BY NOLAN RUTH
X – @RealNolanRuth
The third installment of the Parker County football series comes with the newest program added to the coverage.
It’s long overdue that Azle be added to my coverage as the “Godfather of Parker County Sports.” Thanks to a map that I saw months ago, I realized how much of Azle ISD is actually in the county, despite the high school campus lying just feet across the border with Tarrant County. So without further ado, it’s time to dive into the 2024 Azle Hornets.
Azle has a unique situation – being in the same district as Aledo – creating the only time where Parker County teams will face each other in district for the next two years. Given how good of a program Aledo is, this already puts Azle one step back in District 3-5A Division 1. Then when one considers Denton Ryan and Richland being added (both state ranked), that leaves just one playoff spot for the Hornets to compete. So the question for Azle is…how will they compete against the rest of the field? The good news is coach Devon Dorris’ squad may be better than people are expecting
The biggest thing working in favor of the Hornets is the amount of offensive starters returning. Nine of the starting 11 are coming back from a team that was very young and gained plenty of experience in a deep district.
This includes junior quarterback Derek Vowell, who shared time as signal caller a year ago with two other players. Despite the reps being split, he still threw for just under 700 yards and six touchdowns on just 56 completions. It’s expected that Vowell will take over full time, which should help Azle find its offensive identity. He will have a solid weapon in the passing game in Aiden Mackey, who is returning from an injury that only allowed him to play in the season opener.
The entire offensive line returns which will also help the running game with Hagen Hughes, who rushed for 747 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.
Though the offense returns more starters, it will be the defense that should make headlines.
The Hornets return six on the defensive side of the ball and half of those are arguably the best players on the roster. Devin Wingfield will be called upon to hold down the fort up the middle after a junior season that totaled 41 tackles, five tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. His help on the edges will come from Conner Merrill, who also had a stellar season in 2023 with 49 tackles, seven tackles for losses and a pair of sacks himself.
The final piece of the star defensive returners comes in the form of linebacker Garrin Graves. However, Graves will not be alone as Case Moore, who appeared in seven games last year, is also returning and could make a solid name for himself in his senior season. Almost all of the defensive starters are entering their senior season, which gives the Hornets somewhat of an experience boost.
However, the secondary will not have as much experience as junior Riley Self will be the biggest name. Self appeared in only four games in 2023. Defensive back Hunter Ooten appeared in all 10 games for the Hornets’ defense, but did not record many stats. In a tough passing district, the Hornets will need to work out their secondary woes.
Schedule & Analysis
at Abilene Cooper
vs Weatherford
vs Denton
at Brewer
vs Birdville
at Keller Fossil Ridge
vs Denton Ryan
at Granbury
vs Aledo
at Richland
Floor: 1-9
Much like Weatherford, there is at least one game that I do not see Azle losing. But every other game, I just do not see them winning or can be talked into believing they will lose. With the Kangaroos coming to town in Week 2 and a road opener with Abilene Cooper, the Hornets could be winless entering district play. Then they open 3-5A D1 with Denton, Brewer, Birdville and Fossil Ridge, who all are good enough to claim the final playoff spot and will be fighting like crazy for it. The one gimme game will likely be Granbury, which is traditionally not very good and changing schemes.
Average: 5-5, 4-seed
If Azle can get to a .500 record, the Hornets might need the help of getting a tiebreaker to get into the playoffs. But with how tough district 3-5A D1 is, that might just be exactly what happens. If they can take down the other four teams fighting for that final spot or at least three of them, they could find themselves in postseason play. Denton and Birdville will be the most likely victims. Birdville is going through a head coaching change and Denton is entering new territory in a district full of teams familiar with each other. From there, it comes down to either Fossil Ridge or Brewer. While Brewer brings back plenty of experience, Fossil Ridge lost a lot and dropped down from 6A after several mediocre seasons. Either one could be ripe for the picking, but neither will come easy.
Ceiling: 7-3, 4-seed
I don’t see any way Azle could upset Aledo, Denton Ryan or Richland. So the best possible thing that could happen for the Hornets would be to run the table with everyone else in the district, and possibly even take down Weatherford and Abilene Cooper to open the season.
