Stepp's 6A Region I Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

Top to bottom, no district in Region I will be as competitive as 1-6A where the Sun City loop features six (yes six) teams who could make a claim for the district title. Pebble Hills in the magazine is picked sixth, while I like the Spartans to win the district with outstanding QB Joe Fernandez, some elite young skill talent and a plucky defense. Franklin has the size and speed to get it done, but there’s a new head coach so there are questions. Eastwood was hammered by injuries a year ago, the Troopers expect to be much improved while Eastlake has some young talent and a big question was answered at the QB spot late in the off-season with Julian Williams moving in from Clint Horizon. Montwood has nine starters back on offense, while Coronado has maybe the best young QB in the district in 2028 signal caller West Stansbury.

Frenship had a monster offense last year and nearly upset eventual state runner-up Southlake Carroll in the area playoffs a year ago, the Tigers lose much of that firepower and that could open the door for Midland Legacy. The Rebels took lumps with a young team against a brutal non-district slate, but they ended up in the area playoffs and they bring fifteen starters back. Permian was also young last year and with sixteen back, the Panthers could be a sleeper. San Angelo Central’s four district losses were all by ten points or less a year ago, the Bobcats bring seven back and if they can remain healthy, they could make the leap into the playoff mix in 2025.

Defending state champion North Crowley has blown through this district three straight years without being challenged and a similar fate is likely this year. The real intrigue in 3-6A is the race for second and the race for fourth. Crowley, who had their best season in school history a year ago does lose some key pieces on offense, but the Eagles are big up front and they have experience back on defense. They must replace a four-year starter at QB. Mansfield also has questions at the QB spot, but they’ve got playmakers at the skill spots, both could go Division II, so their matchup could be huge. Crowley took last year’s meeting 35-23. I’m taking Lake Ridge for the four spot, it’s now or never for LRHS with fifty lettermen returning and a manageable district. They’ve struggled for so long, the key will be getting off to a fast start, if they do that watch out. If they falter, Mansfield Legacy could again grab the final playoff spot.

Number one ranked Southlake Carroll returns nineteen starters from a team that advanced all the way to the state championship game a year ago, despite battling through numerous key injuries. Carroll enters the year as the prohibitive favorite in Region I and in 6A-Division II. Not far behind is Euless Trinity, the Trojans were 11-2 a year ago, falling to Allen by just a single point in the third round. The Trojans bring back seven starters on both sides of the ball, if the QB question can get answered this is a team that can contend for a regional crown. Byron Nelson is going through a transition after the passing of their head coach early in the summer, the Bobcats will lean on their defense while a young, but talented offense finds their footing. The real intrigue in 4-6A is for the final playoff spot where Keller, Northwest, Eaton and Timber Creek all could make a strong case.

A year ago Coppell dominated 5-6A and the Cowboys by the end of the season were a top 5 team in 6A, graduation decimated the ranks which may open the door for Lewisville who is loaded with front-line talent that grew up quite a bit in 2024. The question for the Fighting Farmers will be consistency. Guyer’s defense will be among the best in the state, but youth at the QB spot and questions at the skill positions may limit their ceiling. Hebron may be the most explosive offense in the district, but the Hawks have a major question mark at QB. If the Hawks falter, Flower Mound Marcus is the team poised to snatch a playoff spot. Keep an eye on Little Elm, they might be a year away from playoff contention, but I expect them to be the district’s most improved team.

After back-to-back trips to the regional finals, Allen is looking to get over the hump in Region I with seven starters back on both sides of the ball. The Eagles don’t have many questions, but there’s one lingering question and that’s at the QB spot, if Allen gets quality QB play they can win a state championship. Prosper again will have elite play in the trenches and they return sixteen starters, but do they have the explosive skill talent needed to navigate Region I? Another thing to watch is will Prosper go Division I or Division II? Plano East and Plano making the playoffs would push Prosper into the Division II bracket. Rock Hill after their first playoff appearance in school history along with Plano East look to be the final two playoff teams, but watch out for Plano and a much-improved McKinney Boyd bunch.

After a strong 9-3 season and an area round playoff appearance, Lake Highlands with a stout running game should have enough to hold off an experienced Jesuit team for the district title. Both teams should be line for at least one playoff win, but getting to Thanksgiving weekend may be a chore. Richardson has some elite front-line talent and they are fresh off the area playoffs, but can the Eagles repeat 2024’s success? Berkner’s young talent and Pearce’s experience will be a interesting battle for the fourth and final playoff spot.

Arlington Bowie not only broke through with a district title a year ago, but the Vols also nabbed a victory in the playoffs in the process. The Vols may be dropping down to 5A in a year, but their 6A swan song will be with a young team after losing 57 seniors. That could open the door for South Grand Prairie with fifteen starters back from a playoff squad. Things get really muddled up after that with Arlington, Lamar, Martin and last year’s surprise Haltom all in strong contention for the final two playoff spots. I’m bullish on Arlington with fifty lettermen returning, but Lamar may have the district’s best front-end talent across the board.

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

• Division I Teams In BOLD
• District enrollment rank in parenthesis

District 1-6A

1. El Paso Pebble Hills (3)
2. El Paso Franklin (1)
3. El Paso Eastwood (6)
4. El Paso Eastlake (2)
5. El Paso Coronado (7)
6. El Paso Montwood (4)
7. El Paso Socorro (5)

District 2-6A

1. Midland Legacy (3)
2. Wolfforth Frenship (5)
3. Odessa Permian (1)
4. San Angelo Central (6)
5. Midland (4)
6. Odessa (2)

District 3-6A

1. North Crowley (1)
2. Mansfield (3)
3. Crowley (6)
4. Mansfield Lake Ridge (2)
5. Mansfield Legacy (T4)
6. Weatherford (7)
7. Saginaw Boswell (T4)

District 4-6A

1. Southlake Carroll (7)
2. Euless Trinity (1)
3. Trophy Club Nelson (6)
4. Haslet Eaton (2)
5. Keller Timber Creek (4)
6. Keller (5)
7. Justin Northwest (8)
8. Hurst Bell (3)
9. Keller Central (9)

District 5-6A

1. Lewisville (2)
2. Denton Guyer (7)
3. Coppell (1)
4. Lewisville Hebron (3)
5. Flower Mound Marcus (5)
6. Flower Mound (4)
7. Little Elm (8)
8. Denton Braswell (6)

District 6-6A

1. Allen (1)
2. Prosper (5)
3. Plano East (2)
4. Prosper Rock Hill (9)
5. McKinney Boyd (7)
6. Plano (4)
7. McKinney (6)
8. Princeton (8)
9. Plano West (3)

District 7-6A

1. Richardson Lake Highlands (1)
2. Dallas Jesuit (8)
3. Richardson (2)
4. Richardson Pearce (6)
5. Richardson Berkner (7)
6. Irving MacArthur (3)
7. Irving (5)
8. Irving Nimitz (4)

District 8-6A

1. South Grand Prairie (3)
2. Arlington Bowie (8)
3. Arlington (6)
4. Arlington Lamar (7)
5. Arlington Martin (2)
6. Haltom (5)
7. Grand Prairie (4)
8. Arlington Sam Houston (1)

PROJECTED DIVISION I BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS

W1 El Paso Franklin vs R2 Odessa Permian

W3 North Crowley vs R4 Haslet Eaton

W5 Lewisville vs R6 Plano East

W7 Lake Highlands vs R8 Arlington

W2 Midland Legacy vs R1 El Paso Eastlake

W4 Euless Trinity vs R3 Mansfield Lake Ridge

W6 Allen vs R5 Coppell

W8 South Grand Prairie vs R7 Richardson

DIVISION I REGIONAL CHAMPION

North Crowley over Euless Trinity

PROJECTED DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS

W1 El Paso Pebble Hills vs R2 San Angelo Central

W3 Mansfield vs R4 Trophy Club Nelson

W5 Denton Guyer vs R6 Prosper Rock Hill

W7 Dallas Jesuit vs R8 Arlington Lamar

W2 Wolfforth Frenship vs R1 El Paso Eastwood

W4 Southlake Carroll vs R3 Crowley

W6 Prosper vs R5 Lewisville Hebron

W8 Arlington Bowie vs R7 Richardson Pearce

DIVISION II REGIONAL CHAMPION

Southlake Carroll over Denton Guyer