The hopes of Guyer to finally get a state title ride on the shoulders of junior QB Jerrod Heard. (David Minton/Denton Record-Chronicle)
Our biggest local district, District 5-4A, is full of talented teams. But none are as talented, or highly touted as Guyer, which is making the move back to Class 4A after a two-year stint in Class 5A that included a trip to the 2010 5A Division II state title game.
Heard didn’t get much love from DCTF, and despite the fact that no Guyer players got any kind of individual mention/honor in the magazine, the Wildcats are picked as the No. 1 team in the state in Class 4A and are predicted to win the Class 4A Division I title over Cedar Park.
Projected order of finish:
- Guyer
- Wichita Falls Rider
- Lake Dallas
- Trophy Club Byron Nelson
- Wichita Falls
- Azle
- FW Brewer
- Denton
There’s no doubt that Guyer is going to be one of the best 4A teams in the state. As I’ve said a couple of other times, a prominent head coach in the area told me at realignment that no one in 4A would sniff Guyer. The pressure is definitely on the Wildcats to live up to their lofty expectations. The Wildcats are loaded in the trenches, where they always excel and usually separate themselves from the competition. Not to mention the fact they have skill guys like QB Jerrod Heard (pictured), WR Ellis Jefferson and RB D.J. Breedlove, who head coach John Walsh says could be the best back in Guyer history. It seems their stiffest challenge will come from Wichita Falls Rider and highly touted QB J.T. Barrett, an Ohio State pledge.
Projected to finish behind Guyer and Rider is Lake Dallas, which will be looking forward to playing Guyer again after a nice little rivalry had brewed for two years before Guyer went up to 5A. The schools are less than 3 miles apart and have a genuine hatred for each other. Lake Dallas might’ve lost QB Dalyn Williams but have Marshall Dominy waiting in the wings after a good year at receiver last season — the same transition Williams made two years ago. The Falcons also might be the best they’ve been in a while in the trenches, which will take them a long way.Byron Nelson is picked to finish fourth after a breakout year last season that saw them win a playoff game. The school is still new but will always be loaded with athletes.
Denton is picked to finish last in the district after a rough run. But the Broncos are looking for a fresh start under a new coach, as Keller’s Kevin Atkinson made the move to Denton after working as an assistant for Ryan back in the early 2000s. Atkinson replaces Randy Patzkowski, who went 12-59 in his seven seasons at Denton with one postseason appearance in 2010. Junior QB Cy Ward will look to replace Dentton Hudspeth, who was one of the few bright spots for the Broncos over the past couple of seasons.