2016 Region Outlooks: 2A DII Region II – Top-heavy group gets tougher

[caption id="attachment_22891" align="alignright" width="300"]Albany_vs_Bremond-520 Photo by Artie Guerrero[/caption] The UIL realigned the districts for the 2016 and 2017 football seasons in February. Realignment doesn’t just change district races – 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 II / 4A DI Region III / 4A DI Region IV / 4A DII Region I / 4A DII Region II / 4A DII Region III / 4A DII Region IV / 3A DI Region I / 3A DI Region II / 3A DI Region III / 3A DI Region IV / 3A DII Region I / 3A DII Region II / 3A DII Region III / 3A DII Region IV / 2A DI Region I / 2A DI Region II / 2A DI Region III / 2A DI Region IV / 2A DII Region IClass 2A Division II Region II Region II lost two of its semifinalists from the 2015 playoffs. Roscoe moved to Region I of the same division a year removed from a 35-18 loss to Iraan in the third round of the state playoffs. Seymour lost to eventual Region II champion Albany in the same round and was moved to Class 2A Division I. The two finalists remain. Albany represented the region in the state championship for the second straight season, losing again to a budding dynasty in Bremond. The major addition to Region II is Quanah, which won District 3 in Class 2A Division II in 2015. Albany Albany only loses to state champions. The Lions lost two games in 2015 – to Canadian in non-district and Bremond in the state championship. Bremond is the only thing standing between Albany and the last two state championships. Albany’s only loss in 2014 was in the state title game to Bremond. To win the final game of the season, it is likely that Albany likely finds the same foe waiting at the state title game. The Lions beat Iraan 42-28 to claim a Region II championship before nudging past Seagraves in the state semifinals, 12-7. Denney Faith’s team fell to Bremond, 35-20, to close out the season. Albany moves from District 6 to District 8, but the expectations and the goal remain the same. Beating Bremond is the only thing left for the program to prove. Iraan The Braves stay in District 5 with an odds-on chance to repeat as champions. Iraan went 13-1 and reached the regional finals in 2015, losing to Albany. The offense put up over 600 points and the defense allowed fewer than 200. It was pure dominance leading up to the 14-point loss to Albany in the fourth round of the state playoffs. Iraan dominated District 5 competition last season. The Braves outscored their four district opponents 182-28, including two shutouts and never scoring less than 35. Iraan beat Van Horn, which ended up the two-seed from District 5, 59-0. Iraan is the favorite to win District 5 and the biggest obstacle for Albany to hurdle in Region II. Quanah An offseason of transition began with the departure of head coach Jason Sims. He was replaced by David Fambrough, who has state championship experience. The Indians won District 3, but eventually lost to Region I champion Albany in the state playoffs. Quanah moves into District 7, which is void of a defending champion after Seymour’s move to Class 2A Division I.

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