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Down in the Valley

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:30:00 -0500

DCTF's Greg Tepper breaks down the top contenders in the Rio Grande Valley.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

Texas is a football-crazy state – heck, you’re reading TexasFootball.com right now, so we would know. And knowing that, I think I can say with some authority that there may be no more rabid group of high school football fans in the state than those in the Rio Grande Valley.

Folks along the Rio Grande love their high school football, and are fiercely passionate for their teams and their region. This is despite the fact that the RGV hasn’t brought home a state title in more than 50 years – Donna’s 1961 squad was the last win a championship. But that doesn’t stop them from heading out every Friday night to their local stadium and cheering, loudly and without fail.

And like every team in the state, hope springs anew in the Rio Grande Valley in 2013. It’s another chance not just to watch their teams, but perhaps for one of the teams to break through and challenge on a statewide level.

There are a lot of teams in the Rio Grande Valley – take a look at a map sometime and see just how many huge cities and little towns make up the beautiful border – but we here at DCTF have our eyes on a few of them heading into 2013. Which Valley teams look poised to make some noise in 2013? Here’s an admittedly incomplete list of teams we’re excited to see take the field.

5A: Mission Sharyland
The first year under coach Ron Adame was a good one for the Rattlers, going 12-1 in the process, and the 2013 version could be even better. Even without all-everything athlete Tres Barrera, there is a lot to like about this squad: LB Joey Esquivel (an honorable mention All-State player), OL Richard Cervantes (a monstrously strong tackle entering his third season) and WR Christian Martinez (hauled in 39 catches for 582 yards and 8 TDs last year). If they can find a quarterback – a task that will likely fall to junior Lance Madden – the Rattlers could be in business.

4A: Edcouch-Elsa
La Machina Amarilla (“The Yellow Machine”) is going to get fired up again, and might actually be the Valley’s best threat to make some statewide noise. Even with a new coach in Joe Marichalar, he inherits a ton of returning talent, led by the defensive duo of All-Staters DE Robert Trevino and LB Bucky Barrera. If playmakers develop around All-State center Brian Valle -- guys like QB Noe Gonzalez, WR Diego Garza and TE Isaac Martinez – La Machina could be imparable.

3A: Port Isabel
You know what I like about the Tarpons this season? They’ve got great players in the “dirty work” positions. Like DE Jacques Guillot, a monster who recorded 80 tackles (15 TFL) and 8 sacks a year ago, and OL Mark Benavides, a mammoth 330-pounder who can dominate the line of scrimmage. Skill position players are still at a bit of a premium, as you should expect guys like RBs Jacob Losoya, Jaime Gonzalez and Juan Aguitera to do the bulk of the running in the multiple-I offense, but if you like hard-nosed, tough football, Port Isabel’s your team.

2A: San Diego
It was a great year that ended miserably for San Diego, as their unbeaten season came to a screeching halt with a loss in their first playoff game. But coach Bo Ochoa is going to rev up that Slot-T offense again, and there’s plenty of reason to think it’ll be better than ever. Big OL J.D. Lopez leads the way for RBs Matt Valdez and Johnathan Gonzalez, and the defense, anchored by DB John Herrera, should take a step forward. It’s been a while since we’ve had a real contender in 2A from the Valley; maybe the Vaqueros change that this season.

1A: La Villa
Looking for a deep, deep sleeper in 1A? The Cardinals may be your team. Coach Daniel Perez is entering his second year as head coach, and the first year was a pretty darn good one, going 9-2. And QB Robert Serna is back after racking up 1,000 yards passing and almost 1,000 yards rushing. Combine that with an experienced defense anchored by LB Arturo Garza and DT Ramon Serna, and you’ve got a recipe for a winner. Keep an eye on the Cardinals; I know we will.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Starting from scratch

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Which Texas high school football teams have the most to replace in 2013?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

Nobody’s going to feel bad for a team that has to replace lost starters. Why? Because almost every high school in the state has to fill some voids.

There are only a handful of teams in the state that are returning all 22 of their starters from last year, and that list is almost entirely comprised of schools in their infancy – like El Paso Eastlake, Georgetown East View, PSJA Southwest and Houston KIPP Sunnyside.

For literally every other team in Texas, there are holes to fill in the starting lineup, but that’s part of the fun of football. You have your veterans – guys who have been there and proven they can be reliable pieces – and you have your replacements – players getting their first crack at becoming a viable piece of the team.

But…that doesn’t mean that all teams are created equal in this. While almost everyone has someone to replace, some teams have far, far more to replace than others.

Take Tenaha, for example, the defending 1A Division II state runner-up. The Tigers are returning 20 of their 22 starters. Now, replacing those two starters won’t be a picnic, but let’s be honest: that’s a pretty darn good place to be.

That’s in stark contrast to a number of other teams, who have many, many holes to fill come fall.

Now, we’ve been over this before – a little more than a year ago, I did a study looking at the correlation between returning starters and success, and found that while state semifinalists had a higher-than-average number of returning starters, it wasn’t by much. That said, we also found that state semifinalists averaged 5.9 returning starters on offense and 5.6 returning starters on defense, so experience does have its value.

And there are some units at very prominent programs – teams that we’ve come to expect a lot out of – that will be replacing a whole heck of a lot this season. Here are some of the “under construction” units that we’ve got our eye on.

Hewitt Midway’s offense
Here’s a complete list of the starters that coach Terry Gambill’s Panthers will have back on offense in 2013: offensive lineman Christian Beard. This concludes the list. That’s right: the Panthers have just one starter back from their 13-1 squad a year ago. There’s promise all around – keep an eye out for WR Devontre Stricklin – but for now, there are a lot of question marks.

Waco La Vega’s defense
Sticking with central Texas, coach Willie Williams is going to have a lot of holes to fill if the Pirates’ defense is going to be its usual sturdy self. How many holes? Well, there’s only one starter back from last year. Yep: one. It’s going to be a struggle, and you have to expect the offense of RBs Javon Arnett and Ayorinde Gibson to carry them early.

Highland Park’s offense
The Scots are one of DFW’s most decorated programs for a reason: they score in bunches. But it might be more of a struggle – at least early – for HP this season, considering just one starter – mammoth OL Tony Richards – returns for coach Randy Allen’s crew. They’ll need to find some playmakers if they’re going to get back to their usual spot.

Munday’s entire team
Don’t look now, but the defending 1A Division II state champions have a lot of replacing to do. It’s not just the star power – Dee Paul inparticular – but rather everyone. Coach Patrick Corcoran welcomes back just four starters – two on each side of the ball. There are some key cogs there, like DE L.J. Collier and OL Jerico Thompson, but the Moguls have a lot of pieces to find if they’re going to repeat.

El Campo’s entire team
The Ricebirds’ run to the 3A Division I state title game was one of 2012’s most compelling stories, but now, El Campo has a lot of reloading to do. Coach Bob Gillis’ team brings just one starter back on offense – center Zeke Tsika – and just two starters on defense – LB B.J. Flagg and DB Koy Kresta. El Campo is traditionally very deep, and will still be one of 3A’s largest schools, but that’s a tall task for any program.

Other units we’re keeping an eye on: Spring Westfield’s defense (2 returning starters), Georgetown’s defense (2 returning starters), Katy’s offense (2 returning starters), DeSoto’s offense (2 returning starters), Abilene Wylie’s offense and defense (2 returning starters each), West Orange-Stark’s defense (2 returning starters), Amarillo’s offense (2 returning starters), Gregory-Portland’s offense (2 returning starters), Gatesville’s offense and defense (2 returning starters each).

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

DCTF Weekend Recap: May 13

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Lots of recruiting and a surprising HS coaching change in the recap.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

It's Monday, and if you spent your weekend away from the computer -- you know, actually doing things -- don't worry: we're here to catch you up on everything you need to know about the weekend that was on the Texas football scene!

(And, as always, if you see something missing, let me know via e-mail or Twitter.)

Without further ado, your TexasFootball.com Offseason Weekend Recap for May 13, 2013.

Recruiting

We’re going to be pretty heavy on the recruiting for the next couple of weeks, especially since, well, that’s the big news that tends to go on this time of year! And this weekend, there were plenty of 2014 recruiting headlines from across the state.

-Oklahoma has made a habit of hauling a lot of Texas talent north of the Red River, and they appear on track to be doing it again. The latest addition to the Sooner’s 2014 haul: Cedar Hill CB Marcus Green, who pledged to OU this weekend. Green has terrific size for a corner at 6-1, and while he doesn’t possess elite-level top-end speed, watching film of him is a clinic on body positioning. He’s quick enough to stay with almost every receiver step-for-step, and his size and strength means he’s winning almost every 50-50 ball. He was critical in Cedar Hill’s march to the 4A DII state game, and now he’s representing the crimson and cream.

-Closer to home, Baylor got yet another commitment – their sixth so far, this one from Kingwood Park TE Jordan Feuerbacher. A load at 6-4 and 240 pounds, Feuerbacher plays much more like a giant slot receiver than he does a tight end, earning all-district honors in the hyper-competitive District 19-4A last year for the Panthers. He’s much more of a receiving threat than a quality blocker, but in Baylor’s offense, that’s a plus.

-Plano West running back Auston Anderson had a big year in 2012, running for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was so good that coach Mike Hughes called him “the top RB in the state” on his 2013 DCTF questionnaire. Now, you can add another title to his placard: Northwestern pledge. Anderson, a little undersized at 5-9 and 180 pounds but over-speedy, is an interesting fit for coach Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats (think of him as a Vinric Mark starter kit, as Mark is also a Texas product [Houston St. Pius X]), who have been making a push in Texas of late. Anderson becomes the second Texas player to commit to the Wildcats’ 2014 class, joining Klein Collins DB Jordan Thomas, and joins three Texas signees – Allen OL Brad North, The Woodlands TE Jayme Taylor and Houston Kinkaid WR Macan Wilson – from the 2013 class.

-A really nice weekend on the recruiting trail for Houston and coach Tony Levine, as they haul in a pair of standout defenders by getting commitments from Houston Lamar DE Ira Lewis and Euless Trinity LB Inoke Ngalo. Lewis seems like the first Lamar prospect in a while not to commit to SMU, and he’s got outstanding talent. A force at 6-4 and 270 pounds, he’s got an explosive first step and terrific instincts to get to the ball carrier. Watching film on him, I’m impressed with how he utilizes his leverage to get inside; he doesn’t have overwhelming speed or quickness, but he’s strong and uses a low center of gravity to get where he needs to be. For Ngalo, I mean, he’s a Euless Trinity linebacker! Of course he’ll be good! But seriously, Ngalo earned all-district honors last year and led the team with 123 tackles. He’s a force at the outside linebacker spot, and has great lateral quickness. A pair of strong pick-ups for the Coogs.

-It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure in the DCTF office when a Texas player goes to the Big Ten, because…well…Texas players tend to be fast…and…well…the Big Ten doesn’t. That’s why you see so many standout players from Texas in the Big Ten (the aforementioned Venric Mark, for example). Is South Grand Prairie safety Jason Hall the next, after committing to Nebraska? Hall picked off three passes last season, and he’s either a huge cornerback (he’s 6-2) or a super-speedy safety (he runs a 4.4 in the 40). He can play either, and should fit in well in the Blackshirt defense in Lincoln.

-Finally, a little housekeeping from last week, as two players decided to commit moments after I posted last week’s Weekend Recap! Ugh. Anyways, La Porte DB Victor Holmes has pledged to Iowa State. LB Hoza Scott gets most of the accolades on the Bulldogs defense (and understandably so), but Vic Holmes is a playmaker at free safety for La Porte, and he can play either safety or corner in college. Finally, Texas Tech picked up another commitment – its eleventh already! – when Dallas Lincoln WR Derrick Neal pledged to the Red Raiders. He was a dynamo last year, catching 42 passes for 629 yards and 13 touchdowns along with 396 yards and 6 TDs rushing, and should be even better next year. He’s a little small at just 5-9, but you can’t teach that kind of speed.

HS Coaching Changes

Only one coaching change to report this week, but it’s a big one. Beeville Jones has made a hire, finding a replacement for Troy Moses after he resigned. The hire: Sealy coach Jimmie Mitchell. This is a bit of a stunner – Mitchell had been building something sustainable and fun to watch at Sealy. Mitchell, who racked up a 48-19 record in six seasons at the helm of the Tigers, had previously been at Sinton where he had similar success. Beeville Jones has struggled of late – they’ve made the playoffs just one of the last four years – so maybe Mitchell is the spark they need. In the meantime, suddenly, a very exciting 3A job is open at Sealy.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Where do we go from here?

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:00 -0500

What happens to a high school team the year after a big win-total increase?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

For all the time that we spend talking about state champions, playoff teams and winning streaks – in high school football, we tend to lean toward the positive as opposed to the negative, since we’re talking about amateurs – it’s easy to forget that there’s another side of it.

Every year, there are high school football teams that have a terrible season. Some go winless; some don’t win many. We don’t talk much about them for reasons you can probably understand, but that doesn’t mean they go away. They’ve still got a team, and they’ve still got a coach, and they’ve still got hope for next year.

That’s why the offseason – especially the spring and the summer – are so critical to those teams. It’s a means of hope, a reason to think that while last year may have stunk, next year could be the year, the season that they put it all together.

And for some…well, it is the year that they put it all together.

Every year, high school football teams across Texas rebound from a lackluster season to outperform even their own expectations, increasing their win total exponentially from the year before. It’s these teams – the ones that go from sorry to soaring -- that serve as the inspiration for the struggling squads.

We track the teams that increase (and decrease) their win totals by substantial amounts in every summer edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, in a section called “The Ups and Downs”. In putting together this year’s edition, we found that there were 31 teams that, in 2012, increased their win total from 2011 by at least seven wins. They range from long-struggling teams like Gainesville (2-8 in 2011, 12-1 in 2012) to state finalists like Georgetown (6-4 in 2011, 15-1 in 2012) to state champions like Cameron Yoe (6-5 in 2011, 15-0 in 2012).

But…does it last? Do teams that make a big leap in one year tend to sustain the progress, or is it usually a one-year thing?

To look at this, I took a look at the teams that made a similar leap from 2010 to 2011. Relatively, 2011 was a down year for high school teams making a big leap – only 18 schools won seven more games than they did in 2010.

The big question: how did those teams fare the next year (2012)? Did their leap stick, or did they regress back to their pre-leap records?

Here’s how the last batch of teams that made a big leap fared the next season.

TEAM	2010	2011	2012	2010-2011	2011-2012	2010-2012
Mansfield Timberview	3-7	12-3	3-7	+9	-9	0
Spring Dekaney	6-4	14-2	6-4	+8	-8	0
San Antonio Reagan	5-5	12-2	7-4	+7	-5	+2
Vidor	2-8	10-3	9-2	+8	-1	+7
North Forney	2-9	10-2	2-8	+8	-8	0
San Antonio Brennan	0-10	7-4	13-1	+7	+6	+13
El Paso Burges	2-8	9-3	10-3	+7	+1	+8
Bellville	2-8	10-2	11-4	+8	+1	+9
Smithville	0-10	7-3	5-5	+7	-2	+5
Orange Grove	1-9	8-4	11-2	+7	+3	+10
Cisco	4-6	14-1	9-2	+10	-5	+5
Gilmer Harmony	1-9	9-3	5-5	+8	-4	+4
Hempstead	7-4	14-1	9-4	+7	-5	+2
Eustace	3-8	10-2	5-6	+7	-5	+2
Coleman	0-10	7-4	2-8	+7	-5	+2
Hubbard	0-10	9-3	8-3	+9	-1	+8
Booker	2-8	10-2	9-4	+8	-1	+7
Tenaha	7-4	14-0	10-5	+7	-4	+3

So there’s the data. Let’s break it down.

-You can view this data in a way that jives with your worldview. If you’re an optimist, you’ll look at the cases like San Antonio Brennan, who catapulted from winless in 2010 to 13-1 in 2012, with a stop at 7-4 inbetween. Or you’ll look at teams like Vidor or El Paso Burges or Orange Grove or Hubbard or Booker, which were able to carry the success they found in 2011 over into 2012.

If you’re a pessimist, you’ll notice teams like Mansfield Timberview, Spring Dekaney and North Forney, three teams that had a breakout year in 2011…only to fall back to the exact same, relatively disappointing record in 2012.

-Overall, the news is pretty good. Teams that made a leap of at least seven wins from 2010 to 2011 won an average of 4.8 more games in 2012 than they did in 2011. That means that while you may not win as many games following the leap, most of the time, you’re not falling all the way back to where you were.

-The best classification to make a leap with the intention of staying there? Gotta be Class 3A. Bellville put together a second consecutive 10-win season in 2012 after going 2-8 in 2010. Smithville rallied from a winless 2010 season to win 12 games in two seasons. And Orange Grove, behind coach Jerry Bomar, has turned from cellar dweller to powerhouse in the span of two years.

-The worst classification to make a leap with the intention of staying there? Oh man, Class 5A is brutal. Mansfield Timberview’s 2011 season looks like a game of “Which One Of These Is Not Like The Other?”. Spring Dekaney won a title in 2011, then promptly missed the playoffs the next season. The best of the bunch is San Antonio Reagan, but their 2012 season (7-4, first-round playoff exit) pales in comparison to their 2011 (12-2, state quarterfinalist).

-So, the answer to the question: what does it mean for the 31 teams who made a big leap from 2011 to 2012? Well, that’s a bit tricky. The numbers suggest to expect some regression – about 2.8 fewer wins on average – but then there are teams that ride the wave to another big season.

In the end, the results are mixed. What we do know is that there will be a new crop of teams that make a big leap in 2013, using the teams that came before them as their motivation of what could be.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

DCTF Weekend Recap: May 6

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Tons of recruiting news, coaching changes and the new members of the Texas HS Football Hall of Fame in the recap.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

(And, as always, if you see something missing, let me know via e-mail or Twitter.)

Without further ado, your TexasFootball.com Offseason Weekend Recap for May 6, 2013.

Recruiting

Normally, we finish with recruiting rather than start with it, but this weekend, it was the big story. And why bury the lead?

The biggest move over the weekend actually came on Friday, when news came out that Galena Park North Shore LB Zach Whitley had committed to Alabama. Plain and simple: there just aren’t many better linebackers in the state of Texas, and especially in the Class of 2014 in Texas, than Zach Whitley. The 6-2, 220-pounder plays on the inside of the Mustangs’ defense and that’s where he’s likely to stay, considering the big draw of Whitley is his run-stopping ability. Watching film of him, it’s easy to see why everyone likes him: he fills gaps extraordinarily well and when he gets there, he lays the lumber. He seems like the perfect fit for the defending national champions’ defense, and that’s where he lands.

Speaking of Texas talent heading out of state, one of the very best athletes in the private school ranks is on his way to the Big Ten, as Dallas First Baptist WR Trae Hart has committed to Purdue. Hart is undersized – at 5-9 and just 160 pounds, that goes for both his height and weight – but boy, you’d be hard-pressed to find many quicker players, or players with better hands. Last season, he was the nation’s leading receiver – you read that right – with 108 catches for a stunning 2,044 yards and 29 TDs, adding another four touchdowns on special teams for good measure. He’s a dynamo, and Purdue may have gotten one of the steals of the recruiting season.

Staying closer to home, Baylor made some noise on the recruiting trail, nabbing their second offensive linemen of the 2014 class when Rockdale tackle Josh Pelzel pledged to the Bears. Rockdale is a physical mammoth, measuring 6-7 and more than 330 pounds, and that size had garnered interest not just from across Texas, but across the nation. He’s not a finished product – if he’s going to stay at tackle, he needs to work a bit on his footwork – but the foundation is in place for Pelzel to be a special player. Another nice get for Art Briles & Co.

And a couple of recruiting notes that happened earlier last week, but we can’t let get by without mentioning: Wilmer-Hutchins CB De’Monte Ruth, the latest in a long line of Hutch athletes, has committed to Iowa State; and Argyle safety Connor Wilson, a big, hard-hitting defensive back from the 3A ranks, has committed to Kansas State.

HS Coaching Changes

We’re reaching the slow part of the high school coaching change season -- by our count, just under 30 public school coaching positions remain open across Texas, a relative pittance to the usual count – but there was some late-breaking news this weekend, as Phillip Wiggins has accepted the head coaching job at Amarillo River Road. Wiggins had been the head coach at 1A Vega for five years with hit-and-miss success, but now makes a big, big leap to 3A, replacing Jayme Carr who had left to become Hebron’s offensive coordinator.

Texas High School Hall of Fame

And, this being the first weekend in May, it was time for the annual Texas High School Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony down in Waco. The THSFHOF operates in conjunction with the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. I’ve written about the incoming class before, but it’s worth mentioning again who is in the class:

-Sam Harrell, an early guru of the spread offense and one of the 100 winningest coaches in Texas high school football history, accumulating a 189-50 record over a 20-year head coaching career and winning state title at Ennis in 2000, 2001 and 2004.

-Graham Harrell, Sam Harrell’s son, one of the state’s most prolific passers ever, throwing for a state record 12,532 yards in his illustrious career at Ennis before going on to a big career at Texas Tech.

-Corpus Christi Calallen RB Wes Danaher, the son of legendary coach Phil Danaher who smashed records during his illustrious career with the Wildcats.

-Dallas Sunset QB Joe Boring, who led Sunset to the 1950 title before starring at Texas A&M.

-Monahans OL Eddie Foster, a force for the Loboes in the late 1960s en route to a terrific career at Oklahoma.

-Dickinson QB Donnie Little, one of the best players in the Gators' illustrious history who later became the first black starting quarterback at Texas.

-Amarillo Palo Duro LB William Thomas, a dominating presence on the Dons defense who went on to Texas A&M and two Pro Bowls with the Philadelphia Eagles.

-Dr. J.P Bramhall, Texas A&M's longtime director of sports medicine who has helped hundreds of athletes over the past 20 years in the Bryan-College Station area, both at A&M and at the high school level.

Congratulations to all of the inductees!

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Game changer

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:00:00 -0500

How would the addition of a fourth playoff team in Class 3A have affected last year's DI and DII brackets?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

I spent most of yesterday on the phone with coaches across the state, working on articles for the 2013 summer edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football (just about a month and a half away!). One of the pieces that I’m writing is the annual Class 3A preview, which means I was on the phone with a handful of coaches from west to east, asking them all about their team, their district and the season ahead.

In talking with a variety of 3A coaches yesterday, we obviously talked about a variety of topics and players. But one topic kept coming up: the new ruling that, starting in 2013, four teams from each 3A district would make the playoffs instead of the usual three

For those who don’t know, a quick primer: last year, three teams from each 3A district made the playoffs. The largest of those three teams by enrollment went to the Division I playoff bracket, and the smaller two of those playoff teams went to the Division II bracket. The idea is to separate the giants of 3A from the smaller schools.

But 3A is the only classification that operated like that. Now, Class 3A is adopting the 5A/4A model: four teams from each district will make the playoffs, with the two biggest schools going to Division I and the two smaller schools going to Division II.

The obvious byproduct of this: more teams in the playoffs. Instead of having just 32 teams in the Division I bracket, there will be 64, meaning there will be one additional round (the same number as the Division II bracket). But that’s not the only byproduct.

What this could also mean is that teams will go to different playoff brackets than they’re used to. Teams that have always gone to Division II might suddenly find themselves in Division I, and so on, because of the additional playoff team.

The only question we can ask now is this: how would this have affected the 2012 Class 3A playoffs? Would this have been a seismic shift, or a minor blip?

To find this out, I went through all of the district results from last year, added in the fourth playoff team, and saw if there were any changes in the division breakdowns. In short: if the fourth team would’ve gone to Division II, then one of the actual Division II representatives would’ve been bumped to Division I. Does that make sense? I hope so; I know it’s hard to explain, but it’s pivotal for understanding the all-important Texas high school football playoff scene.

Here’s what I found:

District 1-3A: No change. Pampa (3-7), which missed the playoffs due to tiebreaker, would get in the playoffs, but nobody would play in a different division than they did in 2012.

District 2-3A: No change. Lubbock Cooper (6-4) gets in and becomes the second Division II seed.

District 3-3A: No change. Fort Stockton (2-8) gets in via tiebreaker with Fabens and takes the second Division II seed.

District 4-3A: Sweetwater (4-6) would take the fourth playoff spot, and that would bump Monahans – which advanced to the Division II regional semifinals – up to Division I.

District 5-3A: Nothing to see here. Wichita Falls Hirschi (2-8) gets in and goes to Division I.

District 6-3A: No change. Mineral Wells (5-5), which is actually the biggest school in the district, gets in on the last playoff spot and goes to Division I.

District 7-3A: Say goodbye to Division II, Alvarado. With Venus (7-3) taking the fourth playoff spot, that bumps the Indians up to Division I.

District 8-3A: Another big change, as the newfound playoff eligibility of Liberty Hill (6-4) knocks Brownwood from Division II up to Division I, where they’d get a first-round date with fellow new Division I’er, Alvarado.

District 9-3A: Nothing changes here. Decatur (4-6) grabs the fourth and final playoff spot and goes to Division I.

District 10-3A: Again, nothing here. Carrollton Ranchview (2-8) is the lucky recipient of a shiny new playoff spot, and as the biggest school in the district, they go to Division I.

District 11-3A: All sorts of chaos here. For one, every school in the district would get in the playoffs. That’s right: with Dallas Prime Prep Academy’s forfeiture of the district season, Dallas Roosevelt (2-7), the only team left out of the playoffs, gets in. As a result of Roosevelt getting in, Wilmer-Hutchins moves from Division I to Division II.

District 12-3A: No change. Anna (6-4) nabs the final playoff spot and goes to Division I.

District 13-3A: Well, for one the three-team logjam at 3-2 in district goes away, since Texarkana Liberty-Eylau (4-6) is no longer on the outside looking in. Instead, Liberty-Eylau heads to Division II, which bumps Paris North Lamar from DII up to Division I.

District 14-3A: No change. Crandall (2-2), which was bumped by a head-to-head tiebreaker to Kaufman, gets in and joins the aforementioned Kaufman in Division I.

District 15-3A: Keep on movin’. Brownsboro (5-5) becomes the fourth playoff team and grabs a spot in the Division I playoffs.

District 16-3A: Ah, the District of Doom. It’s also the District of Major Consequences. The fourth playoff team would be Bullard (7-3), which would go to Division II. That would mean that Henderson – a Division II state quarterfinalist – would instead have to play in Division I. Ouch.

District 17-3A: Another district with major changes, as the fourth playoff team would be Waco Connally (6-4), which would avoid being bumped due to a tiebreaker. Instead, they go to Division II, and force China Spring – the team that beat them out on the tiebreaker – up to Division I.

District 18-3A: You want a game-changer? How about this: 3A Division II state champion Navasota would’ve played in Division I. That’s right. The fourth playoff team in would’ve been Madinsonville (5-5). That would mean that the two biggest playoff teams would’ve been Taylor and – you guessed it – Navasota. Needless to say, that’s about as big of a change as you can get.

District 19-3A: No changes in division necessary here, as Rusk (5-5) takes the fourth playoff spot and goes to Division I.

District 20-3A: Another change, as Diboll (2-8) grabs the fourth playoff spot and must go to Division II. As a result, Jasper gets bumped from Division II to Division I.

District 21-3A: And again, we have movement. Orangefield (4-6) is the fourth playoff team, and as one of the smaller teams, they’re headed for Division II. That bumps Bridge City from Division II to Division I.

District 22-3A: More intrigue! By virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker with Shepherd, Liberty (3-7) would be the fourth playoff team, playing in Division II and forcing Cleveland (which was one of the biggest Division II teams anyway) into Division I.

District 23-3A: Oh now this is interesting. There was a three-way tie for third in the district that Houston Furr ultimately won out. With the fourth playoff spot in play, Houston Worthing would take that spot by virtue of that same tiebreaker (point differential in the two games, for what it’s worth). As a result, Worthing would go to Division II, bumping the aforementioned Furr from Division II to Division I.

District 24-3A: Sweeny (3-7) gets into the playoffs and has to go to Division II, which means that West Columbia (which nearly took out West Orange-Stark in the DII area round) would have to play in Division I.

District 25-3A: Considering this district produced both the DI state runner-up (El Campo) and a DII semifinalist (Bellville), it’d be really wacky if the fourth playoff team changed everything…but it doesn’t. Sealy (6-4) grabs the final playoff spot and goes to Division I, becoming a very dangerous team with a healthy Ricky Seals-Jones.

District 26-3A: Craziness! Smithville (5-5), by beating Gonzales in a thrilling 16-14 matchup in Week 10, notches the fourth playoff spot and goes to Division II. That forces Cuero from Division II to Division I.

District 27-3A: Nothing of note. Fischer Canyon Lake (3-7) is in, and goes to Division I.

District 28-3A: Well this gets interesting. Poteet (5-5), the smallest school in the district, qualifies for the fourth spot in the playoffs, and that moves Pleasanton from the Division II ranks to Division I.

District 29-3A: A confusing playoff scenario gets way, way simpler. The three-way tie for second place between Hondo, Lytle and Carrizo Springs (which Hondo was left out in the cold) is moot, and Hondo makes the playoffs as a Division I team.

District 30-3A: Rockport-Fulton (4-6) was one of the biggest schools in 3A to miss the playoffs last year; they get in with the fourth spot and, as you could probably guess, go to Division I.

District 31-3A: Another relatively ho-hum effect here, as Rio Grande City Grulla (3-7) notches their first playoff berth by grabbing the second Division I seed.

District 32-3A: Well, Rio Hondo is certainly happier! The Bobcats missed out on the playoffs via a head-to-head tiebreaker with La Feria. But here, not only do they get in with the fourth playoff spot, but they bump La Feria from Division II to Division I.

So, what’s the overall effect? Pretty substantial. Of the 32 districts, half of them would’ve seen at least one team move from Division II to Division I. And, of course, there’s the matter of the 3A Division II state champion Navasota all of a sudden being uprooted from their bracket and moved to the Division I tournament.

It’s something to keep in mind as we approach football season. After all, as the coaches I talked to yesterday will tell you, it’s a big change for the little classification.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Ready for primetime

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Which high school teams could go from also-ran to contender in 2013?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

For hundreds of high school football teams across the state of Texas, spring practice starts this week, meaning that the 2013 Texas high school football season is unofficially underway. The beauty of the beginning of the season in any sport is the same: a fresh start, a new beginning, and unbridled hope and optimism.

And why not? Literally every team can win a state championship in 2013. But some will have to travel farther than others to get there.

The fact of the matter is that the closer you were to a state title last year, the better shot you have to win the title this year. That’s why the defending champions are almost always considered title favorites, and anyone who finished in the top 10 last year is generally considered contenders.

But that’s not always the case. There are always teams that come from outside the postseason rankings and surprise everyone. Call them what you want – sleepers, surgers, party-crashers – but they are very real, and for teams that didn’t finish in the rankings last year, it’s what they’re hoping to become.

Now, it’s impossible to predict who it’s going to be next year – and really, we won’t know who they truly are until a few weeks into the season – but we here at DCTF most certainly have our eyes on a couple of teams in each classification to go from out of the postseason rankings in 2012 to contending for a title in 2013.

Again, these are just a couple of the teams we’ve got our eyes on, but here are some of our picks for the teams ready for a surge in 2013.

Class 5A
Lake Travis: Yes, the Cavs missed out on our postseason rankings after their first-round bow-out. Even without QB Baker Mayfield, they’re a threat because of their depth.
Converse Judson: A second year under coach Mark Smith, big-time defenders like LBs Justin Johnson and Malik Pryor back? Yeah, we’re buying the Rockets.
Arlington Martin: Just because RB Kyle Hicks is off to TCU doesn’t mean the Warriors are going to lie down. Expect the defense led by DE Myles Garrett to lead the way.

Class 4A
Lucas Lovejoy: Undefeated regular season last year? Check. A second year under coach Matt Green? Check. Seven starters, including RB Dan Sefcik and QB Bowman Sells, back on offense? Check. Fear the Leopards.
Whitehouse: When you’ve got all-everything QB Patrick Mahomes – who threw for 3,839 yards and 46 TDs last year – you’ve got a shot to do big things.
Ennis: Is this the year the Lions get back to state contendership? With RB Terrence Williams and coach Jack Alvarez, the pieces look like they’re in place.

Class 3A
Wimberley: 2011 featured a state title. 2012 was a relative disappointment with an area round ouster. The Texans should have big things in store for 2013.
La Grange: It’s not just the name of ZZ Top’s best song; it’s also one of the most experienced teams in 3A. After giving eventual runner-up El Campo all they wanted, RB Rodney Filmore could be ready for a breakout season.
Tyler Chapel Hill: You can’t keep a good program down. Last year was a total bust at 3-7, but with 14 starters back, it’s hard to imagine the Bulldogs have two bad years in a row.

Class 2A
Teague: One of DCTF’s biggest sleepers, the Lions have all sorts of talent coming back after last year’s 8-4 year. QB Austin Skinner, WR Aaron Mitchell, RB John Love…hop on the bandwagon now.
Post: The Antelopes have all-state caliber RB DJ Brown, all-state caliber LB Bryan Smith and mammoth OL Mondo Martinez returning. Last year was just the beginning.
Waskom: The Wildcats actually went 0-10 last year, but don’t be fooled: they forfeited their seven wins due to an ineligible players. Now, they could bounce back in a big, big way behind RBs Kevin and June Bug Johnson, plus QB William McKnight and LB Chan Arnie.

Class 1A
Anson: Did you like the Tigers last year? Because they have 10 starters back on offense, including district MVP QB Jalen Garza, and 7 back on defense, including all-state DL Lance Norman. This team is ready to rumble for a title.
Booker: We’ve already told you about record-smashing QB Hunter Lile; is this the year that he turns the Kiowas into a real contender?
Farwell: The Steers missed the playoffs last year for the first time in five years. And with a second year under coach Taylor Reed and the big-time LB Dillon Kirkland back to lead an experienced defense, Farwell could be ready for a big leap.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

DCTF Weekend Recap: April 29

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:30:00 -0500

The NFL Draft's Texas flair, plus some 2014 recruiting headlines.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

(And, as always, if you see something missing, let me know via e-mail or Twitter.)

Without further ado, your TexasFootball.com Offseason Weekend Recap for April 29, 2013.

NFL Draft

Oh yeah, there was this little thing this weekend in New York. For us here at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the Draft is an especially exciting event. Since we’re the only folks who cover every level of football in Texas – high school, college and pro – we always get a little nostalgic watching players we saw in high school and college finally realize their dream of making it to the NFL.

And, as it’s been since the dawn of time (or, at least, the dawn of the NFL), the state of Texas had a massive impact on this weekend’s NFL Draft.

We already covered what happened in the first round, but that’s less than 1/7^th of the Draft! And, since we cover football in Texas like nobody else, who would we be if we didn’t fill you in on all of the Texas ties to come out of the Draft?

Some numbers:

-25 players who played their high school football in Texas were drafted.

-16 players who played their college football in Texas were drafted.

-The Texas high school with the most players drafted? A tie between Rowlett and Pflugerville, who each had two players drafted.

-The Texas college with the most players drafted? Texas A&M, with five.

Here’s a breakdown of who was taken, where, and what tie they have to the state of Texas.

Texas high school football products drafted (25)

Texas A&M (via Arlington) OT Luke Joeckel, first round (No. 2) to Jacksonville

Oklahoma (via Groveton) OT Lane Johnson, first round (No. 4) to Philadelphia

Houston (via Fort Bend Elkins) CB D.J. Hayden, first round (No. 12) to Oakland

Texas (via Brownwood) S Kenny Vaccaro, first round (No. 15) to New Orleans

Rice (via East Chambers) TE Vance McDonald, second round (No. 55) to San Francisco

Texas A&M (via Beaumont West Brook) RB Christine Michael, second round (No 62) to Seattle

Baylor (via Dallas White) WR Terrence Williams, third round (No. 74) to Dallas

Texas (via Rowlett) WR Marquise Goodwin, third round (No. 78) to Buffalo

Texas A&M (via Rowlett) DE Damontre Moore, third round (No. 81) to NY Giants

Arkansas (via Fort Bend Marshall) RB Knile Davis, third round (No. 96) to Kansas City

Missouri (via Pflugerville) LB Zaviar Gooden, third round (No. 97) to Tennessee

TCU (via Copperas Cove) WR Josh Boyce, fourth round (No. 102) to New England

Texas (via Pflugerville) DE Alex Okafor, fourth round (No. 103) to Arizona

Texas A&M (via Schertz Clemens) LB Sean Porter, fourth round (No. 118) to Cincinnati

Stanford (via Mansfield) RB Stepfan Taylor, fifth round (No. 140) to Arizona

California (via Dallas Skyline) CB Steve Williams, fifth round (No. 145) to San Diego

TCU (via Hebron) DE Stansly Maponga, fifth round (No. 153) to Atlanta

Texas A&M (via Austin Westlake) WR Ryan Swope, sixth round (No. 174) to Arizona

Florida State (via Clear Lake) K Dustin Hopkins, sixth round (No. 177) to Buffalo

Tarleton State (via Dallas Spruce) DE Rufus Johnson, sixth round (No. 183) to New Orleans

Nebraska (via Plano) RB Rex Burkhead, sixth round (No. 190) to Cincinnati

Arkanasas (via Texarkana Texas High) WR Cobi Hamilton, sixth round (No. 197) to Cincinnati

Notre Dame (via Weatherford) DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, sixth round (No. 200) to Baltimore

East Central Oklahoma (via Wichita Falls) DE Armonty Bryant, seventh round (No. 217) to Cleveland

Oklahoma (via Houston Strake Jesuit) DE David King, seventh round (No. 239) to Philadelphia

Texas college football products drafted (16)

Texas A&M OT Luke Joeckel, first round (No. 2) to Jacksonville

Houston CB D.J. Hayden, first round (No. 12) to Oakland

Texas S Kenny Vaccaro, first round (No. 15) to New Orleans

SMU DE Margus Hunt, second round (No. 53) to Cincinnati

Rice TE Vance McDonald, second round (No. 55) to San Francisco

Texas A&M RB Christine Michael, second round (No 62) to Seattle

Baylor WR Terrence Williams, third round (No. 74) to Dallas

Texas WR Marquise Goodwin, third round (No. 78) to Buffalo

Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore, third round (No. 81) to NY Giants

TCU WR Josh Boyce, fourth round (No. 102) to New England

Texas DE Alex Okafor, fourth round (No. 103) to Arizona

Texas A&M LB Sean Porter, fourth round (No. 118) to Cincinnati

TCU DE Stansly Maponga, fifth round (No. 153) to Atlanta

Rice TE Luke Wilson, fifth round (No. 158) to Seattle

Texas A&M WR Ryan Swope, sixth round (No. 174) to Arizona

Tarleton State DE Rufus Johnson, sixth round (No. 183) to New Orleans

Players drafted by Texas NFL teams (15)

Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins, first round (No. 27) to Houston

Wisconsin OL Travis Frederick, first round (No. 31) to Dallas

San Diego State TE Gavin Escobar, second round (No. 47) to Dallas

South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger, second round (No. 57) to Houston

Baylor (via Dallas White) WR Terrence Williams, third round (No. 74) to Dallas

Georgia Southern S J.J. Wilcox, third round (No. 80) to Dallas

North Carolina OT Brennan Williams, third round (No. 89) to Houston

LSU DE Sam Montgomery, third round (No. 95) to Houston

William & Mary CB B.W. Webb, fourth round (No. 114) to Dallas)

Connecticut DE Trevardo Williams, fourth round (No. 124) to Houston

Oklahoma State RB Joseph Randle, fifth round (No. 151) to Dallas

San Jose State OT David Quisenberry, sixth round (No. 176) to Houston

South Carolina LB DeVonte Holloman, sixth round (No. 185) to Dallas

Jacksonville State WR Alan Bonner, sixth round (No. 195) to Houston

Bowling Green DT Chris Jones, sixth round (No. 198) to Houston

Congratulations to all of the draftees!

Recruiting

While everyone was paying attention to the NFL Draft – and rightfully so, considering the spectacle into which the NFL has turned it – there were quietly a few very significant commitments for the 2014 recruiting class, both of which continued the recruiting momentum of the Rice Owls.

The first comes from the DFW area, where Mesquite Poteet LB Denzel Thomas has committed to the Owls. Thomas, who was also reportedly getting some looks from SMU and Oklahoma, actually played on the defensive line for the Pirates last year, but will move to LB this season for coach Randy Jackson. Why? Well, he’s just outstanding in space, reportedly running a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. His film backs that up; Thomas gets lateral as well as anyone, and can chase from sideline to sideline. He’s still a little raw and doesn’t explode through the point of attack as well as some would like, and obviously the position change will tell the tale this year. But Thomas plays with aggressiveness and speed, and that’s a good place to start for the Owls.

The second commitment is much closer to home, as Houston St. Pius X offensive tackle Sam Pierce. An All-State choice last season, Pierce blocked the blind side for Texas A&M signee Kohl Stewart and did so with great success, becoming the Panthers’ top graded offensive lineman. He’s a physical monster at 6-5 and 265 pounds, and he has the long arms that recruiters love. He does play a little high, and tends to bend at the hip as opposed to the knee. But these are things can be ironed out. What you can’t teach is size, and you can bet that coach David Bailiff and company can’t wait to bulk Pierce up to be their next tackle.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

In for the long haul

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

A look at the winningest HS programs over the last half-decade.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

Talk to any high school football coach in the state of Texas, and ask them about their ultimate goals. You’ll be sure hear the same things: win a state championship, and build the program into a consistent contender.

Winning a title is hard enough – which, of course, is obvious – but coaches will tell you that it’s the second goal, the “consistent winner” one, that can be even more difficult to accomplish. That’s why it’s so rare for teams to win back-to-back titles, or even make the semifinals for back-to-back seasons: it takes a truly special program to be a consistent winner.

But there are those programs, the ones that every coach aspires to be like, that win year in and year out. A good measure of a program is how many wins they have over a five-year span; that way, you can’t just have one outstanding class buoy you all the way through. If you’re excellent over the course of five seasons, it’s safe to call you a consistent contender.

So, who have been the best winningest Texas high school football programs over the past five seasons? Let’s take a look.

TEAM	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	TOTAL
Lake Travis	(16-0)	(16-0)	(14-2)	(16-0)	(9-2)	71
Katy	(13-3)	(14-2)	(13-1)	(12-1)	(16-0)	68
Refugio	(13-1)	(14-1)	(13-1)	(15-0)	(12-1)	67
Richland Springs	(10-1)	(11-2)	(15-0)	(15-0)	(15-0)	66
Daingerfield	(15-1)	(15-1)	(14-1)	(10-4)	(12-4)	66
Aledo	(11-1)	(15-1)	(16-0)	(14-2)	(10-2)	66
Carthage	(14-2)	(16-0)	(14-2)	(9-4)	(11-3)	64
Euless Trinity	(13-1)	(14-2)	(15-1)	(12-1)	(10-3)	64
Gilmer	(12-2)	(15-0)	(9-4)	(13-1)	(14-2)	63
FW Nolan Catholic	(11-3)	(13-0)	(14-1)	(13-1)	(12-2)	63
Albany	(14-1)	(15-1)	(12-1)	(11-1)	(11-2)	63
Cibolo Steele	(10-2)	(9-3)	(14-2)	(15-1)	(14-1)	62
Allen	(15-1)	(10-2)	(10-2)	(11-1)	(15-1)	61
Borden County	(13-0)	(15-0)	(10-2)	(13-2)	(9-3)	60
Denton Guyer	(12-3)	(13-2)	(13-3)	(8-4)	(14-2)	60
Throckmorton	(8-3)	(11-1)	(14-1)	(14-0)	(13-1)	60
Dallas Skyline	(12-2)	(12-1)	(9-3)	(14-1)	(12-2)	59
Hewitt Midway	(12-2)	(9-3)	(12-1)	(12-3)	(13-1)	58
Falls City	(10-3)	(13-1)	(14-1)	(10-3)	(11-3)	58
Longview	(13-3)	(14-2)	(10-5)	(11-2)	(9-4)	57
Mart	(12-3)	(9-5)	(13-2)	(11-3)	(12-3)	57
Southlake Carroll	(8-3)	(11-2)	(10-4)	(16-0)	(12-2)	57
Mason	(9-4)	(9-3)	(12-2)	(15-0)	(12-1)	57
Argyle	(7-5)	(12-1)	(13-1)	(14-2)	(11-2)	57

Some thoughts:

-I mean, these are pretty much the heaviest hitters in Texas high school football, right? Lake Travis won titles in four of those five years, which buoyed them to the top spot. But Katy, Refugio, Richland Springs, Daingerfield and Aledo are close behind. Suffice to say, these are some of the biggest, baddest programs around, and the numbers bear that out.

-Here’s another thing: these teams win titles. Of the 11 teams to win 63 or more games in the last five seasons, only Albany didn’t win a title in that span. And of those same 11 teams, six of them (Lake Travis, Katy, Richland Springs, Daingerfield, Aledo, Carthage) won multiple titles in that span. So the two goals go hand in hand.

-What do we mean by “consistent winner”? Take a look at the year-by-year records of the 24 winningest programs over the last five seasons. Notice something? Of the 120 individual seasons, those teams failed to win at least 10 games in just 15 of them. It’s impossible to deny that a 10-win season is the hallmark of excellence.

So there you go: the winningest programs in the state over the past five years. It’s safe to call them the most dominant programs in the state over the last half-decade, the kind of programs that every coach in Texas wants to build its team into.

Just for grins, here are the five winningest programs in each classification since 2008 (that’s to say, the classification they currently play in).

Class 5A: Lake Travis (71), Katy (68), Euless Trinity (64), Cibolo Steele (62), Allen (61)

Class 4A: Aledo (66), Denton Guyer (60), Highland Park (55), John Tyler (54), Corpus Christi Calallen (53)

Class 3A: Carthage (64), Gilmer (63), Argyle (57), Navasota (56), Monahans (54)

Class 2A: Refugio (67), Daingerfield (66), Muleshoe (56), Canadian (56), Cisco (53)

Class 1A: Albany (63), Falls City (58), Mart (57), Mason (57), Wellington (55)

Six-Man: Richland Springs (66), Borden County (60), Throckmorton (60), Strawn (54), Abbott (53)

Private Schools: FW Nolan Catholic (63), Dallas Covenant (56), Bulverde Bracken Christian (54), Midland Christian (53), Azle Christian (53)

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

DCTF Weekend Recap: April 22

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Tech's big recruiting weekend, spring games and UIL rule changes on the horizon?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

(And, as always, if you see something missing, let me know via e-mail or Twitter.)

Without further ado, your TexasFootball.com Offseason Weekend Recap for April 22, 2013.

Potential Rule Changes

At about 11 a.m. yesterday, if you were on Twitter, you saw the Texas high school football sector of the Twittersphere explode based on a single Tweet from our friend Corbett Smith at The Dallas Morning News. That Tweet read:

“UIL med advisory board unanimously recommends to Legis. counsel to limit in-season full-contact in football to 90 min per week #txhsfb”

And with that, the Twittersphere proceeded to freak out, without any further details. Heck, we didn’t even know what “full-contact” entailed, and yet the social media world descended into chaos.

Eventually, though, as more details became available, everyone calmed down and realized…this really isn’t that big of a deal.

Smith has a very good breakdown of the committee’s recommendation, complete with quotes from top coaches, and it’s worth your time. For the “Too Long, Didn’t Read” crowd, here’s a summary:

-Yes, the UIL medical advisory committee unanimously recommended a limit of 90 minutes of full-contact practice per week during the season for high school football.

-However, by the definition of “full-contact” – which is, loosely, game speed and blocking/tackling all the way to the ground – most programs are already in compliance of the rule.

-The biggest keys here are in the details, like the “during the season” part. That means that in the preseason – when most of the actual teaching and technique refining goes on – teams can still act at the speed they need to in order to teach. Another key: D.W. Rutledge, the executive director of the Texas High School Coaches Association and one of the greatest coaches in Texas high school football history, was one of those who helped craft the language. If there’s anyone who has the sport’s best interest at heart, it’s coach Rutledge.

All in all, it’s another pretty needless bit of outrage. The sport is going to change, and it’s going to be more well-regulated in the name of safety, because it needs to be regulated in the name of safety. Doing it in a prudent manner – and on the UIL’s terms, not the state government’s – is ultimately the best case scenario for Texas high school football.

College Spring Games

Oh, there was actual football played, too! Well, kind of. This was the final week of spring football games in the college ranks, which means that we Texas Tech and SMU held their annual spring games this weekend.

In front of 16,116 fans excited to see the debut of new coach Kliff Kingsbury, it was instead the defense that stood tall at Texas Tech’s spring game, logging five sacks and picking off a pair of passes in a 34-28 win. The stars on offense, though were the quarterbacks: Michael Brewer went 26-43 for 282 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman Davis Webb and sophomore Clayton Nicholas each threw a touchdown pass as well. The best receiver was probably TE Jace Amaro, who hauled in 11 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. The players of the game, however, were on the defense, especially J.J. Gaines, who picked off a pass, and Will Smith, who logged 10 tackles.

Recruiting

It was a mighty big weekend for recruiting, but if there’s one school that “won” the weekend, it’s most certainly Texas Tech.

It started heading into the weekend, when Tech got commitments from Cibolo Steele guard Deionte Noel and Spring Dekaney RB Demarcus Felton. Noel is a mammoth prospect, tipping the scales at 6-3 and 300 pounds, but he plays light on his feet. It’s no coincidence, either, that Noel is the second Tech commit from Cibolo Steele, joining RB Justin Stockton; the Red Raiders, after all, nabbed former Steele coach Mike Jinks to be the RB coach. Jinks was also instrumental in getting Felton to commit from Spring Dekaney, the team that beat Steele in the 2011 state title game. Felton is a bit undersized at 5-7 and 180 pounds, but he possesses exceptional quickness and is a threat out of the backfield as a receiver.

The recruiting weekend only got better for the Red Raiders during its spring game, when it got a commitment from high-profile Argyle WR Ian Sadler. Sadler’s a true deep threat, using his tremendous top-end speed and crisp route-running to get open in Argyle’s sling-it-around offense. Last year, Sadler notched 37 total touchdowns – 12 receiving, 15 rushing and 6 kick returns. He’ll bring that versatility to Lubbock.

But the cherry on top of a great weekend for Tech was the commitment of Whitehouse QB Patrick Mahomes. One of the state’s elite QB prospects in the class of 2014, Mahomes had offers from all over, and for good reason: he can really sling it. Last year, he threw for 3,839 yards and 46 touchdowns for the Wildcats, and with his mobility, the 6-3, 200-pound Mahomes qualifies as a dual threat (though he’s better throwing the ball than running it). The only real question now: will Mahomes sign with Tech, or will he opt for a Major League Baseball career, where he’s likely to be a high draft pick in next June’s draft?

Of course, Tech wasn’t the only team on the recruiting trail this weekend, as Baylor was able to nab its fourth 2014 commitment this weekend in Houston Bellaire guard Devonte Jones. At 6-3 and 305 pounds, Jones has exactly the kind of size that Art Briles likes in his inside offensive linemen, and he has experience playing in a wide-open spread offense at Bellaire. The Bears have been hard after Jones for a while now, and with him in the fold, they have a nice balance to their 2014 class early in the process, having commitments from a DB (Liberty-Eylau’s Davion Hall), a WR (Willis’ Chris Platt) and a RB (Ennis’ Terence Williams.)

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Districts of doom

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:30:00 -0500

Which 5A and 4A districts will be toughest in 2013?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

We all want to grow up on the “mean streets”, to have a toughness about us that comes from where we grew up. It’s why so many rappers proclaim themselves to be from Brooklyn or Compton or another generally recognized “hard” city, why people always like to say that they’re from the “school of hard knocks” and why we as humans like to hearken back to our childhood and perhaps embellish it to make it seem “tougher.”

There’s nothing wrong with that, because there’s universal respect that goes with coming from a place that’s not easy to get through.

The same premise applies in high school football. If you enter the playoffs from a district that’s known as a pushover, then you, too, are applied the “pushover” tag. Likewise, if you come from a district that is known to be difficult to navigate or tough to come from, you’re more likely to be granted a certain level of respect when you face teams from outside that district.

Which, if you think about it, is why everyone is so eager to declare their district the best, the toughest, the most brutal. We all want to come from Brooklyn, from Compton, from the toughest district on the block. It gives us street cred.

So, as we continue to head toward the 2013 Texas high school football season – just about four months away! – who are we looking at to be the toughest districts in the two biggest classes, Class 5A and Class 4A?

I’m so glad you asked. After careful consideration, I’m ready to issue my thoughts on what the toughest districts in Classes 5A and 4A will be in 2013. Of course, this is obviously up for debate, and I welcome your suggestions, comments and criticisms on our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

For now, here are my nominations for the toughest districts in Class 5A and Class 4A in the 2013 Texas high school football season.

Class 5A’s Toughest Districts

District 5-5A
This one largely depends on your opinion of Flower Mound Marcus and Hebron. We know that Coppell – on the heels of its second unbeaten regular season in three years – will be salty. We know that Denton Ryan – coached by Joey Florence and bringing seven starters back on that Raiders defense – will be strong. If Marcus and Hebron are as good as we think they could be, this district will be a bear.

District 10-5A
Well, it certainly helps to have the reigning 5A Division I champion – complete with QB Kyler Murray and seven starters back on defense – to pace the district. But don’t count out Plano West and Plano, as well as (to a lesser extend) McKinney and Plano East. In this tight-knit division, every game will be critical.

District 7-5A
Few districts in the state can boast the kind of depth that lies in District 7-5A. From DeSoto (reloading on offense without RB Dontre Wilson, but with tons of talent on defense) to Cedar Hill (fresh off a run to the state title game), plus Midlothian, Mansfield, Duncanville, Mansfield Timberview and South Grand Prairie, this is a loaded district that goes no less than seven deep.

Class 4A’s Toughest Districts

District 15-4A
Lancaster came from relative obscurity to grab statewide headlines last year in a dash to its first state title game, but it’s hardly the only giant in this district. Ennis always has firepower (especially on offense), and while Red Oak and Waxahachie have some reloading to do, they won’t be any sort of pushover.

District 25-4A
Beware all who enter this district, for there is nowhere to run. You’ve got a state champ (Cedar Park), a team that was good enough to be a state champ (Leander), a squad that became a Cinderella in a run to the state semifinals (Leander Rouse), an experienced, well-coached giant (Vandegrift) and a team that got a taste of success and wants more (Cedar Park Vista Ridge). Oh, and there’s Todd Dodge’s team at Marble Falls, just lurking. This district is not to be trifled with.

District 13-4A
Just north and east of Dallas, there’s plenty of teams that look primed for the big-time, especially Lucas Lovejoy, who brings back seven from an offense that led them to an unbeaten regular season. Sherman once again looks dangerous, as does the pair of Wylie and Wylie East. But if you’re looking for a sleeper, keep an eye on Denison; in the second year under coach Chad Rogers, they’ve got experience to spare and could be ready to make a leap.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Help West

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:30:00 -0500

We take a break from football to urge you to help the city of West.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

(Editor's note: we will update this story as more ways to help become available. If you know of a way to help, e-mail associate editor Greg Tepper or Tweet us @DCTF.)

We’re a Texas football publication. But sometimes, the first word – Texas – is more important than the second word – football.

Today is one of those days.

As you probably know by now, the town of West, Texas – a town of 2,600 people about 20 miles north of Waco, home of the West Trojans of District 17-3A – was rocked by a massive explosion at the local fertilizer plant. While the exact damage is still unclear as of this morning, what is clear is catastrophic: more than a few dead, scores injured, homes leveled, lives changed forever.

For being such a small town, West touched a lot of Texans’ lives. It’s a popular stop on the I-35 corridor, home of the best kolaches in America.

Perhaps that’s why this news is so hard to stomach. Perhaps because it hits so close to home, to our Texan brothers and sisters. Perhaps because it’s the second of a 1-2 gutpunch this week.

Whatever the case may be, football hardly seems relevant right now. It feels like it would be inappropriate – even disrespectful – to talk try to talk about football right now.

Instead, here’s some far, far more important information: how to help the people of West.

-The biggest thing you can do right now is to give blood at Carter Blood Care, north central and east Texas’ biggest blood bank. There are dozens of centers scattered hither and yon; here’s a link to where to find them. Or, if you’re in the immediate central Texas area, you can go to Scott & White Hospital, the only level one trauma facility between Dallas and Austin. Here’s a link to where to find it. Blood banks always need donations, but especially in times like this.

-Point West Bank, which has locations in West, Hewitt and China Spring, has set up a fund for the victims. If you're in the area, you can drop off your donation at one of the branches, or if you're not in the area, you can send it to...

West Fertilizer Fund
200 W. Oak St.
West, TX 76691

-Or maybe you can even open your home to some of the people displaced by the explosion. If so, fill out this form.

-The Red Cross of DFW and the Red Cross of Austin are both headed to West to do what they can. The best way to help them out is to donate monetarily, and it’s easy: text REDCROSS to 90999. A $10 donation to American Red Cross National Disaster Relief will be put on your phone bill. Keep in mind that your money may not go directly to West, but a rising tide raises all ships. You can also check out their websites here and here to see more ways to help.

-The Extraco Events Center will be setting up to take donations starting about 9 a.m. today. Call 254-776-1660 for more information.

-If you’re a pet person, there are going to be pets that need boarding. If you can board for free, contact Chris Watts at 214-282-4612.

Finally – and this is just DCTF talking – say a prayer or hold a thought for the city of West. There are tough, tough days ahead for our Texan brothers and sisters, and they need our support in every way.

And hug someone you love. Just trust us on this one.

We’ll get back to football tomorrow, when it’s more appropriate. For now, though, try to do something to help our friends in West.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

Can't win for losing

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Are teams with losing records watering down the playoffs?

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

It’s one of the most hotly contested debates in Texas high school football, one that has very clearly drawn battle lines and which, for many, is at the very core of our enjoyment of the sport.

That debate: how many teams should make the playoffs?

There’s the small-playoffs crowd, the people who believe that making the playoffs should be an accomplishment for a truly outstanding season, and that no more than one or two teams from each district should advance to the dance.

Then there’s the big-playoffs crowd, the people who believe that the more teams in the playoffs, the better, that it should be a second season in which the most teams have a chance at the state title.

On a personal level, I tend to lean toward the big-playoffs idea. I think that high school football, after all, is supposed to be fun for kids, and the more athletes you can give the opportunity to play in the playoffs, the better.

But I certainly understand the other side of the argument. After all, doesn’t more teams water down the playoffs with teams that don’t deserve to be there?

The biggest counterpoint to the big-playoffs crowd: all of the teams with a losing record making the playoffs.

That’s right: as presently constructed, you can make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record. It happens every year, and I can certainly understand the argument that they do not belong in the playoffs.

However, consider this: those teams don’t stick around very long, so what’s the harm in letting them in the playoffs?

To wit, I went through each of the 11-man playoff brackets from 2012 and found all of the teams who made the playoffs with a losing record.

Across the ten brackets, there were 51 teams with a sub-.500 record that advanced to the playoffs in 2012. Of those 51 teams, would you care to guess how many actually won a playoff game?

Eight. That means that in their opening playoff games, the teams with a sub-.500 record went 8-43, and even those come with a couple of caveats.

For one: one team actually beat another sub-.500 team in the playoffs. In the Class 3A Division II bracket, Dallas Madison – who entered at 4-5 – beat Bonham – who entered at 3-7.

For another: of those eight teams that won their opening playoff game, none of them won a second game. So, really, you could say that the teams with a sub-.500 record actually went 8-51 overall, not 8-43.

And here’s the other thing: these sub-.500 teams are generally getting beaten pretty soundly. On average, the 43 teams that lost their opening playoff games did so by an average of 31.9 points. That’s not just getting beat; that’s getting blown out.

So, the question is: what’s the problem? If these teams were truly watering down the playoffs, they’d stick around and truly ruin the bracket. Instead, it goes exactly how you imagine it will go when a sub-.500 team makes it to the playoffs: they’re usually one-and-done, and not in the most gentle manner.

Here’s a full list of the sub-.500 teams who made the playoffs last season.

Class	Team	Margin of Defeat	Notes
4A DI	Wylie	N/A	45-21 WIN vs. Mount Pleasant (38-10 loss to John Tyler next round)
4A DII	Hereford	N/A	34-31 WIN vs. Canyon Randall (35-28 loss to EP Burges)
3A DI	Taylor	N/A	17-14 WIN vs. Waco La Vega (56-21 loss to Carthage next round)
3A DII	Dallas Madison	N/A	28-13 WIN vs. Bonham (51-20 loss to Celina)
3A DII	Atlanta	N/A	72-32 WIN vs. Wills Point (57-13 loss to Gilmer next round)
2A DI	Bushland	N/A	35-22 WIN vs. Brownfield (52-14 loss to Wall next round)
1A DII	Bovina	N/A	21-0 WIN vs. Ralls (56-20 loss to Wellington next round)
1A DII	Wheeler	N/A	46-28 WIN vs. Claude (38-6 loss to Springlake-Earth next round)
5A DI	SA Clark	4
4A DII	Beaumont Ozen	7	Overtime
1A DII	Seagraves	7
2A DI	Breckenridge	8
4A DI	Victoria East	9
5A DII	Keller Timber Creek	12
5A DI	Round Rock	14
5A DI	SA Churchill	14
3A DII	Bonham	15
3A DII	La Feria	16
5A DII	Houston Eisenhower	17
4A DI	Texas High	17
5A DI	FM Marcus	18
3A DII	La Vernia	20
2A DI	Comfort	20
5A DI	Austin Del Valle	21
5A DII	Rowlett	21
3A DI	Borger	21
4A DI	Austin LBJ	22
3A DII	Wilmer-Hutchins	24
1A DII	Vega	26
1A DII	Wortham	27
4A DII	Jacksonville	32
1A DII	Lovelady	33
5A DII	New Braunfels	34
3A DI	Athens	35
2A DII	Omaha Paul Pewitt	36
4A DI	Corsicana	38
4A DI	Uvalde	39
1A DII	Evadale	41
5A DI	Laredo United	42
4A DI	Lubbock	43
3A DII	Bridgeport	45
5A DI	Killeen Harker Heights	47
5A DI	Richardson	49
4A DI	SA Highlands	53
1A DII	Charlotte	55
4A DII	Austin Crockett	58
3A DI	Carrizo Springs	62
1A DI	Santa Maria	62
3A DI	Burkburnett	68
5A DI	Conroe	70
5A DII	Houston Westbury	70

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

DCTF Weekend Recap: April 15

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:30:00 -0500

On Tax Day, get caught up on the college and HS action across Texas.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

(And, as always, if you see something missing, let me know via e-mail or Twitter.)

Without further ado, your TexasFootball.com Offseason Weekend Recap for April 15, 2013.

College Spring Games

Know how you can tell that spring has truly sprung across the Lone Star State? Because college football programs from east to west start hosting their annual spring games, the culmination of spring football. Now, we here at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football approach spring football with a grain of salt – spring football practice reports are generally unhelpful in projecting a team’s future, and aside from injuries and true position battles, spring football is simply a nice oasis in the desert that is the long football offseason.

But with spring games, there is at least a chance to see actual live action, full-speed, in relative game situations. That’s what we had at five FBS schools across Texas this weekend – Houston, North Texas, Texas A&M, UTEP and UTSA all held their spring games this weekend.

We’ll dive into further depth on the goings-on at the spring games later this week, but for now, here are the big headlines from the spring games:

Houston: QB David Piland looked strong, throwing for four touchdowns, but perhaps most importantly, it was a big day for star WR Deontay Greenberry, who hauled in five catches for 76 yards and a TD. Brandon Wilson had a strong game at defensive back, while sophomore linebacker Andrew Hogan (who will probably be called upon to help out Derrick Mathews in the middle) racked up four solo tackles and three assists.

North Texas: All eyes were on the quarterbacks, where it’s considered to be a wide-open competition between Derek Thompson (the incumbent) and Brock Berglund (the highly touted transfer). Thompson threw the ball a lot, going 17-19 for 156 yards and a touchdown. Berglund threw just 12 times, completing 8 of them on mostly short routes for 41 yards. The big defensive plays came from DB James Jones, who picked off a pass and sacked Thompson for a safety.

Texas A&M: The biggest story? The crowd. A school record 45,212 folks showed up to Kyle Field to watch the Aggies, and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel did not disappoint, completing 24 of 30 pass attempts for 303 yards and three scores. The defense is still a work in progress, but strong games from LB Donnie Baggs and DB Howard Matthews helped to see that there are positives on the defense at it looks to replace some key figures.

UTEP: The Sean Kugler era is officially underway, and there’s reason for optimism on both side of the ball. QBs Blaire Sullivan and Carson Meger were both pretty sharp, though they’re both likely to cede the starting job to transfer Jamiell Showers when he transfers, and the tight ends Eric Tomlinson, Craig Wenrick and Katrae Ford were outstanding. Defensively, LB A.J. Ropati picked off Meger on the first play from scrimmage and nearly returned it for a touchdown.

UTSA: It’s all about the defense for the Roadrunners, where the stars of the show were exactly who we thought it’d be: LB Stephen Kurfehs and DL Jens Jeter. They each had nine tackles, and Kurfehs also picked off a pass. QB Eric Soza was so-so, completing 13 of 25 passes for 128 yards and a score, and WR Brandon Armstrong caught five catches for 49 yards.

Recruiting

Recruiting, as you know, never takes a rest, and it certainly didn’t sleep over the weekend. But before we get to that, we need to get to two major commitments that happened late last week.

-Texas got a big commitment from Cy Falls LB Otaro Alaka last Monday (the day we last published our Weekend Recap), and it’s a big one for a few reasons. First of all, Alaka’s really good – a strong frame at 6-3 and 210 pounds, he’s powerful at the point of attack and has tremendous speed from sideline to sideline. Secondly, it’s who Alaka didn’t choose – he had offers from Texas A&M, Baylor, Michigan, LSU, Oklahoma, and basically everyone else – that’s big for the Longhorns. Texas has not been winning many recruiting battles lately, so this is a big win for them.

-Late last week, TCU coach Gary Patterson got some great news from right the street: FW All Saints QB Foster Sawyer committed to the Frogs. A physical specimen at 6-5 and 210 pounds, Sawyer is one of the state’s very best pro-style quarterbacks in the 2014 class. He guided the Saints to a state title last year, throwing for 2,750 yards and 31 touchdowns against just 8 INTs. He’s a great QB that comes from a great pedigree – remember: All Saints also produced TJ Millweard – that chose to stay at home over offers from teams like Alabama, Oklahoma State, Missouri and more. It’s a big, big recruiting win for TCU.

-Mansfield Timberview safety Brandon Simmons is most certainly not staying at home – the talented defensive back pledged to Stanford this weekend, passing up offers from in-state schools like Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU and TCU. Simmons, as you can imagine, has outstanding academics to go along with his physical talents. He’s a little undersized at safety – just 5-11, 170 pounds – but he has terrific ball skills and his closing speed is exceptional. He’ll be an asset for the Cardinal for the forseeable future, but first, he’ll be a dangerous member of a loaded Timberview defense.

-Staying at home, on the other hand, is Crosby ATH Austin Walter, who pledged to Rice. Walter’s a bit of a do-it-all kind of guy; he was the 19-4A Offensive MVP as a running back last year, running for 1,986 yards and 20 touchdowns, and has the type of explosiveness that you love in a running back. He can, however, throw the ball and be a viable receiver out of the backfield as well. Where will he play for the Owls? Who knows, but the 5-8, 180-pound Walter is dangerous whenever he gets the ball in his hands, however that may be.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.

The secret

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Meet Booker QB Hunter Lile, the best-kept secret in Texas.

By Greg Tepper
DCTF Associate Editor

About a month ago on this very website, I wrote about Refugio quarterback Travis Quintanilla, the sensational Bobcats’ signal-caller who is within range of some of the state’s most prestigious passing records. For Quintanilla, entering his senior year at the 2A power, there’s a lot for which to be excited – he has a legitimate shot at the career passing touchdown record (167, held by Ennis’ Graham Harrell) and the big one, the career passing yardage record (12,534 yards, held by Lake Travis’ Garrett Gilbert)

It’s an exciting time for Quintanilla, and we’ll be excited to watch him take aim at the records.

But there’s another player – in an even smaller town, about the farthest north that you can call Texas – that you probably have not heard of. And by the time it’s all said and done, there’s a pretty good chance that everyone will be chasing his records.

His name is Hunter Lile, and he's the best kept secret in Texas.

Lile is the quarterback for the Booker Kiowas, a relatively non-descript football program for the school at the very northern tip of the Panhandle (town’s population: 1,315). How non-descript? Booker has just eight total playoff appearances in the last 50 years. It’s not an insult to say that Booker’s not on the tip of the Texas high school football world’s tongue.

But Lile has changed all of that – or, at least, he should be changing that. After all, he’s got a chance to be the state’s all-time most prolific passer.

Undersized, Lile stands just 5’9 and weighs in under 170 pounds. The program’s numbers mean that Lile has to play both ways, where he excels as a linebacker as well. But it’s once he takes the snap out of the Kiowas’ wide-open (and very vertically based) spread offense that special things happen.

He started as a freshman and…you know what? Let’s just go to the numbers. They speak for themselves.

Year	Comp.	Att.	%	Yards	TD	INT
2011 (Fr.)	224	402	55.7%	3125	38	18
2012 (So.)	310	535	57.9%	3996	45	15
Total	534	937	57.0%	7121	83	33

Are you starting to grasp the enormity of what Lile is doing? In his first two seasons as a high school player, he has two 3,000-yard seasons. Last year, his 3,996 passing yards broke the all-time Class 1A record.

And he’s only a junior.

To add an even more fun, small-town twist to the story, Lile’s favorite target during his record-setting sophomore season was Jared Reagan, who hauled in 105 passes for 1,266 yards and 12 scores. Reagan is Lile’s cousin.

Obviously, Lile’s numbers are gaudy. But does he have a chance, with still half of his high school career ahead of him, to become the state’s most productive passer?

Much in the same way as we did with Refugio’s Quintanilla, let’s take a look at the four big categories – career pass attempts, career completions, career passing touchdowns and career passing yardage – and see how Lile stacks up.

(A caveat: obviously, this all depends on Lile’s ability to stay healthy and productive, and based on Lile’s past, there’s no reason to think he won’t be.)

Career Pass Attempts
Current Record: 1,577, by Baytown Lee’s Drew Tate, 1999-2002
Unlike Quintanilla, Lile really does throw the ball a whole heck of a lot. In the first 25 games of his career, Lile has averaged a little more than 37 pass attempts per game. He currently needs 641 pass attempts to pass Tate as the all-time pass attempts leader. At 37 pass attempts per game, he can knock that out in 18 games – not even two full seasons, not counting playoffs. If he stays healthy, this record looks like a lock.

Career Pass Completions
Current Record: 970, by Baytown Lee’s Drew Tate, 1999-2002
Lile’s accuracy can most aptly be described as “good not great” – he has a career completion percentage of 57% and averages a little more than an interception per game. But again, the key here is volume of completions, and with his massive volume of pass attempts, that’s not a problem. Lile needs 437 completions over the next two years to break the record; he’d need to play 21 games at his current rate – 21 completions per game – to break the record. That would mean every regular season game and at least one playoff game. That’s by no means a guarantee, but remember: Lile has helped coach James Henton’s Kiowas to the playoffs in consecutive years for just the second time in program history. He’s not just putting up big numbers; he’s helping his team win.

Career Passing Touchdowns
Current Record: 167, by Ennis’ Graham Harrell, 2000-2003
We’ve reached the only record on this list for which Lile is not already halfway there. Despite his incredible 45-touchdown outburst last season, he’s still 85 touchdown passes away from breaking Harrell’s mark. Lile is averaging 3.3 touchdown passes per game, meaning that at the current rate, he’d need to play in 26 games – two full seasons and six playoff games – to break the mark. Now, he can always increase his production (as silly as that seems, considering what he’s already done), but as it stands right now, this one seems like the longest shot, especially if Refugio QB Travis Quintanilla pushes the bar even higher.

Career Passing Yards
Current Record: 12,534, by Lake Travis’ Garrett Gilbert, 2006-2008
The granddaddy of all Texas high school football passing records, and Hunter Lile is poised to blow by it like it’s standing still. Entering his junior year, Lile needs 5,414 yards to break the record. During his incredible first two seasons, Lile has averaged 284.8 passing yards per game – an absurd number. If he simply keeps that pace, he’ll accomplish that feat in just 20 games – meaning there are no playoff games even needed. Now, this comes with a caveat: Quintanilla looks like he could smash the record this year as well, pushing the record as high as 13,500 with a big year. But the beauty behind Lile’s story is that he’ll have the proverbial last at-bat: since Quintanilla is a senior this year, Lile will know exactly how many yards he’ll need entering his senior year to break the record. It should make for a remarkable steeplechase.

As Texas high school football fans, we love the story of the underdog, the small-town kid rubbing elbows with the superstars. For Booker QB Hunter Lile, he’s already more than halfway to Lone Star State immortality.

So remember the name: Booker QB Hunter Lile. Chances are, you’ll be hearing a lot more of it.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.