2023 All-West Texas Football Team: The Superlatives
MVP
Edgar DeLuna, sr., Sonora
DeLuna put up historic numbers for the Broncos as he carried the team to a regional semifinal birth. He picked up a larger share of the offensive load this season and showed why he was one of the most dynamic players in the state after rushing 215 times for 2,538 yards and 35 touchdowns — breaking the school's single-season rushing record. He also caught 21 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns to reach 40 total touchdowns — tying the single-season record. On defense, DeLuna recorded another monster season with 150 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, eight interceptions, two sacks and a defensive touchdown. 2023 marked his third consecutive season with 150 or more total tackles in a season.
Offensive Player of the Year
Hayven Book, sr., Miles
Book had another monster season for the Bulldogs and led them to their first playoff win as an 11-man football team with a 48-0 shutout against Sterling City. He finished the season as West Texas' leading passer with 165 completions for 2,673 yards and 39 touchdown passes. His production was not just as a passer, though, as he rushed 95 times for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns. The senior also rushed for six two-point conversions and passed for 13 more.
Defensive Player of the Year
Logan Thomas, sr., Wall
Thomas, who already established himself as one of the area's best defenders over the last two seasons took his game to another level in 2023. With a District 2-3A Division II Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 under his belt, Thomas earned the district MVP award in 2023 after tallying a massive 103 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 21 hurries and eight sacks for the Hawks. Thomas was instrumental in Wall's outright district championship and run to the Region 1-3A Divison II Championship game. The Hawks' defense posted four shutouts and held Lubbock Roosevelt to six points in the regional semifinal.
Newcomer of the Year
Christian Villarreal, soph., Ozona
Villarreal burst onto the scene for the Lions this year, helping turn around a program that finished fifth in District 3-2A in 2022 into a shared district championship in 2023. He was a workhorse running back for Ozona last season rushing 257 times for 1,262 yards and 15 touchdowns, while adding 10 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown reception. Villarreal earned a spot on the first-team District 3-2A Division I offense to start his varsity career.
Comeback Player of the Year
Jaime Buitron, sr., Sonora
After tearing his ACL a week before the season began, Buitron held off surgery until after the football season so that he could play his senior year. Despite only playing the last seven games, he completed 64 passes for 1,188 yards and 11 touchdowns during Sonora's run to the regional semifinal game.
Coach of the Year
Scott Freeman, Junction
In Freeman's first two years as the Eagles coach, he had a combined 5-15 record. Going into his third season as head coach, Junction was again picked to finish near the bottom of a competitive District 14-2A Division I. However, the Eagles went from 2-8 and out of the playoffs to 6-5 and a third-place district finish.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Meet the superlatives for the 2023 All-West Texas football team
