2025 ETB OFFICIAL OVERTON FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Can Mustangs ride back to double-digit wins, and keep up winning ways?
OVERTON – It’s a process, this thing called “Turning The Thing Around.”
In two seasons so far as head football coach and athletic director at Overton High School, Scotty Laymance has done exactly that.
Now, as they prepare their Mustangs for the 2025 season, the key is to keep it rolling.
Winning 10 games and making a run in the Texas high school football playoffs each of the past two seasons has gotten Overton respect. They begin this season in TexasFootball.com’s Class 2A Division II preseason poll at No. 23.
Nice for your fans, but if you know Laymance, his focus still remains on working to improve each and every day.
Call it football moxie.
They did lose quarterback Bryce Still and receiver Jayden Edwards to graduation, among others, and those are big losses.
But the cupboard certainly isn’t bare as the Mustangs return six starters on offense and eight on defense.
Leaders returning, according to Laymance, from last year’s regional semifinalist team are seniors Rylan Holleman (replacing Still at QB and also will play defensive back), Brody Brown (wide receiver / DB), Hunter Klima (WR / defensive end) and Justin Weir (running back / WR / linebacker), a junior, to name a few.
Overton returns three starting offensive linemen who will all also play on the defensive front. They are Eathen Oates (6-3, 310), Elijah Dorsey (5-10, 260) and Chris Foster (6-1, 315). Other linemen are Tucker Dike (5-11, 240), Dalton Cannon (6-3, 280), and Ronny Prior.
“Eathen is a two-year starter and has gained valuable experience. Chris and Elijah both took every snap last year for us and have had great off-season’s,” said Laymance. “I’m excited to see their growth in our preseason workouts.
“Tucker started seven games as a sophomore,but was injured in the off season. We’re excited to have him back and healthy now.”
Other returnees include WR/DB Jacob Osburn (5-11, 160), WR/DB and Ivan Ransom (5-11, 160).
Weir gives Overton versatility as either a back or receiver. Last year, he rushed for 739 yards and eight touchdowns, and added 169 receiving yards and two scores.
Junior Gabe Miller (5-9, 170) gives the Mustangs another running back with experience. As a sophomore, he rushed for 369 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Jackson Furlow (5-9, 150) will give Overton depth as a RB and is expected to handle the kicking chores. He handled ‘em really well last year — ask Mount Enterprise and Mart. Overton beat MEHS in overtime in the ETBlitz.com Game of the Year, and then knocked off playoff king Mart in the second round, and Furlow played a key role in both.
As mentioned, Holleman (6-1, 190) is expected to step in at quarterback. He missed five games last season and still rushed for 950 yards on 70 carries (13.5 yards per carry) and scored six touchdowns.
Defensively, Weir, Brown, Miller and Klima are the statistical leaders returning. Weir had 139 tackles, five for loss. Brown finished with 117 tackles, and Miller had a monster year: 87 tackles with 19 for loss and five sacks.
Klima finished with 80 tackles, six for loss, and Kash Holleman (6-0, 170) added 91 tackles and nine tackles for loss.
Also, Rylan Holleman, playing in the secondary, came away with 60 tackles and Oates contributed 73. Defensive lineman Gunner Whitfield (5-11, 200) added 52 tackles. He also plays tight end.
The Mustangs open the season at Alba-Golden, where the Panthers are coming off a 5-5 season, on Friday, Aug. 29.
Overton’s first home game is a week later (Sept. 5) against Carlisle. The Ponies kick off their 11-2A, Division II race at home on Sept. 26 against Grapeland, a team they split with last season; Grapeland pulled a bit of an upset over the Mustangs in round three of the playoffs. Overton won the regular-season contest 41-36, but lost to the Sandies in the regional semifinals in Athens, 31-23.
To be a business on the ETBlitz.com Overton 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 Mustangs play – and the poster will be on every Overton football story on ETBlitz. Here’s an example of what it looks like:
