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Crowley, which joins a revamped District 8-4A this season, is predicted to finish fifth in the new league by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine.
Everman, Stephenville, Mansfield Timberview and Arlington Seguin are predicted to reach the playoffs, with the Eagles on the outside looking in.
Crowley must replace eight starters on each side of the ball, and eight of those players will be playing college football this season.
Dujuan Davis (Oklahoma State), Trey Taylor (Snow Junior College), Jarvis Wilson (Prairie View A&M) and Mason Denny (Hardin-Simmons) are among the Eagles’ key graduation losses.
Quarterback/wide receiver Andre Dean and wide receiver/cornerback Chris Johnson return to lead Crowley’s offensive attack. Last season, Dean completed 13-of-26 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns. He carried the ball 42 times for 450 yards and three scores on the ground.
Johnson caught 10 passes for 225 yards a year ago.
Junior running back Taylor Franco was a 1,000-yard rusher on the junior varsity squad in 2007 and is expected to give Crowley another offensive threat to employ.
Linebacker Chris Allen had 96 tackles and three interceptions last season, while Max Teeter recorded 34 tackles and two sacks.
Defensive tackle Damion Potts was a second team all-district selection last season.
Granbury, Joshua and Mansfield Legacy are predicted to round out the district.
Everman reached the state semifinals last season, finishing with a 14-1 record, while Stephenville went 10-2 and reached the area round.
Timberview also was a playoff team in 2007, falling in the region finals after posting a 9-4 record. Seguin is expected to make a dramatic turnaround after finishing 1-8 last season.
Everman, the defending district champion, has Ryan Smith and Rueben Fletcher returning in the offensive backfield. Sophomore Corey Franklin also is expected to contribute.
Smith led the Bulldogs’ ground game, with 144 carries for 1,162 yards and 18 touchdowns. Wide receivers Chris Franklin and DeAndre Harlin were all-district selections in 2007 and return to lead the Bulldogs’ aerial attack.
Defensive end Rushton and linebacker Lee Langston return to lead the defensive front seven, alongside linebacker Devin Woods and defensive tackle Aaron Bellazin.
Stephenville has some big shoes to fill on the offensive side of the ball, as quarterback Kody Spano graduated and signed on to play at Nebraska. Spano teamed with wide receiver Chris Malone (33-708, four touchdowns) for one of the top quarterback-receiver tandems in the district.
Stepping in for Spano as the starter will be Brad Picha, with Malone, Josh Graves and Dakota Mathis among his primary targets. The Yellowjackets also have Brad Mills (106-913, 14 touchdowns) coming back.
Stephenville only has three starters returning on defense, led by defensive end Josh Emmons and defensive tackle T.R. Varnado. Linebacker Hayden Whitely also returns for the Yellowjackets.
Timberview has seven players returning on each side of the ball, but lost four players to Division I colleges.
Antoine Hicks signed with Texas, Marcus Cromartie is now playing at Wisconsin, Jared Edwards plays for Baylor and Patrick Dvoracek signed with Utah State.
The Wolves also lost Bryce Whitney to Trinity Valley Community College.
Timberview has multiple offensive threats, as running back Eric Stephens — coming off a season in which he gained 1,906 yards and scored 23 touchdowns — returns along with quarterback Donte Parker.
Parker’s top two receiving threats, Sharman Brown and Raymond Scott, return after putting up solid numbers in 2007.
On the defensive side, linebacker Patrick Houston-Cathey, cornerback Christian Spears and safety Derrick Anderson are among the returning starters.
Coming off a 1-8 season, Seguin returns quarterback Todd Hensley, running back La’Ryon Witherspoon and wide receiver Robert Owoyele to lead the offense.
Linebacker Michael Martin and safety Justin Reeves are expected to lead the defense again after solid seasons a year ago.
Granbury has five starters returning on both sides of the ball from a Pirates team that went 1-9 last season in District 4-5A.
Quarterback Ross Whittet, running back Kirk Wallace and wide receiver Sage Howell will lead the Pirates’ offense.
Linemen Jesse Hernandez and Travis Fair will be among four Pirates who will see action on the offensive and defensive fronts.
The Joshua Owls must replace their core offensive stars from last season, as wide receiver Jeff Hickerson has moved on to Truman State University and a trio of defensive standouts — Jon Blair, Brian Booker and Ryan Whitworth — signed with Dordt College.
Quarterback Austin Neal also must be replaced, with Jesse Williamson the leading candidate to take over under center. He will be joined in the offensive backfield by running back John Savage, with wide receivers Nate Belvin, Jared Packard and Jordan Allen serving as primary targets along with tight end Riley Waits.
Defensive end Clint Casillas, defensive tackle Michael Biggs and linebacker Ben Howard are among the returning starters.
Mansfield Legacy, which enters its first year of varsity football, is expected to finish in the 8-4A basement.
Quarterback Darius Smith is expected to take the first snap in Broncos history, with running back Dominique Wiley and wide receiver Geonny Leonard penciled in as offensive leaders.
Defensive end Terry Franklin and cornerback Carnel Brown should be leaders on the other side of the ball.
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