Our Central Texas Class 5A preview: top players, our picks for district playoff spots

How we see Central Texas' four Class 5A districts playing out in terms of playoff seeding:

Division I

District 11-5A

1. College Station; 2. Georgetown; 3. A&M Consolidated; 4. Cedar Park

In the “district of death” where there are no weak teams, the amount of offensive talent is sky-high. Locally, Georgetown should compete for a district title while Cedar Park could be a dark horse. Don’t be surprised if Glenn wins a game no one expects it to due to its slot-T offense.

District 12-5A

1. Smithson Valley; 2. San Antonio Wagner; 3. Seguin; 4. Hays

This district seems wide open, though Smithson Valley has the best player in WR and Texas commit Freddie Dubose. Locally, Hays’ defense should be very strong with nine starters back and lead it to a playoff spot.

Division II

District 11-5A

1. Belton; 2. Rouse; 3. Waco University; 4. Pflugerville

Belton will be nasty on defense with nine starters back, while Rouse’s offense should be electric even though it’s breaking in a new quarterback. Pflugerville should have a stout running game, and it and Elgin will battle for the district’s final postseason spot.

District 12-5A

1. LBJ; 2. Crockett; 3. McCallum; 4. Northeast

LBJ should run away with this district of entirely Austin ISD schools and possibly win every game by at least four touchdowns. Crockett has its best team in decades and McCallum will be solid, but the fourth playoff team will be an intriguing race. Northeast, LASA and Travis all can make arguments, but we're taking the Raiders to reach the postseason for the second straight year.

District 13-5A

1. Liberty Hill; 2. Lockhart; 3. San Antonio Veterans Memorial; 4. Bastrop

Liberty Hill will win this district, but Lockhart and Veterans Memorial won’t be pushovers. Bastrop has nine starters back on defense and a transfer quarterback from Manor in Quintaelyn Joyner that should put it in the playoffs.

Seven area players to watch

Justin Cannon, Rouse RB: The senior was a third-team All-Central Texas pick last year, serving as the offensive centerpiece for the 5A DII playoff team by rushing for 1,575 yards and 20 TDs. He averaged more than 143 yards a game.

Caleb Dickey, Crockett DL: The junior was 12-5A DII's defensive lineman of the year after leading the Cougars to the playoffs with 129 tackles, 38 tackles for loss and a state-high 20 sacks.

Cameron Dickey, Crockett QB/S: A senior, Dickey led Crockett to its first playoff appearance since 2017 by setting school records with 3,054 yards of offense and 45 total TDs. On defense, he had 80 tackles and blocked two punts and was our All-Central Texas second-team utility player.

Noah Long, Liberty Hill RB: The spearhead for the team's slot-T offense rolled up 2,099 yards and 22 TDs and had 10 100-yard rushing games as the Panthers made the Class 5A DII state semifinals. He was a second-team All-Central Texas back.

Andrew Petter, Georgetown RB: A senior, Petter was MVP of District 11-5A DI, rushed for 1,872 yards and 33 TDs and added 29 passes for 416 yards and three more scores for a third-round playoff team. He was a second-team All-Central Texas pick.

Henry Snyder, McCallum OL: The Knights' senior LT graded out at 85% and had 75 knockdowns for a 5A DII playoff team that averaged almost 300 yards rushing.

Brady Stephenson, Lockhart OL: The senior bruiser graded out at 94% with 60 knockdowns and 21 pancake blocks for a run-oriented team that bullied its way into the 5A DII playoffs. He earned second-team All-Central Texas kudos.

— Colby Gordon and Rick Cantu

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Our 2023 high school season preview for Central Texas' Class 5A teams