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| District 11-4A Preview |
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By Christopher Lyke
Texas HS Football Chief Editor
In this district there is only one certain and consensus picture placed in ink and bold letters. Texas High's placement and prediction of winning the district title. If there is any doubt about what type of expectations there are its would be rather easy to scour the entire state for an answer. After Texas High, the district race could become a dog fight between not just two other teams, but rather three which includes Paris, Paris North Lama and Sulphur Springs.
Texas High's hype is centered on a couple of items. The first being the return of highly-touted and Michigan verbal Ryan Mallett. Mallett is a quarterback that not only has excellent size, but he also is very accurate in his passes and is the type of player with a style that will allow his teammates to look even better. The second is the appearance of the Tigers in the annual nationwide classic held in Cincinnati, Ohio called the Kirk Herbstreit Classic. The annual classic, which has and continues to pit the nation's best teams against Ohio's best, will see an East Texas team for the second straight year. The Tigers will be facing Finlay Friday, September 15 at 4:45pm Central Time. Other than Mallett look for Texas High to use Rowland Smith at running back in a big way. Expect Smith to gain over 1,000 yards this season and see his touchdown totals go up. Another player on the offensive side that could become a steal in the recruiting wars is wide out Joe Anderson, who is already drawing comparisons to former Texas High Tiger Nathan Jones. On the defensive side, look for Courtney Hope and Adrian Battle to find their way to have a breakout season.
The North Lamar Panthers no longer have the luxury of Broderick Franklin at running back, but they should still have a solid prescence in the running game. But the running game may not end up becoming the headline of the season for the Panthers offense. It could very well end up being the offensive line which has James Layton and Corey Woods headlining the trenches. On the defensive side of the ball, Justin Clayton and Brandon Booker should end up having a very solid year.
Paris just might see the light at the end of the tunnel before its all said and done for the district playoff chase. Look for Quin Ashley to possibly have a breakout season but like that of the North Lamar Panthers, a lot of the success of the Wildcats could hinge on the performance of the offensive line. Stephen Good, who could very well be one of the top offensive linemen among juniors in the state and wide out Jordan Fields are among the keys to the Wildcats' playoff chances. Defensively, Fields, who will also start at DB, will be joined by Decedric Sims and Chauncey Moore in hopes that experience is the key to success. Don't be shocked if the Wildcats finish in a strong second behind Texas High.
Sulphur Springs lost nearly their entire offense but should still be a factor in the district race. With an offensive line that has plenty of size and potential, the young offense just might find plenty of room to grow. The lead rusher should be Stephen Petty and one the outside at wide receiver, Tyler Rhoades should see plenty of opportunities at hand. The Wildcat defense should be the one unit that can possibly carry them into either playoff contention or directly in the playoffs again. Look for Petty and DB Colby Mills to have a big year on the defensive side.
Both Lindale and Mount Pleasant have the players that should make them competitive and possibily into contention. If they do make it interesting this season, the Eagles and Tigers will both likely be counting on their offenses to carry the load. |
| Key Players & Team Information |
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1719.5 |
9-2 |
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Pos |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
40 |
Yr |
QB |
Ryan Mallett |
6'7 |
240 |
-- |
Sr |
RB |
Rowland Smith |
5'10 |
195 |
-- |
Sr |
WR |
Joe Anderson |
6'1 |
195 |
-- |
Sr |
OL |
James Watson |
6'2 |
280 |
-- |
Sr |
DE |
Courtney Hope |
5'10 |
185 |
-- |
Sr |
LB |
Adrian Battle |
5'10 |
190 |
-- |
Jr |
LB |
Brandon Tolbert |
6'0 |
195 |
-- |
Sr |
DB |
Jimmy Strong |
5'11 |
185 |
-- |
Sr |
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1405.5 |
4-6 |
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Pos |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
40 |
Yr |
OL/DL |
Justin Roberts |
6'5 |
265 |
5.1 |
Sr |
DB/WR |
Sam Walker |
5'10 |
165 |
4.7 |
Jr |
TE/DE |
Jacob Garrett |
6'5 |
265 |
5.1 |
Sr |
WR/DB |
Carliss Robinson |
5'9 |
165 |
4.7 |
Sr |
WR |
Kevin Cheatum |
6'3 |
185 |
4.5 |
Sr |
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1190.5 |
6-5 |
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Pos |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
40 |
Yr |
LB/RB |
Stephen Petty |
5'11 |
210 |
4.8 |
Sr |
DB |
Colby Mills |
5'10 |
180 |
4.6 |
Sr |
WR |
Tyler Rhoades |
6'1 |
185 |
4.6 |
Sr |
OL |
Jacob Jenkins |
5'11 |
245 |
5.1 |
Sr |
OL |
Aaron Johnson |
6'5 |
325 |
5.8 |
Sr |
OL |
Colt Hooten |
6'2 |
250 |
5.1 |
Sr |
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1001.5 |
8-3 |
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Pos |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
40 |
Yr |
RB |
Antowoine Smith |
5'8 |
175 |
4.5 |
Sr |
QB |
John Faulkner |
5'9 |
180 |
4.7 |
Sr |
OL |
James Layton |
6'2 |
220 |
4.9 |
Sr |
OL |
Corey Woods |
6'4 |
260 |
5.3 |
Jr |
WR/P/K |
Justin Miller |
5'9 |
180 |
4.5 |
Sr |
FB |
Chris Carr |
5'8 |
195 |
4.7 |
Sr |
DB |
Justin Clayton |
5'11 |
195 |
4.6 |
Sr |
DB |
Brandon Booker |
6'0 |
175 |
4.6 |
Sr |
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 |
979 |
3-7 |
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Pos |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
40 |
Yr |
QB |
Quin Ashley |
6'0 |
190 |
4.6 |
Sr |
WR |
Keon Furtch |
6'2 |
180 |
4.5 |
Jr |
WR/DB |
Jordan Fields |
6'0 |
180 |
4.6 |
Jr |
OL |
Stephen Good |
6'5 |
270 |
5.0 |
Jr |
DL |
Chauncie Moore |
6'1 |
260 |
5.2 |
Sr |
DB |
Decedric Sims |
5'10 |
170 |
4.5 |
Sr |
DB |
Rodricus Johnson |
5'9 |
180 |
4.5 |
Jr |
DB |
Ladarrius Gunn |
5'9 |
155 |
4.4 |
Jr |
K/P |
Austin Cunningham |
6'2 |
180 |
4.7 |
Jr |
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975 |
5-6 |
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Pos |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
40 |
Yr |
QB |
Lucas Shipman |
5'9 |
155 |
4.5 |
Sr |
WR |
Seth Bauman |
6'1 |
170 |
4.8 |
Sr |
DL |
DaJuan Hart |
6'0 |
215 |
5.0 |
Jr |
LB |
Chris Mills |
6'0 |
220 |
4.7 |
Sr |
DB |
DeMarcus Martin |
5'10 |
180 |
4.6 |
Sr |
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| Projected Finish |
1 |
Texas High |
2 |
Paris North Lamar |
3 |
Paris High |
4 |
Sulphur Springs |
5 |
Lindale |
6 |
Mount Pleasant |
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| Pre-Season Awards |
District Darkhorse |
Paris High |
District MVP |
Ryan Mallett
Texas High |
Offensive MVP |
Quin Ashley
Paris High |
Defensive MVP |
Justin Clayton
Paris North Lamar |
Diamond In The Rough |
Stephen Good
Paris High |
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| 2005 Records |
| Texas High |
9-2 |
| Mount Pleasant |
4-6 |
| Sulphur Springs |
6-5 |
| Paris North Lamar |
8-3 |
| Paris High |
3-7 |
| Lindale |
5-6 |
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| Recruiting Key |
| THSF Top 200 Player |
| Top '07 Prospect |
| Top '08 Prospect |
| Top '09 Prospect |
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