Brauny's Best: Highlighting top high school performances from Week 11
It seems like every year I bemoan the perceived brevity of the regular season in Texas high school football, and here we are again, as half the teams in the state are airing up basketballs while their peers start their playoff campaigns with dreams of AT&T Stadium. With the final rendition of this piece for 2025 comes another tough decision for its author, as there were some eye-catching performances last week by several members of the Texas A&M class.
Texas A&M's Class
Draper (UT) Corner Canyon QB Helaman Casuga
- 22-23 passing, 298 yards, 4 touchdowns
- 6 carries, 69 yards, 1 touchdown
Casuga edges out KJ Edwards, who had another 200-plus yards on the ground last weekend for Carthage, but I went with the future Aggie signal-caller because he put together a complete, efficient performance in a home playoff game against a state-ranked opponent. One of Helaman's best attributes is his processing ability and decision-making. He ranked as one of the top quarterbacks at the Elite 11 in cognitive testing for both, and I think those traits manifest in the tape from last weekend. Couple that with his natural gifts as a passer, and it results in a lot of on-time footballs that lend themselves to run-after-the-catch opportunities. Truth be told, Casuga has been sensational this season. The only stinker he had was when yours truly made a trip to Utah in September. Hand up. That's on me.
State of Texas
2027 Richmond Randle RB Landen Williams-Callis
- 17 carries, 211 yards, 4 touchdowns
After surpassing 6,000 career rushing yards last week, one of the best players in the state of Texas added to his consistently eye-popping stat lines with a casual two bills and four scores in a rivalry win over Lamar Consolidated. It's hard to find new superlatives for Williams-Callis, and he still has another season in front of him where he'll have eyes on some all-time records in greater Houston. He's not done in 2025 either, though, as Richmond Randle looks keen on defending its state championship last season with another deep run toward AT&T Stadium in 5A Division II.
My Coverage
Katy Paetow WR Derek Stevenson
- 2 catches, 94 yards, 1 touchdown
To be honest, the game last Friday night between Katy Jordan and Katy Paetow was a bit sleepy. Both clubs had secured a playoff spot, and the seeding was already determined regardless of the result. Therefore, I selected Stevenson, a San Diego State commit, because I came away thinking he was probably one of the more slept-on skill players in the Houston area. This kid can really run, and he has a handful of highlights this season that provide ample evidence of that. In the second quarter, he ran past TCU CB commit Zachary Taylor, hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch and then pulled away from the defense for an 81-yard score. He has an older brother who started his college career at Wyoming before transferring to Utah this past season. I could see Stevenson making similar jumps at the next level due to his speed profile.
