One underrated player to watch in each 3A region this season

[caption id="attachment_24351" align="alignright" width="219"]Hitchcock_vs_Mathis-394 Mathis' Karl Gibson II (Photo by Artie Guerrero)[/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 who deserves a little more attention. Previously:Class 6A / Class 5A / Class 4AClass 4ARegion I – Isaac Gallego The top three returning rushers in all of Class 3A are from power programs Mineola, Brock and Mathis. The fourth hails from Alpine. His name is Isaac Gallego and he’s the most productive quarterback in the state you’ve likely never heard of. A dual-threat player, Gallego rushed for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns, adding 17 touchdowns and 1,700 yards through the air. Gallego helped his team reach the playoffs as a junior and hopes to do the same as a senior. Gallego is undersized, but his playmaking ability might be the best in Class 3A Division II Region I. Region II – Malik Estell Not only is Malik Estell overlooked because of the size of Hooks, but he’s also overlooked because of the recruitment of his brother, Montrell. Montrell is a three-star safety prospect committed to Texas. He’s also one of the most prolific wide receivers in Class 3A Division II. Malik might not be getting the recruiting attention just yet, but he’s put up big numbers on the field. Malik recorded 162 tackles and also spends time at running back. Hooks is favored to win District 7-3A DII, and the main reason is the Estell brothers. Region III – Sicory Smith Cameron Yoe dominated Class 3A for years with running back Traion Smith setting records and receiving the bulk of the carries. The Yoemen fell short of a fourth-straight state championship after an injury to Traion and a comeback by Brock. To get back to the top, Cameron Yoe will count on a new crop of players and a new head coach. One of the mainstays inside the program will by Sicory. He is Class 3A’s leading returning receiver and could also play running back with Traion gone. Region IV – Karl Gibson II The third most productive running back to return in Class 3A lives in Mathis. The defending champion of Region IV ran into Cameron Yoe last season in the state semifinals and couldn’t advance to a state championship game, but that didn’t diminish the great year for Mathis and running back Karl Gibson II. A two-way star, Gibson rushed for 1,562 yards on offense and recorded 87 tackles and three sacks on defense. Most players from Region IV go overlooked and Gibson falls into that category.

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