Playoffs aren’t decided in the first week of the season, but it generally gives teams a good indicator on where they stand, and what they need to work on. There are several dozen games in Southeast Texas area during Week 1, but here are seven that will have fans chomping at the bit as August ends and September begins.
Port Neches-Groves at Silsbee
Port Neches-Groves ran away with this game at home last year, and it was the debut of Silsbee coach Randy Smith. Both teams went to the playoffs last year, and both teams should be back in postseason this fall. Silsbee only gets four home games in 2017, and this will be the first game on the new grass at Tiger Stadium.
2016 Result: PNG 54, Silsbee 27
Newton at Kirbyville
Newton’s run to the state quarterfinals and 13-0 start began with a home win over the Wildcats last year. Kirbyville made the playoffs in 2016, but this school probably needs football to start after all the tragedy and bad news in May and June, including the departure of coaches.
2016 Result: Newton 27, Kirbyville 0
Jasper at Little Cypress-Mauriceville
LCM’s schedule starts with Jasper and West Orange-Stark, not an easy task. LCM isn’t picked to make the playoffs this year after finishing third in a pretty good district last year. Jasper is East Texas tough and looks to build on last year’s regional appearance.
2016 Result: Jasper 25, LCM 13
West Orange-Stark at Nederland
How good is West Orange-Stark going to be and can Nederland start a new playoff streak after missing out last year? Those are the two questions heading into this one. WO-S is looking for a third-straight state championship, and this should be a good indicator on how good they’ll be.
2016 Result: WO-S 42, Nederland 0
Beaumont Central at Beaumont West Brook
No SETX list would be complete without an all-Beaumont game. Though they’re not in the same athletic district, they both made the playoffs last year. West Brook plays in a very tough district, and they’ll need to beat their city rivals to get off on a good start to the season.
2016 Result: West Brook 33, Central 21
Woodville at Corrigan-Camden
Woodville looks to build upon last year’s momentum that included an 11-2 record, regional appearance and a thrashing of their season opener. Corrigan-Camden was a playoff team, with their playoff loss to state semifinalist Arp.
2016 Result: Woodville 51, Corrigan-Camden 0
Hardin-Jefferson at Coldspring-Oakhurst
Every game but one on this list has at least one team with a hyphen in its name. This one has two. This matchup is also the only one that’s not a rematch of 2016. That aside, both of these squads made the playoffs last year and will look for a great opening Friday night to catapult another playoff run in 2017.
2016 Result: Did not play
