Stepp's 2A DI Region III Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 9-2A Division I

1. Cooper
2. Honey Grove
3. Wolfe City
4. Tom Bean
5. Whitewright
6. Bogota Rivercrest
7. Trenton

There’s a lot of turnover in this blended Texoma/Northeast Texas district, which means there’s balance and a lot of uncertainty headed into the 2026 campaign. Cooper stumbled to a 5-6 mark a year ago, but the Bulldogs have renewed optimism with new heads coach Bruce Silman and eight starters back on both sides of the ball. Honey Grove played for a regional title in 2024 and has posted four straight seasons of nine wins or more, but the Warriors were gutted by graduation. Can the winning culture remain? Wolfe City lost their head coach and a Division I running back. Most of the team returns as 22 lettermen are back ,but how will the Wolves adapt to new schemes? Tom Bean, Whitewright and what should be a massively improved Rivercrest squad battle things out for the final playoff spot, with the early edge going to Tom Bean.

District 10-2A Division I

1. Price Carlisle
2. Cayuga
3. Frankston
4. Hawkins
5. Kerens
6. Como-Pickton
7. Alba-Golden

This East Texas district holds plenty of intrigue heading into the season as it appears after a couple of down years Price Carlisle is back as a contender. The Indians were a surprise regional semi-finalist in Clay Baker’s return and with seven back on both sides of the ball, the pieces are in place for a run. Frankston was a chic pick to win Region II a year ago. Things were looking good after an 11-0 start, but an embarrassing blowout loss to DeLeon in which Frankston allowed 74 points ended the dream season. Frankston will be young in 2026 and that opens the door for a veteran squad from Cayuga to ascend to the two-line. With 18 starters back, Hawkins has a wealth of experience and they are battled-hardened from an old district that featured Beckville, Elysian Fields and Waskom. Give the Hawks the edge over Kerens, which has a new coach in 2026.

District 11-2A Division I

1. Beckville
2. Waskom
3. Omaha Pewitt
4. Elysian Fields
5. Union Grove
6. Harleton
7. Ore City

This typically powerful East Texas loop has plenty of questions going into 2026 as the key contenders all suffered some heavy graduation losses. Beckville has been a consistent contender over the past eight seasons or so, but they haven’t had that breakthrough with a regional title. With six starters back on both sides of the ball, there’s good experience returning but who will emerge as the key playmakers in 2026? Waskom had high-hopes for a run in 2025, but things ended in the area round. WHS does have a good base to build on with a defense that returns seven starters but the offense has a lot of holes to fill with just two back. Pewitt is best positioned to leap into that two spot as the Brahmas return 16 total starters from a playoff team. Will Pewitt’s depth hold up in this balanced district is the question that needs to be answered. Elysian Fields will have to replace Brandon “Nunu” Kennedy ,who was a massive part of the ‘Jackets attack in 2025 when they went 11-2 a year ago. EFHS has the pieces to still get into the playoffs, but contending for a district crown without Kennedy is going to be a major challenge.

District 12-2A Division I

1. Joaquin
2. San Augustine
3. Garrison
4. Timpson
5. Shelbyville
6. Hemphill

Joaquin hasn’t won the district title the past two years, but the Rams in the playoffs have been a wagon winning the region the last two seasons and playing for a state title a year ago. With seven starters back on both sides of the ball, the Rams enter 2026 as the district favorite. San Augustine had a major breakout in 2025 advancing to the regional finals a year ago; the Wolves split with Joaquin winning the regular season matchup before falling in the playoffs. SAHS brings back a veteran defense with eight starters returning. If they can fill some holes specifically in the trenches the Wolves will be dangerous. An interesting storyline is developing in the middle of the district as former Timpson HC Kerry Therwhanger is back on the sidelines at rival Garrison. If Timpson’s young defense can grow up the Bears should be a threat. However, if they falter, Shelbyville is a real factor for a playoff spot.

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS AND PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

W9 Cooper vs F10 Hawkins

R12 San Augustine vs T11 Omaha Pewitt

W10 Price Carlisle vs F9 Tom Bean

R11 Waskom vs T12 Garrison

W11 Beckville vs F12 Timpson

R10 Cayuga vs T9 Wolfe City

W12 Joaquin vs F11 Elysian Fields

R9 Honey Grove vs T10 Frankston

The Piney Woods district has absolutely dominated this region over the past few years with Timpson winning four straight regional crowns and Joaquin posting the last two regional crowns. Often the team that the regional winner plays in round four is a district rival. Based on the number of question marks with a lot of the teams in the district a 12-2A rematch could again be in the cards and this time we’ll go with a role reversal, Joaquin wins the regular season meeting and San Augustine takes the playoff matchup.

REGIONAL CHAMPION

San Augustine over Joaquin