Over 650 high school football players attend The Zone preseason photo shoots
Published 12:20 am Thursday, June 12, 2025
- Pittsburg players take a look behind the camera of photographer Michel Alfaro on Tuesday at Spring Hill High School in Longview. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
More than 650 high school football players from 67 area schools attended The Zone photo shoots, a preseason tradition hosted annually by the Tyler Morning Telegraph and Longview News-Journal.
At the shoots, professional photos were taken for the newspapers’ exclusive football magazine set to debut this year on Aug. 16. The subscriber-only product will be inserted into that weekend’s editions of the Morning Telegraph and News-Journal.
A total of 186 players from 19 area teams were in attendance at the first shoot of the preseason, which was held June 10 at Spring Hill High School in Longview. A total of 465 players from 48 teams attended the second shoot, which was held Tuesday evening at Tyler Legacy High School.
As players and coaches entered the building, they were welcomed by Longview News-Journal Sports Editor Jack Stallard, who gave an overview on what to expect for the shoot before players headed off to have their headshots taken by Henderson News sports writer Audrey Blaschke.
Next, sports photographer Michel Alfaro took team photos. Veteran photographer Les Hassell captured high-energy shots of individual players as others had their time in front of the green screen, where the CBS19 sports team filmed sports promotions.
Sports writers Brandon Ogden (Tyler), Ryan Silapan (Panola) and Tyler sports editor Phil Hicks assisted throughout the shoot. Tyler managing editor Santana Wood roamed around the gym taking behind the scenes photos of all the action. Circulation manager Steven Briggs was also on hand to let folks know how to secure a copy of the magazine this August.
In addition to photos taken this June, the magazine will feature 150 glossy pages filled with key stats and players, team breakdowns, schedules and more for about 140 teams in the region. It is an exclusive product available to subscribers of the News-Journal and Morning Telegraph, so high school football lovers are encouraged to go ahead and sign up for a subscription so you don’t miss getting a copy. To subscribe, visit subscribe.news-journal.com or subscribe.tylerpaper.com. Parents and coaches of players who took part in the shoot are eligible for a discounted rate and can subscribe by contacting the News-Journal customer service team at 903-237-7777, or 903-597-1121 for the Morning Telegraph.
The Zone magazine is a combined effort of the editorial, advertising, circulation, and design teams at Carpenter Media Group Texas’ newspapers in East Texas. The team appreciates presenting sponsor CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute for their ongoing support.
Advertising opportunities are available in The Zone magazine. Parents can also purchase congratulatory advertisements to cheer their athletes as the season kicks off. For information, contact sales manager Kerri Esposito at kerri.esposito@news-journal.com or call her at 903-232-7276.
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- Ryan Silapan, far left, directs Palestine players as they get ready to take some posed action shots at The Zone photo shoot held Tuesday at Tyler Legacy. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Photographer Les Hassell, right, helps Carthage come up with a cool pose with the Bulldogs’ championship rings Tuesday night at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Audrey Blaschke of the Henderson News takes photos of players at The Zone photo shoot Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Frankston players get ready for team photos Tuesday at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Photographer Michel Alfaro takes a team photo of West Rusk on Tuesday at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. Two photo shoots were held over the last two weeks in preparation for The Zone Magazine, a pre-season exclusive by the Longview News-Journal and Tyler Morning Telegraph. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- White Oak players pose for team photos Tuesday at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Photographer Michel Alfaro moves players around before taking a team photo of New Diana at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Henderson players talk with photographer Michel Alfaro at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Tyler sports editor Phil Hicks, right, checks in Waskom players at The Zone photo shoot Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Harleton poses for team photos Tuesday at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Waskom gets amped up for individual shots Tuesday at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Players take photos during The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Photographer Michel Alfaro shows Arp players a look behind his camera during The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Longview sports editor Jack Stallard, left, checks in players and shares insight with a coach into what to expect at The Zone photo shoot Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Henderson brought a Chucky doll to The Zone photo shoot for a prop. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Canton gets ready for team photos at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- The Carlisle group takes a look at previous Zone photos for reference. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Carthage makes a game plan for their individual shot Tuesday at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler as photographer Les Hassell, far left, directs the Bulldogs. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Carthage’s state champs used their rings in photos at The Zone photo shoot Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Elkhart players film promotional videos with CBS19. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Lindale players take a look at photos taken by Michel Alfaro Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Grace Community was among the 67 area teams that attended the Zone photo shoots. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Grace Community was among the 67 area teams that attended the Zone photo shoots. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Tyler Legacy was among the 67 area teams that attended the Zone photo shoots. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Circulation director Steven Briggs, right, tells Brownsboro how to get a copy of The Zone in August. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Ryan Silipan, left, of the Panola Watchman gives the Brownsboro Bears the rundown before individual shots Tuesday at The Zone shoot. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Photographer Michel Alfaro takes a team photo of Tyler Legacy during The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Tyler Legacy during The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Westwood is interviewed by CBS19 Tuesday at The Zone shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Alba Golden at The Zone shoot in Tyler (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Lindale players have group photos taken by Michel Alfaro Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Chapel Hill at the Zone photo shoot in Tyler on Tuesday (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Daingerfield gets their flag out for team photos Tuesday at The Zone shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Chapel Hill at the Zone photo shoot in Tyler on Tuesday (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Mineola at the Zone photo shoot in Tyler on Tuesday (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Mineola at the Zone photo shoot in Tyler on Tuesday (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Bishop Gorman at the Zone photo shoot in Tyler on Tuesday (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Tyler High was among the teams at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Tyler High was among the teams at The Zone photo shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Athens players have group photos taken by Michel Alfaro Tuesday in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Sports writers Ryan Silipan, left, of Panola Watchman, and Brandon Ogden, of Tyler Morning Telegraph at The Zone shoot in Tyler. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Van at The Zone shoot (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Van at The Zone shoot (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Edgewood at The Zone shoot (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- Ryan Silipan, left, of the Panola Watchman gives a Mabank player the rundown before individual shots by Les Hassell on Tuesday at The Zone shoot. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
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- A child covers his ears during the Zone photo shoot in Tyler, which can get pretty loud as players are amped up for photos. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
