The San Angelo Standard-Times will preview local high school football teams throughout August ahead of the 2025 season.
Ozona Lions
District: 3-2A DI
2024 record: 7-4, 3-2
Head coach: Jason Pitts
Most recent district championship: 2023
State titles: N/A
What to know
New coach Jason Pitts inherits a Lions squad that is a heavy favorite to capture the district title in 2025 after returning nine starters on offense and defense. Returning running back Christian Villarreal is one of the reasons Ozona is favored after posting 1,438 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing despite missing a few games to injury. Along with Villarreal, the Lions return all five starting offensive linemen, which has plenty of size.
Pitts comes to Ozona from New Diana, where he rebuilt the program from 2-8 to an 11-1 record after three seasons, earning Class 3A Coach of the Year in 2024. Pitts said most of the offensive coaching staff were held over, so the team is ahead of schedule as fall practices continue.
The biggest change Pitts brings is on the defensive side of the ball. Pitts said his defense will be an “attacking” unit with stunts and blitzes up front, wanting to dictate what the opposing offense can do rather than waiting to react.
Even though the Lions return a load of lettermen, they still need to find replacements for former quarterback Hudson Fowler and utility athlete Michael Daniels, who were extremely productive last season. Still, there is a lot to be excited about in Ozona as the Lions aim to be back on top of Region I for the first time in decades.
Coach Jason Pitts on the 2025 season
“You never know what you’re going to come into (when you go to a new program),” Pitts said. “You don’t know what’s stuck in their minds, their routines and expectations — everything like that. But I got here midway through the summer, and they’ve got no problem working. These kids know how to work already. So just small little adjustments, you know, adjusting the way we lift here and there, but they’re not complaining. They’re just getting after it.
“We’ve got a lot of big kids, strong kids that are hungry to do something pretty special. So, we’re going to give it a shot and see what we can do.”
2025 schedule
Week 1 – Ozona at McCamey, 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29
Week 2 – Eldorado at Ozona, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5
Week 3 – Ozona at Brady, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12
Week 4 – Harper at Ozona, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19
Week 5 – Ozona at Miles, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26
Week 6 – OPEN
Week 7 – Reagan County at Ozona, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10
Week 8 – Ozona at Sonora, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17
Week 9 – Colorado City at Ozona, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24
Week 10 – Ozona at Forsan, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31
Week 11 – Christoval at Ozona, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@gosanangelo.com. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Ozona high school football eyes special season in 2025 with veteran lineup, new coach
Reporting by Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
