Mason Busch receives Dave Campbell’s Unsung Hero Award from Bryan BowTie Yosten, courtesy Mike Duhon Photography
When he was playing sports as a kid, Lake Highlands High School Head Coach Cory Campbell says he and his friends would ride their bikes to the store to buy a copy of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine as soon as it hit newsstands. The publication held all the latest and greatest photos, stats and predictions, and the boys would pore over every detail.
Athletes read Dave Campbell’s the same way today, so it was a big honor when representatives from the magazine arrived at Wildcat Stadium Friday night to present one of their most prestigious awards just before kickoff.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the field for a very special presentation,” rumbled Chip Waggoner, the Voice of Lake Highlands. “Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the legendary chronicle of Texas high school football since 1960, annually selects only five student athletes from around the state to be spotlighted with its prestigious Unsung Hero Award presented by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. The Award recognizes special young people who represent their team, school, family and community in a way that truly sets them apart.
“Tonight, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football is here to celebrate one of those deserving young people — Lake Highlands’s very own Mason Busch. Mason has suffered through two season-ending injuries the past two years. Despite that, he’s remained a leader his teammates rally behind, and he is an inspiration for the entire Lake Highlands community. Dave Campbell’s Unsung Hero Award was created to honor great young men like Mason.”
Before the season began, Coach Campbell expressed admiration for Busch — particularly for his resilience after heart-breaking injury. He tore his ACL in the final series of an early game against Forney in 2024, then worked long hours through pain to rehab and recover. In 2025, he tore it again — against Forney.
“Mason didn’t say, ‘Oh, poor pitiful me.’ He just went back to work,” Coach Campbell praised.
Busch’s mom, a graduate of LHHS herself, agreed.
“I’m proud of how his favorite thing in the world was suddenly taken away and how he handled that with grace and strength,” said Alaina Thomas Busch. “I am so proud of his hard work and commitment to his teammates despite his own adversity. I won’t tell you it’s been easy.”
Presenting the award on behalf of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football was Bryan “BowTie” Yosten, an agent with Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. Mason will receive $500 in tuition assistance to the college of his choice and will be spotlighted later this year during the UIL State Football Championships in Arlington.
Lake Highlands plays Mansfield Lake Ridge Friday night at Wildcat Stadium.
Brian, Ella, Alaina and Mason Busch with Bryan “BowTie” Yosten and Coach Campbell, courtesy of Mike Duhon Photography
