Ever since Shadow Creek began competing at the varsity level in their young history, first in Class 5A where they won a 5A state championship, and now, as a Class 6A state power, the Sharks have always been considered a top pre-season pick to capture a district title and to go deep in the post-season.
The Sharks finished in second place behind the Dawson Eagles in 2020 and won the league title in 2021 with a 7-0 mark to finish ahead of Pearland (6-1), Dawson (5-2), and Alief Taylor (4-3).
Shadow Creek is a pre-season pick to capture the league crown again followed by Dawson, Pearland, Strake Jesuit, Alief Taylor, Alvin, Alief Hastings, and Alief Elsik.
Head coach Brad Butler saw his team post a 9-3 mark in 2021 while advancing to the area round in the playoffs. The Sharks began last season with a 1-2 non-district record as they lost to North Shore (33-11) and Bridgeland (24-14) before getting past Cypress Woods (28-11).
After running the table in district action, the Sharks won their bi-district playoff contest over Clear Creek (45-38) before seeing their season end in the area-round to C.E. King (52-34).
The 2022 football season presents another challenging non-district schedule as the Sharks will face district cousin Manvel in the season opener on Friday, August 26 at Freedom Field at 7:00 p.m. The Mavericks are picked to win their 10-5A DI district and are a pre-season No. 8 state-ranked team. The Mavs were 10-3 last season while advancing to the 5A Region III DI finals.
Next on the schedule will be District 24-6A power Clear Springs who was 7-5 last season while advancing to the area round.
The final non-district opponent will be a re-match from last year with Bridgeland. The Sharks will be looking to avenge last year’s loss to the Bears who were 11-3 in 2021 with a trip to the 6A Region III finals.
Shadow Creek will return an experienced team for the 2022 season with six offensive and seven defensive starters while drawing from a pool of 39 returning lettermen to fill the other positions.
The offense will be led with the return of quarterback Duke Butler (6-1, 175, 4.5) who threw for 1,922 yards and 29 TDs. He also had a QB rating of 111.0 while averaging 13.4 yards per completion. Butler had 207 yards rushing on 90 carries and two TDs.
Joining Butler in the backfield is junior RB Tylik Burton (5-9, 170, 4.7) who rushed for 760 yards and 8 TDs as a sophomore.
Others on offense who will have an impact for the Sharks include WR/ATH Jacob Washington (6-1, 180, 4.6), WR Jacorey Watson (6-0, 165, 4.5), WR Josh Best, WR Caleb Washington RB Felix Buchanan, OL Tyson Kestner, and OL Marcis Kemp.
The strength for the Sharks will be their defense with seven returning starters who are all college prospects at the FBS level.
The defense will be led by defensive ends Theorin Randall (6-2, 265, 4.9) and Zion Taylor (6-2, 230, 4.8). Last year, Randall recorded 42 tackles and 5 sacks while Taylor had 18 tackles and 4 sacks.
LB Robert Edmonson (6-1, 200, 4.7) led the defense with 72 stops, 3 sacks, and 1 INT. Junior DB Maurice Williams (6-2, 185, 4.5) had 47 tackles and 1 INT while garnering double digit offers at the next level.
Additional defensive players include junior LB Ethan Judge (5-11, 180, 4.8), LB Sean Gilbert, LB Scott Koumado, and DB Zyran King-Brooks.
While Shadow Creek is a pre-season favorite to win the league title, there will be several other teams in the district that will put them to the test including Dawson and Pearland that will have something to say regarding the outcome of the district race.
