Star-Telegram exclusive: Cowboys legend, Liberty Christian coach Jason Witten discusses upcoming season
Argyle Liberty Christian high school football is looking to win back-to-back state titles led by head coach Jason Witten, a Dallas Cowboys legend. The team won a TAPPS Division II State Championship last season and is moving up to Division I.
The Star-Telegram sat down with Witten for an exclusive question and answer.
Q: Reflecting back on the 2023 season, when did you realize something special could be in store for your team?
“Beating Prestonwood Christian the way [a 48-19 win] we did to open the season, I felt really good about our team, especially offensively. Then after Week 2 [31-0 shutout of Episcopal School of Dallas] I thought we could be in for something really special.”
Q: How will this year’s offense look differently with Quinn Murphy at Quarterback?
“Each year a team has its own identity and personality. It is hard to replace what Cole Welliver [now a freshman at UConn] did for this team. But Quinn has been a really good fit from the beginning. Cole was more stay in the pocket. Quinn is very mobile and can get outside and is a real dual threat. Quinn’s body mechanics are exceptional. And he has tremendous leadership skills.”
Q: Your senior wide receiver trio — Brady Janusek, Quinton Brown, Jaylon Hawkins — best in the state?
“Hard-pressed to find a better group. They each have a lot of the same qualities, like great hands, athletic, love of the game, and very unselfish. They all embody the team concept. Brady has tremendous instincts. Quinton has that breakaway speed you cannot teach. Jaylon is a combination of both Brady and Quinton, and is so versatile whether playing inside or outside.”
Q: Adding in Murphy and Garnett to those the three wideouts — that should create nightmares for opposing defenses. Again, best in the state?
“We certainly hope and think so. Coaches often talk about having that 50-50 balance of passing and rushing effectively. And I think we have that. We have tremendous confidence in both our running game and passing game. A lot of good offenses out there, and we think ours in very special.”
Q: Chase Garnett had a spectacular season a year ago and went under the radar. What does he mean to the offense?
“Chase is a just a great football player. He prides himself on taking care of the football. He gets better as the game progresses. And he does not shy away from contact.”
Q: Moving up to Division I from II, what challenges does that present?
“We look forward to playing the teams in our district. A lot of very good teams. We want to play the best. We are also the smallest school in terms of enrollment in our district. Our program has come a long way and we look forward to the future.”
Q: A daunting non-district schedule that includes 5A power Texarkana TX High, 4A schools Decatur and Canyon West Plains. How tough is the non-district opponent slate?
“This will be a big test for us. Playing Texarkana in Week 2 and Decatur the week after, then West Plains three weeks later on the road. Those games will be great preparation for our district schedule. Fortunately, Texarkana and Decatur are at our place.”
Q: The district schedule includes a much-anticipated matchup with five-time defending state champ Parish Episcopal (at home on October 18). Excitement already building for that game?
“I am sure as that game nears, the excitement will really build. Playing the five-time defending state champions. Amazing. Parish is so well-coached. They have a lot of great players and a lot of depth.”
Q: Coaching your two sons, CJ and Cooper. How are the two alike and how are the two different, as players and as personalities?
“The joy I feel being their coach stands out. The two are a lot alike. They both have a great sense of community. Tremendous work ethic. Love of football. Film study for hours. On the field, CJ is all about preparation. Very well thought out. He will say if a team does X or Y or Z offensively, he wants to have all the answers defensively. Cooper is a ‘I will find a way’ player and is very versatile. Cooper will be our fourth wide receiver as well on offense this season. CJ being a senior has been great at showing Cooper [a sophomore] the ropes. Off the field their personalities are different. CJ is more engaging. Cooper is more the quiet type. But they are always there for each other.”
Q: Now entering your fourth season, what have you learned the previous three years?
“Football is football on any level. But I have learned that the most important thing is not having the football knowledge of how to play the game, but how to communicate it. The impact I can have on young men’s lives, on and off the field. That is what I am most proud of doing. You can’t do a lot of things that make that kind of difference on the pro level. Using my experiences to help these young men become the best versions of themselves. That is just so tremendously rewarding. Helping people. That is what it’s all about.”
Liberty Christian Season preview
How to follow-up a dominating, magical and historical season. Such is the task facing the Argyle Liberty Christian Warriors, which was unstoppable en route to a TAPPS Division II state championship a year ago.
A first-ever unbeaten season, 14-0. Defeating each opponent by at least 29 points while averaging 51.1 ppg and allowing just 6.9 ppg. Five shutouts. A 35-4 turnover margin. Among many school records, the most points ever in an 85-13 win over Fort Worth Christian.
Legendary former Dallas Cowboys Jason Witten, now entering his fourth season as head coach at Argyle Liberty Christian, returns a very talented team, and while moving up to TAPPS Division I from DII, has the firepower to engineer a title repeat.
It starts with the Warriors offense, which could be just as lethal as last season.
There may not be a better offensive skill set unit in the state, regardless of classification.
Junior quarterback Quinn Murphy, a Baylor pledge, put up gaudy numbers a year ago at Austin Regents, passing for 3,030 yards and 52 TDs with just eight interceptions while adding another 242 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.
Regents was the Liberty Christian opponent in last year’s TAPPS DII state title matchup. However, Murphy did not play in that contest due to an ankle injury suffered in the team’s state semifinal win.
Possessing tremendous leadership skills, then-sophomore Murphy was the first non-senior to be elected captain “in the 10 years I have been here” according to Regents Head Coach Tim Phillips.
Senior running back Chase Garnett, a South Florida commit, rambled for 1,743 yards and 29 TDs last season. A pass receiving threat, Garnett chipped in with two receiving TDs on 15 catches. The reliable Garnett takes pride in protecting the football, and has never fumbled his entire high school career.
An experienced talented senior wide receiver trio -- Brady Janusek, Quinton Brown and Jaylon Hawkins -- create nightmare matchups for opposing defenses.
Janusek, an Oklahoma commit as an outfielder in baseball, is a two-way star on the gridiron. Janusek recorded 54 catches for 984 yards and 13 TDs a year ago at WR, and added eight interceptions on defense.
Boise State pledge Brown racked up 16 TDs and 718 yards on 50 grabs a year ago, while adding two punt return and one kickoff return TDs. Possessing elite speed, Brown 10.35 100-meter time ranks 48th nationally.
Hawkins, a San Diego State commit, had 38 catches for 589 yards and 13 TDs and also added one rushing TD and a punt return for a score.
Three mammoth senior offensive linemen help open the holes for Garnett and protect Murphy -- Keethan Smith (6-5, 340), Nate Humphrey (6-4 270) and Austin Bandlow (6-7, 345). The O-Line, often overlooked, plays “with a chip on their shoulders” says Coach Witten.
Defensively, the unit returns many of its key contributors.
Senior Linebacker CJ Witten, a recent Rice commit, had a standout season a year ago. He registered 108 tackles, including 81 solo, while adding seven sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries, four fumble recoveries (one returned for a TD) and one blocked punt. The 6-1, 217-pounder is also one of this year’s team captains.
Sophomore Safety Cooper Witten is one of top recruits statewide in the 2027 class, with offers from Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU and others. Cooper Witten had a stellar freshman season, compiling 82 tackles, four TFL, two interceptions (one for a TD), six passes defensed, two caused fumbles, one fumble recovery, and he excelled on special teams, coming up with three blocked field goals.
The dynamic Witten brothers duo, sons of the head coach, were each named to the Star-Telegram’s 2024 Pre-season All-Area Defensive Team.
Argyle Liberty Christian is seeking its fifth TAPPS state championship, having won it all in 2007, 1996, and 1994, in addition to last year’s first-ever unbeaten 14-0 title-winning magical season. The ‘96 and ‘94 titles came when the school was known as Denton Liberty Christian.
Coach Witten is 26-10 entering his fourth season, including a remarkable 24-2 the last two years. His teams have gone 2-8, 10-2, and 14-0, experiencing the highs and lows during those three years. His inaugural campaign began with a 2-0 start, before losing the last eight games, such streak something he had “never experienced in his entire career.”
After a huge turnaround state-semifinalist season in 2022, came last year’s incredible unbeaten title run. His team’s 52-10 shellacking of Austin Regents in the TAPPS Division II state title contest gave Witten his “first championship on any level as a coach or player,” fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a champion.
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 11:55 AM.