Magazine Predicts Divergent Fortunes for Local Teams

The start of the Texas High School football season is just over a month away.

And official preseason practice begins Monday.

It’s going to be a very interesting football season, to say the least, in Fayette County with new head football coaches at all three football-playing high schools here for the first time in recent memory.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine has hit newstands, chock-full of predictions for districts around the state.

Here’s what the magazine says will happen in our local districts:

• In District 12-4A, the magazine predicts that Cuero will repeat as district champs, with La Grange as runnerup led by new coach Kyle Cooper. The Leps return six offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s team that went 5-6.

Here’s the full list of predicted finishes: 1. Cuero 2. La Grange 3. Smithville 4. Gonzales 5. Giddings 6. Caldwell Here’s the magazine’s synopsis of La Grange:

“Whether it’s Kleiber or Clayton Cooper at QB, they will try to get the ball to WRS Williams, Nate Scott, Dixon, Thai Scott, Julian Sherman, and Cabrera, who all run 4.7 or better in the 40. RB Broussard was brought up to varsity as a sophomore. The Leopards also look to improve defensively behind LB Gunn (76 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks), who started as a freshman.”

• Meanwhile, in District 13-2, the magazine is predicting very different fortunes for Fayette County teams.

Here’s the predicted district finish: 1. Flatonia 2. Thorndale 3. Holland 4. Hearne 5. Thrall 6. Weimar 7. Schulenburg Here’s the magazine’s synopsis of Flatonia, which is led by new coach Brent Mascheck and returns five offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s 11-2 team: “Burton (101 tackles), Torres, Vincik, and Ramirez will be key in Mascheck’s first season. Green will fill key roles on offense and defense. WR Zimmerman could move to QB or RB.”

Here’s the magazine’s synopsis of Schulenburg, which went 0-10 last year and is led by new head coach Luke Hobbs. The Shorthorns return seven offensive and seven defensive starters from last year’s winless team: “Hobbs arrives from Co-lumbus looking to bring stability after a turbulent year that included a midseason coaching change and a winless season. Schulenburg has good team speed with Ryba, Walton and Davi, but will need a young offensive line to mature.

In the college section, the magazine says the University of Texas will have the state’s best football team in 2023 followed by TCU and UTSA.

Here’s its full college rankings of FBS schools in Texas: 1. UT 2. TCU 3. UTSA 4. Texas Tech 5. SMU 6. Texas A&M 7. Baylor 8. U of H 9. North Texas 10. Rice 11. Texas State 12. UTEP 13. Sam Houston State Other predictions:

• Michigan over Georgia in the national title game

• UT will win the Big 12 with Kansas State the runnerup.