Stepp's 4A DI Region IV Picks: District Projections and Playoff Outlook

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 13-4A Division I

1. San Antonio Davenport
2. Austin LBJ
3. Canyon Lake
4. Kerrville Tivy
5. Taylor
6. Fredericksburg
7. Austin Travis
8. Austin Northeast

This is a far flung Region IV district that stretches northeast of Austin, through the city of Austin then skirts the western edges of San Antonio and juts out into the Hill Country. It’s also a very tough district featuring six playoff teams from 2025 and one other team that was 4-6. Davenport’s quickly established themselves as a power in the Alamo City with a state semifinal run in 2024 and a 13-1 mark a year ago. This may be the Wolves last stint at the 4A level and they plan to make the most of it with a veteran offense. For LBJ, the Jags are definitely welcoming the tougher district competition to prep them for the playoffs. There’s a lot of youth on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense will be the calling card with seven starters back. Tivy, down from Class 5A, has a strong group of skill players back but questions at QB and on defense will need to be answered. Both Taylor and Fredericksburg should be improved, but I don’t see either being in the playoff race barring an upset or two.

District 14-4A Division I

1. La Vernia
2. Somerset
3. Floresville
4. Uvalde
5. Pleasanton
6. San Antonio Creek View
7. San Antonio Kennedy

This is a San Antonio-area based district that moves on down into South Texas with the inclusion of Uvalde. La Vernia, who has won the regional title in back-to-back years, must replace eight starters on defense, but they still have a big and physical offensive line and QB Cooper Null to pilot the attack. The big question will be at RB after star RB Ty Carter transferred to Alamo Heights before being ruled ineligible. Does he return to La Vernia to play his senior season? Somerset has maybe the most explosive WR duo in all of Class 4A in Malakai Iverson and Shamar Nichols. The question with the Bulldogs will be how the front seven on defense can hold up? Floresville may have the best passing QB in the district in Drake Coronado; the Tigers return a load of experience and should be a playoff team. The battle for the four seed is interesting. Uvalde gets the early nod based on experience; Pleasanton appears to be in a bit of a down cycle and new school Creek View is a total mystery box heading into Year 1.

District 15-4A Division I

1. Corpus Christi Calallen
2. Corpus Christi Miller
3. Port Lavaca Calhoun
4. Tuloso-Midway
5. Corpus Christi King
6. Beeville Jones
7. Corpus Christi Moody

We move down to the Coastal Bend for this intriguing district race as the 361 will need to be accounted for when it comes to the regional race. Calallen, after a 10-3 mark a year ago, is primed for a big season. The Wildcats have good depth and numbers and that could result in a bona fide regional contender. Miller, down from 5A, has a new coach and some really intriguing talent, but they are very young. They’ll be in the mix but the Bucs are a year away. Calhoun is another team with good returning numbers and they’ve won three playoff games the past two years. So you can’t discount them along with Tuloso-Midway, which after being a doormat for a long time has quietly asserted themselves as a consistent winner. King was 0-10 a year ago, but the Mustangs drop to 4A in Year 2 under Austin Menner and they return 40 - YES 40 - lettermen along with 19 starters. They’ll be one of South Texas’ most improved teams.

District 16-4A Division I

1. Edcouch-Elsa
2. Alice
3. Zapata
4. Hidalgo
5. Pharr Valley View

There are a lot of question marks going into the playoffs in this district as no teams stands above the rest as that sure fire pick. Edcouch-Elsa gets the nod as the Yellow Jackets have past pedigree. They saw success a year ago (a 5A playoff team) and they bring just enough back. La Maquina only has three starters back on defense, but that’s still enough to give them an edge over Alice, which stumbled to just one win a year ago while being nomads as their stadium was being rebuilt. Alice is back home in 2026 and with 15 starters back, expect major improvement as they also drop back down from 5A. Zapata will be improved. While I expect Hidalgo to struggle, they only need to beat Valley View to get in. There’s no regional contenders in this district and I think the ceiling for Edcouch and Alice may be winning a first-round playoff game.

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS AND PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

W13 San Antonio Davenport vs F14 Uvalde

R16 Alice vs T15 Port Lavaca Calhoun

W14 La Vernia vs F13 Kerrville Tivy

R15 Corpus Christi Miller vs T16 Zapata

W15 Corpus Christi Calallen vs F16 Hidalgo

R14 Somerset vs T13 Canyon Lake

W16 Edcouch-Elsa vs F15 Tuloso-Midway

R13 Austin LBJ vs T14 Floresville

The top half of the bracket is what I'd call the "dirty side" and if a young Corpus Christi Miller squad starts peaking late, they could be real dangerous, especially in the area round for two-time defending regional champion La Vernia. Davenport should cruise into Thanksgiving weekend based on my projections. Calallen and Somerset in the area round should be box office as well, while LBJ should cruise into a regional semifinal much like district rival Davenport.

REGIONAL CHAMPION

San Antonio Davenport over Corpus Christi Calallen