McALLEN — McAllen Memorial senior running back Campbell Speights joined elite company this week after being tabbed as one of 25 semifinalists for the Mr. Texas Football High School Player of the Year Award presented by Wells Fargo.
The news was first announced by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Wednesday.
“I just try to stay as far away from social media and stat sheets and all that. I just try to stay with me team,” Speights said of his accolades. “I said from the beginning that this senior season was going to be about my team and I don’t really care about where I’m going or what I’ve done. I’m going to stay with that mindset and take this team and see how far we can ride with it.”
He was the only Valley player named to the award’s shortlist of contenders and the first since former Mission Veterans quarterback Landry Gilpin. In 10 games during his senior campaign, Speights rushed for a personal-best 2,256 yards and 33 touchdowns on the ground, while adding one passing and one special teams score as well.
In his most recent outing, Speights ran for a career-high 428 yards and five touchdowns in a lopsided win over the McAllen Rowe Warriors on Friday. His impressive day on the ground pushed him across the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the season and the 7,000-yard mark for his high school career.
Former winners of the Mr. Texas Football award include Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former Heisman trophy winner Kyler Murray, former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Gilpin, the current quarterback at Southwestern University, who won the award in 2018.
The large field of current semifinalists will be whittled down to 10 finalists on Dec. 6. High school football fans will then have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player online at texasfootball.com throughout the month of December.
This year’s winner will be announced and awarded his hardware before the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Friday, Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Below is a complete list of all 25 semifinalists:
ATH Devon Achane, Fort Bend Marshall
QB Mike Chandler II, Converse Judson
ATH Ben Crockett, McLean
DB Dylon Davis, Abilene Cooper
QB Dematrius Davis, Galena Park North Shore
RB Jermiah Dobbins, Lubbock Estacado
RB Aaron Dumas, El Paso Americas
QB Quinn Ewers, Southlake Carroll
WR Loic Fouonji, Midland Lee
QB Roman Fuller, Decatur
QB Bo Hogeboom, Argyle
QB Ja’Quinden Jackson, Duncanville
DE Landon Jackson, Pleasant Grove
QB Haynes King, Longview
RB Colton Marshall, Hawley
ATH Dwight McGlothern, Klein Oak
LB Jax McCauley, Austin Vandegrift
RB Kendre Miller, Mount Enterprise
WR Marvin Mims, Frisco Lone Star
QB Sean O’Keefe, San Saba
QB Ken Seals, Weatherford
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rockwall
RB Campbell Speights, McAllen Memorial
RB Ashton Stredick, Needville
ATH Ace Whitehead, Lampasas