Alright it’s time to laugh at our mess-ups — again.
Everyone makes mistakes and that certainly includes us at Texas Football. But part of this job is accepting that mistakes will be made and that, in the end, the game of football is played on the field meaning countless teams will over and underachieve. After all, it’s only based on what we can project from behind our computer screens. It’s part of the fun of doing this.
We take pride in what we do, but we also take pride in getting proven wrong by watching teams hit their stride and go on historic runs.
Now that the 2020 season has (finally) ended, we can look back on five teams that surprised us most this season based on their projections inside the 2020’s Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.
Just like last year, these aren’t the only teams we got wrong, as opposed to just the five that most outperformed what we expected.
5. Lucas Lovejoy Leopards (13-1)
What we said: Unranked, Lucas Lovejoy would finish third in District 7-5A DII
What they did: Regional final, won 7-5A DII
When Chris Ross was announced as the new head coach at Lovejoy, we knew he was a dynamite hire that could take the Leopards far. But we didn’t expect everything to come together right away.
Ross’ offense pumped out 445 yards per game and was the fifth-best offense out of 5A DFW programs ahead of traditional juggernauts like Highland Park and Ennis. Quarterback Ralph Rucker took his game to a new level as a senior throwing for 3,423 yards and 47 touchdowns to just three picks throwing to Reid Westervelt (Over 1,800 yards) and Luke Mayfield. Oh, and Rucker added nearly 1,000 yards on the ground too.
Lovejoy used its high-powered attack to roll all the way to the state semifinals where the team gave eventual state champion Aledo its toughest test of the season, narrowly losing 52-48.
4. Buffalo Bison (12-2, 6-2)
What we said: Unranked, Buffalo would finish fifth in District 13-3A DII
What they did: Regional final, finished second in 13-3A DII
Buffalo’s 8-3 mark in 2019 was a solid follow-up to Brandon Houston’s stellar debut with the Bison in 2018. But there was no way Buffalo would be able to up that mark in a much tougher district in 2020, right?
The unranked Bison were put in the same district as preseason No. 8 Franklin, No. 14 Rogers and No. 21 Clifton. That apparently didn’t matter as Houston’s Bison rolled past Rogers twice, 46-28 and 37-35, beat Clifton, 41-23, and made their first-ever regional final run that included a win over George West as well.
The Bison offense was held below 30 points just twice in 2020, both games coming in September early in the season. Coach Houston knows offense and he looks to have the Bison positioned as an emerging contender in the eastern CenTex area.
3. Buda Hays Consolidated Rebels (10-4, 5-2)
What we said: Unranked, Buda Hays would finish fourth in District 26-6A
What they did: State semifinal, finished third in 26-6A
When Buda Hays hired Les Goad, it was a statement for the Rebels. They wanted a coach with pedigree and experience of winning around that area of the state. Goad’s recent success at the 4A level spoke for itself and his first two years at 6A Hays were promising with a pair of 8-3 finishes. But the Rebels getting thrown into arguably the toughest district in Central Texas in realignment didn’t help our expectations for the program heading into 2020.
Goad didn’t fully translate his slot-T bonafides to Hays, but the offense he did install, a motion-heavy, power-rushing attack out of the pistol and shotgun, set the team out for success this season.
Behind quarterback Durand Hill, and a host of rushing options led by Michael Boudoin III, Hays ran for nearly 3,000 yards and finished third in the gauntlet District 26-6A with signature wins over Austin High and Austin Bowie.
The Rebels then upset ranked San Antonio Johnson in the area round and favored Austin Vandegrift in the 6A DII Region IV final, 38-10. The senior-heavy team only fell short to the eventual 6A DI champion Katy Tigers in the program’s first state semifinal appearance since 1996.