The San Angelo Standard-Times will preview local high school football teams throughout August ahead of the 2025 season.
Goldthwaite Eagles
District: 10-2A DII
2024 record: 7-5, 5-2
Head coach: Andy Howard
Most recent district championship: 2015
State titles: 1985, 1993, 1994, 2009
What to know
The Eagles improved every season under coach Andy Howard, improving from 0-10 in 2022 to 7-5. Goldthwaite competes in one of the toughest Class 2A DII districts with perennial powerhouses Mart and Bremond, along with up-and-comers Chilton and Frost. Despite the tough district schedule, Howard said he is optimistic about his team’s chances to make the postseason for the second-straight year.
Goldthwaite returns 11 lettermen from last year’s team — six starters on offense and defense — including sophomore Landry Sanderson, who earned first-team all-district honors as a freshman. Howard said they are moving Aidyn Lee from quarterback to wide receiver, taking advantage of his athleticism.
Hayes Greenway will take over at quarterback for the Eagles and Howard said the team is pleased with how he performed during preseason practices and the first scrimmage. Howard said this year’s defense is young, but he is excited about the potential of players like sophomore linebacker Hagen Greenway and junior linebacker Walt Thompson.
Goldthwaite is in one of the toughest districts in Texas across all classifications. However, upon further inspection, a path for the Eagles to improve their postseason positioning becomes clear after looking at how they finished 2024 with big wins over Mart and a bi-district championship win against Maud.
Coach Andy Howard on the 2025 season
“We’re four years into our program and our kids understand our schemes and they understand our expectations,” Howard said. “And now we’ve raised the bar as far as our expectations in the win and loss column. Our goal is to get there and win the district championship — that’s our ultimate goal. It doesn’t happen overnight, you have to take it day by day.
“I tell our kids all the time our expectations are for us to be absolutely as good as we possibly can be. And that’s not just within the game of football, but in the game of life and the game of education. If we do what we’re supposed to do every day and work hard at it, wins and losses take care of themselves.”
2025 schedule
Week 1 – Goldthwaite at Junction, 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29
Week 2 – Center Point at Goldthwaite, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5
Week 3 – San Saba at Goldthwaite, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12
Week 4 – OPEN
Week 5 – Goldthwaite at Chilton, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26
Week 6 – Hubbard at Goldthwaite, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3
Week 7 – Goldthwaite at Frost, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10
Week 8 – Bremond at Goldthwaite, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17
Week 9 – Goldthwaite at Wortham, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24
Week 10 – Meridian at Goldthwaite, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31
Week 11 – Goldthwaite at Mart. 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: Will Goldthwaite high school football rise in a brutal 10-2A DII district this year?
Reporting by Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
