4A Division I

Wichita Falls Hirschi: The Huskies are 7-3 on the year and improving each and every week. Antonio Wiley’s squad is incredibly young and prone to mistakes, but when they are playing clean football they are easily the most talented team in Region I. Hirschi has a tough bi-district matchup against a good Canyon squad, but if they can get past the Eagles, Hirschi could be playing past Thanksgiving.

4A Division II

Sinton: It’s been a few seasons since Sinton was a contender in Region IV, but Michael Troutman’s squad is back in the mix after rolling to the 16-4A Division II title. Sinton has the firepower and they appear to be peaking at just the right time. With Region IV being wide open this year, why not the Pirates?

3A Division I

Tatum: The Eagles had to deal with some Covid-19 issues early in the year, which caused a couple of games to get canceled. But once they got all hands on deck they’ve been a real problem in East Texas. Tatum has won five straight to close the year out and they’ve got one of the top offensive units in the state. Region II is absolutely brutal and an area round game with back to back state champion Grandview likely awaits. But this is a team that won’t be afraid of the moment.

3A Division II

West Rusk: The Raiders, much like Tatum in Division I, started off the year a bit slow with their season opener getting canceled and then three straight losses. That’s difficult for sure, but the three defeats all came at the hand of 3A-Division I teams, two of which are contenders in Region II. Once West Rusk started playing 3A-Division II schools, they got it rolling with six wins in a row by an average of 40 points per game. Region III is still dominated by Newton, but there’s no doubt West Rusk has a shot to get to the third round at minimum.

2A Division I

Panhandle: All the talk in Region I will center around Post, Cisco and San Saba, but if you want to look like a real hipster, put the Panhandle Panthers on your radar. Panhandle has an absolute flame thrower of an offense; in fact they haven’t scored less than 42 points in a game all season long! There were defensive issues early in the year, but in the last three games Panhandle has allowed a total of 27 points. An area round game with San Saba looms, but the Armadillos lost some shine in their Week 11 blowout loss to Cisco.

2A Division II

Snook: The Bluejays are known more for their hoops prowess, but they are starting to play some really good football in Snook these days. They won the district title and the first couple of playoff rounds look quite manageable. A possible regional semifinal game against regional favorite Christoval looms, but to get to that point would have to be a major success considering the slow start to 2020.