Texas high school football offenses were pretty clearly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Chalk it up to fewer practices, less strenuous workouts, a lack of 7-on-7 football, or something else — there's little doubt that scoring took a dip during that season. But with a season much closer to normal in 2021, points are back, y'all.
The 1,222 UIL Texas high school football teams that participated in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons averaged 26.7 points per game in 2020; in 2021, that number surged to 28.4 points per contest — more than a 6 percent increase in offensive output statewide.
Of course, some teams made a bigger leap than others. Let's take a look at which teams found the biggest offensive spark from 2020 to 2021.
The 25 Most-Improved Texas High School Football Offenses
Team (2021 Record) | Class | 2021 PPG | 2020 PPG | PPG Delta |
Whiteface (5-5) | 1A | 53.3 | 22.3 | 31.0 |
Mount Calm (5-4) | 1A | 35.1 | 7.6 | 27.5 |
Trent (4-6) | 1A | 34.0 | 7.3 | 26.7 |
Cranfills Gap (7-4) | 1A | 47.9 | 21.3 | 26.6 |
Tioga (5-6) | 2A | 36.1 | 10.0 | 26.1 |
Roscoe (9-2) | 2A | 38.3 | 12.8 | 25.5 |
La Villa (9-3) | 2A | 35.0 | 9.6 | 25.4 |
Imperial Buena Vista (6-4) | 1A | 60.9 | 35.6 | 25.3 |
Lingleville (6-3) | 1A | 48.8 | 23.9 | 24.9 |
Tolar (10-3) | 2A | 47.8 | 23.4 | 24.4 |
Abilene TLCA (2-8) | 1A | 25.2 | 0.9 | 24.3 |
Shamrock (7-4) | 2A | 45.1 | 20.8 | 24.3 |
Odessa (3-7) | 6A | 31.7 | 7.4 | 24.3 |
San Antonio McCollum (3-7) | 5A | 26.1 | 1.9 | 24.2 |
Fort Worth Wyatt (7-4) | 5A | 38.5 | 14.3 | 24.2 |
Rockport-Fulton (10-2) | 4A | 52.1 | 28.1 | 24.0 |
Aquilla (4-5) | 1A | 34.3 | 11.0 | 23.3 |
Guthrie (6-4) | 1A | 40.6 | 17.3 | 23.3 |
Gruver (10-2) | 2A | 37.6 | 14.3 | 23.3 |
Tulia (6-4) | 3A | 42.3 | 19.8 | 22.5 |
Buda Johnson (9-2) | 5A | 43.5 | 21.2 | 22.3 |
Medina (5-5) | 1A | 49.4 | 27.2 | 22.2 |
Alto (6-3) | 2A | 39.8 | 17.8 | 22.0 |
Little Cypress-Mauriceville (11-3) | 4A | 30.1 | 8.6 | 21.5 |
The Whiteface Antelopes made the biggest leap among all Texas high school football teams, surging from a paltry (by six-man standards) 22.3 points per contest to a robust (again, by six-man standards) 53.3 points. The emergence of District 4-1A DI Newcomer of the Year Ethan Coffman certainly helped, as did fellow freshman Jerimiah Rendon at the spreadback spot.
Mount Calm, Trent and Cranfills Gap made similar leaps in the 1A ranks, and it's not until you reach No. 5 on the list that you find our first 11-man entry in Tioga. New coach Chad Rogers, who left Denison to take over the 2A squad, certainly made his impact felt in Year One, sparking a 26.1-point surge in scoring offense. Same goes for Roscoe, as the Plowboys put together a historic season thanks to super-sophomore Jax Watts' leadership of an attack that averaged 25.5 more points this year than last.
You may notice that six-man squads dominate this list — ten of the top 25 most improved offenses play in Class 1A. With that in mind, here's the Top 25 for only 11-man UIL squads:
Team (2021 Record) | Class | 2021 PPG | 2020 PPG | PPG ? |
Tioga (5-6) | 2A | 36.1 | 10.0 | 26.1 |
Roscoe (9-2) | 2A | 38.3 | 12.8 | 25.5 |
La Villa (9-3) | 2A | 35.0 | 9.6 | 25.4 |
Tolar (10-3) | 2A | 47.8 | 23.4 | 24.4 |
Shamrock (7-4) | 2A | 45.1 | 20.8 | 24.3 |
Odessa (3-7) | 6A | 31.7 | 7.4 | 24.3 |
San Antonio McCollum (3-7) | 5A | 26.1 | 1.9 | 24.2 |
Fort Worth Wyatt (7-4) | 5A | 38.5 | 14.3 | 24.2 |
Rockport-Fulton (10-2) | 4A | 52.1 | 28.1 | 24.0 |
Gruver (10-2) | 2A | 37.6 | 14.3 | 23.3 |
Tulia (6-4) | 3A | 42.3 | 19.8 | 22.5 |
Buda Johnson (9-2) | 5A | 43.5 | 21.2 | 22.3 |
Alto (6-3) | 2A | 39.8 | 17.8 | 22.0 |
Little Cypress-Mauriceville (11-3) | 4A | 30.1 | 8.6 | 21.5 |
Katy Cinco Ranch (8-5) | 6A | 35.5 | 14.4 | 21.1 |
Wichita Falls Hirschi (12-3) | 4A | 40.6 | 19.6 | 21.0 |
Clint Mountain View (5-6) | 4A | 26.4 | 5.4 | 20.9 |
Breckenridge (4-7) | 3A | 29.2 | 8.3 | 20.8 |
Coleman (11-1) | 2A | 41.0 | 20.5 | 20.5 |
Thrall (6-4) | 2A | 37.5 | 17.1 | 20.4 |
Corpus Christi West Oso (3-7) | 4A | 30.3 | 9.9 | 20.4 |
San Antonio Kennedy (7-4) | 5A | 30.3 | 10.0 | 20.3 |
Humble Summer Creek (10-4) | 6A | 45.6 | 25.7 | 20.0 |
Garland (10-1) | 6A | 51.8 | 32.0 | 19.8 |
The smallest 11-man classification dominates here, with the top five most improved offenses all playing in 2A — Tioga, Roscoe, La Villa, Tolar and Shamrock.
The Odessa Bronchos boasted Class 6A's most-improved offense; in Class 5A, it was Fort Worth Wyatt; 4A's biggest offensive leap came from Rockport-Fulton; and the Tulia Hornets' 22.5-point increase was good enough for Class 3A's biggest improvement.
On the other end of the spectrum: Brookesmith (-34.9 points per game), Sharyland Pioneer (-32.7), Hamlin (-31.1), Petersburg (-27.8) and Chillicothe (-27.1) took the biggest offensive dip in 2021.
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