Regional Outlook
A year ago Morris County rivals Daingerfield and Paul Pewitt battled it out for the regional title after back to back state champion Newton was overtaken. It appears those two are ready to battle it out once again for the regional title but there are contenders lurking and the two favorites do have some potential warts.
The battle in 9-3A Division II looks to be a two-horse race as Harmony who brings eight back on both sides of the ball from a team that made the area playoffs, is picked second as West Rusk down from Division I takes the role as favorite. The Raiders are not only the district favorite, but they could emerge as a chief challenger in the region.
A year ago, Daingerfield won the regular season meeting, but in the regional finals Paul Pewitt got their revenge with a memorable comeback win in front of a packed house in Mount Pleasant in the regional finals. Both Pewitt and Daingerfield bring back similar numbers and although Pewitt has a new coaching staff, the Brahmas get the slight edge over Daingerfield at least in the regular season. DeKalb and Hooks both are solid teams and, in most districts, would contend for the title, but in 10-3A Division II they resigned to playing for third place.
11-3A Division II has four very solid teams that all have the ability to compete for the playoffs, the only question for me is the order of finish as there’s a definite separation from Waskom, Hughes Springs, Elysian Fields and Harleton from the bottom three of the district. Waskom with sixteen returning starters gets the nod over Hughes Springs, Elysian Fields and a Harleton squad that was one of the surprise teams in East Texas a year ago posting a 10-3 mark in 2A-Divison I. Again, the top four can all probably finish in any order, with Harleton probably being the likely four spot.
Newton, despite just five total starters returning is the heavy favorite in 12-3A Division II and if the Eagles get their young newcomers to mature ahead of schedule by the post-season they will be a really tough out. Expect Hemphill and Anderson-Shiro to fight it out for the second spot, while Corrigan-Camden with a new head coach, expects to be improved as well.
District Predictions
District 9-3A Division II
- West Rusk
- Gilmer Harmony
- Troup
- Winona
- Grand Saline
- Arp
- Quitman
District 10-3A Division II
- Omaha Pewitt
- Daingerfield
- DeKalb
- Hooks
- Paris Chisum
- Prairiland
- Redwater
District 11-3A Division II
- Waskom
- Hughes Springs
- Elysian Fields
- Harleton
- New Diana
- Ore City
- Queen City
District 12-3A Division II
- Newton
- Hemphill
- Anderson-Shiro
- Corrigan-Camden
- New Waverly
- Kountze
- Warren
Predicted Playoff Matchups
W9 West Rusk vs F10 Hooks
R12 Hemphill vs T11 Elysian Fields
W10 Omaha Pewitt vs F9 Winona
R11 Hughes Springs vs T12 Anderson-Shiro
W11 Waskom vs F12 Corrigan-Camden
R10 Daingerfield vs T9 Troup
W12 Newton vs F11 Harleton
R9 Gilmer Harmony vs T10 DeKalb
Playoff Sleeper
Hughes Springs: The Slot-T is the devil and Hughes Springs has a chance to really shake things up early in the playoffs with a matchup against defending regional champion Paul Pewitt. Don’t blink or you’ll miss that game as both teams love to run the football.
Regional Winner
West Rusk over Daingerfield: The Raiders led by a veteran defensive unit that’s been battled tested after battling in Division I, finds their way past Daingerfield in what I think will be an absolute slugfest.
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