With every team in Texas officially practicing as of Monday, I figured now would be a good time to start a daily countdown to the beginning of the season with a day-by-day district breakdown.
We'll start with District 3-5A, which has been ruled by the Abilene Eagles ever since they were taken out of the "Little Southwest Conference" and stuck in with six Metroplex schools: Richland, Burleson, North Crowley, Haltom, Weatherford and Fort Worth Paschal.
The Eagles are always a powerhouse, and this year will be no different, but with the recent rise of the Richland Rebels' program.
Abilene went 10-0 last season before falling unexpectedly in the first round of the playoffs, and even though they return just four starters on each side of the ball, the Eagles have a lot of good players in waiting as their junior varsity squad was stellar last year as well.
Richland seems to be the only worthy competitor in the district for Abilene behind returning quarterback Tyler Cotton, who may be undersized at 5 feet 10 inches tall and 170 pounds, but still threw for nearly 2,700 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2008.
Offensive MVP: Tyler Cotton, QB, Richland
Defensive MVP: Reggie Wilson, DE, Haltom
Game of the Year: Abilene at Richland, Week 9
Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/award-winning blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He's out practice-hopping today.
