Several area teams are out of the gate at 0-3. Klein Oak has to be the biggest surprise of them all. The Panthers, who were state-ranked in almost everyone’s preseason poll, will take a week off this week before beginning District 13-5A play. And the question that looms is this: are they really not as good as we thought, or have they just run into some tough opponents?

The answer is probably a mixture of both. Klein Oak has lost to three very tough opponents—Cy Creek, Cy Woods and Notre Dame Prep from Sherman Oaks, California. Perhaps everyone underestimated those teams, especially Creek and Woods—who appear to be ready to slug it out for District 15-5A supremacy this season.

Creek won a close game with a late TD from Jermichael Selders. No big deal; the game could’ve gone either way. But, Notre Dame came to Texas as the top-ranked team in the Los Angeles metro area and hammered the Panthers, 37-7, in Jerry Jones’ new palace. And last week, Woods put up 56 points against them and the buzz began.

Oak has been outscored 116-47 in their three games. They have given up 1,261 total yards of offense.

Coach David Smith has given every indication that he’s not overly concerned. His goal is to win a district championship and that quest begins next Thursday. But, there lies another problem. The rest of the district may be better than expected.

The first district test may be the toughest. Klein Forest has been as good offensively as any of the Panthers’ first three opponents. But, Klein is 2-0 going into their final non-district game this week against Humble. And, Klein Collins has also been solid, especially on the defensive side. Then, there’s Westfield…

It’ll be interesting to watch that Klein Oak-Klein Forest match-up next week. It could be very important for the Panthers.

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Last Friday—9/11—Deer Park ISD took time to pay tribute to police, firefighters and military personnel as part of a memorial to those who died in the World Trade Center towers eight years ago. It was a nice tribute and a solemn reminder of a tragic day eight years ago. The game that followed, between Deer Park and Cy-Fair, moved along at a quick enough pace that we were prevented from passing along our thoughts and thanks to those folks who toil to keep us safe and sound every day. But, we greatly appreciate their work and sacrifice.

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My predictions for the Houston-area Class 5A district winners: Westfield (13), The Woodlands (14), Cypress Woods (15), Katy (17), Stratford (18), Aldine (19), Lamar (20), North Shore (21), Deer Park (22), Hightower (23) and Clear Lake (24).

Some of these—okay, most of them—are no-brainers. But there may be a surprise or two in there. Either way, I’m out there on record.

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If you want to see the current state-wide poll from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football website, click this.