10 things to watch as 6A and 5A start up
Finally, football season feels whole starting Thursday.
Class 6A and 5A schools kick off a month after 4A and smaller schools did so in accordance with the University Interscholastic League’s revised calendar because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a season like no other unfolds for the state’s largest schools, here are 10 things to watch.
Time for three-peat?
The list of three-peat state champions from the Houston-area is short. Sealy captured state championships from 1994-1997 and La Marque’s memorable run included titles from 19951997.
Led by quarterback Dematrius Davis, the back-toback Class 6A Division I state champions aim for a third consecutive title.
The most challenging playoff bracket in the state and a treacherous District 21-6A schedule ensure North Shore’s path will be tough once again.
Flexible scheduling
One revelation from Class 4A and smaller schools starting the season a month ahead of 6A and 5A teams is how chaotic the schedule can get. Lampasas, for example, now has three weeks between its last game against Wimberley and next game because of COVID-related issues with opponents and its own team.
Weather has been an issue this season, too, with Tropical Storm Beta turning the Klein Collins-Atascocita and Manvel-Dickinson season openers into scrimmages because teams haven’t had enough time to practice. This is the ultimate year of flexibility.
Foray into Class 6A
The jump from Class 5A Division I to 6A will present interesting challenges for Shadow Creek. Who else is better equipped to handle it, though?
The Sharks busted the ceiling for what is possible for nascent high school football programs with two consecutive appearances in state title games, winning last year’s crown. They are 31-1 in two years with no signs of backing down in 6A. Shadow Creek opens against North Shore on Friday.
The surprise teams
Bridgeland won eight games in a breakout year in 2019. Heights, Bellaire and Westside hope this is the year they knock off Houston ISD giant Lamar. Katy Taylor made its first state semifinal in 2019. What do the Mustangs do for an encore? Dobie has not won a district title in 10 years and a playoff game in 16. Could the Longhorns break both streaks?
Year of the OL
Bellaire Episcopal’s Donovan Jackson, an Ohio State commitment, is the state’s top overall player in the 2021 class. Katy Taylor’s Bryce Foster is a special talent and he has Texas commitment Hayden Conner next to him on the Mustangs’ line. Foster’s Reuben Fatheree is a Texas A&M commitment.
North Shore’s Jaeden Roberts will continue blocking for Davis in college as both are Auburn commitments.
Zone play
District 10-5A Division I and the all-HISD District 10-4A Division I are employing zone play in 2020 to combat potential COVID-19 issues. It’s not an uncommon way to crown a district champion and determine playoff teams but requires explanation for many spectators. Usually, teams play games in their own zones and a few opponents from the opposite zone. The best records out of the two zones will be the top seeds or play for a district title. The other top records have play-in games or clinch postseason spots outright.
50 percent
The University Interscholastic League sent warnings on its COVID-19 risk mitigation guidelines. Schools are supposed to cap stadium capacity at 50 percent and enforce social distancing. Rural schools following those guidelines presents challenges, but tackling those rules at football cathedrals such as Cy-Fair FCU Stadium or Legacy Stadium is an entirely different challenge.
Streaks aplenty
Katy has 73 consecutive district wins. It is the state’s second-longest active streak behind Aledo’s 90. Lamar owns the third-longest active streak at 67. Allen owns the longest active streak of regular season wins at 75. The Eagles host Humble ISD’s Atascocita in October. Allen would surpass North Shore’s 78-game win streak in the regular season from 2001-2008 as the longest in state history with four more wins this year.
New coaches
It was a difficult offseason for new head coaches at schools. Nonetheless, there will be a few interesting debut seasons to watch. John Towels takes over Clear Brook after serving as Duncanville defensive coordinator. Jeff Miller, a Cy-Fair alumnus who led Rockdale to a state championship in 2017, replaced the retired Ed Pustejovsky at his alma mater. Rick LaFavers moved from Lamar Consolidated to Ridge Point to replace Brett Sniffin in a high-profile move.
Using their platform
Katy cornerbacks Bobby Taylor and Hunter Washington announced in August they would sit out the scrimmage and season opener in protest of racial injustice. Since 2016, high school football players in the Houston area have participated in protests and displays of unity before football games. Considering the social climate, 2020 could be when high school players participating in activism becomes normalized.