By Tony Eierdam | sports@mineralwellsindex.com
Last season, the Mineral Wells Rams won the outright District 7-3A championship with an unblemished 4-0 mark, and the leading magazine in Texas covering high school football feels the team will repeat its title in 2011.
Dave Campbell’s 2011 Texas Football magazine, covering Texas high school football since 1960, has picked the Rams to finish in first place in 7-3A.
The magazine, the most popular football source in Texas for the past six decades, picked Bridgeport second and Decatur third. The top three teams in each Class 3A district qualify for the state playoffs.
Third-year Rams head coach Chuck Lawrence said the prediction doesn’t mean the Rams should be handed the 7-3A trophy, but added it was nice to have the respect of the district coaches. Coaches from all classifications across the state have a huge influence on how the magazine predicts districts races.
“I really do not put much credence in predictions,” Lawrence said. “But I am happy to see the district coaches think that much of our program. It is good that the kids and coaches are recognized, but it also puts a huge target on our backs.”
Texas football explains that one of the reasons it has the Rams as the 7-3A champion is the return of senior Hunter McCoy, who will start at quarterback for the third year in a row. McCoy threw for 1,763 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and is the most experienced field general in the district.
The publication also notes that this year’s MWHS team “could be one of the quickest in years.”
Texas Football also gives out MVP awards on offense and defense for each district. Texas Football selected Rams senior cornerback Joseph Wells as its preseason Defensive MVP, with Bridgeport wide receiver Garrett Mullins (1,008 yards, 10 TDs in 2010) as its Offensive MVP.
With an enrollment count of 961, MWHS will once again be the “big school” in District 7-3A and will compete in the “Division I” playoff bracket if it qualifies for the playoffs. It would be the second year in a row the Rams will play in the Division I bracket.
Texas Football also ranks Alvarado, the champion from District 8-3A that defeated the Rams 42-21 in the bi-district playoffs last year, in its Class 3A Top 10 at No. 7. If both schools reach the playoffs, they will meet again in the bi-district round.
Texas Football has put last year’s six man, Division II state quarterfinalist Strawn in its Top 10 at No. 7. The magazine also predicts the Greyhounds to win District 10. Strawn returns three players on offense and three on defense from its 9-4 team of 2010.
The magazine selected Greyhounds defensive end Aaron Doyle as its District 10 Defensive MVP, and its Offensive MVP choice is Newcastle running back Michael Moreno.
TF does not predict playoff appearances by the other Palo Pinto County schools. It also lists Azle Christian in its state Top 5 of Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship schools. Azle Christian is the favorite in Mineral Wells Community Christian School’s district.
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Related Photos
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Mineral Wells cornerback Joseph Wells (24) intercepts a pass against Alvarado in the 2010 bi-district playoffs. Wells was Texas Football magazine's choice for preseason District 7-3A Defensive MVP. File
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Strawn's Aaron Doyle heads up field after an interception during a 2010 Greyhounds game. Texas Football Magazine selected Doyle as its District 10 preseason Defensive MVP. File
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