In 2005, The Wimberley Texans completed a perfect season en route to a state championship in 3A D1 play. Just six years later, they did it again but in D2.
In 2019, after a 7-3 regular season, the Texans went on a run. Five consecutive playoff victories whilst putting up more than 50 points a game on average.
Wimberley was looking to recreate that magic they found a few times prior. Unfortunately, inside Jerryworld, they came up short of their ultimate goal, falling to Texarkana Pleasant Grove 35-21.
Wimberley in 2020 will lose its senior quarterback as Cooper McCollum will graduate after putting up over 3,700 yards and 49 touchdowns. That doesn’t mean though that the Texans will take a huge step back, as they still get one more year from star athlete Christian Marshall.
Marshall is one of the most dynamic playmakers in all of Texas, regardless of classification.
As a junior, he put up video game-like numbers all season. He led his team in every major receiving category with 65 catches for nearly 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns.
That’s not all though as Marshall is also a lockdown corner with four interceptions including a pick-six, seven passes defended and a forced fumble in his junior season.
“Constantly polishing my technique on the field and Track. Working with my coaches and trainers like Jaxon Shipley and Kevin Garrett, and learning from their playing experiences. Breaking down the film on myself and my opponents is always huge,” Marshall said on what contributes to his success.
The Texans lose McCollum but return the team’s leading rushing, Moses Wray. Wimberley also brings back it’s top three receiving threats in Marshall, Jaxon Watts, and Josh Limely.
Marshall and the Texans got a taste of the state championship, in 2020 they’re looking to take it all.
“As a team, we will continue to build the relationships we made last year. Working with the new guys and continuing to develop the things we do well and find new ways to be successful,” Marshall said.
Marshall in his offseason from the gridiron is also a track star for the Texans. Marshall specializes in hurdling.
His personal best in the 110-meter hurdle is 14.52 seconds. At 300 meters, he just reached sub-41 seconds.
“(Track and Field) Develops my on the field movement and conditioning. Most importantly it gives me the ultimate opportunity to compete. Coach DeMarco and Coach Ellis have always developed strong hurdlers so we get to compete against each other every day.” Marshall said.
Marshall and the whole Wimberley team are keeping themselves in shape during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Finding any open track, weight room or gym that I can,” Marshall said on how he stays in shape right now. “Coach McNeely has put together bodyweight and adapted weighted workouts for the entire team as well.”
Wimberley fell just 14 points short of the mountaintop in 2019. The Texans come back in 2020 with most of that squad still intact. Marshall and company are making it their mission that 2020 is theirs for the taking.
“We have even bigger goals this season. Personally I want to add good weight, improve my camp numbers this summer, and get back to AT&T. As a team, we are in a good position to finish the job. We lost some really good seniors but have a lot of experience coming back.”
