Photo Credit Jeff Antenore contributing photographer The Orange County Register
A tug-of-war atop the rankings. It’s a sign of parity for some, including two teams who met in the 6A semifinals in 2020 —No. 2 nationally ranked North Shore, who held the top spot in the state polls, and No. 10 Westlake, who entered at the No. 2 statewide. Both teams displayed a chess match of strategies before the Mustangs fell, 24-21, at Legacy Stadium in Katy.
The loss ended a two-year championship rein for North Shore, which shadowed the crowd of red and white, leaving many in tears. Barring any upsets this upcoming season, the two could meet again in the semifinals.
In its only other meeting, the Mustangs defeated Westlake in overtime, 21-14, to win the 6A Division I Title in 2015.
Although traditional rolls on at North Shore and Westlake, the favorites to play for the Class 6A Division I Title, other notable perennial playoff contenders will look to test the waters.
No. 6 Katy took home its ninth state championship on January 16, 2021, by beating Cedar Hill, 51-14. Class 5A power, Aledo holds the most titles in any classification (10).
The Tigers also suffered one of its worst defeats in school history when No 2 nationally ranked Westlake roared to a 45-14 victory in the 6A Division II state semifinals on December 11, 2021.
However, No. 3 Southlake Carroll, No. 4 Duncanville, and No. 6 Denton Guyer usually have a hand in stirring the pot annually. Duncanville defeated Southlake Carroll in a semifinals matchup 35-9 on December 11, 2021. The same season saw North Shore walk away with its fifth championship by knocking off Duncanville, 17-10, for the third time in four years. Denton Guyer’s last state final appearance resulted in a 40-21 loss to Austin Westlake on December 18, 2021.
Still, it’s a new season, and anything is possible. Below are a listing of the top ten rankings by classification.
Class 6A
- Austin Westlake
- North Shore
- Southlake Carroll
- Duncanville
- Katy
- Denton Guyer
- Lake Travis
- DeSoto
- Spring Westfield
- Rockwell
Class 5A Divison I
- Denton Ryan
- Longview
- Aledo
- College Station
- Frisco Lone Star
- Crosby
- A&M Consolidated
- Manvel
- Mansfield Timberview
- Amarillo Tascosa
Class 5A Division II
- South Oak Cliff
- Lovejoy
- Liberty Hill
- Fort Bend Marshall
- Mansfield Summit
- Argyle
- Wichita Falls Rider
- Leander Rouse
- Colleyville Heritage
- Texas High
Class 4A Division I
- Stephenville
- China Springs
- Tyler Chappel Hill
- El Campo
- Celina
- Calallen
- Waco La Vega
- Kilgore
- Dumas
- Kennedale
Class 4A Division II
- Carthage
- Gilmer
- Wichita Falls Hirschi
- West Orange-Stark
- Texarkana Pleasant Grove
- Cuero
- Wimberly
- Glen Rose
- Silsbee
- Geronimo Navarro
Class 3A Division I
- Brock
- Franklin
- Lorena
- Mount Vernon
- Jim Ned
- Grandview
- Malakoff
- Columbus
- Edna
- West
Class 3A Division II
- Gunter
- Canadian
- Newton
- Daingerfield
- West Rusk
- Holiday
- Poth
- Childress
- East Bernard
- Dekalb
Class 2A Division I
- Shiner
- Timpson
- Refugio
- Marlin
- Hawley
- Centerfield
- Crawford
- Beckville
- Coleman
- Cisco
Class 2A Division II
- Albany
- Muenster
- Mart
- Wellington
- Burton
- Wink
- Windthrost
- Falls City
- Chilton
- Tenaha
Class 1A Division I
- Westbrook
- Abbott
- May
- Jonesboro
- Garden City
- Rankin
- Happy
- Gordon County
- Turkey Valley
- Irion County
Class 1A Division 1
- Benjamin
- Balmorhea
- Jayton
- Richland Springs
- Strawn
- Motley County
- Whitharral
- Throckmorton
- Klondike
- Cherokee
11-Man Private
- Dallas Parish Episcopal
- Midland Christian
- Fort Bend Christian
- Dallas Christian
- Houston Second Baptist
- Plano Prestonwood
- Fort Worth Nolan Catholic
- San Antonio Cornerstone
- Houston St. Thomas
- Austin Regents
Six-Man Private
- Fort Worth Covenant Classical
- Waco Live Oak
- Conroe Covenant
- San Marcos Baptist
- Houston Emery-Weiner
- Austin Veritas
- Bulverde Bracken Christian
- Lubbock Kingdom Prep
- Marbles Falls Faith
- Lantana Harvest Christian
