Looking forward to 2016

P

pup

11-man fan
Let me introduce myself to the "old" division II folks, my name is pup and I am a sixman fan. I've been following sixman, mostly in the central TX/San Antonio area, for about 10 years now. Love the game, love the small schools, and love the brotherhood/ministry we small school fans have in TAPPS DII. Let me start by saying that I am almost giddy that TAPPS decided to go back to two divisions. Now districts get larger, scheduling gets easier, and the playoffs become a battle of the finest. District play will now be much more meaningful- I see some potential rivalries in the making. Now the big question is how will TAPPS structure the playoffs? Top two from each district, for a sixteen team bracket? Or what about the top three, winners get a bye in the first round, a 24 team bracket? Or possibly top two in, district winners get the bye, then Wild Card points to determine the next eight in a variation of 24? TAPPS is gonna need to get word out to the coaches soon as they are constructing schedules. Will Wild Card points be meaningful or not?

With all that said, let's look at what might be in 2016. Looking at DII, there are 38 teams listed by TAPPS but I'm sure a couple will fold as we get closer to August. Too bad Districts 6 & 7 are down to four teams. With the limited info I have, here's what I see:

- Baytown Christian- Losing a good group of seniors but equal number of juniors filling their spots. Highest ranked by Grangers' system at the end of 2015.
- San Marcos- It's very, very hard to defend. Will they have enough to repeat? I don't think so. Tough new district.
- Cedar Park Summit- Losing a big group of seniors and I'm not sure if they can replace those players. Had a good 2015 but will have a tough go in 2016 with San Marcos and Seguin in district.
- Waco Live Oak- Another great season in 2015 until they ran into the football factory over at Veritas. I think Live Oak will simply reload.
- WF Notre Dame- Finally got over the "not by two" curse but were overpowered at State. Losing two seniors that were pretty much the whole team. Did anyone else get significant playing time?
- WF Christian- Apparently have two studs, but as noted above, two players don't make a championship team.
- Seguin- Have a good, strong and fast group returning. They have potential to be a very good squad, but will they....?
- Freddy- Yes, they had a down year last year. Only graduated one. I think they will be ready come playoff time.
-Bulverde Bracken- Might just be my sleeper team of 2016. Returning good numbers that got quit a bit of playing time last season. Will be a great battle with Freddy in district.
- Granbury NCTA- Rode one horse this year and it bit them hard come playoff time. Could be a good year or it might not. Kinda depends on who shows up for school in August.

That would be my top ten- not necessarily in that order. Please discuss.
 
Only team I can comment on is Live Oak.
Losing 3 great seniors to graduation in Bailey, Holmes, and Moffatt.
That happens every year in 6-man, though.
Several starters returning though and an awesome sophomore class should step up.

Defense looks pretty strong.
Howton will return as a DB on 1 side.
Jarmarkt (sp?) played most downs and will be back on the inside.
Copeland will be a good athlete to fill the hole where Moffatt has been for 4 years.
Hill will return in the defensive backfield.
Bailey will be missed at the other DB but Bierworth played there some and several others have potential.
Too many other good athletes to name and coaches are always shuffling them around in the off season to get the right combination so it will be interesting to see who plays where next year.

Offense is also looking fairly strong.
Moffatt and Holmes were power runners as well as good receivers. Replacements could include Copeland and Jarmarkt as well as some of the little used freshmen and sophomores from last year.
Bailey was good for several long receptions and TDs a game but the number of fast kids with good hands is too lengthy to mention.
Hill returns as the starting QB but is tremendous athlete and could play havoc on the opposing defense at other positions while Bailey (the younger brother) gets more time running the offense.
Offensive line returns intact and Howton will be back on the other side as receiver.
This years 8th graders had a very strong year I heard, and have several good players, but seeing any playing time with the upperclassmen they have will be hard for any of the freshmen.
The Live Oak program seems to teach hard work and good sportsmanship which makes them fun to watch.
Next year will be more of the same I hope.
 
I think this season is wide open! I think there are going to be teams that are good and make the playoffs that we dont see coming, it happens every year!! I will say i think some of the top teams from last year wont be as good because of losing to much, Top 2 teams i think will not be so good and just make the playoffs but wont do anything after that is. NCTA they lost the Best Player in the State from last season, without him they will go 4-7 or 5-6, I think WFND will also be in the same boat as NCTA losing alot but they still have one really good and fast play, they will have more wins then NCTA and be up top in the Rankings but when i comes to playoffs this year one player cant carry the whole team, i see them getting beat in the 2nd or even 1st round of the playoffs, they wont make it back to State. After that there are a few top teams, but after that its WIDE OPEN.
 
Shouldn't San Marcos be the favorite? I don't much about them but it appears they won state. They have earned the #1 preseason seat. Do they have a lot of returners from last year?
 
Don't know much about the top D II teams, but should be some great new competition for both Wichita Falls schools.

Notre Dame graduated two talented senior starters from their state finalist team in the offseason. RB Skyler Whitten is back for his senior campaign, and should provide plenty of highlight-reel moments throughout the season. Other upper classmen and even a large incoming freshman group will have to step up quickly if the Knights hope to repeat as District Champs and make another run in the postseason. We should get a real sense of who this team is when they host 6 man powerhouse Crowell on Sept. 16.

I don't believe Wichita Christian lost too much in the offseason, and should return some real talent. Should be another hungry squad ready to try and dethrown ND's run at the top of the district.

I expect teams like Freddy and San Marcos should also be reloaded again to do some damage in a run for State. NCTA could go either way depending on who they return. They definitely lost the farm with their big RB gone, and will have some big shoes to fill.

Anybody have any solid idea yet regarding the playoff bracket scenarios? How many teams? First-round byes?

Can't wait for this new season to begin!
 
The Knights are going to be far from a one-trick pony. They've got a well rounded team with some great talent returning this season. Whitten should lead what might be an even more potent offensive attack than what ND had last year.

That being said, I know the new level of competition is going to be a lot tougher. Can't wait to see if my boys can step up their game and make another run at the title this year.

Are two-a-days here yet?
 
Should be a very competitive year with the move back to 2 divisions. First time that Seguin and Fred aren't in the same district as well. Iron sharpens iron and we will see if they try and schedule a game against each other in the future although I do not believe they have that scheduled for this upcoming season.

As far as I know for San Marcos they lost their two talented seniors Donoho and Daniels, I seem to recall them having some other athletes, but don't know who they are and if they are returning. Also I seem to recall one of their coaches potentially moving on, is that true?

I expect Waco Live oak to be prepared as it seems the past seasons that they have a good track record which reflects a good program. I expect them to do well.

Definitely talented in both the north and the south, although the south usually has stronger defense. Overall, I'm excited to see how the season pans out! hopefully ill be able to keep up with the season and maybe do a little prognosticating.
 
Don't sleep on Alpha Omega, they are physical and quick. They have a solid program that has played up in the larger division. I look for them to make a nice run this year. I would say the same about Baytown Christian. They are losing a lot from last year but expect them to be competitive.
 
Guys ... Sorry I've been way, way behind with getting the schools list out this year, with moving, a busy working life, and all sorts of things. Let me try to get it started over this week and we're going to probably find lots of corrections.

John
 
Cougar1414":sbjdgsv6 said:
Don't sleep on Alpha Omega, they are physical and quick. They have a solid program that has played up in the larger division. I look for them to make a nice run this year. I would say the same about Baytown Christian. They are losing a lot from last year but expect them to be competitive.
Click to expand...


I would agree. I think alpha has a good chance to make a deep run this year. Baytown lost way too many kids. They should have a tough run this year. I see covenant winning that district. The real noise in D2 should be coming from the schools such as SMHC, Sequin Lifegate, WFND, Waco Live Oak. This should be an interesting year. Thoughts fellas?
 
I hear that Baytown is having a hard time fielding a team this year. I understand they lost a lot. It appears they be ranked high to start the year due to final rankings from last year. Has there been a program that started in the rankings in the top 3 and ended in the bottom 3 by season end? I guess the clock hit midnight for the program. Hopefully their "role players" will kept it respectable.
 
Have to agree with you on seguin.
I'm Pretty sure Live Oak reloads and we will see what they have when they face Calvert, Blum, and Veritas all in a row. Should be a good test for their program. Think they are one of the larger schools in d2 and had a great run last year and only lost 4-5 seniors.
Alpha omega will surprise a few and San Marcos will be right in the mix.
 
Lifegates been mentioned a couple of times. Do they have a lot coming back? I understand Live Oak and San Marcos but Im wondering why the hype with Lifegate?
Must be a team to watch any insight out there.
 
The thing with lifegate is that coach Rabon finds a way to reload, they have a big group of seniors this year I think, and unlike most other teams , Lifegate plays hard smash-mouth defense. I'm not saying every other teams' defenses are weak (San Marcos plays tough as well), but my point is that lifegate is a disciplined team all around including their defense.
 
So far, no articles have been published about Waco live oak, which is the closest team to me. I want to go see their game against Calvert or Blum, maybe even the veritas game. Looking forward to watching some six man football this year
 

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