Stepp's 3A DI Region I Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 1-3A Division I

1. Bushland
2. Shallowater
3. Dalhart
4. Denver City
5. Brownfield

Travel in Region I will be extensive across the board, and in no place is it greater than in 1-3A Division I where a trip from Dalhart to Denver City is a cool 235 miles one way. The top of the district will be a two-way battle between Bushland and Shallowater. Bushland expects to bounce back in a big way after battling through injuries in 2025 with 15 starters back. Shallowater, which won the district a year ago, has holes to fill on offense, but they’ll lean on a defensive unit that does return seven starters. Dalhart is a possible party crasher; the Wolves are always big and physical but must replace their go-to guy on offense. They bring 13 starters back from an area round playoff team. Denver City was a district champion on the South Plains last year and now they head north into a much tougher loop after graduating 22 seniors.

District 2-3A Division I

1. Sweetwater
2. Clyde
3. Tuscola Jim Ned
4. Odessa Compass
5. Lamesa
6. Kermit

Out in the Big Country, expect the two teams on either side of Abilene to be the torch bearers for this district. The edge here goes to Sweetwater; the Mustangs have the experience at QB in Caiden Ortiz and very good athleticism at the skill spots. Clyde has the experience and numbers as the Bulldogs return all but four total players from last year’s team that posted a 7-4 record. Despite extreme youth, Jim Ned is the pick to finish third, but a lot of new faces will be counted on as only three starters are back. Lamesa would have been the pick for the final playoff spot early in the offseason, but the Golden Tornadoes lost their head coach and starting QB as Efrain Ramos left to take the Sherman job. The door could be open for Odessa Compass, which returns 17 starters from a 3A-Division II district champion a year ago.

District 3-3A Division I

1. Llano
2. Wall
3. Ingram Moore
4. Early
5. San Angelo TLC

UIL Realignment always throws a curveball or two our way and District 3-3A Division I definitely is the curveball in Region I. What was expected was Wall moving back up to Division I after winning their first state championship in school history last year in 3A-Division II. What was not expected was Llano sliding over from Region IV to Region I after a state semifinal run. Add in Ingram Moore moving into the region after their best season in school history and you’ve got for what makes for a fascinating district to watch in 2026. Wall graduated nearly all of their offensive production, so that gives the edge to Llano, which has the advantage of four-year starting QB Luke Davis leading the way. If you want to dream on a sleeper, Ingram Moore, with eight starters back on both sides of the ball from a regional semifinal squad, looks like a good bet. Early is the solid pick for the fourth spot as San Angelo TLC is in a full rebuild.

District 4-3A Division I

1. Paradise
2. Peaster
3. Vernon
4. Bowie
5. Boyd

A year ago, 4-3A Division I was maybe the deepest district in the state. Although some of the depth has been stripped away with Ponder and Iowa Park moving up to Class 4A, the top of the district is still as good as any with the last two regional champions sitting at the top. Paradise, who won the region in 2024 and fell to upstart Peaster in the regional final a year ago, gets the edge as the Panthers have 13 starters back and 25 lettermen, led by QB Ayden Olade. That makes them the favorite in the district and in the region. Peaster, fresh off their best season in school history, has a lot of holes to fill with eight starters from their stout defense graduating and their best returning offensive weapon transferring after his father was hired to coach in Central Texas. Vernon has a new coach and lost much of their athleticism to graduation, but the Lions still have maybe the district’s best player in RB/LB Tyce Payne. The big question for the Lions will be who takes over at QB. Bowie, with 17 starters back, gets the edge over Boyd for the district’s final playoff spot.

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS AND PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

W1 Bushland vs F2 Odessa Compass

R4 Peaster vs T3 Ingram Moore

W2 Sweetwater vs F1 Denver City

R3 Wall vs T4 Vernon

W3 Llano vs F4 Bowie

R2 Clyde vs T1 Dalhart

W4 Paradise vs F3 Early

R1 Shallowater vs T2 Tuscola Jim Ned

The playoffs in Region I will be quite intriguing, especially when you look at some of those potentially tasty area round matchups across the board. At the top of the bracket, Peaster is a big unknown after winning the region a year ago. That could open the door for Wall to emerge if their young talent can keep the standard at a high level. Sweetwater is intriguing because the Mustangs have the experience at QB and skill talent. But can they hold up in the trenches? Llano also has the experience at QB and playoff experience after their Region IV semifinal run, but Paradise has all those things and a bit more experience so the Panthers get the nod overall.

REGIONAL CHAMPION

Paradise over Wall