Dave Campbell’s 2010 Texas Football Magazine – released last week - predicts that Raymondville High School’s varsity football team will make the playoffs this coming season and that Lyford High School will not.

Following the end of last season, both teams were moved out of District 32-3A and into 31-3A during a statewide realignment by the University Interscholastic League. In 32- 3A, Lyford and Raymondville fought it out with Hidalgo, La Feria, Port Isabel, Progresso, Rio Hondo and Zapata. Now both squads will compete in District 31-3A with adversaries Corpus Christi West Oso, C.C. Miller, Orange Grove, and Robstown.

DCTF’s forecast has the Bearkats reaching the postseason in second place this fall. The Bearkats went 4-6 overall and 2-5 in district last season.

“I tell you what, it’s not how you start but where you finish,” Raymondville Head Coach Alex Leal said. “Hopefully our kids can respond to the challenge and that is what we are striving for. Plenty of people put a lot of emphasis on predictions like that but you still have to get out on the field and win the games.”

The Bulldogs’ upcoming season, however, will not be so fruitful according to DCTF who speculates Lyford (last year’s 32-3A champion at 10-0, 10-1 overall) will finish fourth in 31- 3A and out of the playoffs.

Lyford Head Coach Jaime Infante isn’t bothered by that prediction as his teams have dismissed similar prophecies in the past.

“Definitely not, we’re always picked around there as I think people base a lot of that on our enrollment and the size of our school; we’re one of the smallest 3A’s in the state,” Infante said. “We have made the playoffs six out of the last eight years and plenty of those times we have not been picked to even be among the top three. We are used to that and this is definitely not a slap in the face.”

Raymondville is expecting the bulk of last year’s roster back when summer practices commence in August.

“On offense, we have about eight starters coming back,” Leal said. “On defense we have eight or nine returning so we have quite a few kids back, hopefully, this season.”

That experience will be vital, Leal said.

“Big time, that experience is tremendous,” Leal said. “The fact that these kids already know what it is like to play on Friday nights which is a big difference compared to playing on Thursday night. The games, on Fridays, are a little bit faster and a lot more intense which makes experience something very valuable which you can’t just buy.”

Lyford, on the other hand, will have to toughen up their kennel full of young pups this season.

“We have maybe ten percent of last year’s team returning,” Infante said. “No question we are going to be very young and it is going to be a rebuilding season for the Bulldogs but I think we had a very competitive junior varsity football team this past year and I expect us to be right there in the middle of everything.”

Infante said success while rebuilding pretty much comes down to every athlete’s determination and preparation.

“Just like any other team, you focus on fundamentals and spend ample time studying and preparing for opponents,” Infante said. “If you can do that, while keeping the kids playing hard for you, then rebuilding will be a little easier. If your kids come to practice and they are coachable and have a great attitude towards working hard, then any team can be competitive in any given year.”

Neither gridiron general is worried too much about playing in a new district this season.

“It really doesn’t change anything for us,” Infante said. “We were in a different district a couple of years prior to these past two seasons so it is kind of an up and down thing for us. I told our players, back then, that we were going to prepare for everyone just like we have and really both districts are very comparable and will be very competitive so that is not an issue for us.”

Leal added that the playing field this upcoming season is pretty much leveled between his boys and all of 31-3A’s non-valley teams.

“We are really going into unknown waters as we don’t know anything about teams like Robstown, Corpus Christi West Oso, C.C. Miller or Orange Grove,” Leal said. “That makes a big difference compared to when you play the same teams year in and out where you know more or less how your opponents are going to react to certain things. Our opponents, however, are in the same boat because they don’t know anything about Raymondville so we just have to go play them, bottom line.”