Kellci Ford
Sports Reporter
The Mineral Wells Rams are approaching the official kick off of their 2025 season, year three under Cody Worrell. The Rams have worked hard all summer, and played host to their first opponent Thursday evening in the first scrimmage of the year.
While the scrimmages do not count against their overall record for the season, in fact, a score isn’t even kept, they are vital for a team’s preparation for the season. The Rams were host to the Peaster Greyhounds on Thursday night, with the freshman and junior varsity squads taking the field first, followed by the much-anticipated varsity. The 2025 Varsity squad is a great mix of veteran players with varsity action and playoff games in their arsenal, as well as young, players with something to prove.
The Rams defense took the field first, where we got to see the District 6-4A Defensive MVP, Trent Yowell, as well as some other returning defensive players, Jackson Hicks, Jaidun Fisher, Preston Ramirez, Gage Lawhorn, Canon Ramsay, and Garrison Facteau. The Rams defense was hard hitting, and although they gave up one long pass down field, they looked solid. With the addition of a few young guys, like sophomore Jackson Brown at linebacker, with a little fine tuning by the new defensive coordinator Keither Wood, the Rams will be strong on defense.
This was also the first look at one of the new quarterbacks for the Rams, Brogan Sims, a senior transfer that joined the Rams line up during the off season. Sims already has the attention of Division I schools, having an offer on the table from Lamar University, but still has something to prove to Ram fans in his first and only season in the red and black. Sims played well, setting up Hicks as running back, as well as finding Fisher for a few yards, and junior Barron Burkhall for a score early on in the action. Burkhall, unfortunately went down with a leg injury a short time later, the severity of that injury is unknown at this time, but we hope to see him back on the field soon, as he will be a great target. Ram fans also saw Ramirez takes some snaps at quarterback, a position he is familiar with, but has taken a backseat to his defensive play. He has been the backup QB throughout high school, and it is reassuring to know there is so much experience leading the offense, no matter which player is on the field.
While some have questions about depth in a few other spots, the Rams seem confident in their abilities and their experience with hungry group of seniors leading the way, especially the experience on the offensive line. With the return of juniors Javawn McKinney and Josiah Zapata and senior Evan Myrick at center, Sims, Ramirez, and the Rams backs are well protected. This squad has been on the rise for the past 2 seasons and are looking to have their best season yet under Coach Worrell.
The Rams will travel to Springtown next week for scrimmage number two of the season, and then will prepare for a week one match up at Ram Stadium with Fort Worth Polytech. The Palo Pinto Press will be releasing a special preview of area football teams next week as well, which will include a more in depth look at the Rams, newcomer Sims, and the new coaches added during this offseason, so keep an eye out for that coming out soon.
