2014 ETSN.fm Football Preview

It's not often that both combatants in the previous year's state championship game are reunited in the same district the following season.

The Lufkin Panthers had high expectations entering last season. With one of the most dangerous receiving corps in the entire state and a defense full of proven playmakers coming off a trip to the regional semifinals, Lufkin appeared primed for big-time success in 2013.

The District 6-4A Division II title could be in play when Gladewater and Tatum meet at the Bears' Jack V. Murphy Stadium on Oct. 12 for the league opener. This is the No. 6 game in ETSN.fm's countdown of the top 25 games featuring East Texas teams in 2014.

The 2013 season was a bittersweet one for the Athens Hornets. On one hand, the town witnessed history -- the program's first-ever 10-0 regular season. But the positive vibes could not carry over to the playoffs.

Jasper is, by far, the smallest school in District 10-4A Division I. But things are still looking good for the sole East Texas team in the league. A great tradition and the town's ability to produce high-end talent time and time again should yield another team capable of winning the district crown.

The positive momentum surrounding Whitehouse's football program had been building for a decade, and last season it culminated into the greatest season in school history.

Every once in a while the UIL throws Tatum out of its comfort zone. Following their 2005 Class 3A Division II state championship, the Eagles were dropped down a classification. Two years later, they were back in 3A.

When the subject of high school football is brought up in deep East Texas, the conversation doesn't last too long without mentioning either Newton or Corrigan-Camden.

The 2014 Gilmer team would be a district frontrunner pretty much anywhere the UIL put them. We won't beat around the bush. Gilmer is the team to beat in District 5-4A Division II.

Prior to last season, Nacogdoches had reached the playoffs only one time in 20 years. The 2013 Dragons weren't interested in the past. Instead, they were busy setting the foundation in the present for an exciting future.