AFGP Sports Presents: The Always Motion Tour

By Adam Sandoval: From AFGP Sports @AFGP_Sports

I’m Adam Sandoval, the founder of AFGP Sports and I have started my third #TXHSFB season tour covering games all over the State of Texas. Heading into my fifth year of covering high school football, I’ve come to a realization that the best athletes come from Texas. The narrative around the country maybe that there are other states who can lay claim to be the best and try to prove that Texas High School Football is not the best but AFGP Sports is here to provide the coverage and take you behind the scenes of Texas High Football. The Always Motion Tour will make you a believer on how superior #TXHSFB athletes are compared to the rest of the country. The mission and goal of The Platform is to #ExposeTheUnexposed and provide adequate coverage of athletes around the country giving them exposure. Come take a ride with me this season.

The Tour Is Underway

As the season is in full swing now with the “Always Motion Tour”, we have been able to see some historic games and can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds. Please note that all games on the tour schedule are subject to change pending credential approval. 

Week One

Week One we had a full slate of games to kick off the season beginning on a Thursday evening with a matchup between the East Texas powerhouse Longview Lobos and a battle tested program in the McKinney Lions. Both teams were coming off of deep playoff runs in 2022, as Longview came up short in the 5A DI Semifinals, losing to eventual champion Aledo and McKinney turned everyone’s heads finishing in the third round of the 6A DI bracket. This game came down to the final drive as Longview fought back to take their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter. McKinney was able to regain the lead with a field goal with 1:26 left in the game. McKinney’s late defensive stand, which included a fumble recovery and a sack, sealed a come from behind week one win for the Lions.

The second game of Week One of the “Always Motion Tour” was a matchup of two historically successful high school programs in the State of Texas. This year’s annual Tom Landry Classic hosted two High School Football powerhouses, the DeSoto Eagles and the Allen Eagles. Coming into this game Allen was looking to bounce back from last year’s 7-4 season. Allen’s opponent, the defending 6A DII State Champion DeSoto Eagles, came in with a chip on their shoulder looking to erase past defeats to Allen. Desoto’s head coach Claude Mathis had never beaten Allen but that changed week one as his Eagles soared swiftly past Allen in a dominant 39-7 win. With Desoto’s resounding triumph, the Eagles became only the third team to beat Allen at their home, Eagle Stadium.

 Our final stop on the “Always Motion Tour” Week One, we headed down I-45 South to Katy, Texas as the Cy Ranch Mustangs visited beautiful Legacy Stadium to take on Katy Tompkins. Both programs experienced success in 2022 by posting winning records but have set team goals of advancing past the first round of the playoffs. Katy Tompkins was clicking on all cylinders this game with a shutout win over Cy Ranch 31-0 to open the season. Tompkins plays in one of the most competitive districts, that includes, Katy Jordan, Katy and Katy Taylor. The Falcons week one win has them trending in the right direction.

Week Two

Week Two of the “Always Motion Tour” took me to the city of Grand Prairie and the historic Gopher Bowl on Thursday as the Wylie East Raiders visited the Grand Prairie Gophers. The Raiders offense was able to overcome an interception on their first drive and delivered a mistake free game after that to shutout the Gophers 49-0 and remain undefeated at 2-0.

 The “Always Motion Tour” returned to Eagle Stadium Week Two, as the Allen Eagles hosted the C.E. King Panthers in a Dallas vs. Houston showdown. These schools faced off the second week of 2022, with Allen dominating C.E. King 49-14. The Panthers were looking to get some revenge this time around and prove that they are a top team in the State of Texas. The first half was a tug of war between two teams determined to come out on top and neither team could pull away.  In the third quarter, C.E. King capitalized on a fumble and controlled the contest for the remainder of the game as they shocked everyone with a 45-28 win over Allen. The Panthers became only the fourth team to  beat Allen at Eagle Stadium.

 Closing out Week Two of the “Always Motion Tour”, I attended a national matchup between the defending 6A DI State Champions, the Duncanville Panthers and the Rockledge Raiders from the state of Florida. Both teams started out slowly, with Duncanville posting a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Panthers turned up the pressure to finish the game with a 44-0 win. The Panthers continue their win streak, now at seventeen straight games and are on the right path to their quest of repeating as state champions in 2023.

 During first two weeks of the “Always Motion Tour” a few players have caught my eye that should be on your radar. Throughout the weeks of the  “Always Motion Tour”, we’ll highlight our top performers from each game. Here are the “Always Motion Tour” players who stood out in Week One and Week Two.

Top Performers

Godspower Nwawuihe | 2024 | Quarterback | @GNwawuihe5 OL

Yes, that is his real name… Godspower Nwawuihe displayed how versatile of an athlete he is in Week One versus Longview. The first thing I was told about him was “He’s a very exciting player to watch”. Indeed he brought the excitement, he accounted for 2 rushing TD’s for the McKinney Lions against state powerhouse Longview, which caught my eye. His powerful running style was a trait in his game that stood out, making it hard for the defense to tackle him. His acceleration was another plus that allowed him to create separation to reach the endzone.

Keylan Abrams | 2025 |Edge/OLB | @KeylanAbrams 

Abrams has established himself as one of the top rising edge rushers in the Class of 2025 in the State of Texas and when steps on the field, he never disappoints. Abrams has great speed coming off the edge and he has the strength to control his blocker with one hand, while he attacks the backfield on what seems to be every play. Keylan was extremely disruptive, he registered several tackles for loss and even accounted for a safety that helped add to Desoto’s point total. The 3-Star, Purdue Commit, doesn’t show any signs of letting up on his playmaking ability. You can expect big plays from Abrams this season as DeSoto attempts to defend their 6A DII title in 2023.

Darius “DJ” Clark-James | 2024 | Quarterback | @King1Darius 

DJ heated up in the second half versus Allen in Week Two. Clark-James started to let it fly, which put C.E. King in front for good. While battling an illness coming into this game, DJ overcame adversity to put up a crazy stat line, finishing with 20 completions, 368 yards and 5 TD’s. Clark-James’s performance was powered by some impressive arm strength, showing of the ability to push the ball downfield to his receivers, he showed great patience in the pocket, which lead to big plays. With the skill set that DJ showed against Allen, look for his stock to rise on the recruiting trail this fall.

What’s Next ?

As we head into Week Three of the “Always Motion Tour”, we won’t be able to make it to Thursdays Red Oak vs. Lake Belton game in person, but you can catch the game LIVE on ESPN 2.  The “Always Motion Tour” will be headed down I-35 South to San Antonio for an anticipated matchup between the Hutto Hippos & Cibolo Steele Knights.