Predicted Order of Finish (Division I teams all CAPS)
1. Lufkin
2. THE WOODLANDS
3. The Woodlands College Park
4. Oak Ridge
5. CONROE
6. New Caney
Quick 2008 recap (season finish)
It was The Woodlands (9-2) team that turned all of the heads last season. The Highlanders made a statement early and often knocking off everyone who came in their way, including the 5A Division II state champions Katy team in the preseason. Of course, you cannot mention that success and leave out the only team that beat The Woodlands in the regular season, Lufkin (7-5). The Panthers are known for fielding strong teams and 2009 will not be the exception. Conroe (6-4) was able to get in the playoffs with a plus .500 season while Oak Ridge (4-6) did not, but managed to get in.
College Park (4-5) and New Caney (1-8) were left out of the playoff picture, but it is likely that the Cavaliers will play past the regular season in 2009.
2009 Breakdown
Dating back to the pre-spread offense days, Lufkin has been one of the powerhouse programs in the state. For 2009, the Panthers bring back six starters on each side of the ball (12 total) from an area round team from last season. These guys will go as far as junior quarterback Deuntre Smiley’s (6-1, 195) arm will take them now that he leads the offense. This point is brought up mainly because Smiley will more than enough capable receivers to throw to with Quinn Trimble (6-2, 180) leading way.
Trimble had 55 catches last season for over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns. With Tra Horace (5-8, 165) and Kasey Jones (5-10, 160), the Panthers should not have trouble putting points on the board. Defensively, Carrington Byndom (6-0, 180) will hold things down in the secondary.
Though there is still plenty of light in the tunnel, The Woodlands team still has a few pressing questions that need answering. From the conclusion of spring training, there was still no clear leader for the starting quarterback job. But no worries because if there is one thing that is for certain, the backfield is in good hands with Daniel Lasco (6-0, 195) running the ball. Lasco ran for over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns. He will have Chad Lindsay (6-4, 300) and Adam Sibal (6-2, 290) clearing the way. When the Highlanders decide to go with the passing game, Randy Knust (6-3, 190) or Michael Cooper (6-5, 215) are big targets on the other end. Another area of concern for The Woodlands is the amount of talent lost on defense last year, so look for plenty of new faces.
For conversations sake, College Park could have been placed in the No. 2 spot as well. After falling just short of postseason play, look for the Cavaliers to come out hard in 2009. The success for College Park starts from its leader quarterback Taylor Parsons (6-0, 175). If there are positive yards, it will likely come from Parsons as he accounted for over 1,500 yards (of the 3,100 yards total) of offense and 15 touchdowns. He won’t be alone as athlete Aaron Osborne (5-10, 170) and running Paco Solano (5-10, 175) will also play big roles in the backfield. The two combined for over 700 yard on the ground. Eli Dickerson (6-7, 275) is the leading big man returning. On defense, Keenan Cook (5-10, 180) and Osborne are the top players returning.
Not going for the popularity pick here, but Oak Ridge rounds out the preseason choice for postseason play. The War Eagles return 13 starters, and have the playoff advancement on their minds this year, according to coach Bob Barrett. The strength of this team lies in their ability to run the ball. And there is no shortage of workhorses when you look at Fredie Dotson (5-10, 185), Torian Oakley (5-9, 165), and newcomer Michael Handy (5-10, 170) in the line up. Add the experience of quarterback Ryan Cyr (6-2, 210) and the War Eagles should be in good shape for success in 2009.
Hard to say where the Conroe team will fall in 2009. The Tigers return eight starters, but do not return much experience at a position that is utilized a lot, the running back. There are a couple of capable receivers (Chris Parks, Desmond Jones) in the mix for the offense and linebacker Brandon Thornton (6-2, 195) will lead the crew defensively.
There have been better days at New Caney, but the days in class 5A have not been pretty. The Eagles did open up with a win last season, but injuries and rude awakening in 5A football made it a long season. New Caney returns 11 starters, eight of which are on offense.
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