Prognosticators tab Apaches, Mustangs as non-contenders

We’ve just reached past the midpoint of July and Texas football is already starting to creep up on people’s minds. Some say the high school football season doesn’t officially start until the pads go on. Others say two-a-days are the official start to football. However, to fanatics of the game, the season begins when the preseason predictions start to roll in.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football (DCTF) magazine rolled out their 2016 summer edition, giving readers previews to this upcoming season in Texas football.

The Gonzales Apaches and Nixon-Smiley Mustangs are pegged to finished fifth in their respective districts, one spot shy of making it to the playoffs.

UIL’s realignment moved the Apaches back down to Class 4A Division II after two years as the fourth smallest school in Class 4A Division I. The biggest surprises of the realignment were that Cuero and Gonzales were again not placed in the same district and the Apaches were placed in Region 3.

Athletic director Kodi Crane said in an interview earlier this year that nobody recalled a time when Gonzales has not been in Region 4.

But even then, the Apaches biggest obstacle will be within the district itself.

Gonzales was placed in District 10-4A DII with Caldwell, Columbus, Giddings, La Grange and Smithville. That’s five teams who reached the playoffs last season, including the Apaches.

In the DCTF magazine, prognosticators have the district shaping out with La Grange winning the title, Giddings taking second, then Caldwell, Columbus, Gonzales and Smithville, in that order.

The Apaches have had a string of playoff appearances recently but the road to the playoffs will be a tough one this year as two district opponents are ranked in the top 10 of 4A DII.

La Grange is ranked fifth as running back J.K. Dobbins is not only the 4A cover athlete, he’s listed as the preseason offensive MVP pick. Giddings, who went 12-1 last season, is ranked ninth in the 4A DII, with defensive end Alex Orocio listed as their pick for defensive MVP.

“It’s a tough district, there’s no sizing it any different,” Crane said in February. “That’s exactly what we told our kids. Our kids have the mentality that it doesn’t matter who, we’re going to go beat their tail and we like that. But we got to prepare for this district because it’s going to be really tough.”

Meanwhile, Nixon-Smiley’s district didn’t change much as they will play again against Stockdale, Poth, Karnes City and Natalia. The only change added to the now District 15-3A DII is they replace Blanco with Dilley.

DCTF pegged the Mustangs as fifth place yet again, with Stockdale winning the district title, Dilley as runner ups and Poth and Karnes City rounding out the playoff teams, in that order. Natalia is listed at taking sixth in the district.

When realignment came out, Mustangs’ athletic director Carlton McKinney noted that the district is wide open after losing Blanco.

“We’ve had Dilley on our schedule for the last several years, so it’s not a huge change,” McKinney said in February. “Then to get Blanco out of there is a positive for everyone in the district. They were head and shoulders the best team in our district, so I think it levels the playing field.”

“Everyone has a fair shot at getting into the playoffs and actually vying for a district championship.”

Last season the Mustangs took a step back, missing out on the postseason. The season before they made the playoffs for the second time in a row.

In TAPPS football, Shiner St. Paul will be competing in what DCTF wrote as a “suddenly huge Division III” with 42 teams. The returning state champions are listed as favorites for TAPPS DIII-5 above Hallettsville Sacred Heart, Schertz John Paul II, Boerne Geneva, San Antonio St. Gerard and Austin Brentwood.

Linebacker Conor Kresta was listed as an honorable mention for the private school cover athlete. The Cardinals are also the favorite to repeat as champions in TAPPS DIII football.