District 7-4A, Division II football will be full of surprises and excitement.
After a realignment, the teams in the district are Gilmer, Atlanta, Pittsburg, Gladewater, Pleasant Grove and Spring Hill. All but one of the teams-Spring Hill-made the playoffs last season.
Gilmer won a District 5-4A, Division II crown in 2015 by posting a 5-0 record. The Buckeyes were state semifinalists and look to make another deep playoff run.
Looking to stop Gilmer are several good teams: Atlanta went 9-5 last year and 4-1 in District 6-4A, Division II; Pittsburg, who played in District 7-4A with Liberty-Eylau, went 10-2 and 4-1; and Gladewater ended up at 5-6 but went 4-1 in District 6-4A.
Pleasant Grove returns many starters and will be in the playoff mix as well. Last year, the Hawks nearly knocked Gilmer out of the playoffs.
Longview Spring Hill went 1-9 last season, is young, and looks to rebuild.
GILMER
The Buckeyes return six starters on offense and also six defensive starters. Defensive back Kollin Hurt (6-3, 180) runs a 4.5 second 40-yard dash. Hurt had 11 interceptions last season to go along with his 114 tackles.
Gilmer has yet to name a starting quarterback. Wide receivers LaMarcus Morton (6-1, 175) and Red Jones (5-10, 165) will provide good support to whoever gets the starting job. Morton made 34 grabs for 589 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
All of the District 7-4A coaches label Gilmer as the team to beat. The Buckeyes went 14-1 in 2015.
ATLANTA
The Rabbits return four offensive starters and six starters on defense. Atlanta has gone four rounds deep into the playoffs for two years in a row.
Linebacker Tristan Allen (6-3, 220) heads up a unit that runs 3-4 defense. Allen had 108 tackles, 19 of which went for a loss, last season.
Layton Henson (6-1, 180) starts at quarterback and started seven games last season. Henson totaled 1,035 all purpose yards.
Kelton Young comes in to replace Atlanta all-time leading rusher Tyrell Phillips, who graduated. Young is a speedster and was part of the state champion track-and-field relay team.
PITTSBURG
The Pirates return 10 starters, six on offense and four on defense. Head coach Brad Baca took an under .500 season from 2014 and turned it around in 2015.
Pittsburg must find a replacement for high-performing quarterback Brian Baca, who threw for 2,360 yards and 20 TDs last year.
The new quarterback will have two weapons in senior receivers Dejour Dowell (6-2, 195) and Deldric Shields (5-9, 175). Dowell snagged 37 catches for 595 yards last season, while Shields had 30 catches for 492 yards.
The offensive line remains mostly the same from a season ago. The defensive line is led by E.J. Hill (6-1, 240) and Bradlee Warick (6-1, 260). Hill made 43 tackles and had seven sacks last year, and Warick made 44 stops and had three sacks.
GLADEWATER
The Bears return eight starters on both sides of the ball. Running back Darnell McKnight is back and averaged 11.2 yards per carry a year ago.
McKnight also plays linebacker and had 55 tackles last season, 10 of which went for a loss. Defensive back Austin Hawley helps lead the defense and made 75 stops and forced five fumbles in 2015.
Gladewater was young last season and is always among the most physical teams in the district.
PLEASANT GROVE
Third-year head coach Josh Gibson brings back eight offensive starters from last year's squad. The Hawks return seven defensive starters.
The offense is led by junior quarterback Carson Cox (6-2, 175) and senior running back Keshawn Jones (5-9, 170). Senior Logan Wesley (5-7, 190) will also get many carries.
Gibson has changed the offense from a wing-T to a multiple-look.
Offensive tackle Nick Gavriel (6-1, 308) was the district's Newcomer of the Year last season and a first-team selection.
Junior linebackers Xavier Benson (6-3, 195) and Bobby Cooks (5-9, 165) led PG in tackles last season with 55 each. The Hawks play a 3-4 defense and Cole Lipham (6-5, 208) is a force to be reckoned with at defensive end.
LONGVIEW SPRING HILL
The Panthers are in a rebuilding phase under second-year head coach Kelly Mercer and are young.
Spring Hill's strength is its emerging power in the trenches. The Panthers will be competitive, but they have their work cut out in a tough district. Every other team in the new district made the playoffs last season.
Wide receivers Ryan Willis and Dayson Adaway are emerging as two explosive targets.