2020 Class 5A-Division II Region IV Outlook: Predictions for every district, playoff matchup, sleepers and regional winners

By Russell Wilburn

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Regional Outlook

The setup of Region IV is different as an Austin ISD heavy district moves down from Division I and replaces the lost Coastal Bend district, the teams in the old 15-4A Division II either dropped to 4A or moved up to Division I.

13-5A Division II is left nearly unchanged from last year, the only difference is Pflugerville Weiss moves up to Division I and is replaced by Pflugerville Connally who drops down from Division I. Brenham looks to be the district favorite once again and the Cubs could take their place as regional favorite after falling in the regional semifinals a year ago. East View, expects to take a big step forward and hold off Glenn for the runner-up slot. The big battle is for fourth place as last year this district was muddled in the middle and a case could be made for any of the remaining five teams, we’ll go with a hunch and give Elgin the edge as the Wildcats return some key three-year starters.

14-5A Division II is comprised of teams almost entirely new to Division II, but this district looks to be a runaway as 4A powerhouse Liberty Hill moves up to 5A and the experienced Panthers have the big edge in this loop. Austin McCallum, a state semifinalist three years ago is consistently one of the better AISD programs, they’ll get the nod over Marble Falls. The battle for fourth place is WIDE open, the early edge goes to Northeast.

Defending regional champion Boerne Champion headlines 15-5A Division II, the Chargers lose some very good skill talent but looks to be better in the trenches, that’ll be enough to hold off Kerrville Tivy. Lockhart may be a real sleeper, in year two under Todd Moebes the Lions know the spread offense much better and that could result in a big step forward. Alamo Heights, under new head coach Ron Rittiman gets the edge over Medina Valley for the fourth and final playoff spot.  

The nine-team monster Rio Grande Valley district has excellent depth as Mission Pioneer and Division I drop down Mission Veterans Memorial expect to be the top contenders, both teams feature dynamic spread offensive units with big time playmakers the key will be which defense can rise the occasion. Both teams are also in the mix to be considered regional title contenders. Edcouch-Elsa made major strides a year ago and looks to a step ahead for the third spot, while Mercedes, Mission Sharyland and PSJA Southwest all will contend for the fourth and final playoff spot.

 

District Predictions

District 13-5A Division II

  1. Brenham
  2. Georgetown East View
  3. Leander Glenn
  4. Elgin
  5. Bastrop
  6. Bastrop Cedar Creek
  7. Pflugerville Connally
  8. Leander Rouse

 

District 14-5A Division II

  1. Liberty Hill
  2. Austin McCallum
  3. Marble Falls
  4. Austin Northeast
  5. Austin Travis
  6. Austin Crockett
  7. Austin Navarro

 

District 15-5A Division II

  1. Boerne Champion
  2. Kerrville Tivy
  3. Lockhart
  4. Alamo Heights
  5. Medina Valley
  6. Floresville

 

District 16-5A Division II

  1. Mission Pioneer
  2. Mission Veterans Memorial
  3. Edcouch-Elsa
  4. Mercedes
  5. Mission Sharyland
  6. PSJA Southwest
  7. Roma
  8. PSJA Memorial
  9. Pharr Valley View

 

 

Predicted Playoff Matchups

W13 Brenham vs F14 Austin Northeast

R16 Mission Veterans Memorial vs T15 Lockhart

W14 Liberty Hill vs F13 Elgin

R15 Kerrville Tivy vs T16 Edcouch-Elsa

W15 Boerne Champion vs F16 Mercedes

R14 Austin McCallum vs T13 Leander Glenn

W16 Mission Pioneer vs F15 Alamo Heights

R13 Georgetown East View vs T14 Marble Falls

 

 

Playoff Sleeper

Liberty Hill: Despite the move to Class 5A, the Panthers immediately become a regional title contender. Their Slot-T offense is incredibly tough to slow down and with a ton of experience back from a regional semifinalist in 4A-Division I, Jeff Walker’s squad is going to be a tough out in November.      

 

Regional Winner

Brenham over Boerne Champion: Brenham knocks off the defending regional champions in an absolute shootout, health may be a factor in this round as both teams will have to navigate potentially difficult area round and regional semifinal games as the depth in this region overall has improved.  

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