Yoe football ranked #1 by football magazine

Submitted by Cameron1 on

Every year, fans of the gridiron patiently wait for the day that the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine is released. The highly coveted high school publication contains articles, district projections and team information, but most of the anticipation is built up for the preseason rankings - the first official poll released every year.

 

For fans of the Yoemen, being ranked was not in question. It’s where the four-time state champions were going to be placed. The news broke Monday evening that the folks at DCTF expect the Yoemen to add more gold to the trophy case this December with the preseason number one honor in 3A division one.

 

Dave Campbell’s Full Top 20:

1. Cameron Yoe, 2. Hallettsville, 3. Brock, 4. Yoakum, 5. Malakoff, 6. Wall, 7. Teague, 8. Farmersville, 9. Pottsboro, 10. Rockdale, 11. Mineola, 12. Franklin, 13. Goliad, 14. Woodville, 15. La Marque, 16. Grandview, 17. Kemp, 18. Jefferson, 19. White Oak, 20. Jefferson

 

My Top 20 (from earlier this year)

1. Yoakum, 2. Cameron Yoe, 3. Hallettsville, 4. Teague, 5. Rockdale, 6. Malakoff, 7. Wall, 8. Brock, 9. Grandview, 10. Mineola, 11. Jefferson, 12. Franklin, 13. Edna, 14. Whitesboro, 15. Goliad, 16. Pottsboro, 17. Woodville, 18. Farmersville, 19. Coldspring. T20. Howe, T20. Sunnyvale, T20. Littlefield

 

For the most part, myself and the folks over at DCTF were thinking a lot alike when putting these rankings together as a total of 18 teams are in both polls. The two exceptions are La Marque at number 15 and Kemp and number 17. La Marque is a good gamble. The Cougars lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2016 but have 5 state championships to their name and could bounce back at any time.

 

Kemp was 7-4 last season, played in a competitive district, and played Pottsboro a tough first round game, so giving these guys the nod also makes sense.

 

10-3A is regarded as one of, if not the state’s most difficult districts year in and year out, and these rankings only validate that. Rockdale, who is coming off a three-round deep playoff run, should be a force at the number 10 spot. Additionally, Franklin, who will be predicted to finish third in the district, is at number 12. No other district in division one has three teams ranked.

 

3A Division II Rankings

Cameron was not the only local team ranked in the top spot as the Lexington Eagles got a target placed on their backs at number one in 3A division II. Lexington had a bounce back season in 2017, going from 6-5 with a bi-district finish in 2016 to 11-3 with a tight 34-29 loss to eventual state finalist Boling in the quarterfinals. Gunter, the defending state champs, is slotted at number three. The only other team ranked in this general area is Buffalo at 19.

 

Next Week

In next week’s edition of Herald Sports, we will dig a little deeper into district projections, look closer at Cameron’s non-district schedule, plus give an early look at what teams could await the Yoemen during the 2017 playoff run.