I spent the day at a few practices around the area on the first day which all schools are officially in practice, and it got me excited. Now, on August 10, my mind is strictly devoted to football, of the high school variety.
In an ongoing series that will predict the finishes of each local 4A and 5A district leading up to the season's opening weekend, I'm going to take a look at District 4-5A, which features Arlington, Arlington Bowie, Arlington Lamar, Mansfield, Arlington Martin, Arlington Sam Houston and Mansfield Summit.
The odds-on favorite in this district is Arlington, and not because they're the most traditionally strong team or the they were the best team in the district last year. It's all about experience when looking at the Colts. They return more starters than any team in the district (15) and made it to the region final last year in 5A Division I, and they return some key parts of their team.
It all starts with quarterback Matt Joeckel. The Texas A&M commit threw for better than 3,000 yards last year to go with his 29 touchdowns, and his brother, Luke, also an A&M commit will be his top protector from his tackle position. The senior signal caller also has the receiving ends of 13 of his 29 passing touchdowns returning for another go.
Arlington head coach Scott Peach, son of legendary Lamar coach Eddy Peach, will likely get the best of his old man, but will cheer for him the rest of the year as he tries to sneak into the postseason while likely battling Martin for the fourth and final playoff spot in the district.
Offensive MVP: Matt Joeckel, QB, Arlington
Defensive MVP: Donovan Vestal, DE, Arlington Bowie
Game of the Year: Arlington vs. Arlington Bowie, Week 8
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Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/award-winning blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He's getting ready for one last vacation before nine months of grind.
