CUSHING, Texas — With Superman logos on his cleats, the letters M and E across his chest and on each side of his white helmet, Kaegan Ash quietly, confidently took the field for pregame warm-ups with most every eyeball on him last Friday night at J.F. Whitaker Stadium.
The 6-foot, 210-pound Mount Enterprise senior running back and outside linebacker might not be a superhero, but he’s certainly a football hero, able to leap into the end zone in a single bound.
In his fourth year as a starter on both sides of the ball, Ash has rushed for an astounding 8,012 yards and 117 touchdowns on 830 attempts in 34 games for an average of 235.6 yards per game. A Texas Tech commit at linebacker, Ash has made 178 career tackles, including 10.5 sacks. He also has 10 career receptions for 327 yards and four more scores.
Ash currently sits 41st behind names like Derrick Henry and Emmitt Smith on the National Federation of State High School Associations career rushing record list for the country. If he hits his average in the next five games of the regular season, Ash will move up to 14th.
“I’ve always had that work ethic and desire,” he said. “My mom, Brittany, always kept me motivated. She was always saying that someone is better than you. I’m not worried about the numbers. I just want to win state.”
On this October East Texas night, Ash played a little more than one half of a 52-8 blowout win over Cushing to help his team improve to 5-0 on the season.
He scored touchdowns on Mount Enterprise’s first two offensive plays of the game and finished with 237 yards and six touchdowns on 11 carries (21.5 yards per carry). He also made seven tackles, including an emphatic sack.
“He’s been awesome,” Mount Enterprise head coach Scott Ponder said. “He’s an incredibly hard worker. He’s the hardest worker I’ve ever been around. If he continues like he has been, he’ll be the best football player I have ever coached.”
Ponder took over the program in Ash’s freshman year. The Wildcats went 1-9 that season. They then improved to 5-5 in 2023 before finishing 9-4 and winning two playoff games last year.
Although he missed four games of his junior season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, Ash caught a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown to help the Wildcats beat Wortham, 32-28, in the second round of the postseason.
“It’s amazing every time you come out to watch him play,” said Kevin Ash, Kaegan’s dad. “You just cross your fingers that he doesn’t get hurt and has a good game. He’s something else. It’s been quite a run.”
Chuck Cox
Origin story
Kaegan Ash started playing Pop Warner football in the Henderson Tri-County League when he was five years old. He played quarterback but moved to running back because he was one of the fastest kids on the team.
“When he was little, I got up one morning, looked outside and said, ‘What in the world is going on?’” Kevin Ash said. “We had bought him a parachute when he was five or six years old.
“Kaegan was running in the front yard with his parachute knowing that football was coming in a couple of weeks. He knew what it took to take the field. It’s been non-stop ever since.”
The middle sibling of two brothers, Landon (who also played for Mount Enterprise) and Memphis, Kaegan Ash took to the sport like Superman to flying and Clark Kent to reporting. He was also bigger than both his brothers at 10 years old, Kevin Ash said.
“I started to love football because my brothers played and mostly from little league football,” Kaegan Ash said. “In elementary school, we always used to play every day. I like playing defense, but I like offense better.”
Once he got to high school, Kaegan Ash started on both sides of the ball as a freshman. Even in a 1-9 season, he rushed for 2,023 yards and 26 touchdowns and made 50 tackles. Kevin Ash said his son added a significant amount of muscle as he went from 13 to 15 years old.
“It’s unbelievable the way he works,” Ponder said. “His commitment, intensity, the type of leader he is. There are never discipline issues. There’s never anything less than positive. He shows up to work.”
If Mount Enterprise plays a close game, it’s not unusual for Kaegan Ash to play nearly every snap. Ponder said the offense switched from a Slot-T to a spread this season to try to help keep him healthier. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in all but one career game.
“I am probably sore until Monday or Tuesday after a really hard game,” he said. “I wake up at 6 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and get my footwork in. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I rest.”
As a team captain and leader, Kaegan Ash is quiet and unassuming but plays with a ferocious intensity, according to Ponder. Ash’s teammates rely on that leadership he displays with his actions.
“He’s a really great guy and teammate,” Mount Enterprise sophomore running back and outside linebacker Case Pieper said. “He keeps the team going whenever they get down. I love having him as a teammate. I learned so much from him from my freshman year until now.”
Chuck Cox
Beyond the Pine Curtain
If Mount Enterprise makes a deep playoff run this season and Kaegan Ash stays healthy, he could show up in Lubbock next year as one of seven players to rush for 10,000 career yards. Ken Hall of Sugar Land (1950-53) holds the Texas record with 11,232 yards, which is second nationally only to Henry at 12,144.
“I’m very excited,” Kaegan Ash said. “I love [Texas Tech head] Coach [Joey] McGuire. He’s the best. He’s always happy and in a good mood.
“I am super blessed to have the opportunity to go up there and play for them. The atmosphere is crazy. My freshman year, I went up and watched a game in the stands. It was pretty cool.”
Added Kevin Ash: “It’s an amazing place. It felt good. It felt like home when we went up there. The coaches are good.
“Texas Tech is a good fit for him. He wants to run the ball, but if linebacker is good longevity wise, I’m good with it. I can’t wait. We just need to get there. I want it all to slow down.”
Although a small, rural school with an enrollment of 264 students, Mount Enterprise has a player in the NFL, New Orleans running back Kendre Miller, who played collegiately at TCU.
“In 2025, it’s a rare occurrence when you have an All-American kid who is a hard worker, does everything right, is big in his church, is easy to deal with and is humble,” Ponder said. “Kaegan is a rare exception.
“I know there are a lot of great football players out there, but he is really, really special. He’s a real talent. He could play for anybody. He’s bad. He’ll have a chance to play on Sundays.”
Kaegan Ash, who also plays basketball for Mount Enterprise and won a bronze medal in the Class 2A triple jump at the state meet last year, is focused on making the most of his final season of high school football. He hopes the season culminates at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the state championship game.
“It’s been a lot of hard work,” he said. “Our coaches keep motivating us. The games where we have to come back and win are the ones I remember most.
“We were blessed to go three rounds last year. It motivated us to work hard this season. My teammates are very supportive and encouraging. I love my teammates to death. We are all super close. It’s been an amazing four years.”
Make that a super four years.
Chuck Cox
Kaegan Ash by the numbers
2022: 258 carries, 2,023 yards (7.8 ypc), 26 TD’s, 3 catches, 50 yards, 50 tackles
2023: 260 carries, 2,837 yards (10.9 ypc), 38 TD’s, 24 tackles, 7.5 for loss, one sack
2024: 244 carries, 1,960 yards (8.0 ypc), 32 TD’s, 1 catch, 67 yards, TD, 49 tackles, 9 for loss, 4.5 sacks
2025: 68 carries, 1,192 yards (17.5 ypc), 21 TD’s, 6 catches for 210 yards, 3 TD’s, 38 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 5 sacks
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