ETSN.fm Class 4A Preseason Poll: No. 6, Chapel Hill

There's another District 9-4A Division I team joining the ETSN.fm Class 4A Preseason Poll today.

It's Chapel Hill. The Bulldogs will begin the season ranked No. 6 as we count down the top 10 East Texas teams within the classification. 

District opponent Henderson is No. 9 in the poll. Could more league teams be on their way in?

Chapel Hill took some licks last year as it finished 5-5 in the regular season. Larger Lindale, Whitehouse and Port Neches-Grove programs got the best of it early.

However, the team really turned a corner at the end of its non-district slate with a 42-39 win against Tatum, worked over the bottom half of District 9-4A Division I and took out a good Huffman Hargrave team in the opening round the of the playoffs. Eventual state champion Navasota struggled with the Bulldogs the next week before pulling out a 49-28 win.

Head coach Thomas Sitton's team will bring back 11 battle-tested starters from the 2014.

Offensive tackle Jeremy West, a Northwestern State commitment, will go a long way toward helping the Bulldogs' perceived weak point along the offensive line. He's the only returning starter there.

The rest of the offense is in great shape.

Quarterback Konnor Hitchcock is back. So are receivers Reggie King, Zack Walters and Deundre Phillips.

Ja'Braylon Franklin returns at running back to round out a nice core of skill players.

Chapel Hill's defense might be a little bit ahead of the offense with six of the 11 total returning starters and a playmaker at each level of the unit.

Defensive lineman Andrew Dawson gives the front some teeth and DeAndre Hordge will back him up at linebacker following 84 recorded tackles last season. In the secondary, senior cornerback Kenyotta Henderson and junior safety Ladarian Hudson are players to watch.

Special teams won't be much of an issue. Northwestern State thinks Bulldogs senior kicking specialist Austyn Fendrick is good enough to use a scholarship on. He committed to the Demons program earlier in the month.

Obviously, even with good experience, it's a tall task to survive the district. Carthage, Henderson and Kilgore also are always strong programs. Brownsboro and Palestine can be difficult opponents as well.

Chapel Hill will rematch Linedale, Whitehouse, Port Neches-Grove and take on No. 10 Tatum in addition to another good game against Paris as its non-district schedule.

2015 Chapel Hill Bulldogs Football Schedule

ETSN.fm Class 4A Preseason Poll

• No. 6: Chapel Hill
• No. 7: Jasper
• No. 8: Atlanta
• No. 9: Henderson
• No. 10: Tatum