District Preview: 13-AAAA

District 13-4A could be one of the strongest 4A districts in the state. In 2008 Sulphur Springs won the 4A division II state championship and Longview made it to the 4A division I state finals. The district also features perennial East Texas powers Texas High and Marshall. Three of the four playoff teams from a year ago won at least one playoff game. With Longview, Texas High and Sulphur Springs all loaded with talent, the district will be extremely competitive again in 2009.

13-4A Pre-season Predictions:

Longview Lobos: Coming off of last year’s playoff run that took the Lobos all the way to the state finals, Longview is picked by many to win its first state title since 1937. Coach John King returns 12 starters including a number of D1 prospects from last year’s playoff team. On offense, quarterback Aaron Johnson, runningback Tyler McCray and receiver Carey Fortson will lead a very balanced offensive attack for the Lobos. And on defense, defensive linemen Bubba Vactor and Jeremiah Farley will anchor a talented Lobo defense. Longview rolled through district 13 in 2008 and the Lobos are the favorite to win the district again. But, to get back to the state championship game Longview will have to run the gauntlet of a very tough region II that includes teams like Denison, Dallas Carter, Waco Midway and Highland Park.

Texas High Tigers: The Tigers went 9-2 in 2008 including 5-1 in district. However, the highly anticipated district showdown with Longview did not go well for the Tigers. The Lobos jumped on the Tigers early and rolled to a 41-7 victory. There is no question that Coach Barry Norton has September 25th circled on the calendar as the Tigers will play host to the Lobos and will be looking for a little revenge. The Tigers return 9 starters from last year’s team including quarterback and Oklahoma State commit Nathan Sorenson. Sorenson’s favorite target from last year, Cobi Hamilton, has moved on to the collegiate level. But, wide receiver Montrae Williams will try to pick up the slack. Big offensive lineman Ben Jackson will be charged with the task of keeping Sorenson on his feet. Texas High will be looking ahead and trying to reel in the Lobos while at the same time looking behind them and trying to hold off a talented Sulphur Springs team for the second spot.

Sulphur Springs Wildcats: Ask Wildcats’ head coach Greg Owens what was the hardest thing about winning the first state championship in school history and he might tell you just getting out of his own district. The Wildcats went 14-2 and captured the 4A division II state championship in 2008. The Cats’ only losses came to district foes Texas High and Longview. Sulphur Springs also needed a shootout victory over Marshall (57-36) and a nail-biter over Hallsville (28-24) just to secure a playoff spot. Once in the playoffs the Wildcats put up gaudy offensive numbers in route to the state championship. The offense will have to replace dynamic quarterback Tyrik Rollison (Auburn) and runningback Ryan Young (Air Force). But the offense returns plenty of talent including a huge offensive line led by Beau Carpenter, Mason Y’Barbo and Alex Peek. The defense is loaded as well with Texas commit Bryant Jackson in the secondary and Texas Tech commit Kedrick Dial on the defensive line. The Wildcats will once again be a playoff team in 2009.

Marshall Mavericks: The Mavericks were back in the postseason in 2008 for the fourth time in five years. Marshall was 3-3 in district in 2008 with the three losses all coming against the other three playoff teams in the district. If the Mavericks are going to overtake any of those three teams they will need the services of linebacker Aaron Franklin. Franklin is one of the most highly recruited linebackers in the state despite missing his entire junior season with torn ligaments in his knee. At 6’1” and 210 pounds Franklin has legitimate 4.5 speed in the forty and runs a sub 22 second 200 meter. Having a healthy Franklin back should help the Mavericks improve on a defense that surrendered 27 points a game last year. Marshall should have enough to make the playoffs and could challenge for the third spot in the district.

Hallsville Bobcats: Coach David Plunk’s Bobcats were 2-3 in district and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. But there were some bright spots for the Bobcats beginning with a defense that led the district in points allowed. Hallsville also played very competitive games against Longview and Sulphur Springs, losing 21-7 and 28-24 respectively. But, with the fewest returning starters of any team in the district (7) it may be difficult to improve on last year’s five wins. Look for more of the same from Hallsville this year: a five win season and a fifth place finish in the district.

Pine Tree Pirates: Not much went right for the Pirates in 2008. Pine Tree was 2-8 overall and 0-6 in district. New coach Huey Chancellor will look to get the Pirates back in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Coach Chancellor has ten returning starters with which to work his magic. Mark Malone and Dominique Webb could share the running duties and Tyler Kids will handle the quarterback position. On defense, Steven Hawkins should be solid up front and Evan Kokenzie will move from defensive back to outside linebacker. The Pirates have an uphill battle to get into the playoffs in such a loaded district. But with 114 wins in his 14 seasons at Bellville, Coach Chancellor brings a winning resume to Pine Tree. Better days may be ahead for the Pirates.

Mount Pleasant Tigers: The Tigers have not won more than 6 games in a season since 1997. And with only eight starters returning from last year’s 3-7 team, the trend may not end anytime soon. To make matters worse, the Tigers lost their two best players on offense (WR – Roman Hurndon and QB Terrell Howard) and their two best players on defense (LB – Tevin Elliott and DL Tremaine Elliott) to graduation. It could be a long season for the Tigers.

Predicted Order of Finish for 13-4A:
1. Longview Lobos
2. Texarkana Texas High Tigers
3. Sulphur Springs Wildcats
4. Marshall Mavericks
5. Hallsville Bobcats
6. Longview Pine Tree Pirates
7. Mount Pleasant Tigers