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 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 TXHSFB genius!

Whitesboro: It wasn’t that long ago that Whitesboro was one of the few programs in the state that had never made the playoffs. But times have certainly changed in Texoma! In fact, since making the playoffs for the first time in school history in 2011, WHS hasn’t missed out on the playoffs since, and with seven returning starters on both sides of the ball from a 9-4 squad, this has a chance to be a special season. Two-way star Scout Sanders is the quarterback of the offense and of the defense from his free safety spot. The Bearcats have plenty of other playmakers back, led by WR Noah Griesen and RB Brooks Barker. Whitesboro will certainly fly under the radar as they were thrown a curveball in realignment, slotted in the same district with top-ranked Brock, but coach Eddie Gill likes to lie in the weeds and play spoiler. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Bearcats matchup with their new potential playoff opponents out west in Region I.

Gladewater: There are several Class 4A dropdowns that have moved into Class 3A Division I out in East Texas, and one that isn’t being talked about much is the always-feisty Gladewater Bears. It was a struggle a year ago as lower numbers started to take their toll, and Gladewater fell to a disappointing 2-8 campaign. But coach John Berry thinks a new realignment and some fresh energy with new opponents will do Gladewater some good. As always, Gladewater will rely on that bruising rushing attack based out of the I-formation; look for two-way players Rashaud Johnson and Zelsnick Hawley to likely carry the load. Danny Badger returns to pilot the offense and when Gladewater does throw it, look for Tecorian Minter to be the primary target. If the Bears can replace several three-year starters in the trenches, they’ve got the skill players to be a threat come playoff time, especially if they can sneak into one of the top two spots in 8-3A Division I.

Orangefield: Another dropdown from Class 4A that isn’t getting the press they probably deserve due to a brutally tough district is Orangefield. A year ago, Hurricane Harvey took away the Bobcats' first three games of the season, but they managed a third place finish and a playoff spot a year ago before falling to Bellville in the first round of the playoffs. Six offensive starters are back for coach Josh Smalley’s squad, led by two-way star and four-year starter Blake Bradley. He’s the powerful inside runner in the Orangefield Slot-T offense, while speedy QB Mason Gonzales and RB Quy Tsan give Orangefield outside threats in the ground game. The Bobcats' defense brings back eight starters and should be one of the most improved units in the Golden Triangle in 2018. The talk in 12-3A Division I will center around favorites Woodville and East Chambers, but Orangefield is battle-tested and should be right among the contenders in Region III.

Marion: The Bulldogs' days in Class 3A could be numbered as it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see growth from San Antonio keep creeping north into Marion. In the meantime, new coach Ryne Miller inherits a team that put together an outstanding 8-3 season a year ago and brings back an impressive seven starters on each side of the ball. Realignment also did Marion a favor — no longer do they have to face an incredibly tough first-round game against a team from the Houston area. Instead they’ll head south for the bi-district round to the Coastal Bend, which could make for a much more favorable playoff draw. QB Taylor Mills is back to lead the offense after throwing for well over 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior; he’s got experienced playmakers at nearly every skill spot with WRs Jacob Wallace and Jackson Allen and RB/LB Kage Armstrong. The only question will be up front where the Bulldogs have a few holes to fill, but there’s a lot of excitement in Marion these days as Bulldog fans should expect a great year.