2025 ETBLITZ FOOTBALL PREVIEW: BECKVILLE | Records falling, winning being done — just another weekend for Ross and the Bearcats
BECKVILLE – To say Beckville and its head football coach Cody Ross is a good fit for the Bearcats, although true, seems to leave something out.
On the eve of his seventh season in charge of Bearcat football, Ross and his program are better than just good together: they’re special.
As we do for Pine Tree High School and for Carthage High, we at ETBlitz.com welcome coach Ross, his staff as well as the Bearcats and all of their fans to the ETB coverage area. We are excited to have y’all!
There is this, now: that first game, the season opener, isn’t Friday night lights; it’s actually on a Thursday. Beckville’s 2025 season kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 28 at home against San Augustine.
If you haven’t been hearing about Beckville football, then we’re about to drop some helpful information on you right now.
The Bearcats have won 10 or more games each of the last five years. If you’re counting, that’s 52 games and four district championships. The school record is 53.
Preseason rankings and polls mean little or nothing to football coaches, but they do to a lot to fans and writers; after all, it gives us stuff to talk about.
The Bearcats are picked to finish second in District 10-2A, DI behind Waskom in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s preseason poll, which we use here at ETBlitz.com. Also, Beckville running back Jorden Prince is the DCTF choice for preseason offensive most valuable player.
The Bearcats lost some skill players to graduation, but they didn’t lose Prince, quarterback Braxton Bullock, wide receiver / defensive back Grayson Hicks, running back / linebacker Rudy Watts or offensive lineman Gunner McDaniel, whom Ross believes can step up and be this team’s leaders.
Beckville returns five starters on each side of the ball.
Prince and Bullock put up some impressive numbers in the power spread offense a season ago as juniors. Prince (6 feet, 180 pounds) broke his brother’s school record for touchdowns in a season (37) and rushing yards in a season (2,132), while Bullock, who’ll be in his second year as the starting QB, completed 109-of-171 passes (64 percent) for 1,808 yards and 25 touchdowns, and also rushed for 383 yards and three additional TDs.
Strong guard McDaniel (5-8, 265), quick guard Ryder Davidson (5-11, 225) and strong tackle Devan Koger (6-0, 200) are returning offensive linemen from last year’s team and will anchor the unit. Davidson started all 12 games as a freshman a year ago and is the strongest kid in the program, according to Ross.
The leaders of this year’s Bearcats’ 3-4 defense are Watts (5-11, 180), a junior outside linebacker, senior defensive lineman Tommy Heard (5-10, 165), and Hicks (5-10, 175) in the secondary. Defensive lineman Brantley Grandgeorge and linebacker Dillan Koger (5-10, 165) are both promising prospects for playing time.
Senior Jordan Mojica returns and should handle the kicking chores for the Bearcats.
Following the season opener, Beckville’s non-district opponents are Joaquin, Harmony and Harleton before district begins at Elysian Fields on Sept. 26. See the Bearcats’ complete schedule below.
Are there possibilities for more records? You bet: wins by a head coach, a single season touchdown passing record, a mark for touchdowns rushing in a season and/or rushing yards in a season.
They’re all out there, and while breaking records isn’t the ultimate goal, don’t be surprised if a few more fall along the way in 2025, as Beckville football looks to continue to roll through the competition.
To be a business on the ETBlitz.com Beckville team poster this season, email Jenna Lucas at ads@etblitz.com. The cost is just $100, and gets your ad on the poster for as long as the Bearcats play – and the poster will be on every Beckville football story on ETBlitz. Here’s an example of what it’ll look like, followed by the Bearcats’ 2025 football schedule.
