Tony Venegas
Last year, this district was dominated by two teams: Round Rock Cedar Ridge and Round Rock High and both teams are going through major changes.
Cedar Ridge has a new head coach in former defensive coordinator Shawn Robinson after Shawn Bell left for Baylor. Round Rock loses several seniors from a special group that made a surprise run to the Class 6A Division 1 Regional Finals.
That said, I still think Cedar Ridge will find a way to come out on top again. It may take some time for the new pieces to come together, but the Raiders should have a solid bunch led by Jaylen Ellis and company.
Prediction: Round Rock Cedar Ridge
Cody Daniel
Top to bottom, this is a district that shouldn’t be too exceptional in 2017. As is, several teams are already middle of the road in comparison to the rest of the state’s 6A competition and last season’s powers, Round Rock and Cedar Ridge, will each likely be taking a step back after losing tons of productivity.
That said, I think Cedar Ridge returns just enough talent to fill voids, as Round Rock’s losses are too much to overcome in one offseason. The Dragons lose several playmakers, the bulk of a dominant offensive line and a substantial portion of a defense that still struggled in 2016. Cedar Ridge will also be plugging in playmakers at key positions, but I see the edge going to Cedar Ridge in this district simply because there isn’t any other team that still boasts they talent they do.
Prediction: Round Rock Cedar Ridge
Hunter Cooke
There are going to be a lot of changes in this district, and with those changes, I have to give the edge to the most stable team, and that’s Cedar Ridge. The Raiders only lost one game in 2016, and it was to a state semifinalist in overtime. They’ll have a massive test in Week Two when they travel to Waco to take on Tanner Mordecai and Midway, and then they have Temple in Week Four, but when in-district competition starts, I expect Cedar Ridge to be absolutely smoking people. Don’t get me wrong, I like Round Rock and what they did last year as well, I just like Cedar Ridge more.
Prediction: Round Rock Cedar Ridge
Jonathan Rodriguez
New head coach Sam Robinson takes over a Cedar Ridge program that went 11-1 and accomplished feats such as going undefeated in the regular season for the first time and defeating their district rival Round Rock for the first time.
From that squad Cedar Ridge has lost 11 first-team all-district seniors including quarterback Garrett Sharp who was one of the best area quarterbacks around.
Round Rock, even with their first loss to Cedar Ridge, had their best season to date since 1914 by finishing the season at 10-4 and having the deepest playoff run in school history. Round Rock will be returning a potent ground game in the duo of running backs Malik Pena and Marquis Brown and have an experienced coach in Jeff Cheatham who has a 6-4 record in the postseason in his time with Round Rock.
I think it will be hard for Cedar Ridge to match a season as special as last year’s and I like what Round Rock returns in the run game so I’m picking Round Rock as my district favorite.
Prediction: Round Rock
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