With less than a month before practices start, it time to start thinking about high school football.
One part of that is a Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine, a yearly magazine that gives a preview of every Texas high school and college football team for 64 years. It is lovingly called “The Bible” of Texas high school football.
Trying to cover the whole state and sending questionnaires to coaches as early as the spring, before some teams even have a coach hired, means there are some blind spots. As well as a team preview, every district gets a surface level preview of the final standings.
These predictions are not gospel, but it is the first bit of expectations teams can start to have about themselves heading into the season. Teams can either use it as fire if they are picked to finish lower than they think they are or as validation and the first outside weight of expectation if they are state favorites.
For Bowie, playing in a new district 3A-4 in division I, the Jackrabbits are predicted to finish seventh. Bowie went 1-8 last season in Tyler Price’s first year as head coach. The team is expected to return 16 of 22 starters on both sides of the ball according to the magazine.
For Nocona, the Indians are predicted to take a step back. After winning the district title and going 8-2 last year, Nocona lost half of their starters to graduation and is picked to finish fifth in the district, just missing the playoffs.
Trying to replace several four year starters on both sides of the ball is a hard task for Coach Blake Crutsinger and his staff, but several underclassmen showed promise last year. With it being largely the same district, familiarity should be pretty high for the Indians as they know the level they need to get to.
Of all the teams in the county, Saint Jo, as usual, has the highest expectations from outsiders looking in. The Panthers went 6-5 last year to finish second in the district to state-ranked Union Hill and lost in bi-district round of the playoffs to eventual state champs Gordon.
Saint Jo returns eight of its 12 starters from last year, including its top two offensive weapons. The biggest change will be on the sideline. CJ Hanz takes over for the beloved Mark Stevens. Hanz comes from an equally successful Throckmorton program.
What he and the staff brings will be the biggest difference since the Panthers are again expected to finish second to Union Hill in the district despite being ranked 16th in the state in 1A.
For Gold-Burg and Forestburg, both are relieved to no longer be in a district with Strawn and Newcastle.
The two programs are now back in an only three-team district with familiar Fannindel. While the Falcons have traditionally been at the top of the district in the past, Fannindel losses five seniors and is expected to be rebuilding which leaves the door open for the Bears and Longhorns.
Gold-Burg is going to have to recover from losing two four-year starters to graduation, including a talent like Jayon Grace that seemed to give the Bears a chance no matter what, but returns almost everyone else from the last several seasons.
This generation of Gold-Burg athlete is used to the team winning. Despite falling just short of the playoffs last year, the team went 6-4 and beating the bigger Saint Jo program for the first time in 12 years was almost just as important. Several will have to step up to do it together with no outlying talent at the top to rely on.
With that in mind, the Bears were picked to win the district title in the magazine.
For Forestburg, the Longhorns are picked to finish second in the district. Forestburg is in a similar boat, losing two four year starters that were their top talent from last year.
The Longhorns went 1-8, but the continuity of several key seniors all coming together, a raved about freshman class along with the team being more competitive than that record indicate is what gives them the edge over the unknown Fannindel team according to outside sources.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.