« Can you sack Zach??? | Main | 5-3A predictions »
5-4A predictions
August 23, 2009Alright, here we go. The season kicks off in only four days, so it is the perfect time to look at my district previews.
Full disclosure: This is how I voted in our TRN football preview section that comes out Wednesday. By the way, if you enjoy reading about area high school football, I strongly suggest picking up a copy.
Anyway, here's my 5-4A predictions:
1. Denton Guyer -- No surprise that the No. 2 team in 4A is the pick to win 5-4A. They have one of the best defensive players in Texas (Taylor Bible), a stud tailback in Jaimaine Wilhite and a top-notch QB in J.W. Walsh.
2. Denton Ryan -- If Guyer doesn't win 5-4A, it'll be Ryan doing so. Scotty Young threw for 65 TDs a year ago and is going to Tech. The defense will probably be better, and Ryan is always a tough out, even in down seasons.
3. Rider -- Maybe Coach Ponder's best coaching job was in 2005, when Blake Szymanski and David Nelson had just left. It was the year before the Beaver/Thompson/Ward trio arrived. The Raiders won the district title that year.
I could see this group flying under the radar like that one. It may not always be pretty, but Rider still has some key defensive players (Mason Deerinwater, for one), a pretty good RB in Paul Mason and a QB who got some much-needed experience last year in Malcolm Carter.
4. Lake Dallas -- If Scotty Young in the best QB in this district, then the Falcons' James Franklin is right behind him. His numbers -- 2,641 passing yards, 23 TDs; 1,151 rushing yards, 18 TDs -- are sick. He lost some skill guys around him, but I think Lake Dallas gets the job done. The Rider-Lake Dallas game may be the most important one because whoever wins will likely have an easier playoff route.
5. WFHS -- Maybe the Coyotes can prove me wrong and go to the playoffs in Lavender's first year. They did that in Pride's first year in 2005, but this district is tougher now. Chris Anderson did a pretty nice job at QB last year, but they'll have to stay healthy and play well in a couple key games where they will be underdogs.
6. The Colony -- The Cougars are a decent team (who did lose a key RB from last year) that might make the playoffs in other districts, But not this one. The best I can see is another fifth-place finish like last year.
7. Little Elm -- They just need to improve on their 1-9 record from last year.
8. Denton -- They just need to improve on their 0-10 record from last year. What used to be a pretty good program has struggled a lot lately.
Posted by at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
