Several of the Big Country’s top high school football teams are garnering statewide recognition weeks ahead of the kickoff of the 2025 Texas high school football season.
Eight Big Country squads were recognized by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football in its Class 5A-2A preseason high school football rankings.
The Abilene High Eagles, Stephenville Yellow Jackets, Tuscola Jim Ned Indians and five 2A teams — Albany Lions, Cisco Loboes, De Leon Bearcats, Hawley Bearcats and Stamford Bulldogs — earned spots in Dave Campbell’s top 25 preseason rankings.
Abilene High clocked in at ninth in DCTF’s Class 5A Division I preseason rankings after the Eagles won the District 2-5A DI title, advanced to the area round of the 5A DI UIL playoffs and finished 10-2 overall.
The Eagles are the highest-ranked West Texas squad in 5A DI and are joined by district rivals Amarillo High (No. 22) and Amarillo Tascosa (No. 25) in Dave Campbell’s preseason rankings.
In Class 4A Division I, Stephenville secured the No. 4 spot in DCTF’s preseason top 25 after the Yellow Jackets went 12-2 in 2024 and advanced to the regional finals in the 4A DI UIL playoffs.
In Class 3A Division I, Jim Ned locked up the No. 13 spot in Dave Campbell’s preseason top 25. The Indians will be looking to build upon a 9-3 campaign last year that included a trip to the 3A DI regional semifinals.
Four Big Country squads cracked DCTF’s preseason top 25 for Class 2A Division I — Stamford, Hawley, Cisco and De Leon.
Stamford took the top spot among Big Country teams at No. 5 in Dave Campbell’s 2A DI preseason rankings after taking Ganado to triple overtime in the UIL state championship game in 2024.
The Bulldogs are just one of three District 4-2A DI teams to earn a preseason ranking alongside Hawley (No. 19) and Cisco (No. 21). Hawley is coming off a trip to the area round of the playoffs last season, while Cisco will be looking to duplicate its run to the regional semifinals.
De Leon, meanwhile, secured the 11th spot in DCTF’s 2A DI preseason rankings slightly ahead of District 7-2A DI rival Hamilton (No. 13) after the Bearcats capped off a 7-5 season last year with an area round playoff appearance.
Finally in Class 2A Division II, the Albany Lions locked up the No. 4 spot in Dave Campbell’s 2A DII preseason top 25.
The Lions ended their 2024 campaign with a 9-3 record, a District 7-2A DII championship and a trip to the regional semifinals of the 2A DII UIL playoffs.
Here’s a closer look at where the Big Country’s best teams ended up in DCTF’s preseason rankings:
CLASS 5A DIVISION I
Abilene High (No. 9)
CLASS 4A DIVISION I
Stephenville (No. 4)
CLASS 3A DIVISION I
Tuscola Jim Ned (No. 13)
CLASS 2A DIVISION I
Stamford (No. 5), De Leon (No. 11), Hawley (No. 19), Cisco (No. 21)
CLASS 2A DIVISION II
Albany (No. 4)
To see the complete Class 6A-2A preseason top 25 rankings, pick up a copy of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Eight Big Country football teams earn spots in DCTF preseason rankings