2015 Football Preview

The Hornets aren't exactly an East Texas blue blood program, but things are looking up on the western fringe of the area. Way up. Athens will begin the season ranked No. 4 in the ETSN.fm Class 4A Poll, and they're going to get the chance to show they belong on opening night with a big game against No. 9 Henderson.

Gilmer had no issues whatsoever in District 5-4A Division II last season en route to winning the Class 4A Division II state championship and becoming the second-highest scoring team in state history. It's looking good for the somewhat new-look Buckeyes again...

The Lufkin Panthers' 6-5 record in 2014 doesn't tell the whole story. The five losses came by a combined 20 points, which made the Pack's season a tad misleading. Lufkin, which graduated the majority of its nucleus from a season ago, will be young this season. But the nonetheless, the Panthers check in at No. 4 in ETSN.fm's preseason Class 6A/5A poll.

Welcome to arguably East Texas' most competitive league in 4A Division II: District 6. Last season, the district featured three programs that each advanced to at least the third round of the playoffs.

The Lufkin-Nacogdoches games were a formality for generations. Now, the junior class at Nacogdoches High School is staring an opportunity in the face to not only enjoy a .500 record against their chief rivals but actually have eternal bragging rights over their counterparts at Lufkin...

The Bulldogs experienced a learning curve season last year and still finished the year with a minority share of the District 9-4A Division I title and an appearance in the area round. With 15 starters back, expectations are back to normal in Carthage. Scott Surratt's team checks in at No. 5 in the ETSN.fm Class 4A Preseason Poll, ahead of league opponents No. 6 Chapel Hill and No. 9 Henderson. Rea

The third year of the Clint Harper era in Marshall is set to begin, and expectations for the iconic East Texas program are on the rise. The Mavericks begin the season ranked No. 5 in ETSN.fm's preseason Class 6A/5A poll.

The Rusk Eagles missed out on the playoffs last season, finishing in fifth place, one spot out of the fourth and final postseason slot out of District 7-4A Division II. Moving up in the standings won't be easy, but Rusk returns plenty of firepower.

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.

For years, Whitehouse football was about as irrelevant a program as any in East Texas. Not anymore. When the Wildcats missed the playoffs last season, it came as a genuine shock. Whitehouse begins the 2015 season ranked No. 6 in ETSN.fm's preseason Class 6A/5A poll, eager to make amends for its string of eight consecutive playoff berths coming to an end last fall.