TO THE NEXT LEVEL | ETBlitz football preview 2: Cody Ross’s Beckville Bearcats have been fantastic — they want to be even BETTER
BECKVILLE – Beckville has been consistently good, reaching the University Interscholastic League’s Texas high school football playoffs six of the seven year-tenure under current athletic director / head football coach Cody Ross.
How good? Well, the Bearcats have won 10 or more games five times. But the 2026 team knows you need to stay hungry and never admit to being satisfied.
A 9-4 season a year ago marked the third time the ‘Cats have played as many as 13 games in a single year (2025, 2021 and 2020). And, they’ve pretty-much dominated 10-2A with records of 5-1, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 and 6-1. Last year there was a three-way tie for the district crown and Beckville was the third seed in the playoffs behind Waskom and Elysian Fields, respectively.
Ross welcomes back five returning starters on offense and four on defense. He believes running back and outside linebacker Rudy Watts, wide receiver / safety Gabe Johnson, offensive lineman / defensive end Brantley Grandgeorge and offensive / defensive lineman Ryder Davidson should step up to fill leadership roles. Watts is 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, a senior; Johnson (6-0, 180) is also a senior, as is Grandgeorge (6-2, 190). Davidson (5-11, 210) is a junior.
This season — at least in camp and early — senior Reese Davis, the backup quarterback a year ago, and sophomore Wesden Harris will vie for the starting quarterback job. “They’re both great kids and competitors,” Ross said.
Three offensive line starters return. They are center Nick Roberts (5-11, 205, senior), tackle Kash Naverette (6-3, 210, senior) and Davidson, a guard.
Watts rushed 97 times a year ago for 546 yards with six touchdowns. He also had 39 receptions for 542 yards and five touchdowns. He returned four punts for 15 yards and added 11 punt returns for 170 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson, a starting receiver in 2025, had 52 receptions for 808 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 15.6 yards per catch.
Another starting running back from last season was Timmy Wilcots, who finished the season rushing for 222 yards on 32 carries (7.5 yard-per-carry. average,) and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Watts, as an outside linebacker, recorded 86 tackles while Grandgeorge followed with 71 stops, 17 tackles for loss and four sacks. Davis contributed 39 tackles and broke up six opponents’ passes.
The Bearcats kickoff the 2026 season at home against Joaquin on Aug. 28 before traveling to Frankston on Sept. 4. Beckville then hosts Harmony on Sept. 11, and visits Diana to face New Diana, closing out the non-district portion of its schedule. The six-game 11-2A DI race begins on Sept. 25 at home against Ore City.
Beckville visits Waskom and Paul Pewitt on back-to-back weeks before entertaining Harleton on Oct. 16. Following its open date the ’Cats close the regular season with games at home against Union Grove on Oct. 30, and at Elysian Fields on Nov. 6.
