|
With Cedar Hill’s William Cole taking his considerable talent
to the next level, the rest of the district can breathe easy;
or can they? Cedar Hill returns 8 starters, 34 lettermen, and
2 All-District offensive linemen from last year’s dominant
16-0 State Championship team. The Longhorns are chock full of
talent all the way down to their 2010 class which features
future stars RB’s Ben Malena and Mason Hayes as well as LB
Aaron Benson and kicker Eduardo Camara. The district title
will once again come down to their showdown with DeSoto and
there’s a good chance they could meet again in the regional
finals.
Speaking of DeSoto, the Eagles are our pick to take second in
the district race, but there’s no question that this team is
capable of taking down the defending champs. DeSoto will
feature one of the state’s most gifted, most electrifying
playmakers, QB/RB Cyrus Gray. Gray scored 31 TD’s last year
primarily as a running back, but this year he’s likely to have
the ball in his hands every snap as the team’s QB. DeSoto’s
roster is loaded with talent and experience and they are a
definite favorite in Region 1.
Fans of the Arlington Bowie football program haven’t yet had
much to get excited about. Including last season’s 7-4
record, the best in school history, Bowie is just 39-111-1 in
their 15 years as a varsity program…but the times are
definitely changing. Led by second year Coach Kenny Perry and
an immensely talented core of returning players, Bowie is
primed for big things in 2007. A whopping 9 All-District
players and 31 lettermen return including district sophomore
MVP QB Christian Matthews. Matthews was outstanding down the
stretch and nearly lead Bowie to upsets over heavily-favored
DeSoto and South Grand Prairie in consecutive weeks. This is
a team that can play with anybody and if they can get a little
more out of their defense…look out.
While the top three in the district are as strong as any top
three in the entire state, there is a considerable drop gap
between them and the rest of the district. Arlington Lamar,
though they missed the playoffs in consecutive years for the
first time since 1986-87, looks to be in the best position to
claim the district’s final playoff spot. The Vikings were
dominant on the subvarsity levels and eventually that’s got to
translate to Friday night.
Arlington Martin could also be in the mix for a playoff
berth. The Warriors made the playoffs last fall and had the
privilege to draw Euless Trinity in round one. Martin returns
RB Jeremi Mathis and DB Jake Sharum, but must find a way to
shore up a defense that gave up over 32 ppg last fall.
Arlington returns dual-threat QB Brandon Kelsey and 53
lettermen, but the Colts will have to find a replacement for
RB Roshaud Finley. Arlington was stocked up to make a run
last year but struggled to a disappointing 4-6 record. Most
of their struggles were due to a porous defense and if they
ban get that turned around, they might improve on last year’s
record.
Both Duncanville and Sam Houston struggled last year and
without many proven players returning, they could be in for
another long season, especially considering the strength of
the teams at the top. |
