Regional Outlook
With last year’s regional champion and other contenders off to Region III in UIL Realignment, the door in Region IV opens up for several new faces and some familiar ones who had strong 2019 seasons.
Llano, after a trip to the area playoffs as a 4A-Division II school gets the early nod in 13-3A Division I over a veteran Lago Vista squad who posted a 6-5 mark in 2019. Comfort, who moves up from Division II after an impressive 10-3 mark is a solid number three, but the Bobcats if they can remain healthy have the front-line pedigree to challenge for the district title as well. Blanco, also up from Division II gets the final playoff spot over Luling who was winless in 2019.
Jourdanton, fresh off a 10-2 mark in 2019 has 30 letterman returning, many of whom are three-year starters gets the nod in 14-3A Division I and in many circles is considered the overall favorite in the region. Marion, with thirteen starters back from an 8-4 bunch is going to be a challenge once again while Poteet, a playoff team in 4A-Division II a year ago is going to compete with Randolph, Cole and Cotulla for the last two spots. On paper, these four teams look to be evenly matched.
15-3A Division I should again be a battle between Vanderbilt Industrial and Edna for bragging rights, Industrial broke out with a sensational 11-2 campaign but they’ve got some rebuilding to do on defense. Edna is on their third coach in as many seasons and the Cowboys on offense has a lot of pieces to replace. Mathis and Palacios look poised to fight it out for third, while Orange Grove, Aransas Pass and Goliad all expect to be improved but are likely on the outside of the playoff picture in 2020.
Down south, 16-3A Division I has the looks of being wide open, Lyford made the playoffs a year ago despite getting hammered by injuries, so if the Bulldogs have better luck with the injury bug they are the team to beat. London, a district champion in 3A-Division II moves up to Division I and is the solid choice for second place. After that the waters get murky with San Diego and Falfurrias getting the nod over what should be improved Bishop and Progreso teams under new head coaches. In fact, four of the seven teams in this district have new head coaches for 2020.
District Predictions
District 13-3A Division I
- Llano
- Lago Vista
- Comfort
- Blanco
- Luling
District 14-3A Division I
- Jourdanton
- Marion
- Poteet
- Universal City Randolph
- Cotulla
- San Antonio Cole
- Lytle
District 15-3A Division I
- Vanderbilt Industrial
- Edna
- Mathis
- Palacios
- Orange Grove
- Aransas Pass
- Goliad
District 16-3A Division I
- Lyford
- London
- San Diego
- Falfurrias
- Bishop
- Progreso
- Kingsville Academy
Predicted Playoff Matchups
W13 Llano vs F14 Universal City Randolph
R16 London vs T15 Mathis
W14 Jourdanton vs F13 Blanco
R15 Edna vs T16 San Diego
W15 Vanderbilt Industrial vs F16 Falfurrias
R14 Marion vs T13 Comfort
W16 Lyford vs F15 Palacios
R13 Lago Vista vs T14 Poteet
Playoff Sleeper
Llano: The ‘Jackets are playoff tested and moving down from 4A-Division II, Matt Green’s squad will be a force in Region IV for the next two seasons. A regional semifinal matchup with Jourdanton could set the stage for a big playoff push if Llano can pull the upset.
Regional Winner
Jourdanton over Vanderbilt Industrial: This is the Indians time, led by 30 seniors and a bevy of three-year starters, Jourdanton’s offense carries them past Industrial in a classic regional final matchup.
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