Last year, we saw something fairly rare for 2A football in Texas – newcomers.

In recent years, the top of the 2A landscape has been consistently dominated by the brand names: Refugio, Mart, Bremond, Mason, Shiner – you know the usual suspects. So when first-time state participants New Deal and Gruver punched their tickets to the 2A Division I and Division II state championship games, respectively, it raised some eyebrows. But scanning the playoff brackets further, even more names jumped off the page: San Saba, West Texas, Hamlin and even Grapeland were making a run back at statewide recognition.

It was eventually Mason who lifted its second state title in Division I and Mart who pulled the program’s first-ever back-to-back in Division II, two blue-bloods of the classification. But the season as a whole hinted at a potential change in scenery for the makeup of 2A football. More programs are joining the party at the top, some with new head coaches, too. Out of the 48 2A coaching changes this past offseason, 20 were programs that finished with winning records and 15 were programs that had won eight or more games.

DIVISION I

There’s good news and bad news for the rest of the state as far as defending Division I champion Mason is concerned. Former head coach Kade Burns resigned his post to serve as principal of the high school...so what’s the bad news for the rest of Texas? The Punchers handed the keys to defensive coordinator Michael McLeod, the person who orchestrated a defense that pitched four shutouts and held opponents to fewer than 10 points 13 times in 2018.

Looking at the landscape of Division I, the biggest question mark comes out of Region I, where New Deal’s high-octane offense stormed through the region a year ago averaging over 45 points per game. That talented senior class is gone, leaving room for teams such as district rival Sundown to make a run with senior quarterback Christian Huey. Or perhaps one of Panhandle or Stinnett West Texas takes the mantle for the panhandle? But there’s just as good of a chance that New Deal, led by linebacker Dylan Jerden, keeps its place as the team to beat in Region I.

Last season, a bunch of kids west of Killeen put the state of Texas on notice coming out of Region II. San Saba stunned Texas with an incredible turnaround year going from just three wins in 2017 to 14-1 and advancing all the way to the state semifinals.

“We met, we talked and had a lot of the same coaching philosophies, and we just harped on our culture. Culture’s a big thing around here in San Saba,” head coach Andreas Aguirre said about collaboration with former head coach Jerrod Fikac when they first arrived in San Saba.

Fikac accepted the position at 5A Georgetown East View and it’s on Aguirre, the former defensive coordinator turned head coach, to sustain the Armadillos’ rise with a special group of returners including QB Sean O’Keefe and running back Eli Salinas, who combined for over 3,000 yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground.

“They work hard, they work hard on the field, off the field, in the classroom. They’re leaders in the weight room, they’re leaders out here after school,” Aguirre said. “They get the kids out here and they go out and do 7-on-7, and they tell kids to come up on weekends and do things. Their leadership has taken leaps and bounds over the last two years that I’ve been with these kids. They’re hardworking kids and they just want to make the best of the opportunity they have.”

The sleeper in Region II probably lies in District 8 where Riesel and Bosqueville will battle it out for the crown. Bulldog quarterback Tyler Webb, who threw for over 3,000 yards last year, gives Bosqueville a leg up on the Indians.

In Region III, San Augustine hopes to run it back with 17 total starters returning from last year’s state semifinalist team with Tijay Thomas-Davis leading the way. But Tenaha and Garrison, two regional semifinalists in 2018, will also look to stake claim as the top team in the region. Garrison running back Sebastion Porter put up nearly 2,500 yards on the ground a year ago. Tenaha promoted offensive coordinator Ronnie Tamplin to take over for the retired Greg Jenkins. 

If you’re looking for the traditional power players in 2A Division I, look no further than Region IV. Seemingly every year, it’s a three-way dance between Refugio, Mason and Shiner with the Punchers coming out on top a year ago. 

“(Refugio), Mason and Shiner were all real close, just like always,” Refugio head coach Jason Herring said. “The winner of that game usually has a great shot at winning it all, those combination of games.”

Last year, Refugio changed its offense mid-season from the veer option – that it had practiced all offseason dating back to the spring – to their usual spread after starting off the year slow. The Bobcats rolled off eight straight wins until running into Mason in the regional finals.

“It says a lot about our kids, and it says a lot about our coaches,” Herring said. “We’ve always adapted. When your goal is to win it all, that’s like finding a needle in a haystack. People have no idea how hard it is to win one championship or even get to one.”

In addition to Mason, Shiner also experienced a head coaching change with Steven Cerny retiring and defensive coordinator Daniel Boedeker’s promotion to the head position. If you want dark horses to watch in the region, keep an eye on Holland and Weimar.

DIVISION II

Mart’s decorated senior class has graduated after back-to-back state championships, but that doesn’t mean the Panthers’ title run is over with. It’ll just be harder this time around.

One team that will look to end Mart’s reign is defending state runners-up Gruver in Region I, with perhaps the most highly-touted college prospect at the small-school level in quarterback Jalin Conyers who transitions from receiver. The Greyhounds’ biggest challengers in the region might come from their own district in Stratford, led by seniors Luden Romero and Britt McQuitty.

Expect a tight three-way race in Region II between Hamlin, Wellington and Albany. At Wellington, the Skyrockets turned to veteran Goldthwaite head coach Gregg Proffitt to take over after Wade Williams’ retirement, and the train should keep rolling after graduating a strong senior class. After giving Wellington its only loss in the regional finals last season, Hamlin is in prime position to make another deep run with Brayden Warner and Jackson Sepeda back to lead an offense that averaged 41.7 points per game a year ago. If there’s one thing people know about Denney Faith’s Albany, it’s that the Lions can score with anybody in the state. Albany started off 0-5 last season but rattled off nine-straight wins before falling in the state semifinals to Gruver, 30-17. Quarterback Ben West took the keys to the offense last season and finished with more than 2,500 yards passing and 37 touchdowns. 

A team to watch out for in Region II is Wellington’s district rival, Wheeler. The Mustangs return 18 total starters from an 8-4 regional semifinalist team, including running back Hesston Marshall who tallied 15 touchdowns a year ago. 

But if everyone is being honest, Division II runs through Region III because of one team until proven otherwise – Mart.

Just because the likes of Tyrek Horne, Shatydrick Bailey and Elijah Green are gone doesn’t mean Kevin Hoffman doesn’t have a special talent factory out east of Waco. Especially with quarter-back Kyler Martin hopefully back from an ACL injury and linebacker Tony Sanchez and defensive lineman/running back Roddrell Freeman providing experience to this team of new faces. Week 3’s matchup with 3A Franklin and Week 5’s game against Refugio will be instant tests to his cast of young players. Hoffman estimates that he’ll field seven or eight sophomores up from a JV team that went 9-1.

“They’re going to have to grow up,” Hoffman said. “It’s one thing to play on junior high or JV and beat people, and things are always going good. What are you going to do when adversity strikes? With these young kids, that’s what I’m looking for with them is maturity and growing up.”

A potential sleeping contender in the region is Grapeland, who are also welcoming a new head coach in Terry Ward formerly of Harleton and Tenaha, where he guided the Tigers to a state championship in 2011. The Sandies went 12-2 before falling to Mart in the regional finals.

“Small 2A is so competitive,” Ward said. “Just because you’re a head coach of a 2A doesn’t mean you’re not a pretty good dang coach. There’s been a lot of turnover, but the expectations at schools are to win. I think the expectations have shifted with social media and the things people see. They want their programs to be represented well and they want to win.”

Region IV was a collision course last season between Falls City and Burton, both led by all-state quality quarterback-running back tandems. Falls City perhaps has the best player returning of the bunch in Brad Lyssy, one of the best running backs in 2A (2,140 yards). But a team to watch for is a name familiar with Texas high school football fans – Bremond. The Tigers return 19 starters from last year’s bi-district finalist team and could be ready to take a step back toward making a deep run in the postseason like the Roshauud Paul teams of a few years back.