Top 26 storylines for 2016: No. 20 – Can Waskom pull off a three-peat?

[caption id="attachment_21487" align="alignright" width="350"]Waskom head football coach celebrates his team's victory over Newton Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Matt Garnett/Special Contributor Photo by Matt Garnett[/caption] The list of teams who have won three straight state titles in Texas High School Football is short and consists of the most elite programs in history. Whitney Keeling’s Waskom Wildcats will look to join that crew in 2016 after winning titles in 2014 and 2015. The 2014 was a surprise to very few. Waskom was fresh off a semi-final trip in 2013 and brought back plenty of firepower, but last year’s title was a bit of a surprise. Waskom graduated a strong senior class and many thought their reign would be short lived. A similar scenario is in store for 2016 as once again as the Wildcats continue to fly under the radar in a lot of statewide polls, which is surprising for a back-to-back state title squad that’s 46-2 in the past three seasons. The offensive line will certainly be key in the Wildcats option-based attack. Three starters return, but the guys they’ll be blocking for are largely unproven. Replacing four-year starter Chan Amie, who signed with SMU this offseason, is a large task considering his production on both sides of the ball in 2015. The biggest question for Waskom will certainly be at the quarterback slot, where senior Tay Green and junior Ty Carter are currently battling for the job. Waskom’s road to a three-peat is tough and it starts inside their own district where Arp, who got red hot towards the end of the season, appears fully capable of ending Waskom’s 31-game winning streak. Arp fell to Waskom twice last year including a 35-18 loss in the third round of the playoffs. West Rusk also lies in wait in 9-3A Division II. In fact, West Rusk’s only two losses came at the hands of Waskom during an impressive 12-2 campaign. And if Waskom gets past that crew, the road in Region III is always tough with teams like Newton and Crockett potentially blocking the path. However, Waskom’s proven the past three years it can handle graduation losses and Coach Keeling again feels his team is capable of another reloading campaign in 2016.

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