Stepp's 5A DII Region IV Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

The Winner of Region IV a year ago, didn’t even win their own district a year ago as Boerne took home the regional crown before falling to eventual state champion Randle in the state semifinals. This year another under the radar squad could emerge as Victoria West after going 10-3 a year ago and returning fifteen starters the surprise pick to not only win the district, but also take home the regional crown. Alamo Heights lost a massive senior class but they have a winning tradition that they can lean on. Boerne also lost a big senior class, they lost their head coach and their returning QB who transferred to Arkansas as well. Kerrville Tivy will be playing with heavy hearts after tragedy hit their community in July and they’ve got the pieces for another playoff appearance.

Miller has absolutely dominated CCISD and the Coastal Bend over the past few years, but the Bucs have more questions than they’ve had recently, in particular at the QB spot. They still have the most talent in the area and more playoff pedigree than anyone, but the gap has closed as Carroll with sixteen starters back and forty lettermen returning looks very strong on paper. Gregory-Portland after a strong start under head coach Brent Davis a few years ago, has fallen back to the pack a bit. Expect Ray to hold King and Moody off for the final playoff spot.

We have the rare five-team district in 5A, where Alice hits the road and travels to the Rio Grande Valley and this year with their stadium being remodeled, the Coyotes will be on the road every week in 2025. Alice is still the team to beat, but Sharyland with a dozen starters back will be the biggest contender to Alice’s dominance. Mission Vets and Sharyland Pioneer look to be solid bets for the final two playoff spots.

Mercedes after falling short to arch-rival Edcouch-Elsa in district play a year ago should be ready to take the next step with twelve starters back, while Edcouch-Elsa graduated a big group of seniors. Pace looks to be the best of the group from Brownsville ISD as the Vikings return seven starters on both sides of the ball, while Lopez is the pick for the fourth spot.

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 13-5A Division II

1. Victoria West
2. Alamo Heights
3. Boerne
4. Kerrville Tivy
5. San Antonio Veterans Memorial
6. San Antonio Harlandale
7. San Antonio McCollum

District 14-5A Division II

1. Corpus Christi Miller
2. Corpus Christi Carroll
3. Gregory-Portland
4. Corpus Christi Ray
5. Corpus Christi King
6. Corpus Christi Moody

District 15-5A Division II

1. Alice
2. Mission Sharyland
3. Mission Veterans Memorial
4. Mission Sharyland Pioneer
5. Roma

District 16-5A Division II

1. Mercedes
2. Edcouch-Elsa
3. Brownsville Pace
4. Brownsville Lopez
5. PSJA Southwest
6. Brownsville Porter

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS

W13 Victoria West vs F14 Corpus Christi Ray

R16 Edcouch-Elsa vs T15 Mission Veterans Memorial

W14 Corpus Christi Miller vs F13 Kerrville Tivy

R15 Mission Sharyland vs T16 Brownsville Pace

W15 Alice vs F16 Brownsville Lopez

R14 Corpus Christi Carroll vs T13 Boerne

W16 Mercedes vs F15 Mission Sharyland Pioneer

R13 Alamo Heights vs T14 Gregory-Portland

REGIONAL CHAMPION

Victoria West over Alamo Heights