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

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

District 17-6A

1. Galena Park North Shore (1)
2. Sheldon CE King (3)
3. Humble Summer Creek (2)
4. Humble Atascocita (4)
5. Humble (5)
6. Humble Kingwood (7)
7. Crosby (8)
8. Channelview (6)

Defending state champion North Shore is the headliner in this absolutely brutal district that could be the best in the state, 11-6A included. Willie Gaston’s squad only returns four starters on both sides of the ball, but that’s just on paper. The Mustangs are loaded with experience and talent across the board except for one spot - QB. The Mustangs have talent at that spot, but there is inexperience. After missing the playoffs in 2024, CE King responded with a rousing season in 2025 by beating Summer Creek twice and advancing to the state title game before falling to DeSoto. The Panthers have speed to burn on offense and a stout front seven. If there is a question mark it is in the back seven of the defense. Summer Creek moves into the Division I bracket this year and the Bulldogs again will be in the mix. Despite two losses to CE King last year, SCHS did defeat North Shore in Week 11. QB Noah Spinks, a North Carolina commit, and WR Benny Easter, a Texas Tech commit, are a lethal combination. Atascocita under new head coach Kyle Coats may have the best defense in the district with nine starters back. The Eagles have some questions to answer on offense, but expect them to be a threat in the Division II bracket. Humble and Kingwood are playoff teams in just about every other district in Texas, but the realignment draw just isn’t favorable in this meat grinder.

District 18-6A

1. Dickinson (2)
2. Clear Falls (4)
3. Deer Park (1)
4. Clear Springs (3)
5. Barbers Hill (8)
6. Clear Creek (6)
7. Clear Lake (5)
8. Clear Brook (7)

The makeover in Region III continues as this Galveston County based district moves from District 24 over to District 18, but they’ll still matchup with Houston’s version of the "District of Doom,” as District 17 was District 23. You following? After a 13-1 campaign and a run to the regional finals, Dickinson gets the nod as the favorite in the district as they have a stout defensive line and experience at the QB spot in Lorenzo Aguirre, who returns for a third season leading the offense. After the Gators, it looks like four teams are fighting for three spots. Clear Falls and Deer Park bring back a decent amount of experience from teams who made the playoffs a year ago. Clear Springs and their team speed is beneficial, but the Chargers were hit hard by graduation. Barbers Hill, up from 5A where they were a regional finalist a year ago, is the sleeper. The Eagles return a solid cast, but they’ve got two big-time transfers from the small school ranks in Baylor QB commit Luke Babin and WR Braylon Fisher.

District 19-6A

1. Pearland (2)
2. Alvin Shadow Creek (6)
3. Pearland Dawson (5)
4. Manvel (9)
5. Pasadena Dobie (1)
6. Pasadena Rayburn (8)
7. Alvin (4)
8. Clute Brazoswood (7)
9. Pasadena Memorial (3)

Pearland ran the table in this district a year ago and with seven starters back on both sides of the ball, BJ Goette’s squad is a good bet to repeat. The big questions will be breaking in new starters at QB and along the defensive line, which were strengths in 2025. Shadow Creek’s talent is not a question, but the past few seasons the Sharks haven’t had much playoff success. HC Tyrone Greene believes this SCHS team has the potential to be their best team since the 2019 title squad, so that should give Shadow Creek fans cause for optimism. I look for Dawson and Manvel to be locked in a real battle for that three-seed out of this district; both teams are a dead heat on paper. Dobie’s got the experience back on offense, but they were absolutely gutted with graduation on defense, losing 10 starters. On the other hand, Rayburn brings back all 11 starters on defense and looks to be much-improved in Year 2 of running the Slot-T offense.

District 20-6A

1. Houston Memorial (6)
2. Houston Lamar (4)
3. Houston Heights (8)
4. Houston Stratford (9)
5. Alief Taylor (5)
6. Alief Elsik (1)
7. Alief Hastings (2)
8. Houston Bellaire (3)
9. Houston Westside (7)

Houston ISD no longer has their own 6A district as now HISD’s remaining 6A programs share a loop with Alief ISD and Spring Branch ISD, which means the competition on a weekly basis should be much more competitive. Memorial was one of the real surprise stories in Houston last year going 10-2 under first-year head coach Brooks Haack. The Mustangs get the edge to win the district, but it won’t be easy with a super talented Houston Lamar squad looming. Heights is a perennial playoff team under Stephen Dixon and it seems like they’ve developed a little rivalry with Memorial & Stratford, whom they’ve played in the bi-district playoffs every year since 2021; Heights is 2-1 against Memorial and 1-1 against Stratford in those games. Stratford, which beat Heights in the playoffs last year, may take a step back as the Spartans were hit pretty hard by graduation. All three Alief schools could be party crashers in the playoffs and if one of them gets in that could push Memorial over into the Division II side of the bracket.

District 21-6A

1. Fort Bend Ridge Point (4)
2. Fort Bend Hightower (8)
3. Houston Strake Jesuit (2)
4. Fort Bend Travis (1)
5. Fort Bend Bush (7)
6. Fort Bend Elkins (3)
7. Fort Bend Clements (6)
8. Fort Bend Austin (5)

Fort Bend ISD has been dominated in recent years at the 6A level by Ridge Point and Hightower. Despite Hightower nearly dropping down to Class 5A, these two will be the teams to beat in 21-6A. Ridge Point graduated a monumental senior class loaded with FBS talent, but they couldn’t get over the hump in the playoffs losing to North Shore in the area playoffs. The Panthers have some holes to fill on offense, but the defense expects to again be outstanding with eight starters back and that’s the key to them being the district favorite. Hightower returns 15 total starters and they added Oklahoma State QB commit Carson White to the mix after his father was hired as offensive coordinator. The Hurricanes will definitely be a force with White’s game-changing ability. Strake Jesuit gets the edge for the three-seed over Travis, which is under a new coach as Kendrick Crumedy comes over from Jasper. Bush and Elkins appear to be best poised to unseat one of the four potential playoff teams.

District 22-6A

1. Katy (4)
2. Katy Jordan (3)
3. Katy Tompkins (6)
4. Katy Paetow (7)
5. Katy Cinco Ranch (2)
6. Katy Seven Lakes (1)
7. Katy Mayde Creek (9)
8. Katy Morton Ranch (8)
9. Katy Taylor (5)

All things in Katy ISD run through Katy High and that is the case once again in 2026 as the Tigers defense should be elite with seven starters back. Then you add in SMU LB commit Cade Haug to the mix and you have the makings of a lockdown unit. Now the offense has questions, but expect Katy’s ground game to be as consistent as ever and that should take the Tigers to a district crown. The big question is will they be D1 or D2, and that is likely going to be out of their control. Katy Jordan has made the third round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and with a stout offense that brings eight starters back, the Warriors will be able to put points up. Tompkins was the odd man out in the playoff race a year ago, but with RB Ethan Meadows back and Michigan CB commit Blake Jenkins returning, Todd McVey’s bunch should see a return to the playoffs. Cinco Ranch had a tremendous 2025 season, but Coach Dudley graduated 47 seniors can the Cougars hold off a talented Paetow squad that has seven starters back on both sides of the ball but also lost a big senior clas? If Cinco Ranch can get back into the playoffs, that would slide Katy over to the Division II bracket.

District 23-6A

1. Cy Ranch (2)
2. Waller (4)
3. Bridgeland (1)
4. Fulshear (3)
5. Cy Springs (6)
6. Richmond Foster (7)
7. Richmond George Ranch (8)
8. Cy Park (5)

It could be big year for Cy Ranch as they return a strong group from a squad that posted a 10-3 mark and was a recovered onside kick away from advancing to the regional finals to take on Duncanville. Will Blaylock’s squad is a complete team and definitely on the short list of contenders in the Region III race. The race for the two-seed will be hotly contested as Waller, led by junior QB TK Gaines, had a breakout 2025 campaign, while Bridgeland has one of the state’s most underrated RB’s in Kash Schwab. Fulshear, with 14 starters back, is a sleeper as the Chargers expect to be much- improved under second-year head coach Stephen Hill. They’ll be locked in a death struggle for that fourth and final playoff spot. 

District 24-6A

1. Austin Vandegrift (4)
2. Hutto (1)
3. Cedar Park Vista Ridge (2)
4. Cedar Park (6)
5. Georgetown East View (5)
6. Leander Rouse (3)
7. Leander (7)

In a bit of a surprise move, we got an Austin area district that slides over into Region III and that totally changes the dynamic of the region top to bottom. Vandegrift, who was a state champion in 2024 and a state semifinalist in 2025, has firmly established themselves among the elite in Austin. The Vipers bring back a strong core and that puts them firmly at the top of the district race. The playoff path, however, will be much tougher in Region III. Hutto, who will be under their third head coach in three seasons, has a strong group back from an area round playoff team. There’s no question the Hippos will put points up, but the length of their playoff run could come down to how their defense performs. Vista Ridge, Cedar Park and East View all were playoff teams a year ago; they look to be relatively evenly matched so that battle for the last two spots will be a tight race.

PROJECTED BI-DISTRICT MATCHUPS AND PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

DIVISION I

W17 Galena Park North Shore vs R18 Deer Park

W19 Pearland vs R20 Houston Lamar

W21 Houston Strake Jesuit vs R22 Katy Jordan

W23 Cy Ranch vs R24 Cedar Park Vista Ridge

W18 Dickinson vs R17 Humble Summer Creek

W20 Houston Memorial vs R19 Pearland Dawson

W22 Katy vs R21 Fort Bend Travis

W24 Hutto vs R23 Bridgeland

As usual, Region III in 6A Division I is going to be filed with land mines right out of the gate. Dickinson-Summer Creek and Hutto-Bridgeland are outstanding bi-district games that will draw plenty of eyes. North Shore taking on Cy Ranch Thanksgiving weekend is the regional championship in my view; a double header at NRG with Katy-Summer Creek would be a LOT of fun as well. In the end, the theme of 17-6A dominating Region III continues.

REGIONAL CHAMPION

North Shore over Humble Summer Creek

DIVISION II

W17 Sheldon CE King vs R18 Clear Springs

W19 Alvin Shadow Creek vs R20 Houston Stratford

W21 Fort Bend Ridge Point vs R22 Katy Paetow

W23 Waller vs R24 Cedar Park

W18 Clear Falls vs R17 Humble Atascocita

W20 Houston Heights vs R19 Manvel

W22 Katy Tompkins vs R21 Fort Bend Hightower

W24 Austin Vandegrift vs R23 Fulshear

Division II in 6A Region III has more depth than in recent years as you trade Summer Creek out for Atascocita. But the addition of Fort Bend Ridge Point and Austin Vandegrift adds some spice to this group. CE King and Shadow Creek in an area playoff is going to be fun; the winner's reward is Ridge Point. Atascocita and Manvel in the second round is another absolute banger along with Vandegrift taking on a much-improved Hightower squad.

REGIONAL CHAMPION

Sheldon CE King over Humble Atascocita