District will be a tussle every Friday for area teams

In District 20-3A football there’s Malakoff and there’s the rest of the pack.

Malakoff has had a stranglehold on the district championship for a number of years and it is a perennial contender for state championship honors.

If that holds true, that would leave four local and area teams fighting it out for the final three playoff spots. That means every week should be a dogfight during the six-week district campaign, which begins Sept. 22.

Teams saw last season that they need to bring their “A” game every week, and the difference between victory and defeat can be razor thin.

Fairfield, Mexia and Groesbeck finished in a three-way tie for third place last season with 3-3 records. Groesbeck beat Mexia by a point in overtime and the Blackcats defeated Fairfield by a point in overtime. When the tie-breaker was applied, Fairfield and Mexia qualified for the postseason. Groesbeck was on the outside looking in despite compiling a 6-4 overall record.

Teague finished second and the Lions are looking to repeat that and maybe make a run at Malakoff. They have nine starters back on offense and possess playmaking ability at multiple positions.

Teague scored close wins over Mexia, 26-21, and Groesbeck, 21-17. The Lions defeated Fairfield, 27-12. Their only loss in district was a 32-18 setback to Malakoff.

Mexia and Fairfield each return seven starters on both offense and defense while Groesbeck has six starters back on offense and most of their starting lineup back on defense.

The Blackcats have holdovers on the offensive and defensive lines and in the offensive and defensive backfields. They are switching their defensive alignment to a 3-3-5 scheme to take advantage of the wealth of talent in the secondary. On offense, the ‘Cats must replace two senior wideouts who graduated. They have a good foundation of three returners on the offensive line.

Groesbeck has a senior-laden defense with numerous starters returning. Coach Jerry Bomar said it could be the best defense he’s ever had with the Goats. On offense, they will rely on talented youngsters at some of the skill positions.

Fairfield has a core group of linemen returning on both sides of the ball. The offense will be led by quarterback Cameron Cockerell, who has a number of athletic receivers at his disposal.

Mexia and Groesbeck will be tested early when they hook up in the first district game Sept. 22 at Groesbeck. The Goats squeaked out a 36-35 win on a two-point run in overtime last year. The ‘Cats are rearing to reclaim the sign that goes to the winner of the battle of the Navasota River.

The Blackcats will host Kemp on Sept. 29, and then have two important district games at Fairfield on Oct. 6 and at home against Teague on Oct. 13. Those contests will go a long way to decide if the Blackcats return to the playoffs.

Mexia will play Malakoff in its final regular season game Oct. 27.

On the other hand, Teague will gets its shot at Malakoff early. After opening district on Sept. 29 at Eustace, the Lions host the Tigers Oct. 6 in a key early-district showdown.

Things don’t ease up for Teague as it plays at Mexia on Oct. 13 and hosts Groesbeck on Oct. 20.

Teague closes its season Nov. 3 against Fairfield in a contest that could go a long way toward deciding playoff seeding.

After opening against Mexia, Groesbeck also will face key contests Oct. 13 and 20. They host Fairfield on Oct. 13 before traveling to Teague on Oct. 20. The Goats close their season Nov. 3 against Malakoff.

Fairfield begins its district campaign Sept. 22 at Eustace and then faces a stiff test when it travels to Malakoff on Sept. 29.

The Eagles host Mexia Oct. 6 and travel to Groesbeck on Oct. 13 in what likely will be must win games. Fairfield has a bye week Oct. 27 before finishing its regular season at Teague.

Once the district campaign begins, there will be very little margin for error for the four local and area teams.

VIEW THE FULL FALL SPORTS PREVIEW SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT