Class 1A: Dave Campbell's Texas Football projects Jayton, Motley County to be in title mix
Another year, another dogfight expected between Jayton and Motley County.
The district rivals again will start the season with high expectations, as each is near the top of the Class 1A Division II football rankings produced by Dave Campbell's Texas Football.
No. 3 Jayton and No. 6 Motley County are two of four South Plains teams in the top 10, joined by No. 7 Whitharral and No. 9 Klondike. Paducah came in at No. 19 in the preseason list.
Motley County had the area's deepest run across all classifications in 2021, reaching the state championship. Led by then-freshman Grayson Rigdon, Strawn topped the Matadors 73-28 for its fifth state title. Rigdon, the championship's offensive MVP, transferred to Benjamin after his dad, Jamie, got the head-coaching job.
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Motley County will return only one starter on each side of the ball, and DCTF gives Jayton the nod as District 5-1A D-II favorite. The outlet has the Jaybirds falling to projected state champion Benjamin in the Region II final.
Whitharral is slotted to lose to Balmorhea in the Region I final. The Panthers return all the starters from an 8-3 team that lost to Klondike in the first round last year.
Division I
Borden County took its lumps in 2021, but DCTF sees that experience paying off.
The Coyotes begin the season No. 8 in the 1A D-I rankings. The team returns starters at nine positions following a 6-6 campaign after an 0-5 start.
But Borden County will be tested in its new district, which is considered one of the toughest in the six-man ranks. No. 5 Garden City and No. 6 Rankin are projected to keep the Coyotes out of the playoffs. Sands and Lenorah Grady will hope to have a say in the district race, as well.
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Springlake-Earth has a more manageable path to postseason success. The Wolverines, ranked No. 11, will fall to Happy in the Region I final, according to DCTF. That would be a rematch of the Cowboys' 48-44 upset win in the first round last year.
Spur and Anton round out the South Plains representation in the D-I top 20, although neither is projected as a district champion. No. 12 Spur will have to contend with No. 9 Turkey Valley, while S-E is favorited to win its district with No. 16 Anton.
Dave Campbell's Texas Football projections
CLASS 1A DIVISION I
DISTRICT 2
1. Happy
2. Nazareth
3. Wildorado
4. Claude
DISTRICT 3
1. Springlake-Earth
2. Anton
3. Kress
4. Petersburg
5. Lorenzo
DISTRICT 4
1. Turkey Valley
2. Spur
3. Knox City
4. Vernon Northside
DISTRICT 5
1. O'Donnell
2. Meadow
3. Whiteface
4. Wellman-Union
DISTRICT 7
1. Garden City
2. Rankin
3. Borden County
4. Sands
5. Lenorah Grady
CLASS 1A DIVISION II
DISTRICT 2
1. Whitharral
2. Amherst
3. Hart
4. Lazbuddie
5. Cotton Center
DISTRICT 4
1. Klondike
2. Loop
3. Southland
4. Wilson
5. Dawson
DISTRICT 5
1. Jayton
2. Motley County
3. Aspermont
4. Guthrie
5. Patton Springs
DISTRICT 6
1. Benjamin
2. Paducah
3. Crowell
4. Chillicothe
5. Harrold
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Dave Campbell's Texas Football predicts six-man districts in South Plains
