School Spotlight: Dickinson High School (Dickinson, TX)

Dickinson High School is a school located in the southeast region of the Houston metropolitan area. Playing in the 6A division of Texas high school football, the school is home to a population of over three thousand students, making it one of the largest schools in the southern Houston area. Finishing the season with a 7-3 record, the Gators would record a notable playoff win against Pearland before falling in a close match-up to eventual state championship finalists North Shore. Coach John Snelson, head coach for the program since 2012, was able to give me some insight into this blooming powerhouse in Houston high school football.

Growing up in the Pasadena area, Coach Snelson had a stint coaching the Pasadena Memorial football team before taking the Dickinson job, notably taking the team to two playoff wins in 2008. When the head coaching job opened up in 2012, Coach Snelson was looking to get involved with a high school town with great facilities, and after throwing his name in the hat ended up getting the job.

“Kids are kids. Kids want to know that you care about them, and the bottom line is, you gotta get in there and work. Our kids and coaches do a great job of that, they’re not afraid of hard work, they don’t shy away from it. Anything you go into you have to respect it and it’ll respect you back. You respect football and athletics by having a proper mindset, taking care of your body, of your teammates, doing what’s best for the team and not always for you individually.”

Coach Snelson, HC

Speaking on the “I’m gonna get mine” mindset that seems to have plagued a lot of sports leagues today, Coach Snelson spoke about the disappointment in seeing modern sport evolve this way.

“You can live like that, but your life turns into chaos. You may get what you want early on, but sooner or later you’re gonna look around and see you don’t have a support group, because you haven’t been there for anybody else.”

Coach Snelson, HC

The three program goals for Dickinson before the season were to become district champions, practice on thanksgiving day, meaning making the third round of the playoffs, and playing in the championship game. An ambitious progression of goals, Coach Snelson believed that the experienced defense would really help anchor the team and give the greener, untested offense an opportunity to settle into the season. Expectations at Dickinson remain sky-high season after season, so ultimately there was a sense of disappointment in failing to reach these goals. However Coach Snelson made clear that in no way was he disappointed in the effort of the athletes, all of whom helped create many memorable highlights throughout the season.

The four core values of the Gators are attitude, effort, toughness, and trust. “Attitude and effort,” explained coach, “are conscious decisions. Toughness is a skill that no one is born with, and along with trust it is something that has to be developed and built over a period of time by doing all of the little things.” Ultimately, the goal for Dickinson Football is not just to win games, but to graduate successful, hard-working men of character that are going to go to their communities and give back.

“We would be a whole lot better in this world if all of us just treated people like we wanted to be treated.”

Coach Snelson, HC

It is never an easy thing to start the season with a crushing, lopsided loss. The team’s 37-0 loss in the first game of the season could have very easily set the tone for a lackluster season, but instead the team rallied and used this as a teachable moment for the rest of the season. The communication issues and mental mistakes were quickly overcome, and they rallied to win three straight games to start the season 3-1. A late season loss to Clear Creek also proved to be a lesson in the importance of preparation and discipline in a surprising outcome seeing as Dickinson were heavily favored to win.

Going into 2023, Dickinson has five offensive starters and five defensive starters coming back next season, marking a significant roster turnover for the program. Coach Snelson, however, is very confident in the incoming group of kids stepping up for the team into starting roles for the first time. Describing them as “very good athletes,” coach spoke about his gratitude for the athletic period provided in the state of Texas to be able to meet with his players during the school day. Being able to work on development of character, work in the weight room, on the track, among other opportunities, means the staff get plenty of time to develop their athletes and prepare them for the season. He was also able to list off a couple of exciting prospects to watch out for in the 2023 fall season.

Rodney Bimage is a defensive back in the class of 2024 with a whopping five college offers already even before his senior season. With offers lined up from Florida, Florida State, and Colorado, Rodney is primed for an even bigger season in 2023.

Nicholas Peace is a returning starter in the class of 2024 who played safety and has also received college offers from schools like Marshall and FIU.

Jontue Fears, linebacker in the class of 2024, was described by coach as a very physical player with a lot talent.

Jamarcus Anderson, defensive lineman class of 2024, was described as having tremendous upside with a frame of 6’2″ and 240 lb.

John Solomon, class of 2024 quarterback, had a solid year for the Gators last season and is expected to take an even bigger leap forward in his senior season.

Mason Peterson and Jeremiah Scoby, two class of 2025 tight ends, are also expected to shoulder a big portion of the offense in 2023.

Tyler Thomas, offensive lineman in the class of 2025, is described as having the potential to be a national recruit.

“The public opinion on how good a coach is, is how many games they win and championships they win. I understand that, and publicly, I would like to win as many games as possible and championships as possible. For me though, the definition of a good program is, twenty years from now, are the players we graduated quality husbands? Quality fathers? Are they influential in their community, or giving back to the people in their community that helped them? The real ultimate goal is to partner with parents to get good hard working men of character out into the world to make it a better place.”

Coach Snelson, HC

With a heavy focus on the personal growth of their players, it is not hard to see why Dickinson have managed to find so much success on the field. Coach Snelson is creating a very tight-knit team culture that will no doubt leave its mark on the town of Dickinson for years and years to come.