• E-mail

District 9-5A play kicks off with a bang tonight as Allen meets Plano, two teams ranked in the area top five.

Plano-Allen is just the first of what should be weekly headline matchups in 9-5A. The area's toughest district, top to bottom, is even tougher this year.

"There's no question about it," Richardson Berkner coach Jim Ledford said. "Every week's a playoff game. You don't get a breather."

There are three 9-5A teams ranked in the top five in the area: No. 2 Allen, No. 4 Plano East and No. 5 Plano. All three are worthy of being ranked in the state top 10.

Plano West is No. 13 in the area, and Richardson Berkner just fell out of the top 20.

Last year, 9-5A had three teams advance to the third round of the playoffs, more than any other district in the state. And it's easy to forget that Plano West didn't have its first-string kicker when it lost a bi-district game, 23-21, to Garland, which went on to the Division II state semifinals.

Allen, Plano East and Plano West appear just as strong this year, if not stronger. Add a re-invigorated Plano to the mix and 9-5A is ridiculously strong. Plano, a seven-time state champion, was down last year but no longer.

District 8-5A comes the closest to challenging 9-5A for area supremacy. While 8-5A boasts two elite programs in Cedar Hill and DeSoto, it still falls short of 9-5A and its power trio.

TOM FOX/DMN

Because of all-state talents such as quarterback Riko Smalls (1) of Plano East, District 9-5A can boast three teams in the top five in the area: Allen, Plano East and Plano.

A rising Arlington Bowie and a resurgent Arlington Martin make 8-5A a tough district. If Arlington Lamar and Duncanville were their old selves, it would put 8-5A over the top.

But there's also quality top-to-bottom in 9-5A.

Wylie, a 4A power until it moved up last year, looks like it is ready to contend as a 5A school with running back Christopher Givens healthy.

Berkner has struggled this season but has gone three rounds deep in the playoffs the last two years. Lake Highlands is 0-3 but can't be taken lightly after facing one of the toughest nondistrict schedules around.

Richardson has struggled for years but now has a new coach, Brent Whitson, who won a state title at Broken Arrow, Okla.

What really makes 9-5A the strongest is an inherent numbers advantage. According to UIL figures, four 9-5A schools have enrollments of more than 4,100 students: Allen and the three Plano schools. Plano and Plano East, according to the UIL formula, have more than 5,000.

Not surprisingly, a recent Internet survey sponsored by this newspaper found that a whopping 44.6 percent of the respondents selected 9-5A as the area's best 5A district. Lots of students means lots of kids who can click on Web sites.

The enrollment advantage isn't just in cyberspace. A school with more than 4,000 students is a different animal than most 5A schools, which have enrollments of less than 3,000. If Berkner, Wylie or Lake Highlands can make the playoffs in a mostly supersized 9-5A, that's doing something.

"It is unfair, but it's just like I said last year – if you can get out of here, you can make a run," Berkner's Ledford said. "Maybe we don't have Southlake Carroll in our district, or maybe we don't have Katy or Lufkin. But we've got the next tier of teams, and they're all bunched together."

There's a lot of noise out of San Antonio about District 26-5A being the state's strongest. That district has two teams ranked in the state top 10 – Smithson Valley and San Antonio Madison – plus it's the home of traditional power Converse Judson.

Historically, District 3-5A has been the state's toughest, but West Texas hasn't produced a state title contender in a while. District 12-5A contains traditional East Texas powers, but the Tyler schools appear down.

What separates 9-5A from some others is that it competes in Region II, which year in and year out is the strongest region. Region II includes the Dallas area, East Texas and some of best teams out of the Waco and Houston areas.

"In San Antonio everybody talks about 26-5A," said Plano East coach Johnny Ringo, a former Division I recruiting coordinator. "The Metroplex, to me, is stronger than any other area. Of course, I'm partial."

No need for partiality. District 9-5A's teams proved their worth in the playoffs last year and appear poised to do even better this year. That is, if they don't beat each other up first.