Super Centex high school football podcast

Special guest David G. Campbell, former sportswriter with the Trib and The Eagle in Bryan, joins Trib sportswriter DJ Ramirez, non-Trib sportswriter Chad Conine and Trib sports editor Brice Cherry are back to talk some Centex football as we head into Week 9.  1. He's cash money: China Spring QB Cash McCollum now has a Centex-leading 2,300 yards passing, 35 TDs and just two picks on the season afte...

1. It's October, so that means we've reached some games of real consequence in the high school football scene, including some district-deciding clashes this week. On top of that list in China Spring at La Vega, the latest chapter in the storied history. China Spring is explosive, as both we and Alvarado know (after the Cougars put up 50 in a quarter against the Indians last week), but let's not sl...

1. Maybe there aren't any huge marquee matchups this week, but there are some low-key ones that are definitely intriguing. Let's start with Connally hosting Gatesville, which opens district play for these teams. They've been heading in opposite directions, with the Cadets now 3-3 after a 3-0 start; meanwhile, the Hornets have won three in a row and have given up fewer points than anyone else in 11...

Trib sportswriter DJ Ramirez, non-Trib sportswriter Chad Conine and Trib sports editor Brice Cherry are back to talk some Centex football as we head into Week 6.  1. We've got several first-year head coaches guiding their squads in the right direction with University at 4-1 (1-0), Lorena 3-2 (1-0) and Robinson also 4-1. Out of these first-year coaches — Kaeron Johnson, Kevin Johnson and Chris Lanc...

Welcome, special guests — All the District 8-2A Div. I coaches join the football conversation this week, with Bosqueville coach Clint Zander, Bruceville-Eddy coach Brian Ramsey, Crawford coach Greg Jacobs, Marlin coach Ruben Torres, Moody coach Matt Hurst, Riesel coach Robert Little, Rosebud-Lott coach Brandon Hicks and Valley Mills coach Bob Featherston on the Zoom to talk about district play get...

Instant reactions from Trib sportswriters and stringers from Friday's #txshfb action including Connally at China Spring, Centerville at Mart, Lorena at La Vega, Midlothian at Waco High, Midway at Rockwall-Heath, Clifton at McGregor as well as University's big Thursday night win. Read our complete #TribFridayNight coverage at https://wacotrib.com/sports/high-school. Support the show: https://wacotr...

Trib sportswriter DJ Ramirez, non-Trib sportswriter Chad Conine and Trib sports editor Brice Cherry are back to talk some Centex football as we head into Week 4.  1. A few of our local districts have already started district play, like Waco High's district in 5A and the West-Whitney district in 3A. Crawford and Marlin's district will begin play next week after taking this one off, and soon we'll h...

Trib sportswriter DJ Ramirez, non-Trib sportswriter Chad Conine and Trib sports editor Brice Cherry are back to talk some Centex football as we head into Week 3.  1. We saw several state-ranked teams in Central Texas lose last week in the likes of China Spring and Crawford, not to mention Bremond and Jonesboro. But, of course, they weren’t exactly playing nobodies. Do you think those teams will st...

1. At long last, we have actual football games happening this week. Let’s talk first about the Game of the Week, China Spring at Lorena. Of course, the Cougars are aiming for a Class 4A state championship three-peat and open the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state. Lorena, two years removed from its own 3A title, breaks in a new head coach in Kevin Johnson as the No. 6-ranked team in Clas...

1. At long last, we have actual football games happening this week. Let’s talk first about the Game of the Week, China Spring at Lorena. Of course, the Cougars are aiming for a Class 4A state championship three-peat and open the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state. Lorena, two years removed from its own 3A title, breaks in a new head coach in Kevin Johnson as the No. 6-ranked team in Clas...

• Abbott plays Westbrook for a state championship at 2 p.m. on Wednesday: What has impressed you about Terry Crawford and the Panthers? • The mighty Mart Panthers machine takes on Albany for the crown at 7 p.m. Wednesday: What does Mart need to do to finish this 16-0 season, and does Albany even stand a chance? • On paper, China Spring probably has the best matchup of our three local teams this we...

• Central Texas went 4 for 4 last week in the fourth round of the playoffs, with Abbott advancing to the state title game and China Spring, Crawford and Mart all cruising into the state semifinals. Simple question: How many of those three 11-man squads join the Red-Headed Strangers at Jerryworld next week to play for a state championship?  • China Spring is no stranger to great quarterback play ov...

We've got an impressive Centex Final Four — No. 1 China Spring, No. 3 Crawford,  No. 1 Mart and No. 1 Abbott — playing in round four of the high school football playoffs — and it's finally December football weather, to boot. We want to talk about X-factors this week. Here's a formal definition of that: "A variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome." So...

• Week 1 of the playoffs had some definite surprises: Fourth-seeded Riesel beat district champ Cayuga, along with a similar 4-over-1 win for Hamilton beating Tioga. But then there was also defending state champ Lorena going out in the bi-district round to Columbus with a last-second field goal to lose, 24-21. Which of those, or another game, was most surprising? • Far less surprising were the stea...

• Well, it’s playoff time at last. In bi-district, we’re naturally going to get some of those lopsided scores, especially with the No. 1 vs. No. 4 seed matchups. But what’s a matchup, no matter the seeding, that you think has a chance to produce an exciting, competitive game? What about some of our 3A matchups, like Whitney-Teague or Lorena-Columbus or Cameron Yoe-Yoakum, or University's first-rou...

• It's Week 11, and the intrigue doesn't stop: Playoff seeding and playoff spots are in the balance all over the place. Let's spotlight one very interesting district championship battle: Belton at University, which few would've predicted just 10 week ago. The Trojans were 0-10 last year, so just making the playoffs was already a huge step. But winning a district title is next-level stuff. He's got...

• Week 9 lived up the hype: There was Thomas Barr's epic game-winning field goal winning goal for No. 2 China Spring to beat No. 1 Stephenville; or West's Easton Paxton, who kept the big-play Trojans going with some big plays against Grandview; and Connally's Kiefer Sibley, who posted crazy numbers of 426 yards and 7 TDs against Salado. But who impressed you most last week — one of those guys, or...

• No. 10 Lorena vs. No. 1 Franklin, No. 2 China Spring vs. No. 1 Stephenville, West vs. No. 3 Grandview: No matter what happens on Friday, these Centex teams are all making deep playoff runs, right? • Back to West for a second: The Trojans' 89-0 win last week not only featured a 55-yard first quarter — that's 12 minutes — and 7 non-offensive touchdowns in the game. Have you ever heard of anything...

• One of the best feel-good stories of the seasons is the resurgence of the University Trojans. Head coach Kent Laster has the Trojans at 2-0 in district play. DJ and Chad have both seen them play this year — what's working for the U-Dawgs, and is it sustainable in the long term? • The game of the week is China Spring at La Vega, arguably the best rivalry in Central Texas over the last couple of d...

• The game of the week is obviously Marlin-Crawford, the de facto district championship game. But more than that, it's a rematch of last year's regional final, won by Marlin 26-6. Let's break it down: How do you see this one playing out for the undefeated Pirates vs. Marlin, which is 2-3 and 2-0 in district? • Another really sensational 2A showdown is No. 8 Bremond at No. 5 Chilton this week. Thes...

• It's a bye week for something like a third of teams around the state, with those in six-team districts taking a breather before starting the meaningful games. Out of teams who are actually playing this week in Central Texas, who needs a win most? Midway, Waco High? How about Connally or Robinson? • La Vega ended its tough skid with a blowout homecoming win over Dallas Roosevelt to move to 2-3 on...

• China Spring is a pretty incredible story, winning state last year for the first time since 1978. That team produced nine first-team Super Centex players, seven of which are gone, including Texas Football and Super Centex POY Major Bowden. How have the No. 2-ranked Cougars, sitting 4-0, been able to maintain this championship-caliber team? • Three "M" schools in Central Texas — Mexia, Marlin and...

• A tweet from Greg Tepper at Texas Football this week says there are 31 matchups between undefeated teams (just 11-man, probably) in Texas this week: No. 10 Connally vs. No. 2 China Spring, Bartlett at Itasca and Blooming Grove at Wortham. Out of the four Centex teams in that mix, how many will still be undefeated going into next week? • Let's talk about the University Trojans after a heartbreaki...

• Week 2 had some really great games — "absolute bangers," according to ultra-hip Brice Cherry — with close finishes, amazing comebacks and surprises. Which game do you wish you had seen — Connally's one-point win over La Vega, Waco High's streak-busting victory, China Spring's comeback or something else? • Let's turn our attention to the Mart Panthers: They pummeled Marlin, 41-6, but everyone exp...

• So, we’ve got a week of Central Texas football in the books. What was your biggest takeaway from Week 1? Who or what team impressed you the most? • We’ve got 13 local teams in the state poll after a week. But of the Centex teams that aren’t currently ranked, which team do you think has the potential for the deepest playoff run? • Two of those state-ranked teams we mentioned, No. 5 Lorena and No....