Every year when the summer edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football comes out, fans and media alike look at the teams we have at the top of the pre-season rankings to get an idea of who likely makes the trip to Arlington to play for a state title at AT&T Stadium in December.

While the teams ranked highly in the pre-season are there for a good reason, we all know there are always a few mystery guests that pop up with deep playoff runs and sometimes state titles when the season wraps up.  Who are those teams you need to keep an eye on in 2018? We’ve got you covered at DCTF as we bring you our 2018 Hipster Picks to keep in your back pocket as you casually drop them into conversation with your friends from time to time, so once they make that deep run, you can look like a Texas high school football genius.

Midland Lee

Despite a sensational 10-3 campaign and a run to the regional semifinals a year ago, most of the talk out in the Little Southwest Conference seems to be centered around Odessa Permian. Yet the team from out west that has the best shot at a deep playoff run could be head coach Clint Hartman’s Rebels who in the third round pushed Euless Trinity in a 34-23 loss. Midland Lee has a fantastic group of skill players returning led by RB Josh Traylor who ran for over 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns and a pair of 6-foot-4-inch receivers in Sheldon Bass and Loic Fouonji who both are drawing FBS recruiters out to the Tall City. The Rebel defense is much-improved as six starters return led by DT Javien White who, at 295 pounds, has the quickness of a much smaller player, two-way playmaker Isaiah Harvey who spends much of his time at LB, but will spell Traylor in the backfield and junior DB Karl Taylor who was sensational as a sophomore and could be another major FBS recruit. Midland Lee suffered some losses along the offensive line and a key graduation loss at QB, but Hartman feels like with 46 letterman back in the fold and very successful sub-varsity programs his team is primed for a big lead forward. The big question surrounding the Rebels is, which which playoff division will they land in? Last year, they were a Division I team, but with San Angelo Central moving out of 2-6A, that looks to possibly push Midland High or Odessa High into the playoff discussion which could slide Midland Lee into Division II where they could be a major threat in Region I.

Rockwall

To say 2017 was an up-and-down season would be an understatement for head coach Rodney Webb’s Yellow Jackets who ended the season with a modest 6-6 mark. If you dig deeper into Rockwall’s season, you’ll see a team that if things broke right could have been 11-2 or better. Rockwall opened the season with a thrilling win over eventual state champion Highland Park, but then stumbled in the middle of the season losing four games by 10 points or less and sneaking into the playoffs with a 5-5 record. Rockwall then stunned the state in the bi-district playoffs going on the road and taking down 2016 state runner-up The Woodlands with a dominant 23-7 win. Rockwall nearly made it two upsets in a row in the playoffs pushing then undefeated Sachse in the area playoffs before falling in overtime 24-17. The 2018 version of the ‘Jackets could be even better as seven starters are back on offense led by Minnesota commit QB Jacob Clark who passed for nearly 3,000 yards last year and 29 touchdowns earning district MVP honors. He’s got a bevy of skill players back led by WR’s Jaxon Smith and Javion Williams and talented junior RB Zach Henry. Rockwall’s defense only brings back three starters but should be solid in the secondary led by Vanderbilt commit and four-year starter Afernee Orji and DB Elijah Coleman. Orji is an aggressive in-the-box safety who is as comfortable playing the run as he is playing in space. The key for Rockwall will be development of the front seven. If that unit can develop, expect this team to be a threat in Region II Division I at the Class 6A level.

Fort Bend Travis

The Tigers have the feel of a team that could be a real sleeper in what will once again be a wide open race in Region III Division II in 2018. The Tiger offense could be one of the most explosive in the Houston area with the return of Oklahoma commit WR Arjei Henderson. He will team with the speedy rising-junior Parker Washington to give Fort Bend Travis a dynamic passing attack. RB Kaelan Shankle could have a breakout season and give the Tiger offense a lot of balance. The defense, which brings back seven starters from a playoff team a year ago, has a chance for a real breakthrough in 2018. The headliner is California commit LB Zach Zimos but the defensive line, led by three-year starter Felix Etugbo and juniors J’Mani Gibson and John Henderson, is the real strength of the team. If the Tigers' young offensive line can mature and some depth can be developed on defense, this will be a team to watch come playoff time.

San Antonio Brandeis

In this age of four teams making the playoffs, it’s not often a team posts a 7-3 record and misses the playoffs, but injuries down the stretch derailed David Branscom’s first season at the helm for San Antonio Brandeis. The Broncos welcome back 13 starters, plus 17 other letterman who got additional experience a year ago, to a squad that could be poised for a major step forward. The big key for the offense will be getting RB J’Nova Rangel back in the fold. He missed seven games with an injury and if healthy, he’ll make for a potent backfield combo with LB/RB Brent Malone. Another key for the Bronco offense will be sophomore QB Jordan Battles. He led the JV team as a freshman and looks ready to step in and add a dynamic dual-threat dimension to the offense. The defense is led by Malone who is a three-year starter at LB. He’ll team with DE Alex Trevino to pace the blue and orange defensive unit. Frank Wilson IV transferred in from San Antonio Central Catholic and should make an immediate impact for the secondary, he already holds three FBS offers. Although Region IV in Division II will still be led by Austin Westlake and Cibolo Steele, both have question marks heading into 2018. Will that open the door for a sleeper team like Brandeis to make some noise?