As we start our previews for the 2026 Football season, we will take a look at District 3-4A DII, with one of the best teams in the State in 4A DII, the Lubbock-Liberty Patriots. I think they will win this district and could be undefeated by the time the playoffs roll around, but Levelland, Estacado and Perryton will all have a chance to go 2,3 or 4 in the district race.
DAVE CAMPBELL’S DISTRICT PREDICTION
*LUBBOCK-LIBERTY
*ESTACADO
*LEVELLAND
*PERRYTON
BORGER
TEAM OUTLOOKS:
LIBERTY PATRIOTS:
The Patriots made a quantum leap from year one to where they all are now under Coach Sexton and that great staff so my question is this: How far can jump this season in the pantheon of elite 4A DII teams as they are ranked at #7 to start the season in that Division. There are a ton of weapons on this team and some great chemistry as well as most of their team is back and already know what to do and and have faced some adversity the last two seasons.
Players like Koleman Hendrix, Pierce Fioroni, Cy Leach, Isaac Rodriguez and Kaiden Joseph will lead a team that could easily go undefeated if they’re locked in, but will have to cut the turnovers down, especially in the blue zone if they have any plans of getting past the second round. So, insert their new Quarterback, Cy Leach. From what I have been told, he’s going to be just as good as Colton Bichard was as he was very precise and a dual threat for the Patriots.
ESTACADO MATADORS:
This team, led by Coach Eric Ward and a few new hires on his staff are very young, but also very capable of making some major strides as they have 14 starters back from a team that was knocked out in the second round last season in the 4A DII playoffs. Jayric Ward will be the unquestioned Quarterback for the Matadors and he comes into his second season leading Estacado in this run-and-gun offense, so things like reads and keeps will slow down for him this fall.
The Mats’ have a great receiving core; a core that is headlined by 2029 wide receiver Chase Foster: a wide receiver who already has offers from UTEP and Texas Tech so far and is hungry for more.
Now the questions for this team will come on the defensive side this year. Can their defensive line get some push? Who else in the secondary besides DI prospect Ivyrson McGuire will step up and become a disruptive force for the Matadors?
PERRTYON RANGERS
The Rangers start out this season with one of the most dangerous Quarterback/ Wide Receiver tandems in the state with Cooper Schilling and Gordo Estrada, who amassed 1,380 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns in 2025! Estrada is also on the Dave Campbell’s Pre-Season 4A All-State team! Can Perryton’s defense hold up their end of the bargain? If so, they could finish second in this district because they will score at will as long as they don’t turn the ball over.
LEVELLAND LOBOS
Levelland is projected to finish fourth in 3-4A DII, but have a capable offense to get up to the higher tier in this district and will have to value every possession against these three teams above them because those teams have one-miss players: players that if they make one person miss, it’s six points! Coach Leong will have his team ready and in every game, we just have to wait and see if the Lobos can make those pivotal plays to push the game into their favor.
I’m hoping Borger can be competitive as they have been through some tough times and that is a great community that just wants to win.
INFO, BREAKING NEWS?
Jasone Pearson
806.559.9996
