SportsDayHS will be breaking down and analyzing Dallas-area teams before the start of the 2023 football season. Today, Lia Assimakopoulos gives her district-by-district predictions for 6A Dallas-area teams.
Records are from the 2022 season.
District 3-6A
1. North Crowley (12-1)
2. Fort Worth Boswell (8-3)
3. Crowley (4-7)
4. Euless Trinity (4-7)
5. Weatherford (7-3)
6. Hurst L.D. Bell (6-4)
7. Saginaw Chisholm Trail (2-8)
8. Fort Worth Paschal (3-7)
North Crowley shocked the district in Ray Gates’ first year as head coach and is expected to maintain that success in his second season with the program. Crowley narrowly made the playoffs last season but could take strides with Carlos Lynn as its new head coach — the former Cedar Hill coach that led the team to the state final in the 2020-21 season.
District 4-6A
1. Southlake Carroll (13-1)
2. Trophy Club Byron Nelson (11-2)
3. Keller (10-3)
4. Northwest Eaton (4-6)
5. Keller Timber Creek (4-7)
6. Keller Fossil Ridge (5-5)
7. Keller Central (1-9)
8. Haltom (0-10)
Southlake Carroll has won five consecutive district titles and is projected to win its sixth straight. However, like last season, Trophy Club Byron Nelson — and its four top-100 area recruits — will pose the biggest threat. The two teams will face on Oct. 27, which will likely decide the district title.
District 5-6A
1. McKinney (8-5)
2. Denton Guyer (14-1)
3. Prosper (13-2)
4. Allen (7-4)
5. Prosper Rock Hill (3-7)
6. Denton Braswell (3-7)
7. McKinney Boyd (2-8)
8. Little Elm (2-8)
There really is no clear favorite in District 5-6A — a race that was tight last year but is projected to be even tighter this year for the top four spots. Barring any major developments, Denton Guyer, Prosper, Allen and McKinney will solidly be the four playoff teams, but the order could vary with any of those teams having a shot at the district title. McKinney returns one of the nation’s top running backs in Bryan Jackson and a loaded defense that features four Power 5 commits. That may be enough to elevate it over a Guyer team missing its star quarterback Jackson Arnold from last season, Prosper with a new head coach and Allen coming off a difficult offseason during which four-star quarterback Mike Hawkins transferred away.
District 6-6A
1. Lewisville (12-2)
2. Coppell (9-2)
3. Flower Mound Marcus (6-5)
4. Hebron (5-5)
5. Plano (4-7)
6. Flower Mound (3-7)
7. Plano East (3-7)
8. Plano West (2-8)
With two new head coaches in this district, much is yet to be determined in the middle of the pack. However, the top two teams — Lewisville and Coppell — are the clear favorites. Lewisville returns much of its offense and a few key defensive players like Oklahoma commit Jaydan Hardy. Coppell will have a new quarterback taking over after Jack Fishpaw graduated, but after defeating reigning state champion DeSoto at the 7-on-7 state tournament, it appears to have the pieces to claim the second place spot in its district.
District 7-6A
1. Highland Park (11-1)
2. Jesuit (9-3)
3. Lake Highlands (8-3)
4. Richardson Berkner (5-6)
5. Irving MacArthur (4-6)
6. Richardson Pearce (4-6)
7. Richardson (3-7)
8. Irving Nimitz (1-9)
9. Irving (1-9)
Another district with a lot of coach turnover this offseason, experience will be on Highland Park coach Randy Allen’s side as he looks to finish first in the district in only the second season the program has played in Class 6A since 2015. The battle will be for second place and beyond with Lake Highlands and Jesuit as the two most likely contenders for the second playoff spot. All three of those programs play each other in September, so the district standings could be nearly set early.
District 8-6A
1. Arlington Martin (10-2)
2. South Grand Prairie (6-6)
3. Arlington Bowie (5-6)
4. Arlington (6-5)
5. Arlington Lamar (3-7)
6. Grand Prairie (1-9)
7. Arlington Sam Houston (0-10)
Arlington Martin hasn’t lost a district game since 2018. While it will undergo a major transition after the departure of Bob Wager, who had been at the school for 17 years, Martin should still be able to cruise to an easy district title against competition that hasn’t been able to keep up in recent years. Martin offensive lineman Makai Saina, a USC commit, and Bowie safety and Baylor commit Kris Wokomah are the two players to watch in that district.
District 9-6A
1. Wylie East (9-2)
2. Wylie (8-4)
3. Garland Naaman Forest (5-6)
4. Sachse (4-7)
5. Rowlett (4-6)
6. Garland (5-5)
7. Garland Lakeview Centennial (5-5)
8. North Garland (3-7)
9. South Garland (1-9)
Wylie East was one of the biggest surprises in its first season in 6A, starting the season 9-0 before dropping its last two games of the year. It emerges as the early favorite to replicate that in 2023 and claim another district title. Last season, the district saw a four-way tie for the fourth playoff spot, which Sachse narrowly claimed on a tiebreaker. The program returns Texas Tech commit Cheta Ofili — The News’ No. 35 recruit in the rising senior class — who will lead the defense this year.
District 10-6A
1. Rockwall (10-2)
2. Mesquite Horn (8-3)
3. Rockwall-Heath (7-5)
4. Royse City (7-5)
5. Mesquite (4-6)
6. Tyler Legacy (2-8)
7. North Forney (3-7)
The Rockwall vs. Rockwall-Heath rivalry is further heightened after former Rockwall coach Rodney Webb took the head coaching job at Heath this offseason. Heath returns starting quarterback Caleb Hoover while Rockwall will have to replace its signal caller. While the two programs will be among the favorites to claim the district crown, Mesquite Horn broke onto the scene last year and returns two top-100 area recruits in Oklahoma State commit Armstrong Nnodim at defensive line and UTSA-bound offensive lineman Davion Hurth.
District 11-6A
1. Duncanville (15-0)
2. DeSoto (14-2)
3. Waxahachie (10-3)
4. Mansfield (7-4)
5. Cedar Hill (2-8)
6. Mansfield Lake Ridge (4-6)
7. Mansfield Legacy (3-7)
8. Skyline (0-7)
No other district in the state can say it is returning two reigning state champions. After Duncanville and DeSoto swept the Class 6A titles last December, an already competitive 11-6A got even stronger. The matchup between DeSoto and Duncanville on Oct. 27 will likely decide the district title while a handful of other teams compete for the final two playoff spots. Waxahachie distanced itself from the rest last season, but Mansfield, Mansfield Lake Ridge and Cedar Hill could all be contenders this fall.
On Twitter: @Lassimak
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