The Race Behind South Oak Cliff: District 5-5A Division II Preview

Shop in Seagoville Preseason Projection

• QB Jayden Williams • 2025 District Offensive MVP • 176 of 261, 2,742 yards, 28 TD, 2 INT
• S Isaiah Udom • First Team All District • 64 tackles, 5 INT • SMU commit
• LB Cody Smith • 2025 District Newcomer of the Year • 116 tackles, 14 TFL, 3 sacks
• DL Jaderian Jones • First Team All District
• OL Brian Swanson & Zion Ragster • First Team All District

There is no reason to pick against South Oak Cliff until somebody actually takes the championship from the Golden Bears. The roster lost significant pieces to graduation, particularly at running back, but the return of an Offensive MVP quarterback, two first team linemen, and a defense fronted by a reigning Newcomer of the Year gives South Oak Cliff a deep enough foundation to defend its title. The real preseason question in District 5-5A Division II is not whether the Golden Bears make the playoffs, but whether anyone can seriously challenge them for first place.

• QB Isaiah Hall • 50 of 85, 721 yards, 7 TD, 4 INT as a sophomore
• WR Kyler Cornelious • 21 catches, 351 yards, 5 TD • enters 2026 as a junior
• WR Jaiden Wines • First Team All District (previous league) • 16 catches, 254 yards, 3 TD
• S Devin Watkins • Second Team All District • 86 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FF
• DE Caden Turner • Second Team All District (previous league)

Poteet is the team that changes this district. The Pirates arrive through realignment with one of the league’s most intriguing young offensive groups, and Cornelious and Wines both enter only their junior seasons with proven production already on the résumé. Poteet’s September 11 trip to Seagoville doubles as the district opener for both teams and should offer an early answer to whether this preseason ranking is justified.

• LB Justin Banks • First Team All District
• CB Jakyvion Spears • First Team All District
• WR Gregory Stewart • Second Team All District
• LB/DB Michael Johnson II • Second Team All District
• OL Josha Sternes & Isaiah Cook • Second Team All District

Samuell may not draw the attention South Oak Cliff and Poteet do, but the Spartans return one of the league’s deeper groups of individually recognized players on both sides of the ball. Seagoville needed a three point margin to beat Samuell last season, and this year’s rematch moves to Samuell with real playoff implications attached.

• RB/QB Kollin Williams • First Team All District • 598 rushing yards + 291 passing yards, 7 combined TD
• TE Jayln Beauchamp • First Team All District
• OL Josiah Royal • First Team All District
• WR James Roberts, RB Rickey Wilkins Jr., OL Davien Rucker • Second Team All District

Seagoville may carry as wide a range of outcomes as anyone in the district. Three Dragons earned first team all district honors a season ago, giving Seagoville more proven talent than a typical team projected outside the playoffs, but the roster must still replace several defensive leaders and settle an open quarterback competition. Poteet, South Oak Cliff, and Wilson all visit Seagoville this fall, while the Dragons travel to Samuell and Hillcrest, giving the schedule several direct chances to change this projection.

• QB Reid Kirkland • All District recognition • 67 of 119, 856 yards, 12 TD, 3 INT
• RB Eithan Ramirez • All District recognition • 563 rushing yards, 7 TD on 99 carries

Wilson earns this spot on evidence rather than potential. The Wildcats already beat Seagoville last season, and both Kirkland and Ramirez return after producing at an all district level in an offense that should look much the same in 2026. Their October 23 game at Seagoville could be one of the most consequential matchups in the district.

• S Zion Stevens Braziel • Second Team All District • Class of 2027

Very little separates Hillcrest from Seagoville and Wilson entering August, and the Panthers already hold the head to head tiebreaker after beating Seagoville last season. The two major preseason outlets even disagree on the order, with Dave Campbell’s putting Seagoville ahead of Hillcrest and The Dallas Morning News reversing it, which says as much about how tight this part of the district is as any individual projection does.

Adamson enters the season with real ground to make up on the district’s projected contenders, and both major preseason outlets place the Leopards near the bottom of the new look district. That does not make Seagoville’s September 18 trip to Adamson meaningless. For a team with playoff ambitions, games against Adamson are the ones that cannot be given away, and for the Leopards, a single upset would be the fastest way to rewrite the season’s expectations.

Molina joins a district where climbing the standings means competing against several programs with established returning players. Dave Campbell’s projects the Jaguars seventh, while The Dallas Morning News places them ninth, a gap that suggests real uncertainty about where Molina fits among the district’s lower tier. Seagoville closes its regular season at Molina on October 30, a game that could carry far more weight than this ranking suggests if a playoff spot is still undecided.

Jefferson begins at the bottom of this projection, and both major preseason publications agree. The Patriots’ challenge is finding enough improvement to turn district games into fourth quarter contests rather than laying the groundwork for a specific win total. For Seagoville, the September 25 home game against Jefferson falls into the must win category for any team with genuine playoff ambitions.

The Race Is Really for Three Spots

South Oak Cliff is such a strong favorite that the more compelling preseason question is what happens behind the Golden Bears. Poteet appears to have the strongest combination of young talent and returning production among the challengers, leaving Samuell, Wilson, Seagoville, and Hillcrest to fight over the remaining postseason positions.

That leaves little room for mistakes. A loss to South Oak Cliff can be absorbed, but losing head to head games against the teams occupying the same part of the standings is far more damaging, which is why Poteet, Samuell, Hillcrest, and Wilson matter so much to Seagoville’s season. Both major preseason projections have the Dragons outside the playoff field, but neither places them far from fourth, setting up one of the district’s better storylines: can Seagoville prove the preseason rankings wrong for a second consecutive trip to the postseason?