July 6, 2025

PRESEASON POLLS! | ETBlitz-area teams all over the place! Kilgore, Gilmer both ranked, but where? All the preseason DCTF state polls inside

Well, they’re here.

The preseason polls of Texas high school football, those done by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and recognized as the official state polls by ETBlitz.com, have been released, and East Texas is well-represented, as always, and there are several teams from the ETBlitz coverage area that are state-ranked.

First-off, let’s again define which schools we cover. ETBlitz covers 4A programs Henderson and Kilgore, who compete in UIL Class 4A, Division I, the bigger version of 4A (based on enrollment). We also cover Gilmer, which competes in 4A, Division II.

Also in the ETB area are 3A, Division I programs Tatum, Gladewater, Sabine and White Oak, as well as 3A, Division II programs Arp, Troup, and West Rusk.

Overton competes in 2A, Division II, and they’re in our coverage area, and the only six-man program in our area is Leverett’s Chapel, in Laird Hill.

(We also, of course, cover Kilgore College, Tyler Junior College and the rest of the Southwest Junior College Football Conference, but that doesn’t apply to these polls.)

Right now, ETB does not have any 6A or 5A programs in our coverage area, but we have included those polls in this story to be thorough, so all of the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football polls can be found below.

We don’t want to spoil it, so without further delay, here are the preseason polls. When you see in our stories that one of our teams is ranked “XXXX,” then we’re referring to their ranking here in the DCTF polls.

By the way, there is a link below directly to DCTF’s website. Click that link to go to the site, if you’d like to subscribe. They do a good job.

CLASS 6A PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 5A, DIVISION I PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 5A, DIVISION II PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 4A, DIVISION I PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

So, Kilgore, who met No. 1 Celina in the 4A, Division I state championship game a year ago, will begin its season ranked No. 3 in 4A, two spots down from Celina. We’ll see if there will be a rematch. You’ll see below that Carthage, the defending state champ in 4A, Division II, begins its 2025 season as the No. 1 team in that classification. And Kilgore and Carthage see each other again right out of the gate, meeting in Kilgore at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium on August 29, the season opener for both programs.

Also notable in the poll above, the 4A, Division I poll, is that both Chapel Hill and Lindale, two rivals of Kilgore and Henderson in District 9-4A, are ranked, Chapel Hill at 11 and Lindale at 18. Chapel Hill was hit heavily by graduation.

And below, Gilmer, one of our ETBlitz-area programs, checks in at No. 9. The Buckeyes finished 8-4 a year ago, but they’re two seasons removed from a 4A, Division II state championship.

CLASS 4A, DIVISION II PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 3A, DIVISION I PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

Noticeable immediately in the poll above, the 3A, Division I poll, is that there are three programs in the same district — Jefferson, Liberty-Eylau and Atlanta — all ranked in the top 11 in the state, along with Tatum, Gladewater, Sabine and White Oak in that district. That’s a tough assignment.

Below, notice that Troup (14) and Arp (22) are getting some attention after both had strong seasons a year ago.

CLASS 3A, DIVISION II PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 2A, DIVISION I PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 2A, DIVISION II PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

It’s about TIME Overton was recognized after 20 wins in two years. Coach Scotty Laymance and his staff and their players have had two phenomenal seasons. Can they replace the production that graduated seniors like Bryce Still and Jayden Edwards are taking with them? Let’s sure hope so.

CLASS 1A (SIX-MAN) DIVISION I PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

CLASS 1A (SIX-MAN) DIVISION II PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

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