Friendswood head coach Robert Koopmann enters his 11th season at the helm of the Mustang football program after taking over for former head coach Steve Van Meter who led the Mustangs for 20 years.
The Mustangs have fared well with Koopmann in charge as the veteran coach, who was the Friendswood offensive coordinator for over a dozen years before taking the reins in 2012, has advanced to the playoffs nine of the past 10 years while carving out an 84-40 overall record.
Friendswood has only missed the post-season and posted a losing record once under Koopmann and that was in 2020 when schools were dealing with COVID-19. The Mustangs finished 3-6 that season.
In 2022, the Mustangs may face one of the most challenging seasons they have had in recent memory.
The UIL realignment dealt the Mustangs to a very tough district that also will require the team to travel a much greater distance than in the past.
Koopmann and his gridiron warriors don’t have the reputation of backing down from the competition as they have always accepted the challenge with great leadership and courage and that can be expected for the 2022 football season.
The Mustangs find themselves in District 10-5A Div I with nine teams which means they only get to play one non-district game before they begin league action.
The teams and their pre-season picks for the season include Manvel, Magnolia West, Richmond Foster, Angleton, Magnolia, Friendswood, Fulshear, Rosenberg Terry, and Fort Bend Kempner.
The top four teams advance to the playoffs, so the pre-season picks have no bearing on the actual playoff positions.
In 2021, Friendswood lost their first four non-district games and then the Mustangs ran the table with six consecutive wins to share the district title with Port Arthur Memorial.
So the real season begin in district play and with nine teams in the league, anything is possible.
The two non-district games for Friendswood will be against the Texas City Stingarees and the Willowridge Eagles.
Friendswood will open the 2022 football season at Texas City on Friday, August 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Texas City returns six offensive and six defensive starters to go with 30 returning lettermen from a team that was 10-2 in 2021 while advancing to the area round of the playoffs.
The Stings will have a new head coach in Shone Evans who played high school football for the Pearland Oilers and played at the collegiate level at McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana. His brother. Anthony Evans, who was an All-State running back for the Pearland Oilers and a standout player at UH, is the offensive coordinator.
The Stings will be led on offense by junior RB Caleb Bell (5-10, 235, 4.5) who had 1,123 and 19 TDs his sophomore season.
Texas City and Friendswood have a long history as former district foes and this will be a challenge for both teams to open the season.
The Mustangs will travel to face the Willowridge Eagles on Thursday, September 1 at Hall Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
Willowridge returns six offensive and eight defensive starters to join 20 returning lettermen from a 4-5 team in 2021. The Eagles were young last season and missed the playoffs so they will have a more experienced team in 2022 that will be more competitive.
Friendswood returns five offensive and seven defensive starters with 34 returning lettermen which will give the Mustangs some depth on both sides of the ball.
The offense should display some early firepower as the Mustangs will return several skill players led by senior quarterback Matthew Dupuis, running back Jackson Rhodes (6-0, 185, 4.7) who had 148 carries and 714 yards with 8 TDs, and wide receivers Kale Koopmann (6-2, 170, 4.8) and Aiden Stokes (5-8, 150, 4.6).
Others that will make an impact on the offensive side of the ball include: TE Hunter Smyrl ((6-3, 220, 4.7) who had 32 catches for 508 yards and 2 TDs, QB/TE Brock Foster (6-4, 220, 4.8), OL Brandon Schirck (6-1, 255), OL Kyle Gardner, and WR Adam Buffington.
Defensively, the Mustangs will be a force to reckon with, especially in the early part of the season as the offense develops as a strong unit.
Senior LB Braylan Shelby (6-5, 230, 4.6) is a four-star FBS recruit who had 48 tackles, 8 sacks, and 1 INT last season. He will move around to different places on the field to disrupt opposing offenses.
LB Jaxson Russo (6-0, 225, 4.8) will also be a force to deal with as he has the skills to be disruptive in his own right. He registered 100 tackles and 2 sacks last year.
Others who will make Friendswood a strong defensive unit include: DE Caleb Allen (6-1, 185), DT Caden Spiller, LB Jaxson Oliver, CB Ben Chapman, and DB Eli St. John.
