REGIONAL OUTLOOK

Canadian’s lock on Region I came to end last year as Lubbock Roosevelt came out of nowhere to take home the Region I crown, will a surprise team emerge or will we revert back to the mean in 2022?

The Far West Texas district is down to just four teams so they’ll play a round-robin schedule for the next two seasons, with each team playing twice. Alpine and Crane have dominated the loop the past few seasons and nothing is likely to change with Alpine getting the nod over a Crane squad that was hit hard by graduation. Tornillo and Odessa Compass will battle for seeding, with Odessa Compass getting the edge over the Coyotes.

In the Concho Valley the big news in this district is perennial powerhouse Wall dropping down from Division I, the Hawks are flying under the radar a bit after back-to-back subpar (for their standards) seasons. Wall enters 2022 loaded with experience as eighteen starters return, that should give them the edge over Brady and Early who will both be improved as well. The real intriguing battle could be for the final playoff spot between Ballinger and Grape Creek, it was a seven-point game a year ago and I expect it to be close in 2022.

Canadian appears to be loaded up for a big run once again in 2022 after failing to win the district title a year ago, the Wildcats return an impressive seventeen total starters and 30 lettermen so depth and talent will be no issue this year for a team that battled injuries all of 2021. Childress will again be the chief challenger to Canadian, as the Bobcats finished the regular season undefeated, but were shocked in the first round of the playoffs. Friona, Tulia and Spearman will be in a real battle for the last two spots, don’t forget Tulia managed to knock off Canadian a year ago, so the Hornets are dangerous.

After dominating the district and region a year ago, Lubbock Roosevelt enters 2022 with a lot of question marks after graduation took nearly every key playmaker, the Eagles do return a solid core up front but they need that experience at the skill positions to operate their offense. That could open the door for Idalou or Abernathy to jump into the district driver’s seat. The big question for Abernathy is the health of WR Anthony White whose status for playing in 2022 is up in the air after suffering an injury this off-season. The top three of this loop could finish in any order, in fact don’t be surprised if Idalou, Abernathy and Roosevelt all split their games. Stanton, who stunned Childress a year ago in one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent memory is a good bet for the final playoff spot.

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 1-3A Division II

1. Alpine
2. Crane
3. Odessa Compass
4. Tornillo

District 2-3A Division II

1. Wall
2. Brady
3. Early
4. San Angelo Grape Creek
5. Ballinger
6. San Angelo TLC

District 3-3A Division II

1. Canadian
2. Childress
3. Friona
4. Tulia
5. Spearman
6. Dimmitt

District 4-3A Division II

1. Idalou
2. Abernathy
3. Lubbock Roosevelt
4. Stanton
5. Littlefield
6. Coahoma

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS

W1 Alpine vs F2 San Angelo Grape Creek

R4 Abernathy vs T3 Friona

W2 Wall vs F1 Tornillo

R3 Childress vs T4 Lubbock Roosevelt

W3 Canadian vs F4 Stanton

R2 Brady vs T1 Odessa Compass

W4 Idalou vs F3 Tulia

R1 Crane vs T2 Early

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

Canadian over Wall