Top 25 Games of 2016

There's certainly no love lost when Highway 79 rivals Henderson and Carthage get together. For years, it's been among East Texas' most intense rivalries. The long-standing feud is renewed once again on Sept. 30 when the Lions travel to Carthage in District 9-4A Division I action...

It's funny to think a team that started the season 1-5 could have clawed all the way back to win a state championship. Yet Arp got closer and closer to an 11-5 record with a ring last season. The Tigers had a Waskom problem, however. The Wildcats handed Arp its final loss ahead of a six-game winning streak and then circled back in the playoffs for another win en route to a second consecutive Class

The oldest rivalry in East Texas is renewed when Longview travels to Marshall on Sept. 2 for their 106th meeting. The Mavericks stunned the Lobos by defeating Longview for the first time since 2000 last season, and earned a piece of the district championship in the process...

These two East Texas powerhouses have a combined seven state championships since 2004, and it's always a slugfest when Gilmer and Carthage get together. Yet again, the Buckeyes and Bulldogs will face off in a Saturday night showdown on Sept...

The last time Highway 271 rivals Gilmer and Gladewater met, an epic playoff game before an overflow crowd at Longview's Lobo Stadium ensued. And while the stakes won't be quite as high this time around, fireworks should fly when the Buckeyes and Bears renew acquaintances on Oct...

There are a lot of teams out there that would view getting promoted by the University Interscholastic League to a higher classification as a death sentence. They were something at a lower level but know they don't have the numbers to compete with bigger schools. John Tyler, contrarily, is looking forward to its new home in District 11-6A. It has five NCAA Division I FBS recruits identified on its

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...

  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

After witnessing their East Texas rivals Longview and Lufkin travel east to Shreveport to take part in the Battle on the Border showcase the last couple of seasons, John Tyler has chosen to do the same. The Lions will battle Warren Easton, a program from New Orleans, on Sept...

On name power alone, John Tyler versus Longview games are big events. Players benefit from big crowds in big stadiums, and there's just a little more magic around the hosting campus ahead of two of Texas' most valuable high school football programs meeting head-to-head...