Iowa Colony was in its infancy when training camp opened in 2022. The school hadn’t opened yet, and Pioneers players were still getting to know each other, let alone the coaching staff getting to know their players.
A year later, students have walked through the door of Alvin ISD’s fourth high school for an entire school year, confidence flows throughout the Iowa Colony program and the Pioneers have a season of experience playing under the Friday night lights.
The Pioneers expect to make noise this season as the talent blossoms and the leadership develops.
“Last year at this time, the kids were still trying to get to know each other, and leadership was kind of hard because they didn’t know how to lead,” Iowa Colony coach Ray Garza said. “That was one of the things we talked about in the offseason — leadership, what does it look like, the position coaches are always going to be harder on the best players because they set the tone for the whole unit or room, and I think our kids have bought into that.
“They always say that when your best players are your best leaders, you are going to have something special, and there is a lot of truth to that. We want our older kids, the Jacodys (Miles) and Chris Johnsons, on our team that are good players; we want them to be great leaders. We stress that if you are going to step into that leadership role, you might not always be the most popular person, and that’s OK, but you need to be somebody that holds yourself accountable and also practices what they preach.”
The Pioneers finished 1-5 in District 12-4A, D-I play, and 2-8 overall on a team of only freshmen and sophomores. The caveat — other than being a young program — was the Pioneers lost four games by one possession and three in district play. The focus this season will be to finish those close games.
“One thing we talked about a lot throughout the offseason was finishing,” Garza said. “We were in a lot of games — it seemed to come down to the last minute in the fourth quarter where we were in a position to keep the lead or try to go up and take the lead.
“Obviously, we want to get in better shape — we want to get bigger, faster and stronger — but really, we want to finish and have that mentality to finish the game and finish strong.”
The 2023 Pioneers return 41 players and are led by dynamic players looking to take the next step in Year 2 of the program.
The offense will revolve around quarterback Camren Renfro and running back Jacody Miles.
Renfro played six games as a freshman, going 35-of-77 passing for 504 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. He came onto the scene in his second game against Stafford when he threw 8-of-16 for 139 yards and a touchdown in a thrilling 25-20 defeat to Stafford. His most productive game was the regular-season finale against Needville when he threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores on 78 yards in a 56-41 loss.
“He got a lot of snaps and a lot of valuable reps,” Garza said. “He has always had great leadership, and he is the type of kid who always has a pep in his step when on the field or in workouts. Obviously, him being young as a freshman playing in a system that is a little more elaborate than what he was doing at the junior high system, it just takes time and reps and classroom time, and he has put that time in. Now it is about chemistry with other positions, quarterbacks and running backs. Cam is a great kid and a great leader, and I think he is going to have a great year for us.”
Miles, the jack-of-all-trades player, had 110 carries for 646 yards and two scores as a running back last season. He also caught 14 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown as a receiver and recorded 233 yards on 13 kickoff returns. He also averaged 9.2 yards per punt return.
“Toward the end of the season, I thought he came on strong,” Garza said.
With Miles in the backfield is Eric Mosley. Garza described the two as different types of backs, but both run the ball hard.
“They are a good complement for us,” Garza said. ”Eric had another year, so now he is a sophomore, so that will allow us to use Jacody not only at running back but maybe in other areas. That will help us keep Jacody fresh with Eric in the backfield.”
The Pioneers will have Antoine Martin Jr. at outside receiver. The junior had 15 catches for 280 yards and a touchdown last year and received a Division I offer from Texas Tech in May. Martin has speed that can burn defenders. As a sophomore, Martin ran 10.8 seconds consistently in the 100-meter dash throughout the track season.
“He has been working hard on his skills and his position, so I expect him to have a great year,” Garza said.
Renfro will have all-district slot receiver Landrew Ward (21 catches, 292 yards, two touchdowns) to throw to.
“He also had a great track season for us and summer workouts,” Garza said. “I think his confidence level is going to show this season.”
Will Terry, the son of Brazoswood High School graduate BJ Terry, will move from tackle to tight end in his sophomore season. Terry has added weight to his once sub-200-pound frame and has the height at 6-foot-4 to be a red zone threat.
“In the first game of the season, we had to play him at left tackle, and he was maybe 165 pounds as a freshman,” Garza said. “He has gotten bigger — he is in the 205 range. He is a hard-working kid, never misses a day of workouts, a hard worker in the weight room, always looking to get better and those are good kids to have on your football team.”
The offensive linemen each have a year under their collective belts, including center Tyson Windham, who held his own in the team’s scrimmage against South Houston last week, guard Corbin Kaiser, right tackle Jayden Simmons, Noah Smith, Adrian Clark-El and Aeden Elizondo.
“The line is one of those things that take a little more time to develop, so having that season last year was good for them because they had a lot of learning that they had to do,” Garza said. “They have more confidence now. They have been with coach (Aundra) Long, our offensive line coach, who is phenomenal. He is a great O-line coach, very technical. So they have been exposed to all his drills, exposed to all the lingo and that is going to help with execution.
“I am happy to see where they are.”
The Pioneers are talented on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the front seven, with two players offered by Division I schools.
Christopher Johnson will be the man in the Pioneers’ 3-4 base defense. Baylor offered the defensive tackle during the summer after registering 54 tackles, 38 solos, 11 tackles for a loss, sacks and seven quarterback hurries a season ago as a sophomore.
“He gives you great effort in the weight room, conditioning and classroom. He is a great leader for our program,” Garza said. “I do expect Chris to have a great year. He has always been athletic and has put more weight on and gotten stronger, but he has kept his athleticism.”
Haydon Caston will man the outside linebacker position for a second season. The junior, offered by North Texas in the spring, finished with 77 tackles, 56 solos, six tackles for a loss, two sacks, five quarterback hurries and five passes defensed.
“He has a very, very good grasp of what we are trying to do,” Garza said. “His confidence in the system is much higher than last year, and it helps that he has exceptional speed, he’s a strong kid and he likes to hit.”
Treshaun O’Neal, who started eight games as the mike linebacker last season, will move to the outside “sam” position after posting 94 tackles, 51 solo and eight tackles for a loss a season ago. Lineman Henry Kalu (73 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks) will occupy the mike backer position, and Adrian Porter will return to his inside backer spot.
“Kalu was a true freshman playing varsity, it definitely was a lot for him at first, but you can tell he has a lot of experience under his belt at the position,” Garza said. “We have everybody coming back. … I’m excited to see where these kids are now compared to last year. You can tell t... Click here to read full article
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