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Jake, The primary reason I said that Nederland's chances have dropped dramatically is due to the recent news article and developments on the team.  There appears to be dissention on the team and that is a huge distraction. Team harmony and chemistry is very important, and it does not look like Nederland has that at the moment.  Also, one of their top linemen, and who is also one of the team leaders, left the team and the school, and went to PNG.  Will the players rally around Coach Neuman and Forney as the QB?  That is the reason why I say that their chances of contending for the district title has dropped dramatically. However, if you read one of my other previous posts, I said that Neuman can turn this around and quell some of the anxiety with a win, and they are playing Vidor.  Playing at Vidor might be a blessing in disguise for the team, because they might not have as many fans at the game as they would if they were playing at home, and they can focus more on the game.  A win will do wonders, and a strong performance would be icing on the cake.  This could be the turning point for Nederland and a win would give them momentum and confidence.  But, that remains to be seen.  A loss, and the storm would surely intensify.

Yeah, BMTSoulja1, I know that Ball High is in Galveston, but it's considered the Houston area. Although Ball High might be one of the biggest 4A enrollment schools, I think they are still suffering the affects of hurricane Ike.  That is not to take anything from the performance that Central had against them.  However, based upon 1 game against Ball, I can't make them the favorites.  They have the athletes to win it all, and so does Ozen, LCM, Lumberton, and PNG.  I think that either of these 5 teams could win district, and 4 of these 5 will make the playoffs. It's just at this point, I have PNG slightly ahead as the favorite to win the district title.

BMTSoulja1, yes, I have to go with PNG, even though they have a losing record.  Look at the teams that they played, and both of those games were very close.  Since District play starts this week, I think that everyone is a contender, probably with the exception of Vidor, and Nederland's chances have dropped dramatically. Livingston - I don't know anything about them.  I will pick them as the dark horse to make the playoffs. Vidor - just don't think that they have the athletes this year to compete for the title or even a playoff spot. Nederland - internal turmoil and QB issues.  Big question marks. LCM and Lumberton - both have looked pretty good, and warrant consideration as a legitimate title contender, and definitely contenders for a playoff spot. Ozen and Central - it's hard to gauge either team with their losses to WB and PAM, and their wins against weaker Houston teams.  Both have the athletes to compete for the title, and both have the athletes to make the playoffs. PNG - reigning champs.  Despite their two close losses, they are a well coached team, and have the athletes to git'r done. In my opinion, PNG is the favorite to win District 20-4A.  I could be proven wrong.

I am not saying that they can't win district.  It's not impossible, it's just highly improbable. At this point, and looking at all of the teams in their district, just making the playoffs is going to be tough. I know that it's the fans talking, but Ozen should, and probably are, focused solely on Central right now. I know that many, including myself, try to determine how a team will do based upon a common opponent, but head to head is different.  Ozen has to take them 1 game at a time, beginning with Central this Friday. As I said earlier, it's not impossible, but I still have to go with PNG as the favorite to win District 20-4A, until someone else shows different.  They are the current champs, and they have a pretty good squad that has returned.

I also wish that they would play this game later in the season and not the District opener.  It's such an emotional rivalry that the loser could be back on their heels and not recover by the next game.  However, we can't change that this year. Overall, based upon games played against a common opponent (West Brook & PA Memorial), Ozen has looked much better than Central, especially from an offensive perspective.  Ozen has also shown quick strike capability. [b]Keys to a Central win:[/b] [list] [*]Run offense out of the I formation and use screens and play action to keep Ozen off balance. Contain Ozen QB Green.  Keep him in the pocket. Don't self destruct as they did against West Brook and PA Memorial [*] [/list] [b]Keys to an Ozen win:[/b] [list] [*]Spread the field and get the ball into the hands of Nelson (Receiver screen, reverse, and deep post) Stop the Central running game. [*] [/list] Offensive edge - Ozen Defensive edge - Even Special Teams - Ozen [b]Prediction: Ozen by 12[/b]

I agree that PAM has not been tested, and their strength of schedule is not strong.  GOAT, I agree with your analysis that it would be better to get some wins, and build confidence heading into district.  Also, they did have a couple of teams back out on them, and they had to scramble to fill their schedule.  One of the teams was the Woodlands, which has been a quality team.  PAM and West Brook have to play Ozen and Central for the community and it's a tradition.  That's a given.  The teams that backed out would have given them a good barometer of where they really are, in terms of competition and execution.  Most D1 colleges do the same thing, especially if you have a strong conference.  With PAM, West Brook, and North Shore, that's a pretty strong district, and now you add LaPorte. My prediction is PAM by 17.  It's an Away/ Road game.

I did not go to the game, and I wasn't able to see it on streaming video.  However, after reading several posts and the newspapers, I echo the sentiments of Old Timer.  West Brook will be fine.  You cannot turn the ball over and expect to win, especially against a quality team like Katy.  Maybe it was jitters, or whatever, but I think that West Brook will use this as a learning experience, should they meet again.  And add to the fact that you lose your starting QB in the second quarter does not help either.  Not making excuses for West Brook, just stating the obvious. I saw the same thing happen to PAM against Katy in a playoff game in the Astrodome.  PAM QB had already thrown for 2 touchdowns in the first quarter alone.  Katy could not stop PAM, until the PAM starting QB suffered a concussion in the second quarter, just outside the red zone.  Katy won the game, but Jamaal Charles rushed for 227 yards in a losing effort. My point is, I think that West Brook will be fine.  The score is indicative of what happens when you lose your starting QB, and turn the ball over 5 times to a good team.  They will make you pay.  I expect the Brook to bounce back and get back to their winning ways.  Also, I like Katy coaches rule about no posting on any of the media forums.  Too much trash talking, and you don't want to give your opponent any poster board material. Best wishes to all teams.

I think that this will be a shootout.  It's great for the fans, but bad for the defensive coordinators. If it is a shootout, I have to give the edge to Lumberton. They have put some points on the board this year. I am not very familiar with either team, nor have I seen either team play this year. I am not sure if there is a home field advantage, but where are they playing the game, Lumberton, or LCM?

Yes, Weedbegone, I am a true football fan.  I like to watch High School and College football, even Middle School when I get a chance.  Several of my friends and myself had a tradition, once the playoffs started, to go and watch 3 & 4 games in the Astrodome.  We would go in around 10:00 a.m. and most of the time would not leave until after 10:00 p.m.  We would eat nachos, chili cheese dogs, and rolaids or tums for some (LOL!!!).  I graduated from Lincoln, my wife graduated from West Brook, my daughter attends Ozen, and my sister-in-law graduated from Central.  We have Bmt and Port Arthur covered.

Well, well, well.  It looks like 20-4A swept 19-4A  3-0 if I didn't read incorrectly. Nederland 30 - GCM 8 PNG 38 - Crosby 7 Lumberton 33 - BH 13 All 3 of the 20-4A schools put up 30 points. It looks like 20-4A is the better district so far this year. I know that none of the teams have played Dayton, but as a District, 20-4a is a stronger district in football. Dayton always have a good team and might be the lone exception.

I attended both games at the BISD Stadium this weekend.  WB vs Central and Ozen vs Memorial. I am from PA, and I am a Titan fan.  However, I am a WB, Ozen, and Central fan when they are not playing the Titans. SFA85 you are correct, Central needs to line up in the I and pound it out.  That's how they scored their 1 touchdown.  They have a nice size O-line.  The QB for Central just needs some experience.  Westbrook took them out of the game early and they were out-played and out-coached in every phase of the game.  Central could not handle the pooch kick.  I thought that Stump should have pulled his starters earlier in the game, especially Reyes, but it worked out. I think that the Titans let up a little bit, and put it on cruise.  On the first Ozen interception, the DB made a great break on the ball. On the second interception, Singleton under threw the reciever badly, who was at least 5 to 10 yards behind the defender, for an easy touchdown.  I liked his pocket presence.  The Titans should be fine. I liked the effort that Ozen displayed to keep fighting the entire game.  I thought that they should have not tried the pooch kick after the first two.  I told my wife that he is going to break one if they continue to try it, and the next 1, he broke for a touchdown.  Also, the Titans ended up with great field position after each pooch kick.  You can't give a team with that type of explosive offense good field position and expect good results.  It puts too much pressure on your defense. 2 of Ozen's scores came on good drives, I believe the first and the last.  One came on a blown assignment, and the other on a busted play, and I have to give credit to the Ozen QB for using is athleticism to buy time for his receiver to slip free.  He scrambled to the right, reversed and turned back to the left, reversed and turned back to the right, and threw to the open receiver.  Green and Nelson will be a good combination and cause problems for the teams in 20-4A. All in all, I like what I saw from PAM, WB, and Ozen.  I think that Central needs to go back to the drawing board offensively, and run more plays out of the I and setup the play action pass.  Good luck to the Titans and all of the Bmt schools.  I hope that all of them make the playoffs.

I don't know about the best defense in SE Texas, but maybe the best Defensive Coordinator in SE Texas. Look at his very, very, impressive resume: Nelson Barnes will return as defensive line coach and will serve as defensive coordinator. The 51-year-old Alvin native has 25 years of coaching experience, including varsity defensive stops at four Big 12 schools -- Texas, Nebraska, Kansas State and most recently for three years at Oklahoma State. That is very impressive, especially for a High School Defensive Coordinator.  No doubt he has seen a lot in the Big 12 and has been a part of a lot of schemes to stop Big 12 teams.  I think he was the D-Line coach at Texas, and he has had some good D-linemen to work with at Texas. I agree, that Memorial has always had the talent, but they needed the right Head Coach and Coaching Staff.  However, Memorial has lost some talent over the last couple of years due to the hurricanes.  After Katrina, Rita, and especially Ike, several players moved and attended PNG and mostly Nederland.  Even with the loss of those players they have still had talent, but you include those players and they would have been a much better team with more depth. It's too early to say who has the best D in SE Texas, after only 1 game. Let's see after about week 5 or 6.  However, looking at the Titans defensive personnel, and talent, I would have to put them at, or very near, the top.