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STORY BY CHRIS MOORE

Around the Memorial Titans’ facility, one phrase is heard more frequently than any other: Win the last game of the season. Coaches and players can be heard uttering the phrase when talking about goals for the upcoming fall. 

By Memorial’s high standards, last season could be seen as a down year for the Titans, who finished 8-3, losing their last three games of the season and finishing fourth in the district.

Entering his seventh year as the head coach, Brian Morgan hopes to get the team back to the top of the district. Under his leadership, Memorial reached the playoff each of his six seasons and earned at least a share of a district championship three times.

This season, the Titans should enjoy some shorter road games as both Beaumont schools drop down to 5A Division I. Memorial returns a ton of talent on a squad that will have a strong junior class with multiple players entering their third year on varsity. 

The defensive side of the ball has players at each level that will play in a Power 5 conference at the college level. Senior defensive end Michael Riles, who committed to Oklahoma State earlier in the year, is ranked eighth among his position in the state for the class of 2025, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas High School Football.

Taiyion “Tank” King is ranked is ranked as the second-best linebacker in the state for the class of 2026 and his classmate Brock King is rated as the fifth best corner in the class.

Both have received scholarship offers from Texas and Texas A&M. Tank King has also received offers from Alabama and Florida. Brock King has also received offers from Oregon and Baylor among others.

“Tank returning and playing middle linebacker, you count on him to be that guy,” Morgan said. “We have some young guys that will probably step up, too. There are always some guys that didn’t have to step up as sophomores and juniors that step up and help the young guys.”

Brock King said building blocks are there for the Titans to make a deep playoff push.

“We are putting it together piece by piece,” he said. “We are going to come out with a bang. I think we are going to shock the fans and everything this year.”

For several years, Memorial has had a “lockdown” corner that makes scheming up defenses easier and gives opposing offenses nightmares. Brock King hopes to be able to fill that role for the Titans this year. 

“I feel like we are all together,” Brock King said. “We have to get our communication right.”

He wasn’t the only one to stress the importance of communication. Junior right tackle Michael Milson also said communication is a point of emphasis for improvement before the season starts.

“I am working on technique right now,” he said. “We have to be able to communicate to win games. It is important. If you don’t know where the ball is going or the call, you can’t get in the endzone. I feel like we have more work to do, but we are physical enough.”

Milson said going up against the Titans defense in practice has helped and beliefs there is an iron-sharpens-iron effect on the team. 

On the offensive side, junior quarterback Jordan Jones will take over as the signal caller for the Titans. 

“All of the teams he has been the quarterback on growing up have been really successful,” Morgan said of Jones. “The younger ones and older ones know him, but the guys that are in his grade have played with him and know they can win with him. He is a tough kid even though he is a little slim. He doesn’t have that much weight on him, but he is tough. We have a lot of confidence in him.”

Morgan said the offense will have to be mindful to be sure to get all of the weapons involved. The Titans return three running backs that saw significant carries last year and a talented receiving group to balance out the offense. 

The Titans kick off the season Aug. 30 at Dekaney. Memorial’s first district game will be Sept. 27 against Beaumont United in Port Arthur.