One of the biggest headlines in the state last season was the run of the Harlingen Cardinals before losing in the Regional Final against the SA Madison Mavericks. Repeating that success for 2012 will be a daunting task for Harlingen and any team that comes out of the Rio Grande Valley. And seeing a repeat of Madison and Cibolo Steele back in the mix at the top of the region's throne, seems to be a foregone conclusion among the media as a whole. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same. Dominance by a flurry of San Antonio teams in the region and a Rio Grande Valley group that is looking to reverse the course in a major way. The 2012 season should see a similar trend as it has historically gone over the years.
The big question on the mind of many throughout the region and the state, is whether the bragging rights of the region belongs to Cibolo Steele or SA Madison. The answer to that question will be decided on the field in a Week Zero match up at Heroes Stadium. But what happens after that match up could be an even bigger story over the course of the season. Both teams have loaded up on their allotted non-district slate. For Madison, a home game agsinst an always tough Kerrville Tivy squad is slated for Week 1 with trips to New Braunfels and Smithson Valley in back to back weeks. After the challenging non-district slate, Madison will go right into district play in Week 4. Over the same time frame, the Cibolo Steele Knights will follow up with Converse Judson, Kerrville Tivy and Austin Westlake before closing their non-district slate against San Marcos.
Smithson Valley will make the jump from 4A to 5A and should not miss much of a beat. They have had plenty of success in both 5A and 4A. The Rangers should factor into the regional picture with the potenial chance that they could see the Steele Knights line up again in the Division II playoffs. The team that will challenge the Rangers for the district title, Converse Judson, will also challenge itself with a solid set of games that includes Lake Travis, Cibolo Steele and SA East Central. But the Rockets will be doing so with a new coach in Mark Smith, who is largely responsible for building Kerrville Tivy into one of the bigger 4A powers. Smith takes over for the always interesting Jim Rackley, who announced his retirement in the off-season.
So what is in store for the teams in Class 5A Region IV, outside of the top four? SA Reagan, SA Brandeis and New Braunfels all have reasons to be optimistic about their own chances at grabbing the regional crown. All three play in one of the three major power districts of the region and all three will get some sort of challenge whether it is in district or non-district play. While all three will have to adjust to losing some of their big stars from season, they all have their strengths. Whether it is on offense for New Braunfels, defense for SA Reagan and SA Brandeis.
Looking at some of the players in the region that are notables to watch in 2012, starting on the offensive side of the ball, New Braunfels has the duo of QB Weston King and TE Alex Leslie, that connected on some very impressive drives and is a threat to score big. QBs Christian Jones and youger brother Jeremy Jones are already a pair of prospects college scouts are raving about and a showndown with Cibolo Steele in Week 8 should be a very fun match up to watch. And while there are a few quarterbacks that could sling it out on a week in week out basis, like Laredo United's Alec Salas, there are a few running backs that will make their own headlines in Steele's Justin Stockton, Madison's Marquis Warford and Trinton Ynclan from Brandeis.
On the flip side over on defense, there are some hard hitters up and down the field. Both Cibiolo Steele and Converse Judson may have four of the best defensive backs in the state and possibly the nation with Erik Huhn and Jordan Sterns at Steele and Jarveon Williams and Tre Flowers at Judson. And if the Valley is looking for some respect on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker is where to look with Nathan Prado at Harlingen and Garrett Sharp with McAllen Memorial. |
1 |
Cibolo Steele |
2 |
SA Madison |
3 |
Smithson Valley |
4 |
Converse Judson |
5 |
SA Reagan |
6 |
SA Brandeis |
7 |
New Braunfels |
8 |
Harlingen |
9 |
SA O'Connor |
10 |
SA East Central |
11 |
Laredo United |
12 |
SA Johnson |
13 |
San Benito |
14 |
SA Wagner |
15 |
Mission Sharyland |
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