Crandall enters its first season in Class 5A Division I with a real chance to win a district championship. The Pirates aren’t the preseason favorite, but they’re close enough that the gap comes down to interpretation rather than talent.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football projects West Mesquite first and Crandall second. The Dallas Morning News picks Tyler first, West Mesquite second and Crandall third.
Read either projection and the same three teams sit at the top. The question is which one actually finishes there in December.
The Foundation: A Skill Group Few Teams Can Match
Crandall’s case starts with continuity most programs changing classifications don’t have. Isaac Briones takes over at quarterback with a full season of varsity reps already behind him, not a summer of learning the job on the fly.
Darrik Ward Jr. enters his junior year already established as one of the area’s most productive running backs. Jeremiah Douglas returns as a proven, heavily recruited receiver capable of forcing a defense into difficult choices on every snap.
That trio alone would give most teams fewer questions than they’d like. Crandall also has answers behind them.
Christian Ingram and Micah Wright both provide experienced depth in the backfield, giving the Pirates a way to keep Ward fresh without losing production.
Along the offensive line, returning starters at guard and center offer the kind of continuity that usually shows up in a team’s ability to run the ball consistently rather than in any single highlight.
Put together, scoring points shouldn’t be Crandall’s biggest problem in 2026. The offense has the pieces to be one of the more difficult units in the district to defend, provided it stays healthy.
West Mesquite: The Résumé Favorite With Real Questions
West Mesquite has the strongest recent track record in the district, coming off an 11-win season that’s earned the Wranglers the Dave Campbell’s pick to finish first.
The Dallas Morning News ranks the program among the top Class 5A teams in the Dallas area and projects them second in the district.
But a strong 2025 doesn’t erase what’s changed since. West Mesquite enters the fall with a new head coach and an unsettled quarterback competition, the kind of offseason turnover that can complicate even a talented roster.
Crandall’s trip to West Mesquite on Oct. 30 comes late enough in the season that both teams should know exactly where they stand — and if the preseason projections hold up elsewhere, that game could decide the district outright.
Tyler: Dangerous Precisely Because It’s Unpredictable
Tyler is coming off a losing record, which makes the Dallas Morning News’ pick of the Lions to win the district one of the more surprising calls in the preview season.
Dave Campbell’s is more cautious, slotting Tyler third, but even that projection reflects real respect for the talent on the roster.
The reasoning centers on two returning skill players: a running back committed to Oregon and a receiver committed to SMU.
That’s the kind of individual talent that can carry an offense even through a quarterback change, which is exactly the question Tyler has to answer this fall.
A team replacing its starting quarterback is usually easier to predict than one that isn’t,
except when the skill talent around that quarterback is this good. Crandall travels to Tyler on Oct. 16, and a win there would put real pressure on West Mesquite two weeks later.
The Games That Can’t Be Overlooked
A district championship is rarely lost against the two best teams on the schedule. It’s lost against the ones a contender is supposed to beat.
Sunset and Bryan Adams are projected near the bottom of District 7-5A Division I, and W.T. White sits sixth in both major projections.
Those are the games where a team with championship aspirations has zero margin for a letdown.
North Mesquite and Mesquite present a trickier problem. Both are projected to compete for the district’s fourth and final playoff spot, which means either is capable of playing Crandall close or pulling off an upset.
Losing to a team in that tier would do more than cost a game — it would eliminate the cushion Crandall needs heading into its two biggest tests.
The Defense Is Still an Open Question
Crandall’s clearest concern isn’t its offense. It’s whether a defense that lost several experienced contributors can hold up against a tougher slate of opponents.
The good news starts in the secondary, where junior cornerback Davyn Davis and senior safety Jayden McCleary both return with real varsity experience.
That matters against a district that includes Tyler’s skill talent and other capable passing attacks.
The bigger unknown is up front, where senior linebacker Cayson Hardman and returning defensive end Colton Craft need to develop into the kind of players who can replace what last year’s departed seniors provided, not necessarily as individuals, but as a collective group filling the same gaps.
Crandall doesn’t need to shut teams down. It needs to get a stop when a game is in doubt, avoid giving up the long play that turns a manageable deficit into a blowout, and force a turnover or two that changes field position.
Those margins matter most against Tyler and West Mesquite, where the difference between winning and losing the district may come down to one or two possessions.
Why the Road Games Carry Extra Weight
Both of Crandall’s marquee district matchups, Tyler and West Mesquite, are on the road. That’s a meaningful detail.
A team can build a strong overall record by handling its home schedule, but a district championship built primarily on home wins rarely survives a tough road test when it matters.
Winning at Tyler, at West Mesquite, or both, is likely to be the difference between Crandall finishing first, second or third.
Anything less probably means watching West Mesquite or Tyler celebrate a title instead.
What Has to Happen
Four things need to go right for Crandall to win District 7-5A Division I:
- Briones needs to run the offense efficiently as a full-time starter, not just a capable one.
- Ward and Douglas need to stay healthy through a longer, more physical schedule.
- The defense needs to take a real step forward against the district’s better offenses.
- Crandall needs to win at least one of its two biggest road tests, at Tyler or at West Mesquite.
None of those is a reach. All four together is what separates a good season from a championship one.
The Verdict
Yes, Crandall can win the district.
West Mesquite has earned its place among the favorites, and Tyler has enough individual talent to make good on a surprising preseason pick.
Neither program is far enough ahead of Crandall to call the race settled before the season even starts.
The Pirates return enough proven offensive production to compete immediately in a new, tougher classification.
If the defense takes the step it needs to take and Crandall wins the road games that matter most, a district championship isn’t just possible. It’s the realistic outcome of a team built the right way.
Shop in Seagoville preseason projection: Crandall finishes second, with a legitimate chance to finish first.
