The high school football season is less than one week away. In anticipation for kickoff, Press Pass Sports is providing fans with district projections within a highly competitive Class 1A from Division I and Division II around the Texas Panhandle and South Plains. Craig Sperry gives us his predictions featuring teams such as Happy, Miami, McLean, Groom, Booker, Claude, and Nazareth.
District 1-1A
Division I
1. Booker: This year will look different for the Kiowas as they replace key starters and focus on running the ball more this year. However, the result will be the same as the cupboard isn’t bare and a strong JV group moves up to fill in key roles.
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2. Claude: Expectations are high with five starters returning for a team that was a playoff contender last year. If the Mustangs take another step on the field they could challenge Booker for the district title.
3. White Deer: Just like Claude the Bucks have a large contingent of starters back. Look for this squad to be improved over last year with a chance to make noise in the district.
4. Boys Ranch: Last year was a tough one as the Roughriders went winless in their first year of six-man play. The question for this team is can they open holes for their talented skill players? If they do, they will be a scary team to play every week.
6. Wildorado: Lots of talent graduated from last year’s playoff team so the first thing the new coaching staff will need to do is determine who will become the heart and soul of the squad. It could be a tough year, but the Mustangs will play hard and won’t roll over.
Best game
Oct. 31: White Deer at Claude
Halloween night is a great setting for this matchup. Two teams likely battling for playoff positioning as the loser will find itself in a scary position in the district. Claude won’t be handing out candy to the visitors and the Bucks will look to crash the Mustangs party.
District 2-1A
Division I
1. Springlake-Earth: This is a tough district to call. The top three teams all lost a ton of talent, but the Wolverines return the best player in the district in Froylan Agundiz. That gives them a slight advantage over Happy and Nazareth.
2. Nazareth: A talented front from last year has graduated so coach Tyler Goodwin will need to find players to fill the trenches with. If he can find a solid line, then Cameron and Lincoln Pohlmeier will be set for a big year.
3. Happy: Arguably the best Six-Man program in this area over the last 10 years, the Cowboys will need to retool on the fly for a playoff berth. Despite a whole new group of players, you can bet that coach Stacy Perryman will have his team ready to contend.
4. Kress: With the district race wide open this could be great timing for the Kangaroos to grab a playoff berth. A large contingent of starters return which gets first year head coach Ricardo Carrillo excited about how much noise his squad could make.
5. Hart: It looks to be another long season in Longhorn country as they had to forfeit their final three games last year and numbers aren’t any better this year.
Best game
Nov. 7: Nazareth at Happy
Regardless of the records this game is about more than a potential playoff berth. Bitter rivals meet again, and this one could likely result in one team playing another week while the other rolls out the basketballs. You don’t want to miss this one.
District 5-1A
Division I
1. Spur: A talented team with lots of speed makes the Bulldogs odds on favorites to win a district title. Josh Ortiz is dangerous out of the backfield and will be a tough task for district opponents to stop.
2. Valley: Patriot graduate Daxton Allen returns home to lead the Patriots football program and is ready to knock on the door of the playoffs. Damian Valdes will be the key cog that punches a ticket to the postseason.
3. Lorenzo: If there’s a team that could challenge Valley for a playoff spot it just might be the Hornets. They were competitive last year and return a good nucleus to challenge for a playoff spot.
4. Silverton: Another coach coming home is Jeremy Holt, who led Whitharral to multiple playoff runs the last several years. He’s got a roster with size but will need to find some play makers to make a playoff push with the Owls.
5. Petersburg: It looks like a rebuilding season is in store for the Buffaloes. How quickly the younger players step up will determine their success this year.
Best game
Oct. 17: Valley at Lorenzo
An early district game that will likely give the winner a leg up for the second spot behind Spur. The Hornets were scrappy last year so the Patriots will need to bring their A game for this one.
District 1-1A
Division II
1. Miami: You can’t ask for much more than what the Warriors have in front of them. A roster returning a ton of starters, size up front led by Kris Gorecki and a Follett team that may have come back to the field a bit.
2. Follett: How quickly this team replaces the holes left from graduation will determine how successful they are. This is a tradition rich program that will ride Wyatt Terrell to a playoff berth.
3. Lefors: Folks on the Pirates ship are cautiously optimistic about this season. Numbers and talent in the program have picked up and this could be the surprise team in the district.
4. Groom: It’s hard to put the Tigers here but they lost a wealth of talent to graduation and the roster is slim. However, this is a team that won’t go down easy and will fight for wins every week
Best game
Nov. 24: Miami at Follett
Follett has won 22 of the last 24 meetings between the two squads and Miami hasn’t won in Follett since 1998. The stage is set for the Warriors to do something special but the Panthers will fight and claw at home till the final horn blows.
District 2-1A
Division II
1. Motley County: Expectations are sky high for a deep playoff run in Matador Country with an experienced roster returning after making the Area round last year. Make it 19 straight playoff experiences but head coach Mike Bigham wants way more than that.
2. Paducah: Speaking of an experience roster, the Dragons bring back a lot of talent led by Darren Mackey and Ethan Garibaldi.
3. McLean: This is a tough one. Stran Henderson is one of the best players in the district and the Tigers play hard on every down. In most districts this is a team that would be in the playoffs, but this isn’t just any district.
4. Hedley: A young roster will have to grow up quickly which will be very tough in a competitive district like this one.
Best game
Oct. 17: Paducah at McLean
An early district matchup that will be pivotal for a playoff berth. Motley County looks to be the king of this district so this game will have the loser on the outside looking in. Can the Dragons stop Stran Henderson, and will the Tigers be able to stop the 1-2 punch of Mackey and Garibaldi?
District 3-1A
Division II
1. Whitharral: A 10 ten team on paper with a roster returning some size and speed. How quickly the team adapts to new head coach Brandon Flores will determine how far they go in the playoffs. A district title, however, is all but a given.
2. Amherst: If any team has a shot to take down Whitharral it’s the Bulldogs. Joel Garcia is a dude and will be a force this year.
3. Anton: Former Texas Tech Red Raider linebacker Brian Duncan is working to build this program back to where it was several years ago. Signs were there last year that he is on the right track.
4. Lazbuddie: The Longhorns have all six starters back on offense and hope that’s enough to stack up wins.
Best game
Oct. 17: Amherst at Whitharral
If the Bulldogs want a district title they will have to do it against a Panthers team that is loaded with talent. Don’t count out Joel Garcia doing something special, but will he be enough to upend the home team?