COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — A&M Consolidated High School head football coach Brandon Schmidt says the Tigers are ready for one of their toughest district schedules yet, as realignment brings a new slate of formidable opponents to College Station.
"Our district is a juggernaut. It's brutal," Schmidt said. "I say that because it's gonna be fun. Georgetown, Katy Station, Pflugerville Weiss, Killeen Shoemaker. I think there's some really, really good teams in our district winning at least 9 games in every season since 2017."
The program has been a model of consistency, winning at least 9 games every season since 2017. Schmidt says his players are well aware of that standard.
"I think our kids understanding that — that Consol has been a successful program long before I was here — and you know you don't wanna be that team that's not meeting the expectations," Schmidt said. "I think our kids and our coaching staff and our community works really hard to meet those expectations."
The Tigers lost more than 30 seniors from last year's 9-3 squad, but Schmidt says a strong junior class is ready to step into leadership roles.
"We have a bunch of kids, whether it's vocal leadership or whether it's through their work ethic, you know, you got those quiet leaders," Schmidt said. "We expect our senior class this year to kind of pick up where last year's senior class left off and build more."
Schmidt also highlighted several players who stood out during the offseason. He said Mari Moore, who is transitioning from quarterback to receiver, had a phenomenal spring and has the potential to be a special playmaker. Quarterback Holt Goodwin also had a strong spring. On defense, Schmidt pointed to returning starters Leo Bedford, Lucas Hightower, and Jackson Solomon as key pieces heading into the season.
Schmidt also praised senior Jamarion, who drew recruiting interest following a standout junior season.
"He's a character. You'll never see him have a bad day. He's here every day, he's got a great work ethic, just a great demeanor about him, just the way he carries himself," Schmidt said. "Kids, whether they're football players or just kids in the building, they gravitate to him. Just a huge personality, awesome kid to be around, and then beyond that, obviously a tremendous football player."
When asked about the crosstown rivalry with College Station High School, Schmidt said the game carries a unique energy unlike anything he experienced before coming to the Brazos Valley.
"What I love about it going back to my first year here is, coming from the Metroplex where you don't necessarily get that small town feel anymore from a lot of your games, that game has that — I would say Friday Night Lights, small town, everyone in the community is here — and it's just a phenomenal environment," Schmidt said. "Does it mean more? Yeah, it does."
Schmidt said the program's culture, built around the motto "do your job," is what drives the team's sustained success.
"Do your job is — we're not asking any of you to do anything that you're not capable of doing," Schmidt said. "We want you to show up every day, we want you to work hard every day, we want you to take one step forward every day, improve every day, get a little bit better every day. If you'll do those things, then at the end of the season we'll have a successful season."
A&M Consolidated opens the 2026 season at Brenham High School on Aug. 20.
