Gridiron Guide 07- Region 1 Analysis

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    Region 1 has totally cleaned shop the last two years in taking all four state championships.  All four were won by DFW teams (Carroll and Trinity in 2005, Carroll and Cedar Hill in 2006).  Region 1 holds more state championships than any other region in Class 5A.  Not surprisingly, two Region 1 teams are ranked #1 and #2 in our pre-season state rankings.  Carroll and Trinity are favored to be as strong or maybe stronger than they were last year because of the amount of experience each returns.

    Carroll returns nine starters off of what was the best offense in the state last year.  That's a little scary to think about.  When an offense averages 45+ points a game, the defense doesn't have to be exactly lights out every night.  Trinity is probably the biggest, pun intended, threat to Carroll on paper going into this season.  Should the two meet again, as we project, then that will be another epic encounter sure to fill the Texas Bowl again.

    Cedar Hill, despite losing key players from their title team last year, are reloading and look very strong going into the season.  They are perhaps stronger than most think despite the fact Will Cole graduated.  The Longhorns have a warrior taking over at QB in James Hamilton, and the defense will be just as fast and athletic as it was a year ago. Rivals Desoto return most of their firepower on offense, and should be very dangerous with Cyrus Gray touching the ball on every play.

    Abilene is a team to keep an eye on out west.  They have a tough non-district to prepare them for district.  This the strongest Abilene's looked in at least 2 or 3 years.  The Eagles really came on by the end of last year, and could be a real player in the region if they build on that momentum.  Permian will challenge them in district.  Arlington Bowie was a pleasant surprise last season advancing to the playoffs.  Bowie's always had talent, but not been able to win consistently.  They may have stumbled upon a winning formula and the playoff trip had to do wonders for the program confidence. 

    Overall, Carroll and Trinity are a clear top two in this Region 2 with Cedar Hill slightly behind.  The Longhorns aren't as bad off as people seem to believe.  If the dream rematch of 1 and 2 happens, get the Texas Stadium trip planned ahead of time because that ticket will be hotter than a Labor Day practice.