Games of the Year, No. 14: Alto, San Augustine Bound for District 10-A D-I Showdown

Not often do you see two top 10-caliber teams face off in a district matchup, but that’s exactly what Alto and new-to-Class A San Augustine will give football fans come Nov. 2 at Yellow Jacket Stadium.

Alto has long been a force in small-school football, recording 13 double-digit-win seasons since 1983, including back-to-back 14-0 state championship seasons in 2006-07. San Augustine’s big breakthrough came in 2003 when the Wolves won the Class 2A Division I state championship and finished 12-3.

But last year’s playoff berth was San Augustine’s first since that title season, so dropping to Class A should really help a team that won eight games despite being among the smallest schools in 2A enrollment.

This early November matchup will serve as a litmus test for each program as it likely prepares for a deep playoff run, especially considering the buzz around each team entering the season. Alto and junior quarterback Jacolby Whitaker, who accounted for almost 2,500 total yards in 2011, are ranked 10th in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine’s preseason Division I poll. San Augustine, which returns all but a handful of starters, is ETSN.fm's highest-ranked Class A school and boasts versatile senior Ty’Aundra Taylor, who scored 12 times a year ago.

Since this matchup falls in the season's 10th week and may be the de facto District 10-A D-I championship game, it takes precedence over the other all-1A game on our list (No. 23: Tenaha vs. San Augustine).