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Westlake tops state Class 6A preseason high school football poll

thomas jones, austin american-statesman
·5 min read
Westlake defensive lineman Colton Vasek celebrates a sack during the Chaparrals' 40-21 win over Denton Guyer in last season's Class 6A Division II state title game. Vasek returns to the Dave Campbell's Texas Football preseason No. 1 team.
Westlake defensive lineman Colton Vasek celebrates a sack during the Chaparrals' 40-21 win over Denton Guyer in last season's Class 6A Division II state title game. Vasek returns to the Dave Campbell's Texas Football preseason No. 1 team.

After three consecutive state championships for Westlake, why expect anything different?

That’s the opinion of the pollsters at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, which unveiled the preseason high school football rankings for The Associated Press with the release of its annual summer magazine.

Westlake tops the state’s Class 6A poll after completing a perfect 2021 campaign with a win over Denton Guyer in last season’s Class 6A Division II title game. The Chaps welcome back 13 starters, including all-state candidates such as offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan, receiver Jaden Greathouse and defensive end Colton Vasek.

More:Our Top 20 for 2022: The Statesman's complete rundown on the best Austin-area football players

The magazine predicts that wealth of talent should help overcome the loss of retired coach Todd Dodge as well as the departure of Clemson pledge Cade Klubnik, who never lost a game in three seasons as the Chaparrals’ starting quarterback.

Lake Travis, Westlake’s fierce rival in District 26-6A, is the only other area team to nab a spot in the preseason Top 10 in Class 6A. The No. 7 Cavaliers welcome back 11 starters from last year’s Class 6A Division I state semifinalist, including Michigan State quarterback pledge Bo Edmundson.

Aside from the usual lake suspects in Class 6A, don’t expect many state title contenders to emerge from Central Texas, at least according to the Texas Football prognostications.

The magazine, now in its 63rd year of publication, has only five area teams ranked in its Top 10 preseason polls. Liberty Hill ranks No. 3 in the Class 5A DII poll with nine returning offensive starters from a team that reached a state title game a year ago. Rouse enters the Class 5A DII poll at No. 8, with star quarterback Mason Shorb headlining a group of 17 returning starters.  Wimberley ranks No. 7 in the Class 4A DII poll and welcomes back quarterback Cash McCollum and seven other returning starters.

The expanded polls also have No. 14 Vandegrift, No. 34 Round Rock, No. 37 Weiss and No. 41 Dripping Springs in Class 6A; No. 21 Cedar Park in Class 5A DI; No. 12 LBJ in Class 5A DII; No. 20 Marble Falls in Class 4A DI; No. 15 Lago Vista and No. 24 La Grange in Class 4A DII; No. 22 Blanco in Class 3A DI; and No. 23 Thorndale in Class 2A DI.

The talent pool in the Austin area surpasses the number of elite teams, based on Texas Football’s “super teams.” Of the 72 players selected to one of the six teams of the state’s top 2023 recruits, 10 are from the Austin area. Shanahan and Vandegrift’s Ian Reed both earned first-team spots on the offensive line, and Greathouse was tabbed as the first-team tight end, although he’s played wideout during his entire varsity career. Dripping Springs quarterback Austin Novosad and Stony Point running back Cameron Cook both received second-team spots, and Manor running back Quinten Joyner and Stony Point receiver Braylon James earn third-team selections.

Defensively, Vasek and La Grange back Bravion Rogers picked up first-team spots while Round Rock end Ansel Nedore nabbed a third-team selection.

State rankings

2022 Associated Press/Dave Campbell's Texas Football preseason high school football polls:

Class 6A

1. Westlake, 16-0 (2021 record)

2. Galena Park North Shore, 15-1

3. Southlake Carroll, 14-1

4. Duncanville, 13-2

5. Katy, 14-1

6. Denton Guyer, 14-2

7. Lake Travis, 12-3

8. DeSoto, 11-3

9. Spring Westfield, 12-1

10. Rockwall, 9-3

Class 5A Division I

1. Longview, 9-4

2. Denton Ryan, 12-2

3. Aledo, 12-1

4. College Station, 15-1

5. Frisco Lone Star, 9-3

6. Crosby, 12-3

7. A&M Consolidated, 10-3

8. Manvel, 10-3

9. Mansfield Timberview, 8-5

10. Amarillo Tascosa, 10-3

Class 5A Division II

1. South Oak Cliff, 15-1

2. Lovejoy, 12-2

3. Liberty Hill, 13-3

4. Fort Bend Marshall, 10-1

5. Mansfield Summit, 11-4

6. Argyle, 11-2

7. Wichita Falls Rider, 12-2

8. Rouse, 11-2

9. Colleyville Heritage, 12-2

10. Texas High, 12-1

Class 4A Division I

1. Stephenville, 16-0

2. China Spring, 16-0

3. Tyler Chapel Hill, 11-4

4. El Campo, 11-2

5. Celina, 12-2

6. Corpus Christi Calallen, 10-2

7. Waco La Vega, 9-4

8. Kilgore, 11-2

9. Dumas, 9-3

10. Kennedale, 10-2

Class 4A Division II

1. Carthage, 11-1

2. Gilmer, 14-2

3. Wichita Falls Hirschi, 12-3

4. West Orange-Stark, 11-2

5. Texarkana Pleasant Grove, 8-6

6. Cuero, 13-2

7. Wimberley, 10-3

8. Glen Rose, 10-2

9. Silsbee, 5-5

10. Geronimo Navarro, 10-3

Class 3A Division I

1. Brock, 15-1

2. Franklin, 16-0

3. Lorena, 14-2

4. Mount Vernon, 14-1

5. Jim Ned, 12-1

6. Grandview, 9-3

7. Malakoff, 9-4

8. Columbus, 10-3

9. Edna, 10-3

10. West, 13-1

Class 3A Division II

1. Gunter, 15-1

2. Canadian, 9-4

3. Newton, 10-2

4. Daingerfield, 11-3

5. West Rusk, 12-1

6. Holliday, 13-1

7. Poth, 11-2

8. Childress, 9-1

9. East Bernard, 9-3

10. DeKalb, 8-4

Class 2A Division I

1. Shiner, 16-0

2. Timpson, 12-1

3. Refugio, 13-1

4. Marlin, 11-4

5. Hawley, 15-1

6. Centerville, 12-2

7. Crawford, 13-1

8. Beckville, 12-1

9. Coleman, 11-1

10. Cisco, 11-3

Class 2A Division II 

1. Albany, 13-1

2. Muenster, 12-1

3. Mart, 14-1

4. Wellington, 9-4

5. Burton, 5-9

6. Wink, 9-4

7. Windthorst, 12-2

8. Falls City, 14-2

9. Chilton, 11-2

10. Tenaha, 9-3

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Westlake tops preseason high school football poll