2026 Season Preview • District 7-5A Division I
The Fight for District 7-5A Division I: A Team-by-Team Breakdown
By Merv Moore
Realignment maps rarely make for interesting reading. This one is an exception. When the UIL redrew the lines for Class 5A Division I this cycle, it dropped eight programs into the same district and handed them almost no consensus about who’s actually good.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football likes West Mesquite to win it, with Crandall second and Tyler third. The Dallas Morning News looked at the same eight teams and came back with Tyler first, West Mesquite second and Crandall third. Two respected outlets, same division, same eight programs, three different teams occupying the top spot depending on which one you ask.
That disagreement is the story of District 7-5A Division I. West Mesquite has the résumé. Tyler has the recruiting buzz. Crandall has the most complete returning core. Beneath those three, North Mesquite and Mesquite are set up to fight for the fourth and final playoff spot, while W.T. White, Sunset and Bryan Adams round out a league that only sends four teams to the postseason.
Here’s a closer look at all eight rosters, and the playmakers who will decide where each team actually finishes.
Two Predictions, One District
| Team | Dave Campbell’s | Dallas Morning News |
| West Mesquite | 1 | 2 |
| Crandall | 2 | 3 |
| Tyler | 3 | 1 |
| Mesquite | 4 | 5 |
| North Mesquite | 5 | 4 |
| W.T. White | 6 | 6 |
| Bryan Adams | 7 | 8 |
| Sunset | 8 | 7 |
Top four finishers advance to the playoffs.
West Mesquite — 2025: 11-2
West Mesquite enters 2026 with the strongest résumé in the district and the Dave Campbell’s pick to win it outright. The Wranglers are No. 19 in the Dallas Morning News’ preseason Dallas-area Class 5A rankings and return a deep group of starters, though a coaching change and an open quarterback competition leave some real questions. Crandall’s Oct. 30 trip to West Mesquite could end up deciding the whole district.
Damarian Robinson
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 1,473 | 17 |
The clear engine of the West Mesquite offense, averaging better than 7.7 yards per carry on 190 attempts.
Jaylen Dotson
| PASS YDS | PASS TD | RUSH TD |
| 1,195 | 19 | 13 |
A genuine dual threat who also carried 87 times for 274 yards, giving West Mesquite a second dangerous runner alongside Robinson.
Richard Clark
| REC | YARDS | TD |
| 43 | 722 | 12 |
West Mesquite’s clear top target, averaging nearly 17 yards a catch and finding the end zone better than once every four receptions.
Kamari Carter
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 709 | 8 |
A legitimate second option behind Robinson, giving West Mesquite one of the deepest backfields in the district.
Crandall — 2025: 7-4
Crandall returns the most complete trio of proven offensive skill players in the district. Dave Campbell’s has the Pirates second; the Dallas Morning News has them third. The defense, which lost several experienced contributors, remains the bigger question mark.
Jeremiah Douglas
🏆 District 7-5A Division II Offensive MVP
| REC | YARDS | TD |
| 66 | 1,032 | 11 |
A Vanderbilt commit who was the district’s top offensive individual honoree as a junior.
Darrik Ward Jr.
🏆 District 7-5A Division II Offensive Newcomer of the Year
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 1,246 | 17 |
Won the district’s top newcomer honor as a sophomore and returns as a junior with his best football likely still ahead.
Isaac Briones
| COMP/ATT | YARDS | TD |
| 69/101 | 789 | 7 |
Takes over the offense full-time after sharing snaps in 2025, already with real chemistry alongside Douglas and Ward.
Tyler — 2025: 4-7
Tyler is the hardest team in the district to project. The Lions finished below .500 last season yet still reached the playoffs, and the Dallas Morning News made them its surprise pick to win the district outright. Dave Campbell’s is more conservative, projecting Tyler third. Quarterback Caden Granberry, who threw for 2,525 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2025, has graduated, leaving an open competition under center.
CaDarius McMiller
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| ~940 | 17 |
Tyler’s headline returning playmaker, back for his senior season after a productive junior year.
Trey Haralson
Tyler’s top returning receiving threat, giving whoever wins the quarterback job a proven downfield target from day one.
Editor’s note: McMiller and Haralson’s stats and recruiting commitments are carried over from prior research rather than independently re-verified against a recruiting database in this session.
North Mesquite — 2025: 5-6
North Mesquite reached the playoffs last season and sits right around the postseason cutoff in both projections, fourth according to the Dallas Morning News and fifth per Dave Campbell’s. The Stallions may not draw the attention of the district’s top three, but they’ve already proven they can get to the postseason.
Terrence Collins
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 1,022 | 17 |
The clear workhorse, topping 1,000 yards on 125 carries.
Julien Simpson
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 839 | 15 |
A near-1,000-yard threat in his own right, giving North Mesquite two backs capable of carrying the offense on a given night.
Bryston Palacios
| PASS YDS | TD | INT |
| 287 | 1 | 1 |
A limited passing role reflects an offense built almost entirely around Collins and Simpson on the ground.
Mesquite — 2025: 1-9
Mesquite’s one-win season is the outlier in this district’s projections. Dave Campbell’s still has the Skeeters fourth and inside the playoff field; the Dallas Morning News has them fifth. That’s a significant vote of confidence for a team that struggled badly a year ago, and it makes Mesquite one of the hardest teams in the league to evaluate off last season’s record alone.
Jaiden Clayton
| PASS YDS | PASS TD | RUSH TD |
| 1,048 | 6 | 3 |
A true dual-threat option who also carried 116 times for 167 yards on the ground.
Darryl Collins
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 202 | 2 |
Mesquite’s leading rusher on a team that leaned heavily on Clayton to make plays through the air.
Jerome Broadus
| REC | YARDS | TD |
| 34 | 391 | 3 |
Clayton’s top target and one of the few proven pieces on a roster expected to take a step forward.
W.T. White — 2025: 5-5
W.T. White finished at .500 last season and sits sixth in both major projections, just outside the playoff field but close enough to become a factor if one of the top three stumbles.
Ben Ebeke
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 1,528 | 18 |
One of the most productive individual rushers in the entire district, regardless of his team’s record.
Andrew Paredez
| PASS YDS | TD | INT |
| 1,540 | 18 | 2 |
Gives W.T. White a genuine two-way threat alongside Ebeke, with only two interceptions across a full season.
Lovell Neal
| REC | YARDS | TD |
| 38 | 681 | 7 |
Paredez’s top target and a legitimate downfield weapon at nearly 18 yards per catch.
Sunset — 2025: 4-6
Sunset opens district play as Crandall’s Week 4 opponent and enters 2026 near the bottom of both projections, seventh according to the Dallas Morning News and eighth per Dave Campbell’s.
Shia-Mikel Valerio
| PASS YDS | TD | INT |
| 1,048 | 10 | 4 |
Also Sunset’s second-leading rusher, adding 75 yards and a score on the ground.
Dysen Foster
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 494 | 2 |
Sunset’s leading rusher on 96 carries, though the offense ran primarily through the air last season.
Langston Newhouse
| REC | YARDS | TD |
| 31 | 638 | 6 |
Valerio’s clear top option, accounting for well over half of Sunset’s passing production by himself.
Bryan Adams — 2025: 2-8
Bryan Adams enters the season near the bottom of both preseason projections, seventh according to Dave Campbell’s and eighth per the Dallas Morning News.
Tyriq Smith
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 262 | 5 |
The most efficient scorer in a crowded Bryan Adams backfield.
Lowell Powell-Cumby
| RUSH YDS | TD |
| 286 | 1 |
Bryan Adams’ leading rusher by yardage, splitting carries in a committee backfield.
JP Marsh
| PASS YDS | TD | INT |
| 862 | 6 | 3 |
Bryan Adams’ primary passer, though the Cougars shared quarterback snaps for much of last season.
Greg Nash Jr.
| REC | YARDS | TD |
| 33 | 584 | 7 |
Bryan Adams’ most dangerous weapon, scoring on better than one of every five catches.
The Games That Decide It
Crandall’s championship chances likely come down to two road trips: Tyler on Oct. 16 and West Mesquite on Oct. 30. Winning one keeps the Pirates near the top of the standings. Winning both puts them in position to claim the district outright. North Mesquite and Mesquite matter just as much in a different way — both are built to compete for the fourth and final playoff spot, and neither can be treated as a formality.
West Mesquite has the résumé. Tyler has the recruiting buzz. Crandall has the most proven, complete core. The preseason projections put all three in the race. October will decide who actually wins it.
