Growing up, a son can often view his father as his guardian, his confidant and his first, if not greatest, mentor. The notion is accentuated when the son’s father coaches and guides other young men.
In Amarillo, Julian Reese needs no introduction.
Within his playing and coaching career, Reese has either led or guided many others in pursuit of victory on the football field. Through his leadership on the field or via the headset, the Indiana State alumnus helped build a tradition of excellence into the Amarillo Dusters and, later, the Amarillo Venom indoor football teams.
As a quarterback, Reese helped the Dusters capture an Intense Football League championship in 2004. As head coach for the Venom for a decade, Reese collected back-to-back Lone Star Football League titles, accumulated a 69-39 overall record and a solid 8-6 postseason mark.
Every step of the way, from 2011 to 2021, was his wife in former Palo Duro track standout Erica, the oldest daughter Angel, then Julian Reese II — known to many as “Deuce” — and Jordan “Trey” Reese. Through thick and thin, the three cheered on Julian from the sidelines.
When the kids were younger, Deuce and Trey would often ride along with the team on road trips. Those ventures would range from Allen and Albuquerque, N.M., to Sioux City, Iowa, and Wichita, Kan.
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Over the years, Deuce witnessed his father’s success as a signal caller and as a head coach. Now, the shoe is on the other foot.
Last season, Julian saw his oldest son trot onto the field as a starting quarterback for Palo Duro High School.
Deuce indeed produced under PD head coach and uncle, Eric Mims Sr., passing for 2,233 yards and 20 touchdowns. Through the air, Deuce averaged 223 yards per outing.
Going into his junior campaign, Deuce is ready to take that next step, with his dad serving as one of his prime mentors and inspirations.
“I’d watch highlights when (dad) was a player, and later, a coach,” said Deuce. “I always went to the Venom practices, and by being around (the team) growing up, I always wanted to be like my dad.”
One of his favorite stories about his dad was when Reese and the Dusters erased a 41-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Odessa Roughnecks inside of the Ector County Coliseum.
“We came back and won by seven,” said Julian, recalling the game. “The lights went out, like (Super Bowl XLVII). Coach (Don) Carthel didn’t have much to say. He said ‘what are you guys going to do?’ Then, we got together, talked about what we were going to do, focused, and it just happened.”
Initially, Deuce sought to be a receiver and safety. Then came middle school, where he shifted gears and looked to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“He loves playing receiver and safety, but he wanted to be a quarterback,” Julian said. “He told me, ‘Hey, I really want to pursue this thing.’ A lot of people think I just forced him and my other son to play quarterback. But I didn’t. I told them that they didn’t have to play football if they didn’t want to. It was just something they wanted to do.”
The roots run deep
The game of football has been a foundation for Julian, Deuce and Mims. The gridiron has been the bond that ties all three together, now strengthened as family.
Mims, entering his fifth as head coach for the Dons, was the Amarillo Dusters’ first signed player. Mims, who is a PD and Eastern New Mexico alumnus, was then joined by Reese — who was brought on by former West Texas A&M head coach Don Carthel.
Together, they lifted a trophy and raised a championship banner, which still resides in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex’s Cal Farley Coliseum. While Julian forged his own coaching legacy in the indoor football realm, Mims was creating his own path in the coaching ranks — most significantly, working alongside legendary head coach Reginald Samples at Duncanville.
“I’ve known Julian since we became teammates,” Mims said. “He’s a family man, number seven of 13 children and really believes in raising good Christian young men. So, he was perfect for my little sister.”
“When Julian was still quarterback, you’d see Deuce on the sideline,” continued Mims. “He was just a little bitty kid, who grew into a ball boy. When he started playing ball, he’d win city championships at Horace Mann (Junior High School) and led our freshmen to a 10-0 season. As a sophomore, he’s our varsity quarterback.”
Another friend who has seen Deuce develop over the years is Dannie Snyder, the defensive coordinator for Palo Duro. “Coach Snipes” played and coached alongside Reese through the years, and sees the father-son dynamic all of the time.
“They have a loving relationship,” Snyder said. “Sometimes, little Deuce believes his dad doesn’t know, but his dad’s been there before. Now, he gets it. Sometimes, I have to echo (Reese) or (Deuce) has to learn from experience. But he has the ultimate respect for his dad, and his dad has the ultimate respect for him.”
According to Mims, Julian is always around in some capacity — offering his wealth of experience and words of wisdom to Deuce.
“(Julian) is always in the background,” Mims said. “Being a mentor, being an inspiration, instilling discipline and raising (Deuce) to be a man.”
Reese’s influence doesn’t just stop with his son. Julian also lends a helping hand as PD’s booster club president.
“Before his son was on the team, he was out working and working hard for the Dons,” said Mims. “Not because his son was on the team, but because he loves Palo Duro. It’s a blessing to have Julian as part of our family and to have him as our booster club president.”
Elevated expectations
After finishing 2024 with a 5-5 overall record, the Palo Duro football team proceeded to make noise at the 27th Annual 7-on-7 State Football Tournament, held this past June in College Station.
In their first state tournament appearance in 17 years, the Dons went 2-1 in pool play to reach the championship bracket. Despite bowing out against Jordan, it was a momentum builder for PD.
For Deuce, he continued to enhance his craft. Not so much on the football field, but on the basketball court.
Before returning to Amarillo, Deuce suited up for the West Texas Elite for the NXTPro League. In Orlando, Florida, the West Texas Elite made an appearance in the 16U Boys Championship.
Thanks to all of the traveling, Deuce has cultivated camaraderie with his teammates.
“We’ve been bonding very well,” Deuce said. “We hang out daily, and we have way more chemistry than last year. We’re focusing on what we did last year, and perfecting that. We want to be better.”
His goals are lofty, and District 2-5A Division II is no slouch. The Dons have Plainview and both Abilene Cooper and Abilene Wylie at home, but must travel to Wichita Falls twice (against Memorial and Legacy) alongside a trip south to Woodrow to face Lubbock-Cooper.
The opening stretch isn’t a cakewalk, either. PD starts off the season with Tascosa on Thursday, August 28, at Dick Bivins Stadium. The clash with the Rebels is followed by matchups against Caprock, Canyon and Amarillo High.
Nonetheless, experts have the Dons reaching the postseason for the third time in Mims’ tenure as head coach.
“I would like to double my stats from last year,” said Deuce. “I also want to be more of a vocal leader. I want us to win our district and win a playoff game.”
Deuce won’t be alone in that endeavor. This season, he’ll work alongside North Carolina-commit Darien Lewis, junior Raymond Johnson IV, junior Eric Mims Jr. and many others.
“He has what I would say is the best supporting cast around,” Mims said. “Our receiving corps is extremely talented and our running backs are dynamic. He beat a lot of good teams at state 7-on-7s because he’s able to distribute the ball to our playmakers. He has a lot of pieces around him, and he does a good job of managing what, when, how and getting the right person the ball at the right time.”
The potential’s there
Already at six-foot, three inches and 185 lbs., Deuce is catching plenty of interest from several colleges and universities.
This past year alone, Deuce has visited Alabama, North Texas and TCU among many others, and participated in several camps this summer. He has already received offers from UNLV, UTEP and Midwestern State.
Should Deuce flourish in his junior season, more schools will come knocking.
For now, Deuce has been enhancing his craft and taking the advice given to him by his dad and head coach to heart.
“Hard work beats talent,” Deuce said of the words of wisdom relayed to him. “Hard work always catches up to talent. So, you can’t rely on your talent. Always work when nobody’s watching, especially when people are asleep.”
He’s also taken Mims’ words of experience to heart.
“Always be an example,” said Deuce, recalling his coach’s advice. “Because everyone is watching.”
Julian elaborated further.
“(I told him to) focus on his time in high school,” Julian said. “Focus on winning, and everything else will take care of itself. Focus on what you’re supposed to. I know it’s antsy in the world they live, with social media. I told him that you know your time is going to come. Continue to believe in your faith and what God has planned for you. So, don’t worry about it. Play the game, enjoy it and don’t look at it as a job.”
Both Julian and Mims know that Deuce has the abilities to become better.
“He’s a very intelligent young man in the classroom,” said Mims. “He’s just gotten better and better. We expect to see more growth for him, to be able to handle different scenarios and situations. We trust him to make the right decisions for us.”
Snyder spoke on Deuce’s development over the past year.
“Once he got thrown into the fire, he really started seeing that pressure,” Snyder said. “Now, I think he’s at a stage in his career where he can handle that pressure. He understands the dos and don’ts, along with the why. He’s matured a lot, and he’s becoming what we want him to be right now.”
Reese, who has seen plenty of talent over the years, sees plenty of upside in his oldest son.
“He’s further along at his age than I was,” Julian said. “His arm is strong, almost to where mine was. His accuracy is really good. He’s bigger than me when I graduated high school. I was a late bloomer.”
“I’m always cheering for him,” he continued. “He’s also bringing his little brother along. He wakes up (Trey) and makes sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to. I want them to be on the field together. I’ll be really proud of that moment, when you’ll hear ‘Reese to Reese.'”