Brazos Sports

Consider Lexington, Franklin, Burton ranked

In the long run, it won't matter.

When I prepared to vote for the preseason Associated Press high school football poll, I assumed there would be a separate vote in Division I and Division II for Class 2A and A.

There isn't. There's one vote for 2A and another for Class A and that's as far as it goes. According to the UIL distinctions, that should be good enough. Besides, we're probably just one more realignment from it all changing again.

I was surprised, though, and I expected we would be criticized for it. How long does it take to turn on the computer and head to a message board? That's about how long it took.

There's one thing I like about the AP polls at all levels. If it works, there's no point in changing it. The college poll even found a way to avoid the creeping rot that is the Bowl Championship Series vote. They left it. The AP was never really asked to join in the ever-shifting sands of the BCS, and finally it just took its poll and walked away.

There would have been two more Brazos Valley teams in my poll if we had gone with a split. I voted Cameron fourth in 2A but didn't have room to fit Lexington and Franklin into my preseason Top 10 picks. They would have been in my Division II top 10s. I also had a spot for Burton in Class A, Division II.

There are lots of ways to choose schools, but what works best for me is to create a Top 20 at the beginning of the year and slide someone up as the preseason teams fall. That's good for about three weeks, but by then you had better adapt. Give me a Top 20 and add A&M Consolidated and Navasota to my list.

I really like the two Brazos Valley teams I voted for (I picked Brenham second in 4A). Yet I look at their schedules and I'm not convinced either will go unbeaten during the regular season. I am totally convinced that no one will want to face them in the playoffs.

Of course, in the Texas high school football playoffs, the games determine a champion, not anybody's poll or a "series." You don't need a college education to know that.

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The Bryan ISD has set up a Twitter account that will include Friday night football updates starting this week with Rudder at Taylor. It's BISDsportsNOW and it's case-sensitive, so be careful around that shift key.

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Your mission, Mr. Grimes, should you decide to accept it is to take on defending state champion and top-ranked Garden City.

And try to have them beaten by noon.

Coylin Grimes' Calvert Trojans return to Hico on Saturday for the seventh annual Hico 6-man Super Saturday. That comes after a two-year hiatus for Calvert when the organizers could not find an opponent willing to play the Trojans at Tiger Stadium.

There's no problem with that this year because Garden City is in its salad days coming off a Division I state championship and ranked first in Division I by sixmanfootball.com. Calvert is ranked first in Division II, and the two top-ranked powers take the field at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Hico, which is an 11-man school, has made a name for itself by embracing 6-man football with the biggest (and arguably best) collection of teams for a season-opening extravaganza. Tickets are $10 to see five 6-man games, a get-together that features some of the biggest names in the smallest schools. Former Dallas Cowboys Walt Garrison and Burton Lawless and current Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders will be there. World champion tie-down roper Cody Ohl is also on the guest list, and they're bringing what is being billed as the world's largest high-definition portable video screen. The complete schedule is at www.hicosupersix.com.

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Here are the picks for the opening week of high school football season:

Friday

A&M Consolidated at Klein Oak -- Tigers ready for takeoff. Consol 35-21

Rudder at Taylor -- A ruder Rudder. Rudder 31-18

Brenham at Huntsville -- District pressure is off. Brenham 30-17

Madisonville at Navasota -- Two more former district foes. Navasota 28-20

Bellville at Caldwell -- Who rebuilds faster? Caldwell 34-23

Austin Eastside Memorial at Rockdale -- Eastside, westside? Tigers all around the town. Rockdale 43-7

Franklin at Hearne -- Hot start for Robertson County showdown. Franklin 29-26

Centerville at Grapeland -- Sandies' summer nights. Grapeland 28-14

Elkhart at Leon -- Cougars attack Elks. Leon 22-8

Smithville at Lexington -- Defense does it. Lexington 25-7

Iola at St. Joseph -- Dog days of summer. Iola 34-21

Trinity at Normangee -- Panthers are top cats. Normangee 35-13

Huntsville Alpha Omega at Somerville -- Alpha win for Yeguas. Somerville 34-13

Bremond at Buffalo -- Bison by a little. Buffalo 14-12

Burton at Weimar -- Why not? Weimar 28-26

Waco Texas Christian at Milano -- Stars are out early. Milano 34-14

Brazos Christian at Cypress Christian -- A big early win. Brazos Christian 32-27

Brenham Christian at Allen Academy -- Eagles still flying high. Brenham Christian 48-24

Williams County Home School at BVCHEA -- No place like home. BVCHEA 48-24

Saturday

Calvert vs. Garden City -- Too soon to till. Garden City 62-58

Last season: 185-55 (.771)

David Campbell's e-mail address is david.campbell@theeagle.com.

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