Stepp's 4A DII Region I Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 1-4A Division II

1. El Paso Irvin
2. Clint
3. Clint Mountain View
4. Fabens
5. El Paso Bowie

The El Paso area now has their own Division II district and that should be of big benefit to the smaller 4A programs in the area. Irvin’s enrollment has dropped significantly in the past 10 years, but HC Jonathan Elliott has helped stabilize things on the field. Irvin won just five games in the three years before he arrived. Now he’s led them to back-to-back playoff appearances and the Rockets look to be the favorite. Clint is a throwback team - they run the flexbone and are a tough team to prepare for and they are generally one of the toughest teams in the 915. They, along with Clint ISD rival Mountain View, both return 17 starters and will contend for the two seed. Fabens gets the nod for the final playoff spot over rebuilding El Paso Bowie.

District 2-4A Division II

1. Seminole
2. Big Spring
3. Fort Stockton
4. Pecos
5. Monahans
6. Snyder

Out in the Permian Basin, Seminole is the consensus pick to roll to a district title in 2026. The Indians have been among the most consistent programs in West Texas. SHS has great team speed and if their young QB can mature, they’ll be a contender for a regional crown once again. Big Spring has a new head coach in Stacey Martin and a new attitude. They are hoping the drop to Division II could be of benefit and they’ll fight for the two seed with another team with a new head coach in Fort Stockton. Pecos, with a veteran offense, could be primed to make a move up from the four seed. Monahans and Snyder are traditional powers out west who will be playing extremely young teams in 2026. Keep an eye on Snyder in 2027 and 2028 as they could make a big move forward.

District 3-4A Division II

1. Lubbock Cooper Liberty
2. Lubbock Estacado
3. Levelland
4. Perryton
5. Borger

Travel is extensive in this district as there’s just short route to Perryton, which is closer to Kansas than it is to Lubbock. Door to door from Lubbock Cooper Liberty to Perryton is 255 miles! LC Liberty is the far and away favorite in this district and a bona fide regional contender as they return an incredible 45 lettermen and 15 total starters. Just from a numbers standpoint, this is a team that could be poised to do some damage. Estacado, who was an area round playoff team a year ago, looks ready to take a step forward with 16 starters back, but they’ve got a big gap to make up to close on Liberty. Levelland could be a real sleeper as Lyle Leong welcomes back eight starters on both sides of the ball. The Lobos could have their best team in years. Perryton gets the nod for fourth over a rebuilding Borger squad under a new head coach.

District 4-4A Division II

1. Brock
2. Graham
3. Iowa Park
4. Mineral Wells
5. Burkburnett
6. Bridgeport

Since moving up to Class 4A in 2024, Brock’s continued their mastery of Region I as the Eagles have won the region in back-to-back years. They were not challenged last season as their four regional playoff wins were all by 21 points or more. Brock will once again be the heavy favorite in the district, but if Graham’s young defense can mature, the Steers could be primed to challenge the Eagles like in 2024 when they split with Brock. Iowa Park could be a big mover as legendary head coach Weldon Nelms returns to the sidelines, but Mineral Wells will be right in the mix as well. Burkburnett expects to be improved and hopes to contend for a playoff spot.

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS AND PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

W1 El Paso Irvin vs F2 Pecos

R4 Graham vs T3 Levelland

W2 Seminole vs F1 Fabens

R3 Lubbock Estacado vs T4 Iowa Park

W3 Lubbock Cooper Liberty vs F4 Mineral Wells

R2 Big Spring vs T1 Clint Mountain View

W4 Brock vs F3 Perryton

R1 Clint vs T2 Fort Stockton

Will 2026 be another run away for Brock? I don’t think so. Brock is still the team to beat, but the region overall has improved greatly. There’s a clear top four in this group and all four teams are spaced out enough to where we could have two tremendous regional semifinal games. A Thanksgiving weekend showdown with Lubbock Cooper Liberty could be the actual regional title game, but Graham’s veteran offense is going to have a say along with always tricky Seminole. Those two could meet in the semifinals on the other side. How about a Thanksgiving weekend doubleheader maybe in Abilene or Sweetwater?

REGIONAL CHAMPION

Brock over Graham