4A Division I

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Kennedale: The Wildcats were not able to start up with the rest of the state in Class 4A due to county regulations, so that put Richard Barrett’s squad a bit behind in their season opener on Friday against a good Sunnyvale squad that had already played twice. Despite not being their sharpest, the Wildcats were able to pull out a 28-27 victory with a last-second field goal. They are heavy favorites in 6-4A Division I and could be well on their way to an unbeaten regular season.

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El Campo: The Ricebirds fell from the DCTF 4A-Division I state rankings after their 39-27 loss to Port Lavaca Calhoun, which pushed them to 1-1 overall. Wayne Condra’s squad is still one of the favorites in Region III, but this is still a relatively young group that has a lot of growing that needs to be done.

4A Division II

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Salado: After playing two-time defending 3A-Division I state champion Grandview tough in a 21-7 loss last week, Salado fell behind 38-19 against 4A-Division I Stephenville at halftime. The Eagles defense adjusted in the second half and the Slot-T offense got rolling as Salado rattled off six straight touchdowns to blow past Stephenville, 61-45.

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Navasota: After a strong 2-0 start, the Rattlers came into their matchup with winless Mexia as the favorite to move to 3-0 and possibly look at making a move into the state rankings. Friday night didn’t go quite as planned, though, as Mexia came to town on a mission and left with a 38-14 win. Casey Dacus’ squad is going to have to rebound quickly as they’ll be starting district play soon in a six-deep 13-4A Division II.

3A Division I

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Denver City: After opening the season with a lopsided loss against Idalou, the early season hype train was derailed. However, it might be back on track after Denver City rolled past Seminole, 50-36, to improve to 2-1 on the season. The Mustangs close out non-district play with back to back tough games against Pampa and Crane the next two weeks.

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Diboll: 2020 has been a forgettable one for the Lumberjacks, who opened the season with a disappointing 49-20 loss at Madisonville in a game that was supposed to be played at home but was moved due to concerns from Hurricane Laura. Their Week 2 game against Woodville was canceled due to Covid-19 protocols and then they fell to Liberty 37-0 last week to fall to 0-2.  Diboll should start to get some guys back and they are hoping to get the ship righted this week against Livingston.

3A Division II

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Taft: Second year head coach JR Castellanos has the Greyhounds rolling down on the Texas Coastal Bend after a dominant 49-16 win over Freer to improve to 3-0. Expect Taft to be a significant favorite this week over Kenedy; but the real measuring stick will be in two weeks when they host 2A-Division I powerhouse Refugio.

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Karnes City: The Badgers are in a bad way right now. They nearly upset Marion in the season opener, but they’ve suffered blowout losses the last two weeks to Woodville and Poth, both potentially state ranked teams. The schedule lightens up a bit this week against Odem (1-2), a game that the Badgers will have a great shot to get their first win and build some confidence heading into the remainder of their district slate. 

2A Division I

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Coleman: Things are looking up in Coleman County after the Bluecats improved to 2-1 with a gritty 15-12 win over 3A Brady. John Elder’s squad fell behind 12-0 but battled back with 15 straight points to get the win. Look for Coleman to finish non-district strong with very winnable contests against San Angelo Grape Creek and Colorado City the next two weeks.

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Thorndale: The Bulldogs’ time as a state ranked team was a tenuous one after a red flag 6-0 win over Snook a week ago. The red flags continued this week as they were knocked off by Centerville, 30-14, on Friday night to fall to 2-1. THS has a bye this week and is a big favorite over Moody in two weeks, but then the real test will be powerful Holland in the district opener on October 2. 

2A Division II

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Petrolia: Mitch McLemore’s patient approach is paying off big time in Petrolia as the Pirates are off to an impressive 3-0 start after taking down Electra 40-8 last week. The Pirates’ non-district slate hasn’t been filled with powerhouse programs, but this is a team learning how to win again and the approach is paying off. They’ll take a step up in competition against Division I Alvord next.

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Menard: It was expected to be a rebuilding year for the ‘Jackets, who are low on numbers right now and have a new head coach in Justin Gorman. MHS dropped their third straight game to open the season falling to 11-man football newcomer Ropesville, 33-6. It won’t get much easier next week as they take on a much larger school in Ozona.