2016 Region Outlooks: 4A DI Region III

Photo by Artie GuerreroThe UIL recently realigned the district for the 2016 and 2017 football seasons. Realignment not only changes district races. Regional championships can be decided with new groupings competing once the playoffs begin. We’ll take a closer look at the frontrunners in each region throughout the spring doldrums. Previous Outlooks:6A Region I / 6A Region II / 6A Region III / 6A Region IV / 5A Region I / 5A Region II / 5A Region III / 5A Region IV / 4A DI Region I / 4A DI Region IIClass 4A Division I Region III This region remains largely unchanged after the most recent realignment. The usual East Texas standouts will duke it out for supremacy. The final four teams from this region remain, but Region III has proven unpredictable over the years. Teams like Carthage and Navasota will garner preseason rankings, while programs like Silsbee and El Campo hope to build on successful 2015 campaigns. Carthage The Bulldogs are used to advancing to the state semifinals, but it was an unexpected result in 2015. Carthage lost three games in the regular season and didn’t look overly impressive in razor-thin victories during the non-district schedule. A district loss to Kilgore in mid-October made the Bulldogs an afterthought. All Carthage did was advance past defending champion Navasota before falling to the eventual state champion in the state semifinals. District 9-4A Division I will once again be a challenge. Kilgore, Tyler Chapel Hill and the addition of Center from Class 4A Division II make for one of the tougher districts in the state. Navasota Navasota entered the preseason as the favorite to win the state championship. Instead, the Rattlers couldn’t advance past Region III because of a late-surging Carthage squad. It will be a year of change for the Navasota football program, but talent remains within its walls. Star offensive players like wide receiver Tren’Davian Dickson and quarterback Shelton Eppler are off to college. Head coach Lee Fedora has his work cut out replacing state-record production at both positions. The Rattlers are 54-3 with two state championships in the last four years. The offense might become more ground-oriented thanks to talented senior Keyondric Philio. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect should get more carries with Eppler no longer at the helm. Silsbee After losing a non-district game to West Orange-Stark and an early district loss to Hargrave, the Tigers ran off seven-straight wins before falling to Carthage in the Class 4A Division I Region III championship game. Silsbee’s lowest point total of the year came in a Week 1 victory over Barbers Hill. Even in the loss to Carthage, the Tigers put up 40 points. Silsbee escaped the previous round with a 43-42 victory over El Campo, also beating Chapel Hill and Sealy in the state playoffs. The offense returns wide receiver Koten Mackey, but lost running back Ta’varis Brooks and offensive lineman Patrick Hudson, a four-star signed with Baylor. The Tigers are the defending champions of District 10-4A Division I and might be the favorite once again despite the addition of Navasota to the district race. Center The Roughriders move up a division in the 4A ranks. Center lost three games in 2015, with the season ending in the state playoffs to Gilmer. Barry Bowman’s squad did win a district championship and will be in the running once the playoffs come around in the 2016. A district that includes Carthage, Kilgore and others will test Center’s ability to compete at the top level of Class 4A Division I. Making the transition easier is wide receiver Octavis Evans. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound prospect is one of the best players in Class 4A.

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