As the heat rises, area football teams take to the brown grass and get ready to build their championship teams for the season. All teams have the same aspirations with not a single game having been played. For some, that dream will become reality, for most, it will be just another season that was.
The Fairfield Eagles and Mexia Blackcats did not make the playoffs together last season for the first time since 1995. If they repeat that feat it will be the first time ever in back to back seasons. Coaching staffs are seeing that this does not happen this season.
Fairfield played several young players in an injury plagued season and many of them got some valuable playing time should pay dividends for Coach Bachtel’s Eagles.
Mexia sends a new coach to the sidelines. Frank Sandoval comes to Limestone County from a solid Cedar Hill program and looks to take the Blackcats to the post season for the first time in a few years.
Both the Blackcats and Eagles are projected to not make the playoffs by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine. Lorena is the projected winner followed by Salado, the surprise of the 2016 season. Robinson loses a record setting quarterback but is slated as the third-place team. Waco Conally is projected to round out the playoff qualifiers followed by Fairfield and Mexia.
Some highlight games of the season are the Eagles and neighbor county rival Palestine on September 15. They will open with perennial powerhouse LaVega on September 1. They open district play on the road at Salado and travel to Mexia on October 27.
Mexia will continue their rivalry with the Groesbeck Goats in Groesbeck on September 15, a week after they host the Teague Lions. They also take on LaVega on September 22. The Blackcats district opener is on the road in Lorena on October 13.
The Teague Lions have made successful runs in the playoffs over the last five years but the end of the road has always been the Cameron Yoemen. According to Texas Football, they are projected to meet the same end, which suggests another successful campaign.
The Lions are projected to finish as the runner-up, just as they did last season. The district matchup looks to be a repeat thriller against the Malakoff Tigers in Teague on November 3. They travel to Groesbeck the week before to take on an improving Goat team in the second year for Coach Steve Hale. Teague opens the season at home against the Caldwell Hornets and also the district opener at home when the West Trojans come to town on September 29.
Malakoff and Teague are the projected top two teams followed by West and Groesbeck. Whitney, Elkhart, Eustace and Westwood round out the potential finishers.
The Wortham Bulldogs were not a friend of realignment last season and finished with only one district win in a tough group of opponents. It does not get any easier when the preseason top team Tenaha host them on October 20. Tenaha is the team that could end the longest winning streak in the nation against Bremond in a playoff game down the line.
The Bulldogs open the season at home against the Itasca Wampus Cats and then again at home in the district opener against the Timpson Bears on October 13. They renew the rivalry against the Dawson Bulldogs at home on September 22, where Wortham has claimed the last several.
The Oakwood Panthers are projected to finish in second place in district play to the Milford Bulldogs.
