The annual release of the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine gives an early look into the West Texas and Concho Valley area high school football teams expected to compete for district titles, postseason wins and state championships.
2026 marks the first year of competition under the most recent UIL Reclassification and Realignment, which brought many changes to the area.
Among the biggest: Wall moving up to Class 3A Division I after winning the Division II state championship last season and Brady the most recent in a recent line of West Texas teams to move from 3A to 2A.
Even with the changes, multiple traditional powers such as Wall, Mason, Ozona and Junction are projected to win district titles by the magazine.
The West Texas and Concho Valley area also begins with 10 teams ranked in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football preseason state polls.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football preseason state rankings
Class 3A Division I: No. 6 Wall
Class 2A Division I: No. 5 Mason; No. 16 Ozona; No. 21 San Saba
Class 2A Division II: No. 11 Junction; No. 13 Goldthwaite
Class 1A Division I: No. 13 Menard; No. 14 Water Valley; No. 23 Sterling City
Class 1A Division II: No. 4 Richland Springs
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football West Texas district predictions and superlatives
District 2-6A: 1. Odessa Permian; 2. Midland Legacy; 3. San Angelo Central; 4. Midland; 5. Odessa
Offensive MVP: QB Micah Smith, San Angelo Central
District 3-4A Division I: 1. Midland Greenwood; 2. Andrews; 3. Plainview; 4. San Angelo Lake View
District 2-4A Division II: 1. Seminole; 2. Fort Stockton; 3. Big Spring; 4. Pecos; 5. Monahans; 6. Snyder
Defensive MVP: LB Toby Porter, Big Spring
District 13-4A Division II: 1. Waco La Vega; 2. Robinson; 3. Brownwood; 4. Salado; 5. Gatesville; 6. Waco Connally
District 3-3A Division I: 1. Wall; 2. Llano; 3. Ingram Moore; 4. Early; 5. TLCA San Angelo
Defensive MVP: LB Slayton Hallmark, Wall
District 3-3A Division II: 1. Coahoma; 2. San Angelo Grape Creek; 3. Crane; 4. Alpine; 5. Stanton; 6. Anthony
Offensive MVP: QB Austin Joslin, Coahoma; Defensive MVP: DE Hayden Simpson; San Angelo Grape Creek
District 4-2A Division I: 1. Ozona; 2. Sonora; 3. Forsan; 4. Christoval; 5. Ballinger; 6. Reagan County; 7. Colorado City
Offensive MVP: QB Aaron Segura, Sonora; Defensive MVP: DB Kalob Ramon, Ozona
District 7-2A Division I: 1. Mason; 2. San Saba; 3. Johnson City; 4. Brady; 5. Bangs; 6. Coleman
Offensive MVP: ATH Slade Buell, Mason
District 4-2A Division II: 1. Wink, 2. Iraan; 3. Eldorado; 4. McCamey; 5. Van Horn
District 7-2A Division II: 1. Albany; 2. Goldthwaite; 3. Stamford; 4. Cross Plains; 5. Hamlin; 6. Miles; 7. Winters
Defensive MVP: LB Hagen Greenway, Goldthwaite
District 14-2A Division II: 1. Junction; 2. Brackettville; 3. Harper; 4. Sabinal; 5. D’Hanis; 6. La Pryor; 7. Center Point
Defensive MVP: LB Koda Bierschwale, Junction
District 6-1A Division I: 1. Rankin; 2. Garden City; 3. Lenorah Grady; 4. Buena Vista; 5. Fort Hancock
District 8-1A Division I: 1. Water Valley; 2. Menard; 3. Sterling City; 4. Irion County; 5. Veribest; 6. Eden
Offensive MVP: ATH Cohen Ethridge, Menard; Defensive MVP: LB Branson Lacy, Water Valley
District 7-1A Division II: 1. Blackwell; 2. Loraine; 3. Panther Creek; 4. Trent; 5. Olfen
Offensive MVP: RB Craig Guelker, Blackwell
District 8-1A Division II: 1. Cherokee; 2. Richland Springs; 3. Rochelle; 4. Lohn; 5. Brookesmith
Offensive MVP: QB Evan Deeds, Richland Springs
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@gosanangelo.com. Follow him on X @Paul_Witwer, Instagram and TikTok at pwitwer_sast.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Dave Campbell’s Texas Football predictions for West Texas teams
Reporting by Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times | USA TODAY Network
