One underrated player to watch in each 6A region this season

[caption id="attachment_20580" align="alignright" width="234"]Photo by Gary Sanderson Photo by Gary Sanderson[/caption] A few special players will float under the radar with 1,400+ high schools in Texas playing football. This is true at the biggest and smallest classifications around the state. In this series, we take a look at a player in each region of each classification that deserves more press clippings from around the state. Class 6A Region I – Mason Holmes Ask your favorite high school football fanatic who the best quarterback in Class 6A is and it’ll take a long time for him/her to reach Southlake Carroll quarterback Mason Holmes. The senior can’t be found on most recruiting sites, and he’s rarely on the lips of those discussing the top returning quarterbacks in the state despite throwing for 2,899 yards and 38 touchdowns to just five interceptions as a junior. Southlake Carroll, no stranger to producing quarterbacks, even knocked off Cedar Hill in the state playoffs. Rarely does a Dragon fly under the radar, but that is exactly what Holmes is doing, even as our pick to win the District 5-6A Offensive MVP. A laundry list of top signal-callers in D-FW and the rest of the state, namely Austin, forces Holmes out of most discussions, as does his lack of major college offers. All Holmes does is complete passes and win football games, which I’m guessing he’ll take over press clippings. Region II – Ladarius Dickens How does the state’s leading receiver in Class 6A become underrated? Ask Rowlett’s Ladarius Dickens, who is back for his senior season after catching 95 catches for 1,455 yards. He accounted for 22 touchdowns in his junior season. At 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Dickens isn’t receiving a ton of recruiting attention and that keeps him out of discussions for best wide receiver in the state. The facts show he was more productive than any of the four- and three-star wide receivers returning in Class 6A for the 2016 season. Dickens is built to play slot receiver at the next level and another solid season should garner him more attention from colleges. Rowlett needs to find a quarterback who can get him the ball. Region III – Tyler Page The SMU commit from Friendswood rushed for over 2,000 yards as a quarterback in his junior season. His college position is unclear, but he likely moves to running back, wide receiver or defense once finishing his prep career. He accounted for over 3,000 yards of total offense and a total of 36 touchdowns last season. Friendswood is a dark-horse candidate to win Region III and reach a state title and Page is the No. 1 reason. The Mustangs have a rare and special talent in Page, something head coach Robert Koopmann is very much aware of heading into this season. Region IV – Alex Fernandes Vandegrift became a dominant force in Class 5A. Unfortunately for the Vipers, so did Cedar Park. Vandegrift moves up to Class 6A in the latest realignment and are placed in the same district as Westlake and Lake Travis. Not the warmest welcome for one of the Austin area’s best new programs, but one that could boost Vandegrift into state title conversation with a well-timed upset or two. Quarterback Alex Fernandes is a three-year starter who amassed 2,950 yards passing and 37 touchdowns for a team that went 11-3 in 2015. He’s undoubtedly the third best quarterback in the district, but would be considered an offensive MVP candidate in nearly every other 6A Region IV district.

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