Stepp's 3A DII Region III Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 9-3A Division II

1. DeKalb
2. Daingerfield
3. New Boston
4. Hooks
5. Redwater
6. Hughes Springs
7. Queen City

Daingerfield has dominated Northeast Texas in recent years and the Tigers will be in the mix after a district title and an area round playoff appearance in 2026. But there are some major concerns, most notably at the QB spot and along the defensive line. That QB question is big because in order for Daingerfield to be elite. WR Reign Wallace will need to be a big part of the equation. Does that open the door for a veteran DeKalb squad that returns 17 total starters? The Bears aren’t huge but that veteran leadership could be enough to put them past the bully that has been Daingerfield. New Boston will be a contender for a playoff spot, but they’ll need to improve defensively if they want to put themselves in the district title mix. Hook lost a good senior class, but the Hornets may feature the district’s most dynamic RB in Kavon Stiger.

District 10-3A Division II

1. Troup
2. Jefferson
3. West Rusk
4. Arp
5. New Diana
6. Winona

After a 12-1 season a year ago, Troup’s got their eyes locked in on a regional title in 2026 as the Tigers bring the house back, specifically on offense with RB Brett Wells and two-way star WR/DB James Pierce. If Troup’s defense can take a step forward, the Tigers could be poised for another deep run. Jefferson, dropping down from a tough Division I district, will be a formidable foe as the Bulldogs bring eight starters back on both sides of the ball, Ty Taylor’s squad is battle-tested and QB Chance Washington is one of the most underrated players in all of East Texas. After a sensational summer of 7-on-7, optimism is high for West Rusk, especially when you consider the talents of junior WR/DB Kam Brown. The Raiders are a playoff team and they’ll go as far as their young QB and young group in the trenches takes them. Arp, a regional finalist a year ago, will be hard-pressed for a repeat as the Tigers only return five total starters. They’ll be locked in a real battle with New Diana for the final playoff spot.

District 11-3A Division II

1. Teague
2. Buffalo
3. Mildred
4. Blooming Grove
5. Elkhart
6. Rice

Things have changed in this Central Texas district that gets into the far outskirts of the DFW metroplex as Rice, Blooming Grove and Mildred, who have gone into the Dallas metro area the past few realignments, move south and east into a much more challenging alignment. Teague, who drops down from Division I, gets the edge for the district favorite as the Lions return 13 starters from a team that finished 5-5 and just missed out on the playoffs. Buffalo and Mildred will be locked in an I-45 battle for that two-seed, Mildred is moving up from 2A and they return seven starters on both sides of the ball, but I’m giving the slight edge to Buffalo with 15 starters back under second year head coach Trent Jones. Blooming Grove, fresh off a playoff appearance a year ago, gets the slight edge over Elkhart for that final playoff spot.

District 12-3A Division II

1. Newton
2. Hardin
3. Woodville
4. Kountze
5. New Waverly
6. Warren

This may end up being one of the top overall districts in 3A-Division II and an all 12-3A Division II regional final isn’t outside of the realm of possibility. Newton, a state finalist a year ago, has some pieces to replace, but returning Houston commit RB Kendray Porter, LB Ivan Gaston and QB Izayah Foster, who played all season as a freshman, are great pieces to build around. Hardin, after their best season in school history, drops down to 3A-Division II after going 12-1 a year ago. The Hornets size in the trenches and unique ball control offense makes them a tough team to prepare for. If Hardin can find that bell-cow back, they could do what Woodville did in 2024 and that’s drop down to Division II and make a deep push. Speaking of Woodville, the Eagles enter the season with one of the most experienced defensive units in the state, but there are a lot of question on offense after the departure of Baylor QB signee Luke Babin. Woodville still has enough firepower to contend and be a factor in the playoffs. Kountze and New Waverly both have a lot of experience returning, but Kountze is the pick with nine defensive starters returning fresh off a 7-4 season.

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS AND PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

W9 DeKalb vs F10 Arp

R12 Hardin vs T11 Mildred

W10 Troup vs F9 Hooks

R11 Buffalo vs T12 Woodville

W11 Teague vs F12 Kountze

R10 Jefferson vs T9 New Boston

W12 Newton vs F11 Blooming Grove

R9 Daingerfield vs T10 West Rusk

The playoff path in this region is going to be an absolute bloodbath so get your popcorn ready for this playoff push. A possible second round matchup between Troup and Woodville is absolute box office stuff and the winner of that could tangle with Hardin, who was a regional semifinalist in Division I. At the bottom of the bracket, that bi-district game between Daingerfield and West Rusk feels more like a Thanksgiving weekend matchup. Win that game and your reward is Newton! Jefferson likely awaits the winner of that game in the regional semis. Every week there’s going to be some big-time playoff showdowns.

REGIONAL CHAMPION

Newton over Hardin