New coach, possibly revamped offense make No. 5 Round Rock dangerous
No. 5 Round Rock
2023 outlook: It’s a new era for Round Rock football with Cody Moore taking over at head coach for Jeff Cheatham, who was promoted to be the district’s athletic director in the spring. Expect the Dragons, who won a state 7-on-7 title in June, to throw the ball more and overall be more adventurous on offense. Five starters return on that side of the ball, including quarterback Mason Cochran and wideout Hayden Hnath. Offensive lineman Luke Miller, a Rice pledge, will be part of a road-grating offensive line along with Kie Wooldridge, Rylan Mathis and J.P. Driskill.On defense, there are two stars in defensive back Leonard Moore and defensive end Justin Lee, but Round Rock graduated eight starters from last fall. Players like defensive linemen Asher Chang, Elliott Stickler and Ian Camp and defensive back Zavari Whitson have plenty of talent and will play big roles.The Dragons should provide a challenge to Vandegrift for the District 25-6A title, while a meeting with Westlake or another matchup with Lake Travis likely looms in the first round of the playoffs.
2022: 9-2 (6-1), lost to Lake Travis in the Class 6A bi-district round
The last three years: 26-7
Head coach: Cody Moore (first season)
Three Dragons to watch
WR/DB Leonard Moore: A lockdown corner committed to Notre Dame and arguably the best defensive back in Central Texas, he'll play on both sides of the ball to give the Dragons a dynamic new option on offense. He essentially takes one side of the field away for opposing offenses with his coverage skills, while on offense it will be interesting to see how he's utilized.
DL Justin Lee: A force off the edge his sophomore year with 38 tackles and six sacks, he’s bigger and quicker entering this fall and primed for another strong year. A finalist for Central Texas newcomer of the year award last season, he’s already on the radar of Division I programs. Expect offenses to gear their blocking schemes around Lee to try and slow him down.
QB Mason Cochran: The senior returns for another year leading the offense after surpassing 1,000 yards both passing and rushing a year ago. Running for 20 touchdowns and throwing for another 10, he’s a dual threat and already has an offer from Navy. He’s big for a high school quarterback standing 6-feet, 2 inches and weighing more than 210 pounds. And he’ll stretch defenses with the capability to throw deep.
Top storylines
What’s the offense going to look like?
Round Rock has traditionally been a team that would try and pound opponents into submission with its dominant run game, and that might continue with all of the talent on the offensive line. But the moving of Leonard Moore to offense and the 7-on-7 success signals the passing game will take on a bigger role. Cochran can handle running 20 times a game or throwing it 40, and don’t be surprised if Leonard Moore ends up with more than 600 yards receiving.
How does the defense adjust with eight new starters?
There’s talent after Moore and Lee, but it doesn’t have much varsity experience. Cody Moore is a defensive coach and will have that side of the ball organized and ready to play, though it could be until midseason when the Dragons are up to full speed. Round Rock’s offense and talent alone will win a lot of games, but the defense needs to be completely jelled by the time it welcomes Vandegrift on Oct. 12.
Our take
Is Leonard Moore the best two-way player in Central Texas?
Rick Cantu: That's hard to say because there are so many good ones who play both ways. I'll say it's a tie with him and Fatu Mukuba of LBJ.
Colby Gordon: Yes. Two-way players are rare at the Class 6A level, and Moore, who is already one of the area's best defensive backs, could emerge to be one of Central Texas’ top receivers as well.
— Colby Gordon
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: No. 5 Round Rock has new coach, loads of talent
