District 8-5A preview: Heritage, Richland spike competition
The old 6-5A gets a new look as District 8-5A. Lake Dallas is out and 6A move-ins Colleyville Heritage and Richland have joined, thanks to UIL realignment. At the top, the district title could go through rival schools Heritage and Grapevine, who meet Oct. 20. Both bring back loads of talent: 11 starters for Heritage, 15 for Grapevine. The top two quarterbacks in the district also run through these schools in Heritage senior and San Diego State commit Cam Roane and Grapevine junior Alan Bowman, who combined for 5,054 yards and 48 TDs. Another playoff team, Birdville, returns five on defense and nine on offense, including 6-foot-5 offensive tackle Jared Hocker and senior quarterback Clayton Beeter (1,788 pass, 13 TDs). Fort Worth Dunbar will look to make its sixth straight playoff appearance and ninth in 10 years. Dunbar dual-threat quarterback Nakkia Cox is bound to become the school’s all-time leader in total yards. Richland, with seven starters back on each side of the ball, hopes to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Fort Worth Carter-Riverside brings back nine starters after winning five games, most since eight during the Eagles’ last playoff trip in 1995. Fort Worth Eastern Hills returns nine starters and looks to improve on last year’s 1-9 record, and Fort Worth Polytechnic is one of the most experienced teams in the state with 20 starters back.
Best Bet for the Playoffs
Colleyville Heritage: Duo of QB Cam Roane and WR Ke’von Ahmad spells deep playoff run for coach Joe Willis and Panthers.
Grapevine: Mustangs scored 30 points per game in 2015, allowed 12.6. Should be on track again with 15 starters back.
Birdville: Nine offensive and five defensive starters return for bi-district finalist.
Richland: Final spot will come down to Dunbar and Richland, which gets slight advantage playing in 6A last year.
Players to Watch
Cam Roane, QB, Colleyville Heritage: San Diego State commit threw for 2,343 yards and 21 TDs.
Alan Bowman, QB, Grapevine: As a sophomore, threw for 2,711 yards and 27 TDs.
Nakkia Cox, QB, FW Dunbar: Accounted for 2,309 yards and 24 TDs last season.
Ke’von Ahmad, WR, Colleyville Heritage: Had 67 catches, 1,399 yards and 18 TDs. 6A first-team all-state.
Jared Hocker, OL, Birdville: 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle is committed to Texas Tech.
Brian Andrews, DL, Grapevine: 6-foot-2, 255-pound nose tackle had 83 tackles and four sacks.
Devonta Trotter, LB, FW Eastern Hills: Had 10 sacks in 2015.
Dashawn White, LB, Richland: Junior had 87 tackles last year.
This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 10:40 AM with the headline "District 8-5A preview: Heritage, Richland spike competition."