2016 Football Preview

New Tyler Lee head coach Clayton George has enjoyed a successful preseason. His team seems to have bought into his theories of discipline while South Tyler residents are beginning to believe their Red Raiders, with time, can again be what they once were. Lee will begin the 2016 season ranked fifth in ETSN.fm's Class 6A/5A Poll. It is ahead of No. 6 Texas High, No. 7 Nacogdoches, No. 8 Hallsville,

There are seven teams in District 8-4A Division I. Six qualified for the postseason a year ago. One did so at the Class 5A level. Only four will make it out of the league this year. The core of the district is Athens, Crandall, Kaufman, Mabank and Van. Tho ...

When you've got North Texas' quarterback of the future and a NCAA Division I FBS receiver, you're starting the season in a very decent place. That's where Texas High will begin the 2016 campaign ahead of factoring in some experienced offensive lineman and a remaining set of offensive skill players many other local teams would trade for if they could. The Tigers will begin the season regarded as th

It's not as if District 9-4A Division I, a.k.a. "the District of Doom," needed any more depth. Carthage, Kilgore, Henderson, and Chapel Hill have combined for seven state championships since 2004. But with the addition of two 4A Division II playoff participants from 2015, the league is new and improved...

With Longview out of the picture in Class 6A now, two-thirds of last season's tri-district championship are left to battle it out in 16-5A. When Texas High visits Marshall in the league opener on Sept. 23, the stakes may not be any higher...

The Center Roughriders made a splash in the first year under head coach Barry Bowman, winning 10 games and reaching the third round of the playoffs. With half of their starters returning in 2016, the Roughriders once again have big plans...

Can you name the lone East Texas school that has sent a defensive back to The Opening in Oregon each of the past three summers? Of course you can. You clicked on a write up about Nacogdoches. It wasn't always this way. Not that the Dragons never had the athletes needed to compete at a high level, but winning consistently certainly elevated the visibility of guys like Jaylon Lane, Brandon Jones and

It wasn't that long ago that the Bullard football program was almost an afterthought, but under the direction of head coach Shannon Wilson, the Panthers have turned the corner. Armed with 14 returning starters from last season's bi-district finalist, Bullard begins the year ranked No...

  Mineola torched teams on its way to a 14-0 record and a date with Brock in the Class 3A Division I state semifinals. Then it all came crashing down. How do you come back from such a deflating loss? Head coach Joe Drennon believes you hop right back on the horse and face a very similar team. The Yellowjackets asked Van to be their season-opening opponent and will try to show the area what a state

It's not East Texas bias. The three East Texas schools in District 6-4A Division II were just the big winners of the University Interscholastic League's latest realignment process. Each school fell into a better situation compared to the one its found itself in last season. We're picking Canton, Emory Rains and Wills Point to make it out of the league and into the postseason picture. But in what o