HUNTER: Man, I really think that this is the year that a new 6A team is going to break through, that we’re going to see some different names in deep playoff rounds, or familiar names that just haven’t made it that far in recent years.
TONY: I’m with you there. There are definitely a lot of teams out there that bring major talent back for 2017. After a down year for some teams and with teams losing a lot of talent, I think that opens the door for these breakout teams.
HUNTER: I don’t know about you, but I’m really high on Odessa Permian, for starters. Blake Feldt told you that this was going to be his best team he’s had, and from what I saw of them in 2016, they were just young. They had some talent, had some speed, but they needed to hit a couple growth spurts and get some experience under their belts.
TONY: I definitely agree on Permian. They had a couple of really close losses last year in District 2-6A that would have been the difference between making the postseason and staying home. Their district is very tough, but there is certainly a lot of opportunity there for them and another team out of that district: Wolfforth Frenship.
HUNTER: Didn’t they have, like, three one-point losses?
TONY: They lost two games by one point and they lost a big lead to Frenship in the second half. All three of those games happened consecutively (Frenship, Midland High, Amarillo Tascosa) and that really stung the Panthers to be so close. If they win a couple of those games, you and I might be having a different conversation about them.
HUNTER: They played San Angelo Central very close too, and everyone who saw Central last year had a really high opinion of them. They have so much talent coming back, especially on defense. They’ll lose a few huge names, like Kobe Robinson, but the core of their team returns. Central smashed onto the scene in 2016 with a great senior class, and we’ll never know how they could’ve done due to weather. Allen still might have beat them, but I would’ve liked to see that game without the weather. Odessa Permian has the chance to be that team out of West Texas this year.
TONY: I agree. Like I said before, Permian plays in a tough district. That might be the one thing that holds them back. Frenship with a new coach will be a major challenge, San Angelo Central and Midland High are all losing big senior classes and Amarillo Tascosa is a tough team to gameplan for. Permian will get some good tests out of non-district play, but if they start steamrolling people, that will definitely catch some eyes from outside of West Texas.
HUNTER: Let’s move on from Permian. Who else do you think is going to be a dark horse next season?
TONY: I like the Coppell Cowboys. I wrote about them yesterday and they have a very good team coming back. They lose a lot on defense (especially at linebacker) but the offense under quarterback Brady McBride should be very good again. Watch out for rising junior Jonathan McGill. He finished with seven interceptions as a sophomore and I could see him as a breakout star in 2017.
HUNTER: Everything comes back to Allen, huh? I agree, they were a young team, and they played a very good Allen team very well. I’m right with you there, but the losses at linebacker can be concerning. I don’t think I’m as high on them as you are, but I still like what they bring back, especially offensively.
TONY: It might take the defense some time to get settled, but I think Coppell’s offense can help them. They’ll try to break through and capture a district title over Dallas Jesuit, who beat them convincingly last year and who I think will be very tough again this year. We’ll see how good the Rangers are early, since they play DeSoto, Plano East, and Lake Travis in non-district play. Side note: That has to be one of the hardest non-district schedules in the state.
HUNTER: If you can make it even halfway out of DFW, we can officially call you an upper class team. It’s incredibly difficult, every single year the big cities have the best early round matchups in the playoffs.
TONY: For sure. Speaking of tough playoff matchups, how about some of the ones we saw in the Houston area this year?
HUNTER: The fact that Katy didn’t make it out of Houston this year meant that Houston was pretty good. Now, I want to flip this to a team that lost to one of those Houston area schools – Sachse.
TONY: Sachse was really good last year. I feel like they went well under the radar last season. I’m interested to see how the offense reloads, especially with former offensive coordinator Jay Northcutt now at Frenship.
HUNTER: Yes, Jay Northcutt leaves, but look at everyone they bring back. Jalen Mayden. Drue Jackson. Isaiah Humphries. Tyler Lacy. Hunter Spears. Yes, they will lose key cogs in the Mustang machine, but what they bring back makes them dangerous. They struggled in a few games that they shouldn’t have last season, but their talent is undeniable. They only lost in a slugfest to The Woodlands, a state finalist. Basically, I think that they have too much talent and continuity coming back. They’re dangerous, and we might see them upset some longstanding DFW titans like a Cedar Hill or an Allen.
TONY: That could be very true. I feel like Region II could be pretty wide open next year. There is The Woodlands and Sachse, but do you see anybody else coming out of that region who can make some noise?
HUNTER: If it’s going to be anyone, it’s going to be Lufkin. But, I want to take it back to Region I real quick and talk about Waco Midway. Have you seen what they’ll have back after a very good year?
TONY: Waco Midway is an interesting team. James Fullbright put up some really good numbers as a sophomore and I expect he’ll be good again in 2017. The only thing that’s concerning to me is who they would draw in that first round. When you have to face a team like Cedar Hill, DeSoto, or even Duncanville in your first playoff game, that’s a tough matchup.
HUNTER: I agree, and it’s part of why I’m back and forth on them as a dark horse team – they have to get through murderer’s row in the first few rounds. They’re talented, but they’ll have to be completely and totally locked in for all 288 minutes of 6 postseason games if they’re going to win a state title. I do honestly believe that they have the capability, but out of all of the teams mentioned so far, they’ll likely have the toughest road by far.
TONY: Let’s move a little bit more central to San Antonio and Austin. People know the big names: Lake Travis, Cibolo Steele, Austin Westlake and so on. Who stands out for you in that area?
HUNTER: Unfortunately, I don’t see any technical “dark horse” that could be dangerous, outside of San Antonio Reagan catching fire. I think it’s going to be the usual suspects. What do you think?
TONY: Reagan is an intriguing team. They’ll have a new head coach in Lyndon Hamilton who was the defensive coordinator for David Wetzel, who built up a very successful program before leaving to Baylor. I’m not sure about state title contender, but what do you think about Converse Judson?
HUNTER: Judson is a name brand team, they’re always a threat. I’d put them in the “titan” category for sure.
TONY: Let’s bring it back to the Houston area. What do you think about Katy Cinco Ranch after making a run to the state semifinals last year? I think that was one of the bigger surprises of the postseason.
HUNTER: If Temple doesn’t upset Manvel, it’s the biggest surprise state-wide, no doubt. The Houston area in 6A is losing a lot of stars. If this was last year I would’ve said Tyler Page and Friendswood were my dark horse picks. This year, I’m going with Dickinson. They return most of their offense, which showed a lot of promise, and I think they have the ability to reload that dominating defense. What do you think?
TONY: I like Dickinson as well. That defense really stuck out to me last year, but I think a lot of what goes into making a run can depend who you draw. Dickinson took down an undefeated Alief Taylor team who was very good, but you just never know how the other district is going to shake out.
HUNTER: I agree. Regardless, I really like the teams we’ve mentioned. There could be some all time classics happening if everything turns out like we see it.
TONY: For sure. I know you and I are counting down the days until the 2017 football season kicks off. It should be another wild ride.
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