Top 25 Games of 2017: No. 19, Silsbee At Newton

One of the most intriguing intra-class matchups on the schedule comes in Week 2 when Class 3A powerhouse Newton tangles with Southeast Texas neighbor and Class 4A regional contender Silsbee.

It checks in at No. 19 on ETSN.fm's list of the top 25 games of 2017.

Newton, a 3A Division II regional finalist a season ago, will play host to Silsbee on Sept. 8 in a rematch of Newton's 49-33 win in 2016.

Silsbee has had its last two seasons end against Carthage in the playoffs. In 2015, the Tigers were bested in the 4A Division I, Region III championship.

And last season, it took a fourth-down stop by the Carthage defense and ensuing two-minute drive in the waning moments to knock off Silsbee. Carthage went on to win its fifth state championship since 2008.

Silsbee brings back receiver and Baylor commit Kalon Barnes, but it graduated 2,800-yard rusher and Oregon State signee Calvin Tyler and five other starters on the offensive side of the ball.

Newton is loaded with experienced dynamic players, and appears primed for another deep run in the postseason.

Receiver and defensive back Tamauzia Brown, who was recently offered by Oklahoma State, headlines a special 2019 class that also features running back Darwin Barlow.

Brown amassed more than 1,200 yards of offense and scored 14 touchdowns as a sophomore, and averaged a staggering 35 yards per catch. Defensively, he came away with five interceptions.

Barlow rushed for 1,211 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2016, and averaged an impressive nine yards per carry.

Brown had a big hand in Newton's defeat of Silsbee last year, carrying the ball six times for 52 yards and two touchdowns, and catching three passes for 104 yards and a TD.

Barnes had a nice game as well for Silsbee, catching a pair of touchdowns on six receptions for 72 yards.