yards, 28 touchdowns)

WR – Cylius McCurley, Lamesa, jr.: (86 catches, 1,316 yards, 26 touchdowns)

WR – Alex Robles, El Paso Hanks, soph.: (56 catches, 1,249 yards, 13 touchdowns)

WR – Colt Lozano, Laredo United, sr.: (73 catches, 1,159 yards, 11 touchdowns)

TE – Kobi Baldonado, Odessa, soph.: (60 catches, 763 yards, six touchdowns)

OL – Jett Garcia, Midland, sr.

OL – Noah Casas, Odessa Permian, sr.

OL – Emmett Marlatt, Wall, jr.

OL – Tu’uta Kalamafoni, San Angelo Central, sr.

OL – Giovanni Meza, Midland, sr.

DEFENSE

DL – Zanti Marrufo, Amarillo River Road, sr.: (82 tackles, 41 solo, five tackles for loss, nine sacks, 19 hurries, two forced fumbles)

DL – Jesus Del Toro, El Paso Hanks, sr.: (51 tackles, 28 solo, five tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, six hurries, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles)

DL – Jonathan “Jojo” Harris Jr., Lubbock Roosevelt, jr.: (60 tackles, 35 solo, 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks)

LB – Dorian Jaramillo, El Paso Pebble Hills, sr.: (146 tackles, 88 solo, 22 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, eight hurries, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one punt block, one field goal block)

LB – Ethan Michalewicz, Wall, sr.: (147 tackles, 114 solo, six tackles for loss, three sacks, 10 hurries, two interceptions)

DB – Marco Iniquez, El Paso Irvin, sr.: (29 tackles, 14 solo, seven interceptions)

DB – Andruw Andujo, El Paso Austin, jr.: (21 tackles, 17 solo, seven interceptions)

DB – Boston Ladd, Amarillo West Plains, sr.: (84 tackles, 39 solo, five tackles for loss, six interceptions)

DB – Drew Faulks, Stamford, sr.: (43 tackles, 36 solo, six interceptions, five pass breakups)

ATH – Jake Fette, El Paso Del Valle, jr.: (2,488 yards passing with 31 touchdowns; 589 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns)

ATH – Kane White-Tinsley, Amarillo West Plains, jr.: (64 catches, 1,065 yards, 12 touchdowns; 55 tackles, 32 solo, nine interceptions)

K – Gipson Gnagy, Amarillo West Plains, soph.: (88 points; 73-74 extra points; 5-7 field goals with a long of 50)

P – Eduardo Carillo, Canutillo, sr.: (33 punts, 1,363 yards, 41.3 average, 10 punts inside 20)

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Correction: The initial version of this article stated Ryder Ribitzki played at El Paso Riverside, and he was included in the second-team defense. He played at Glen Rose high school and he has been included in the All-North team honorable mentions list.

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