These teams have one signature win and one puzzling loss through two weeks. Which version should we expect for the rest of the 2025 season?

6A: No. 20 Austin Vandegrift 

Week 1: 41-14 loss to Dripping Springs
Week 2: 35-14 win over Cedar Park

The longer Drew Sanders coaches, the more he realizes how correct the legend Bill Parcells was when he said football is a humbling game. In their season opener after winning the first state championship in school history, Preseason No.6-ranked Austin Vandegrift suffered a shocking 41-14 blowout to then-No. 37 Dripping Springs. After falling behind 20-0, Vandegrift did claw back to 20-14 and had a chance to steal momentum after forcing a 3rd and 30. But a coverage bust from a defense breaking in nine new starters put a damper on the comeback hopes.  

Vandegrift quickly learned that last year's team is not this year's team. But Sanders said two of the biggest playmakers from 2024, quarterback Miles Teodecki and wide receiver Brock Chilton, led the response throughout last week's practice and a 35-14 win over rival Cedar Park. 

"Their attitude was ridiculously good that next week," Sanders said. "They were humble. They worked to fix their mistakes. And then, of course, Miles threw for over 200 yards and Brock had 10 catches. Those two stood out to me because here are two guys who won a state championship, didn't play like they wanted to in the first game. They just went back to work and were coachable. That was super impressive to me."

Sanders, a defensive coach by trade, said that side of the ball was vastly improved against Cedar Park. Parker Davis, a Second Team All-District 25-6A linebacker in 2024, had a big bounce-back performance. The Vipers benefited from the return of junior strong safety Griffin Gorrebeeck. The staff is impressed with sophomore nose tackle Gavin Law through the first two weeks. Law had the tall task of replacing last year's unanimous District MVP, Ian Witt. 

While the Cedar Park win was promising, the Timberwolves are still a Class 5A program that hasn't had a 10-win season since 2020, leaving questions about this Vandegrift team's ceiling before entering district play against Round Rock Stony Point this week. 

5A: Frisco Emerson

Week 1: 21-17 win over McKinney
Week 2: 30-0 loss to Frisco Reedy

Frisco Emerson had plenty of question marks heading into the season. Defensive coordinator Billy Ellis was elevated to head coach after Kendall Miller took the Plano ISD Athletic Director job in late May. The Mavericks also had to replace 11 seniors who signed to play college football.

Outside observers have even more questions after two weeks. Emerson beat Class 6A McKinney, but was blanked by fellow FISD school Reedy in Week 2. Ellis says his team actually moved the ball better against Reedy, even in a shutout. The Mavericks turned the ball over on downs inside Reedy territory, threw an interception on Reedy's 4-yard line and had a rolled field goal snap, all within the first half. 

The last two senior classes to graduate from Emerson were part of the school's opening in 2021. Most had four years of starting experience. Now, Emerson is a young team. Ellis is playing five freshmen in Class 5A football. But the team does have an explosive wide receiver corps, headlined by Texas State commit Blake McLane, that gives the offense a high ceiling. 

4A: West Orange-Stark

Week 1: 32-24 win over Newton
Week 2: 14-6 loss to Nederland

West Orange-Stark's first two weeks are hard to make sense of for multiple reasons. The Mustangs haven't played a team in its own classification. The win came over Newton, ranked No.5 in Class 3A DII, while the loss came to Class 5A Nederland, a predicted fourth-place finisher in District 8-5A DII. The styles of game were also polar opposites: Newton was an offensive shootout, while Nederland was a defensive slugfest. West Orange-Stark put up 400 yards of offense but only scored six points in five red zone trips. 

West Orange-Stark's Week 3 game against Waco La Vega will be a barometer for what to expect this season. Last year, the Mustangs beat Waco La Vega in Week 3 before losing to them in the second round.

West Orange-Stark's defense has been impressive through two weeks facing Newton star running back Kendray Porter Jr. and a 5A Nederland program. Linebackers Anterrion Fontenot (15 tackles, two forced fumbles and a touchdown against Newton) and Jonathan Johnson have been standouts, while defensive tackle J'Terrion Levi rounds out a terrific front seven. On the backend, Ricky St. Julien was mentioned as a top performer. 

3A: Goliad

Week 1: 20-14 win over East Bernard
Week 2: 38-7 loss to Tidehaven

Class 3A DI Goliad has played two preseason top-15 DII teams with mixed results. After a six-point win over preseason No.11 East Bernard, Goliad got smoked by Tideaven 38-7. Losing to Tidehaven, a popular state championship pick, was not shocking, but the margin raised some eyebrows in the TXHSFB world. 

Goliad played without six starters, five of whom went both ways, against Tidehaven. The absence of lineman D'Adrian Tinney-Anderson (UTEP commit) and right guard/defensive end Jayden Valdez made it hard for Goliad to open rushing lanes for dynamic running backs Lamont Franklin and Donovan Perry. Goliad kept it close with a 17-7 score deep into the third quarter, but a fumble and interception inside Tidehaven's ten-yard line put the game out of reach.

Coach Kevin Salazar says that none of the injuries are season-ending, and playing shorthanded in non-district could help his squad build depth for the playoffs. 

"The great thing we feel right now is that the guys that are playing for them right now are getting better and learning from their mistakes," Salazar said. "That's where we feel like we’re adding that depth."

Goliad has one more non-district game (Vanderbilt Industrial) before kicking off the district slate with a trip to Mathis on September 26.

2A: No. 4 Garrison

Week 1: 39-19 win over Waskom
Week 2: 44-9 loss to Arp

One week after a signature 20-point win over preseason No. 3-ranked Waskom, Garrison got blown out by Class 3A DII Arp. A loss to a team in a higher classification is understandable, but the score was puzzling given that Garrison beat Arp last year 27-26. But the game was not as lopsided as it appears. Garrison held a high-powered Arp offense to 300 yards. Garrison also coughed the ball up four times and surrendered two defensive touchdowns. 

Early-season inconsistencies aren't uncommon for a team as young as Garrison, with just six seniors suiting up. I would still stick with the preseason Region III finalist prediction from the 2025 Dave Campbell's Magazine. The September 19 match against Class 2A DII's No.9-ranked Lovelady will be the next big test to see how Garison stacks up with fellow 2A schools.