Jonathan Rodriguez
No two teams in the greater San Antonio area epitomize high school football in Texas better than Converse Judson and Cibolo Steele in my opinion.
Steele has to reload after making it all the way to the state championship game and giving DeSoto its best efforts while Judson will once again be hell bent on claiming the program’s seventh state championship and first since 2002.
Steele will have to replace Xavier Martin at quarterback but the return of their running back Brenden Brady and wide receiver Onyx Smith should help the new signal caller and put the offense at a certain level of comfort. Steele will once again bring a dangerous defense with an elite secondary led by top prospect Caden Sterns and defensive backs JT Woods and JayVeon Cardwell.
Judson has many of their starters returning from last year’s 9-3 squad with quarterback Julon Williams returning with his dual-threat ability and some gritty players on defense in the likes of defensive end Demarvin Leal and linebacker Brody Stoepler.
I like what Steele is bringing on both fronts and think have a good opportunity to repeat as district champions.
Prediction: Cibolo Steele
Cody Daniel
It’s hard to imagine any program other than Cibolo Steele or Converse Judson emerging as the headliner of District 27-6A next season. The Knights and Rockets each enter the season with legitimate state championship hopes and rosters that are absolutely abundant in talent.
The difference will likely come down to whether or not Steele’s edge in terms of Division I talent in bulk is enough to overcome the experience edge Judson will enjoy. This is most notable after Steele replaces Xavier Martin at quarterback, while Judson’s Julon Williams may dominate any and every defense he sees next season.
This may very well be a district decided by just one game when Steele and Judson meet in late September. I think the Knights featuring future college talents at seemingly every area of the field, such as Texas safety commit Caden Sterns, Rice running back commit Brenden Brady, Oklahoma State cornerback pledge JayVeon Cardwell and Bowling Green wide receiver commit Onyx Smith, will simply be a bit too much for the district to overcome.
Prediction: Cibolo Steele
Tony Venegas
Simply put, this district is very strong at the top. With state finalist Cibolo Steele and blue blood Converse Judson to go with an always-solid Smithson Valley team and even Schertz Clemens and New Braunfels, there aren’t many easy tests in this district.
That said, the district could very well come down to two teams in 2017: The Judson Rockets and the Steele Knights. Cibolo Steele enters the new year with a new coach and a new quarterback, but still plenty of talent on defense for David Saenz to work with. Meanwhile, Judson seems to be a team on the rise with quarterback Julon Williams back for his senior year and defensive end Demarvin Leal anchors a stout Rocket defense that returns nine starters
I do like Steele to hold serve and take home the district title again by a razor-thin margin. On that note, Steele-Judson may be one of the best games on the calendar this season and very well could be the deciding game.
Prediction: Cibolo Steele
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What about Smithson Valley? They aren’t the favorites but I’d at least put them in the discussion.