Top 26 storylines for 2016: No. 19 – Bremond's Roshauud Paul chases immortality

[caption id="attachment_24590" align="aligncenter" width="5000"]Photo by Artie Guerrero Photo by Artie Guerrero[/caption] It was sometime around 10:30 p.m. on December 20, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Already leading 40-16 with under eight minutes to go, Allen had just recovered an onside kick deep in Cy Ranch territory when quarterback Kyler Murray fired a 31-yard touchdown pass to Lee Morris to extend the Eagles’ lead to a resounding 31 points. It was the last pass that Murray threw as a Texas high school football player, and the final emphatic salvo of a perfect career — 42 wins as a starting quarterback, three state championships, and an equal number of losses as doubters: zero. Murray’s membership in the pantheon of the greatest Texas high school football players is not up for debate; only the order in which they appear. So then what do we do with Roshauud Paul? If you’re asking “Who?” or you’re wondering if the rather unusual vowel-heavy name is some sort of typo, you’re forgiven — but only for now. From this point forward, ignorance of one of Texas high school football’s best players is not an acceptable excuse. The quarterback at Bremond has already done more than enough to warrant your attention: he’s guided the Tigers to two consecutive 2A Division II state championships — their first since 1981 — and put up other-worldly numbers in the process — 3,793 yards and 46 touchdowns passing (against just seven interceptions, mind you), and another 3,680 yards and 57 touchdowns rushing. Oh, and then there’s this little statistical nugget: Roshauud Paul has never lost as a starter. Two seasons, 31 wins, zero losses. Do the math. Bremond would need to win 16 games to run the table to a third consecutive 2A Division II state championship. If that happens, that would run Paul’s record to a neat 47-0 — five wins better than the legendary Kyler Murray. Bremond enters the 2016 season as almost prohibitive favorites to win another title thanks to a playmaking defense led by LB Josh White, a beefy line led by OL/DL Garrison Tullos, and a variety of playmakers like two-way star WR/DB Joe Williams and breakout candidate RB Kaidyn Peralez. They also happen to have the best player in Class 2A taking the snaps. It won’t be easy, mind you — Bremond must navigate a salty Region III that features east Texas stalwart Tenaha, 2015 breakout star Iola, and potential spoilers like Clarksville, among others. And should they get out of Region III, they could face a squad like Falls City in a semifinal, and hard-nosed Iraan for a championship. And that’s just to win a title; to finish undefeated, the Tigers must get past the aforementioned Iola on the road in Week 2, a non-district matchup with Central Texas private school power Waco Reicher, and a district tussle with Hubbard. But all of that is to say: Bremond will be favored in every game it plays this season. And should the Tigers reach the 2A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium unscathed, Paul will have an opportunity to have a final moment much like Murray, and etch his name into Texas high school football lore.