One must-see game at every 11-man level for Week 1

[caption id="attachment_20628" align="alignright" width="350"]2015_10_16_FossilRidgeAtRyan_4381 Denton Ryan's Tyreke Davis (Photo by Gary Sanderson)[/caption] Hope everyone got enough sleep this offseason because football season is officially here. If I wasn’t getting paid to sit in a press box, here are the Friday night games I’d attend at each classification of 11-man football inside of Texas. 6A: Katy at Westlake A state championship game is taking place in Week 1 outside of Austin. The amount of future college talent on the field will be staggering and both of these teams could easily return to a state championship game for a second year in a row. Katy, the defending 6A DII champion, always plays great defense and runs the ball. Even with losses on defense and at running back, the Tigers’ formula should still hold strong this season. Westlake is led by quarterback Sam Ehlinger on offense and linebacker Levi Jones on defense. Westlake lost the 2015 6A D1 championship game in OT. 5A: Denton Ryan at Lancaster The hype is real for Denton Ryan. The Raiders are expected to win a state championship as a Class 5A team after much success as a Class 6A program last year. A bulk of that team returns with added expectations on their back after realignment. Lancaster is always in the mix and should be a solid litmus test for how Denton Ryan performs in Class 5A. A blowout win on the road against Lancaster only solidifies Ryan’s place as the favorite. 4A: La Grange at Liberty Hill J.K. Dobbins vs. the Slot-T? Yes, please. La Grange and Liberty Hill both rank inside the top 10 of Class 4A in Division I and Division II, respectfully. The two teams will combine for over 60 rushing attempts in this game, which is becoming more of a rarity in high school football. La Grange is led by Ohio State commit and best running back in the state, J.K. Dobbins. Liberty Hill is known for its run game out of the slot-t. The defense that can slow the run just a little wins this game. 3A: Kirbyville at Newton Newton is poised to contend for a state title in Class 3A Division II. Kirbyville enters the season ranked 16^th in Class 3A Division I. Newton rebounded well from a 1-4 non-district in 2015, but hope to get out of the gates quicker this season behind quarterback Brock Barbay and linebacker Blake Kelly. Kirbyville running back Ty Dennis had 1,126 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. 2A: Mason at Goldthwaite These are two top 15 teams in Class 2A Division I. A lot of non-district games at the small-school level can be blowouts due to the talent disparity between the top teams and the middle of the pack teams in Class 2A, but not this game. Both Mason and Goldthwaite have state title aspirations and one of these teams gets to build early momentum.

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