ETSN.fm Class 3A Preseason Poll: No. 1 Newton Eagles

It truly was a remarkable 2017 season for the Newton Eagles. It all came to an end with them celebrating a 15-0 campaign and the Class 3A Division II state championship.

And the best part? Most of those impact players are back for another run.

For that reason, Newton is No. 1 in ETSN.fm's Preseason Class 3A Poll.

Newton enters the season with five players holding major Division I FBS scholarship offers, a rarity for teams at the 3A level. Four of them will be seniors.

Running back Darwin Barlow (5-11, 195), who holds more than 20 major offers, is back after rushing for 2,246 yards with 37 touchdowns. He also added 189 receiving yards and four more TD's.

Josh Foster (6-0, 165), who plays quarterback and defensive back, committed to TCU earlier this summer. Last season, he accounted for 2,556 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Offensive lineman Caiden Walker (6-3, 285) committed to Louisiana Tech before the season.

But perhaps the most impressive of the bunch is Tamauzia Brown (6-1, 175), who excels at both receiver and cornerback.

Brown, who like Barlow has more than 20 offers, totaled more than 1,400 yards of offense with 18 touchdowns as a junior. On defense, he led all of East Texas with 12 interceptions and added 16 pass break-ups.

In the junior class, defensive end James Sylvester (6-4, 240) leads the way. He holds major offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Texas A&M already.

Last season, Sylvester made 86 tackles (21 for loss) with eight sacks.

Newton outscored its opponents by an average of 42.6 points per game in 2017. It's hard to see how any team can slow down the Eagles this season.