Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley have moved on to the pros. Case McCoy has followed both to Texas.

Now the last of the Shipleys and McCoys will try to win the state championship that somehow eluded the rest of the bunch through four trips to title games.

Brownwood receiver Jaxon Shipley is headed to Texas, too. But first, he has a chance to bring a storied Texas high school program its eighth state title.

“It’s fun to play at a place like Brownwood where football is so important,” coach and father Bob Shipley said. “I think he’s really enjoyed that aspect of it.”

The Lions went three rounds deep in the playoffs a year after a shocking 3-7 record their first season after dropping to Class 3A. Enter Bob Shipley, who led them back to the playoffs despite his son missing half the season with a broken collarbone.

Jaxon Shipley never played with quarterback Graylon Brown, who got hurt before he came back. If both stay healthy, Brownwood could win its first title since 1981.

“He’s really passionate about trying to win a state championship while he’s in high school,” Bob Shipley said of his son.

Although his talent draws double teams, Jaxon Shipley should be able to blend in a little better than last year when Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley made a run for a national title while the younger brothers were playing in the same district. Case McCoy and Graham beat Brownwood by a point.

“I think there’s not a storyline game that everybody’s kind of pointing to like everybody was last year,” Bob Shipley said. “I don’t think that affected him last year, nor will it affect him this year.”

Others players to watch

•  Michael Brewer, Lake Travis: The son of former Texas quarterback Robert Brewer was sensational in his first season replacing current Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert. He accounted for 66 touchdowns in matching Gilbert’s 16-0 championship season from 2008.

•  Johnathan Gray, Aledo: There are a bunch of good senior running backs in Texas this year, but this junior might be the best. He had 2,813 rushing yards — more than any returning running back in the state — and 50 touchdowns in 2009.

•  Deion Sanders, Flower Mound Marcus: The son of the flamboyant former NFL star transferred from Cedar Hill, where he was used occasionally as a receiver. He’s expected to be the quarterback at Marcus.

Abilene encore?

Abilene is a defending state champion for the first time in 53 years, back when it was one of the original Texas football dynasties. Players and fans no longer have to rely on the stories of yesteryear.

“They knew there was great tradition, and they knew those teams of the ‘50s were the teams of the decade and all that good stuff,” Abilene coach Steve Warren said. “But when you’re 16, 17 years old, that’s not real tangible. But now it is.”

Something else is tangible. The two offensive stars from last year’s championship game win over Katy — cousins Ronnell Sims and Herschel Sims — are coming back.

Herschel Sims is among the top running back recruits in the state after finishing with 2,352 yards and 33 touchdowns last year.

“There’s a lot of special players out there, but I think he’s the most special one,” Warren said. “Because of that, it does give us a chance to repeat.”

Abilene came close to breaking the title drought twice since Warren took over almost 15 years ago before finally breaking through last season.

“We’ve been in the playoffs 11 straight years, and we feel like we’ve had a legitimate chance to be a state champion the last five or six years,” Warren said.