Tony Venegas
The top of this DFW heavy district is very strong. Dallas Jesuit returns as the two-time defending district champion, Coppell brings back a lot of talent and Dallas Skyline will have another year of experience under their belts led by dynamic quarterback Velton Gardner. This race should be close just like last year.
Ultimately, I like Coppell to come out on top in 9-6A. With all the talent they have coming back on offense in quarterback Brady McBride and his receivers (Blake Jackson, Gabriel Lemons), the Cowboys are primed to knock Dallas Jesuit off the throne. On that note with Coppell, athlete Jonathan McGill should be flying all over the field and I like the versatility that he brings to the field.
Prediction: Coppell
Cody Daniel
Dallas Jesuit seeks its third straight district title and the only school that may have a real say in the matter is Coppell. Each team loses a fair amount with Jesuit’s losses primarily coming on the offensive side of the ball and defense being the biggest hit for Coppell.
The old adage ‘defense wins championships’ comes to mind here and with Coppell losing its top four leading tackles from 2016, headlined by linebackers Ryan Finglass and Eric Loop. While Jesuit returns key contributors from an offense that churned out 55 points per game in strict play, I give Jesuit the edge here as the favorite to win a third straight league title.
Prediction: Jesuit
Jonathan Rodriguez
Dallas Jesuit has been the victor the past two years as they have come out as district champions and staved off some stiff competition especially with district foes Coppell and Dallas Skyline. Jesuit will play some of the best competition in the state with non-district opponents DeSoto, Plano East and Lake Travis on the schedule which seemed to benefit them last year in the district as they went unscathed in district play.
Coppell on the other hand may be in better position this year to pry away the district title from Jesuit. If Coppell would have defeated Jesuit then Coppell would be the one the district is aiming for. Fortunately for Coppell, the amount of returning talent they have versus the amount of talent Jesuit is losing puts Coppell in the driver’s seat practically.
Jesuit loses quarterback Jacob Palisch, running backs Evan Jackson and John Wunderlick, defensive lineman Andrew Miskell and Jack Metz and four first-team all-district offensive linemen.
Coppell however returns quarterback and District MVP Brady McBride for a third year, four of their offensive line starters and Defensive Newcomer of the Year Jonathan McGill at the safety position. Coppell also has a receiving corps composed of Blake Jackson, Gabe Lemons along with McGill that combined for 1,634 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
With what Coppell returns versus what Jesuit loses, I favor Coppell to win the district.
Prediction: Coppell
Hunter Cooke
Jesuit is the tempting pick because of the losses Coppell has on defense, but I’m still taking the Cowboys.
They return quarterback Brady McBride and a ton of weapons, and that should be enough to get revenge on Dallas Jesuit and stave off a very good squad from Dallas Skyline. Coppell put together a very strong late season run during the playoffs, and that momentum combined with the firepower they return makes them a very enticing pick here.
Prediction: Coppell
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