The Texas Associated Press recently released the preseason polls for the 2016 season. Come no surprise, the defending state champion Katy Tigers are ranked as the No. 1 team in 6A Texas football. Katy is returning only seven starters after last season’s perfect 16-0 record. Despite the lack of experience, the Tigers still received 14 first place votes.
Behind Katy, the Lake Travis Cavaliers are ranked No. 2 in polls receiving five first place votes. The Cavaliers open their season on Aug. 26 against a tough Converse Judson squad—ranked No. 10 in the polls.
Cedar Hill isn’t far behind at No. 3. The Longhorns received three first place votes and rank just above the No. 4 Allen Eagles who received two first place votes. Cedar Hill is scheduled to play in one of the most anticipated high school football games of the year against Bishop Gorman on ESPN 2. If the Longhorns come out of that game victorious, they’ll likely jump up to the No. 1 spot.
The Allen Eagles, famous for their 60-plus million dollar home stadium, open their season against one of Alabama’s best—Hoover High.
Austin Westlake rounds out the top-five preseason rankings of 6A schools joining Lake Travis as another central Texas powerhouse.
In the 5A preseason polls, the Aledo Bearcats sit narrowly atop the list just in front of Cedar Park and Denton Ryan. The Bearcats received only seven first place votes and open the season with arguably their toughest game on their schedule against Colleyville Heritage.
Cedar Park may be ranked as the No. 2 team in 5A but they still received nine first place votes. The Timberwolves are riding a 16-game winning streak and a 2015 state championship heading into the season. To add to that, Cedar Park is returning eleven starters.
As for the 4A preseason rankings, the AP polls have Argyle atop the list. The Eagles are returning 12 starters, including quarterback Dane Ledford who passed for 20 touchdowns and ran for another six.
The West-Orange Stark Mustangs are ranked as the No. 2 team in 4A as they received 12 first place votes.
It’s never too early to start thinking about Texas high school football—especially with only 15 days until the season. For a full look at the polls you can follow this link.
