District 5-3A Preview

[Matthew328]

Predicted Order of Finish:

1. Vernon
2. Graham
3. Iowa Park
4. WF Hirschi
5. Breckenridge


1. Vernon Lions Starters Returning 6/6 Last Year: 11-3
Key Players: RB/DB Eric Favors, FB Anthony Hall, QB Trey Schur
Outlook: The Lions made the deepest forray into the playoffs since the glory days of the early 1990's.....Vernon lost to eventual champ Atlanta in the semi-finals....Hall ran for 1256 yards and 17 TD's and Favors can fly...the diminutive Schur is also a speedster as Vernon will be one of the faster teams in Region 1....the question is can Vernon knock off nemisis Graham and get a district title?

2. Graham Steers Starters Returning 5/8 Last Year: 9-2
Key Players: FB/DE Chance Condron, LB Kyle Berend, TB Blake Rogers
Outlook: They were celebrating in Graham when they realized they FINALLY wouldn't play Abilene Wylie in the 1st round.....but that enthusiasm was somewhat tempered when the Steers realized they'd likely get Gainesville in bi-district...go figure...look for Graham to become big WF Hirschi fans this year...Condron returns after a district MVP junior season and will lead the offense...

3. Iowa Park Hawks Starters Returning 5/5 Last Year: 7-5
Key Players: QB Justin Swenton, FS Dustin Riley, OL Tyler Duggins
Outlook: IP looks to improve on last year's bi-disrtrict crown and Swenton will lead the charge...as a junior he accounted for about 2000 yards and 27 TD's....pre-season all-state Riley was among the state leaders in INT's as a sophmore....

4. WF Hirschi Huskies Starters Returning: 4/2 Last Year: 1-9 in Class 4A
Key Players: LB Darius Allen, QB Terrence Smith, OL Adam Bolton
Outlook: Hirschi should benefit in the drop in classification...Smith runs a legit 4.4 and was newcomer of the year in 5-4A las year...he and TB Robert Ingram give HHS one of the fastest combos in the state....depth is the main concern as there is talent....

5. Breckenridge Buckaroos Starters Returning 6/6 Last Year: 4-6
Key Players: LB Paul Pitzer, QB Jeremy Heatley, WR Cody Patterson
Outlook: Breckenridge once again deals with a strong district as they were a pretty good 4-6 last season....watch out for BHS in 2005 as they started 13 sophmores last year....

[VWG]

I still think Hirschi can make the playoffs in this district. Clearly Vernon and Graham are the teams to beat. Graham will have to reload, while Vernon returns some great offensive talent.
Vernon and Graham both need to find passing games to back up their running games. With Vernon running the wing T and Graham running the split veer, defenses will have to load up on the lines.
I am not sure how Hirschi's JV and Freshman teams did last year... anybody know?

I feel for Breckenridge. They have some talented players, but numbers hurt them in this district. WF Hirschi is tied I think with Palestine for the largest 3A school in the state with 899 kids, and both Graham and Vernon have over 680 kids, and then Iowa Park comes in right at about 600.

[Buffalo]

Has Graham ever gone Small school before?

[Matthew328]

I think in 2001 they did...I know Vernon went big school that year becuase Vernon lost to Perryton 21-14 and then Perryton lost to Everman in the semi-finals...

Hirschi is a team to watch....they have really good speed....they've struggled lately in 4A..teams that struggle in 4A don't exactly dominate in 3A however..

Borger, Paris N Lamar, Pecos, Wharton come to mind.....

Teams that have success in 4A are likely to have BIG success in 3A....ie Everman, Jasper, and likely W Orange Stark

[vet93]

Yes...I believe that it was 2000. They were rated very high and were eliminated by Ballinger in the first round. It was the same year that Wylie went to the finals. That year...I believe that Vernon was big school and Graham was small school. That reversed in the next realignment


Originally posted by Buffalo
Has Graham ever gone Small school before?

[barbosa]

This is going to be a very interesting district race. From what i have seen last year from the underclassman here is what i think.

1.> Graham- they will have a good backfield with the two rbs returning and they will have a junior qb this year that can run the option really well. He was the fs last year. Graham's line will be suspect but i look for them to win the district title again. But Gainsville, can anyone say TOUGH luck. I feel for the Steers. Can the VEER actually carry them deep into the playoffs?
2.> Vernon- They will be a very talented team this year. they lost some key leaders last year that carried the juniors deep into the playoffs. They are not as fast as avertised but they have good size at all positions. It will be tough to knock graham off especially since they play in graham where graham has a 20 something win streak on their field.
3.> Iowa Park- This team could easily be in the 2 spot. They are always stout defensively with a quick smart qb. they will force lots of turnovers but their passing game will be a key to how well this team does. They will be a force to be reckoned with but their qb is their catalyst.
4.> WFH- They always have great talent but the question that they will have to answer this year is will they play as a team or individuals. Last year they were not a physical team and that really hurt them. They have a very quick qb that is a very smart runner. Their defense will have to force a lot of turnovers for them to get into the playoffs. They have to be tough in a very PHYSICAL district.
5.> Breckinridge- They draw a tough district but they are still a young team. They played graham really tough last year. They have a loaded junior class. They have a good system in place for a very poised and strong armed qb. If they play to their potential they could very well suprise many teams. Look for the Buckaroos in the future.

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

My take on this district:

1) Vernon - This team has a load of starters back from a state semi final team. So what will the difference be? The difference is size. The new starters have much more size than that of the past season. Vernon's offense will have three, three-year starters in Shur, Hall and Favors. All three ran on the sprint relay team that qualified for regionals and finished behind Graham's very fast team that qualified for state. So I would not say that Vernon's speed is overrated. The Defense will also see some size in the replacements lost from last year. They return so many kids that had playing time and with their new found size will be better than last year. This will be Vernon's chance to win it all.

Vernon will be a better football team this year than last. One key note, like VWG stated in an earlier post Vernon and Graham will have to throw the ball more to win state. Or at least be able to.

2) Iowa Park - Swenson will be the difference maker for IP, sort of like Henderson was for Old High last year. IP has great coaching and can adjust very well. IP will score some points, the key will be how well the defense does. They had problems stopping both Graham and Vernon's ground attack last year.

3) Graham - This is the year the Steers falter from District champs. Can't win it forever. The offense will miss those great linemen lost to graduation and that is what I believe will be the difference between Graham, IP, and Vernon. Nevertheless, all three will be state contenders. barbosa was incorrect in Graham playing Vernon at home. The Steers have to travel to Vernon and knowing how bad the Graham fans where at that basketball game last year, expect Vernon to return the favor.

----------------

4) Breckenridge - They could sneak up on one of the top three teams. But not more than one of them. Breck has a great passing attack, they are just stuck in a powerhouse district. They fail to qualify for the playoffs.

5) Hirschi - These guys quit last year when playing Vernon and Graham. I have never ever ever seen players quit, but this entire team did. They have a new head coach who will try and get the quit out, but it will take more than one year. They loose all 4 district games.

Like I said earlier, this district is up for grabs and the odds are against Graham now. Both IP and Vernon will be better teams and I don't think that Graham will be better than last year. That line was just so dominating. In addition, IP and Vernon have it out for the reigning District Champ.

[VWG]

After thinking this over a bit.....
Vernon and Graham will battle for the district title.... with Vernon having a slight edge on offense.
But you know what they say, defense wins championships.
Who has the better defense?
Vernon's secondary was hit by some key losses as well at linebacker. Same with Graham... key losses to the secondary as well as losing TCU signee Scott Andrews at linebacker.
Graham will reload at linebacker..... so that shouldn't be a problem and with Chance Condron at defensive end they can reload on the other side of the d-line.
If Vernon has the size on the d-line and can help Favors and co. in the secondary then it should be a great game in Vernon between these two old rivals.

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

VWG:

It has all the makings of a great game already. Too bad it isn't the last one of the district like several years ago. That was awesome. Both teams were 4-0 going into that last district game.

Vernon brings back two LB's from last year (Craighead and Bodine) Bodine will be a three year starter. Craighead started last year as a sophmore about midway through the season, so he should be much improved this year, although last year he did a great job. Vernon lost two in the secondary, Gonzales and Finley. Just can't replace Gonzales (haha) but Finley was 5' 5" so his replacement will have more size. Actually Cook will probably replace Gonzales at SS, he did get some playing time last year. He is a tall youngster with good hands. Vernon will add size to the line and that is something that they haven't had in the recent past. Of course you never know until you see your team play. I will say that people all over Vernon are very excited about the prospects of the Lions going all the way this year. Lots of expectations after last years run. I hope it is not too much pressure on the boys. But if they are going to ever beat Graham, this team should be the one.

Chance Condron was very good last year. Also the Graham coaching has been great through this run. I think about all the 4th down tries that Graham has made on Vernon. Lots of them. Vernon will need help inside this year to stop the dive that Graham has run on them over the years. Kesee is a 300 plus kid that is quick if you can believe that. He will be key in stopping that play. Just can't wait for football season now.