The Dallas Morning News SportsDay High School area rankings for Class 4A & 3A has Kennedale sitting on top followed by Argyle and Celina. {{more: Continue …}}
Here is SportsDay take on Kennedale as written by Greg Riddle. See the full article at Dallas
Morning News SportsdayHS
That Kennedale, Argyle and Celina are the top three teams in SportsDay’s Class 4A/3A preseason area rankings shouldn’t be a surprise. Those teams have combined to win 83.6 percent of their games over the last eight seasons, with a record of 270-53.
Kennedale has won at least 11 games three years in a row, and it fell two wins short of a state championship last season.
Last year was the eighth consecutive season that Argyle reached at least the regional semifinals. But a streak of three straight appearances in a state championship game came to an end.
Celina has averaged 11 wins per season over the last seven years. In 2015, Celina played in its 11th state championship game — tied for second-most in UIL history.
CLASS 4A/3A
#1. KENNEDALE
COACH: Richard Barrett
2016 RECORD: 11-4, 5-0 District 5-4A Division I, 4A Division I state semifinalist
RETURNING STARTERS: 8 offense, 7 defense
THE RUNDOWN
In an era dominated by pass-happy spread offenses, Kennedale ran the Wing-T and averaged 36.9 points and an area-best 357 rushing yards per game while making the longest playoff run in school history. RB DJ Kirven (2,040 yards, 28 TDs) and RB Jaden Knowles (1,544 yards, 10 TDs) ranked second and fourth among area 4A players in rushing. Jalen Myers is expected to take the place of LB Baron Browning, an Ohio State signee who was the 4A state defensive player of the year. All-district CB Larry Brooks is committed to Louisiana-Monroe.
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH:QB Evan Jowers, OL Andrew Flanagan, DE Mayfield Hayes, LB Ector Rivera, DB Devan Mason
