Class 6A: Plano West

Week 1 Computer Ranking: 230
Week 7 Computer Ranking: 119 (Rose 111 spots)

Plano West, at 5–1, has won more games in 2025 than it did in the three prior seasons combined. The Wolves were projected to finish last in District 6-6A. After a 35-14 win over rival Plano, they are tied for second in the district with a 3-1 record. 

Plano West is chasing its third playoff appearance since 2014, but it still has its toughest tests ahead with undefeated Allen, undefeated Prosper and 5-1 Princeton on the schedule.

Head Coach Tyler Soukup earned Dave Campbell’s Monday Morning Fallout “Coach of the Week” honors after the Plano win. Soukup was one of three head coaches in the state to lead his team to a 4-0 start after a 0-10 season. 

For more on Plano West’s remarkable season, read our story from two weeks ago on the 4-0 start.

Class 6A Honorable Mentions: Royse City (Rose 110 spots), Mansfield Lake Ridge (Rose 103 spots)

Class 5A: Baytown Sterling

Week 1 Computer Ranking: 112
Week 7 Computer Ranking: 57 (Rose 55 spots)

Baytown Sterling has had two winning seasons in the 21st century, and both were 6-4 finishes (2016 and 2008), and the last district championship was in 1983. First-year coach Spencer Anthony, the former defensive coordinator at Baytown Lee, has the Rangers at 5-1 following a win against district foe Barbers Hill that shocked the state. 

The offense is led by senior running back Elijah Lewis, who has compiled over 900 total yards and 14 touchdowns. Against Barbers Hill, the 5’9, 190 prospect had over 200 yards and three touchdowns. 

Fellow senior Shaq Leaks has been Sterling’s Swiss Army Knife. Leaks (6-1, 170) has three rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, a kickoff return touchdown and a pick-six. The defensive line, led by Rylen Barrientos and Justus Broussard, has held every opposing offense to 20 points or fewer since the season-opening loss to Goose Creek Memorial. Broussard was the team’s Defensive Line MVP for the Barbers Hill game with 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Class 5A Honorable Mentions: Dayton (Rose 44 Spots), Buda Hays Consolidated and Amarillo Palo Duro (Rose 36 Spots)

Class 4A: Pittsburg

Week 1 Computer Ranking: 68
Week 7 Computer Ranking: 21 (Rose 47 spots)

Every week, TXHSFB Hall of Famer David Smoak and the Longview News-Journal ask for nominations for the “East and Central Texas Player of the Week.” Pittsburg coach John Huffstetler has a hard time nominating any single player, because his Pirates are a truly unselfish crew.

Pittsburg does not have a player averaging 200 yards passing, 100 yards rushing or 100 yards receiving a game. But the Pirates are 4-1 because they find a different way to win every week without caring who receives credit. Two weeks ago, in an overtime win, it was QB Kord Johnson running power three times in a row. Sometimes, it’s throwing it around the yard.

Huffstetler, in his first year as a head coach, credits his seven senior captains with leading the team’s buy-in. Their graduating class saw a combined 5-25 record in three varsity seasons before 2025. But guys like OLB Will Strube, who leads the team with 41 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, have helped change the narrative around the program. 

“I’ve been at new schools starting. If the senior class doesn’t get on board with you, it makes the first year hard. For all our seniors to say, ‘Ok, this is my role, this is what I’m going to do to help our team.’ For them to go give the effort and set an example for the younger guys, it’s been a lot of fun to see.”

Class 4A Honorable Mentions: Lubbock-Cooper Liberty (Rose 40 spots), La Marque (Rose 34 spots)

Class 3A: Wallis Brazos

Week 1 Computer Ranking: 73
Week 7 Computer Ranking: 17 (Rose 56 spots)

Wallis Brazos coach Patrick Oliver, a 2002 grad of the school, has repeated a message to his team after a 5–1 start: It’s not an accident.

He knows people outside the building are surprised, but he is not - not after he saw how hard they worked this offseason. But just as it didn’t matter when the outside world predicted a poor record, the outside world pumping them full of sunshine doesn’t matter either. 

“The only thing that matters is our inner circle," he said. "There’s going to be a lot of people telling you how great you’re doing and how good you are. We can’t really feed into that.”  

Senior athlete Jarvse Dickerson has been the focal point on both sides of the football. At quarterback, he won the Built Ford Tough Class 3A Player of the Week after compiling 432 total yards and six touchdowns against Schulenburg. He’s piloting an offense that averages 50.67 points per game. At free safety on defense, he racked up 15 tackles in a win against Van Vleck.

He pairs well with fellow secondary player Matthew Reyes-Garza, a three-year letterman. Oliver also credits his coaching staff for helping the turnaround effort. Offensive coordinator Todd Cordell followed Oliver from Needville and installed the same spread scheme. Defensive coordinator Juan Olivo was on Woodville’s state finalist staff last season.

Class 3A Honorable Mentions: Commerce (Rose 40 spots), Mount Vernon (Rose 39 spots)

Class 2A: Tom Bean & Era (Both Rose 41 Spots)

On Monday Morning Fallout, DCTX Editor-in-Chief Greg Tepper referred to Tom Bean as one of the stories of the year in TXHSFB. The Tomcats’ 47-38 win over Tioga makes them the favorite in District 6-2A DI. Tom Bean, sitting at 6-0, hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2008 and hasn’t won a district championship since 2003. First-year head coach Blaine McBride, elevated from offensive coordinator, has developed QB Donnie Hooten into one of the state’s top passers. Hooten is throwing for 344.3 yards per game with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. 

Era, meanwhile, has also shot up the state’s computer rankings after a 5-0 start. From 2019 to 2023, the Hornets went a combined 5-46. Last year, first-year head coach Tanner Mann led Era to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 with a 5-6 record. But this year’s start is almost unprecedented for a program that’s won double-digit games in a season just once since 1976.

Class 2A Honorable Mentions: Charlotte (Rose 35 Spots), Flatonia (Rose 33 spots)