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What we got right: Most of the teams and orders of both polls remained similar to close out the regular season other than the few teams which lost their finales. Dallas Skyline and Highland Park will remain on top of both polls to close out the regular season. None if will matter after six weeks from now, when the state champions will be crowned at Cowboys Stadium.

What we got wrong: Allen couldn't maintain the consistency that Euless Trinity has shown to close out the season and fell a spot to the Trojans. Southlake Carroll jumped back over Flower Mound Marcus, finishing an undefeated season with a quality win over Denton Guyer. Waxahachie took a tumble in 4A with a final game loss to Mesquite Poteet, and DeSoto slipped in 5A after losing the district title to Longview.

Say hello to: 5A -- Garland; 4A -- Fort Worth Southwest

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Cedar Hill; 4A -- Wylie East

What we got right: Almost all of the 4A poll. The only change is South Oak Cliff jumped back into the No. 10 spot with a quality win over Seagoville.

What we got wrong: We may have overestimated Allen. While they do play in what is arguably the toughest district in the area, the Eagles have made a habit of just barely escaping games to keep their undefeated record intact. Dallas Skyline has pushed its way up the poll with consistent, dominating performances and deserves the No. 1 spot in 5A. Southlake Carroll has also made a habit of letting teams get back into games in the second half, resulting in Flower Mound Marcus, whose only loss was against Allen, passing the Dragons into the No. 5 spot.

Say hello to: 5A -- N/A; 4A -- Dallas South Oak Cliff

Say goodbye to: 5A -- N/A; 4A -- Fort Worth Southwest

Watch out for: 5A -- Garland, Denton Guyer; 4A -- Lancaster, Fort Worth Southwest

Tell us: Which 5A district is the toughest? Vote in the poll and use the comment section below to defend your choice.

What we got right: Allen and Flower Mound Marcus are the real deal. Allen remains at No. 1 in the 5A poll, despite a narrow win over a previously undefeated Flower Mound Marcus. Cedar Hill moves up a spot after a win over a tough Mansfield team, which stays in the poll at No. 10 after the loss. Highland Park remains at the top of the 4A poll, despite Denton Ryan narrowly winning the people's choice 42 percent to 38 percent in last week's Sports Nation poll.

What we got wrong: Wylie East's amazing run has flown under the radar all season, but now the Raiders make their first appearance in the 4A poll. Arlington Martin has had a interesting ride through District 4-5A but made it back into the 5A poll at No. 8 this week.

Say hello to: 5A -- Arlington Martin; 4A -- Wylie East

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Garland; 4A -- Dallas South Oak Cliff

Watch out for: 5A -- Mansfield Timberview, Plano East; 4A -- Trophy Club Byron Nelson, Little Elm

What we got right: The majority of the teams in the 5A poll took care of business this week, leaving the top seven unchanged. Aledo and Waxahachie remained unmoved after wins this weekend in 4A. Waxahachie has proven it belongs at the top of one of the deepest districts in the area, 15-4A, but it will be interesting to see if it has what it takes to move up any further.

What we got wrong: We can't make up our mind who is the best team in 4A. Denton Ryan and Highland Park have very comparable results through 2011, and both pass a similar eye test. However, Highland Park has proven it has depth on offense, finding players to replace standout wide receiver Dalton Stogner. Garland has flown under the radar for the majority of the season but had a big win against Rowlett this weekend, showcasing skill in all phases of the game. Fort Worth Southwest taught Fort Worth Arlington Heights a lesson it did not learn in years past -- how to lose in district play. That blowout was more than enough to give Southwest the No. 10 spot in the 4A poll.

Say hello to: 5A -- Garland, Cedar Hill; 4A --Fort Worth Southwest

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Keller Central, Hebron; 4A -- Everman

Watch out for: 5A -- Arlington Lamar; 4A -- Frisco

Tell us: How would you rank teams differently and who did we leave out?

What we got right: Most of the teams in the top 10 remained the same, but Week 6 might have shuffled the deck more than any week to date. The 4A poll remained mostly the same with the exception of Waxahachie jumping to the No. 4 position after its win over Corsicana.

What we got wrong: Skyline proved itself with a decisive win over Dallas Jesuit on Friday, which shot the Raiders over DeSoto, who struggled for a victory over North Mesquite, for the first time this year. Keller Central more than proved it belonged among the best in the area with a 6-0 record and a win over previous No. 8 Denton Guyer. Everman comes in at No. 10, with several weeks of quality play after taking a Zero Week loss from Highland Park.

Say hello to: 5A -- Keller Central; 4A --Everman

Say goodbye to: 5A --Denton Guyer; 4A -- Mesquite Poteet

Watch out for: 5A Arlington Lamar; 4A -- Fort Worth Southwest

What we got right: Corsicana is the real deal. Its 29-13 win over Mesquite Poteet solidified its position as the No. 3 team in the 4A poll. In 5A, Allen continued to roll and DeSoto had a bye week, keeping them on top of the rankings.

What we got wrong: Losses by Arlington Martin and Coppell allowed room for Flower Mound Marcus and Colleyville Heritage and Denton Guyer to move up in the 5A poll. Euless Trinity has had two close calls in an overtime win over Colleyville Heritage last week and halftime upset alert vs. rival L.D. Bell, allowing Dallas Skyline to jump into the No. 3 spot. In 4A, Highland Park's less-than-dominant win over Wylie East allowed Denton Ryan to jump back into the No. 1 spot.

Say hello to: 5A -- Hebron, Mansfield; 4A -- Mansfield Summit

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Arlington Martin, Coppell; 4A -- Dallas Kimball

Watch out for: 5A -- Duncanville, Keller Central; 4A -- Fort Worth Arlington Heights.

Tell us: Use the comments section to let us know what we have wrong.

What we got right: The top of the 5A poll. There were no changes in the first four spots -- with Allen, DeSoto, Euless Trinity and Dallas Skyline maintaining their strongholds.

What we got wrong: We may have underestimated Highland Park. The Scots, who started the year at No. 3 in the 4A rankings, climbed past Denton Ryan into the No. 1 spot for the first time this season based mostly on its quality offensive play. We overrated Birdville, which had climbed to No. 5 in 4A but fell out of the rankings after losing to second-year program Trophy Club Byron Nelson.

Say hello to: 5A -- Denton Guyer; 4A -- Waxahachie

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Plano; 4A -- Birdville

Watch out for: 5A -- Hebron, Mansfield; 4A -- Wylie East, Trophy Club Byron Nelson

Tell us: Use the comments section to let us know what we have wrong.

What we got right: Pretty much the entire Class 5A top 10. Only three ranked teams played, and none of them lost, so nobody dropped out this week. The only movement in 5A was Colleyville Heritage and Plano swapping the Nos. 9 and 10 spots.

What we got wrong: Lancaster is on a roller-coaster ride through the beginning of the season, losing to Corsicana and dropping back out of the 4A poll after climbing to No. 8. The vacancy allows DISD schools to take the bottom two positions in the 4A poll, Dallas Kimball and Dallas South Oak Cliff.

Say hello to: 5A -- None; 4A -- Dallas South Oak Cliff

Say goodbye to: 5A -- None; 4A -- Lancaster

Watch out for: 5A -- Denton Guyer, Hebron and Mansfield; 4A -- Fort Worth Arlington Heights, Lake Dallas and Frisco Liberty

WEEK 3 FOOTBALL RANKINGS


What we got right: After three weeks of games, questions are beginning to be answered about which teams deserve to be considered the best in the area. Because of that, there was movement all over both polls, but for the most part, the teams remained the same.

What we got wrong: We underestimated the talent at DeSoto, especially on offense. Starting QB Raheem Wilson has answered concerns about his passing ability with big games in the Kirk Herbstreit Classic and against a skilled Cedar Hill team Saturday. Mesquite Poteet has also proven itself after three weeks of solid wins, and the eyeball test proves that the Pirates may have more skill on offense than they did last season.

Say hello to: 5A -- Plano and Colleyville Heritage; 4A -- Dallas Kimball

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Arlington Bowie and Cedar Hill; 4A -- Mansfield Summit

Watch out for: 5A -- Mansfield and Sachse; 4A -- Dallas South Oak Cliff and Trophy Club Byron Nelson

WEEK 2 FOOTBALL RANKINGS


What we got right: There really wasn't much to miss on this week. All of our top teams from last week got the job done in Week 1, save Denton Guyer, who lost to Cedar Hill, 24-21, Monday at the Kirk Herbstreit Classic.

What we got wrong: Cedar Hill took Denton Guyer's No. 10 spot in the 5A poll, but it shouldn't be much of a setback for Guyer as the season progresses. If both teams continue to win, they should both have a spot among the area's best. Dallas Kimball dropped out of the 4A poll despite its 2-0 record, merely because the teams in this week's top 10 had higher quality wins in the opening two weeks of the season. Kimball will have the opportunity to jump back in as the season progresses.

Say hello to: 5A -- Arlington Bowie and Cedar Hill; 4A -- Lancaster

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Denton Guyer and Plano; 4A -- Dallas Kimball

Watch out for: 5A -- Colleyville Heritage and Sachse; 4A -- Richardson Pearce and Frisco

WEEK 1 FOOTBALL RANKINGS

What we got right: Allen might be even better than we expected. QB Alec Morris methodically dismantled a good Cedar Hill defense and showed a level of confidence that was not there last season. … Highland Park looked very similar to Allen and proved that its offense is even more potent with the running strength RB Preston Miller gained over the offseason. His ability to break tackles will easily fill the hole left by Jake Howeth in the ground game. … Dallas Skyline began on a much better note than last season, beating Memphis (Tenn.) Ridgeway, 47-7. The question's about the Skyline offense’s ability to find a quick stride might have been answered going into next week’s tough matchup against Cocoa (Fla.).

What we got wrong: It would be easy to say Aledo, but a one-point loss to a good Stephenville team isn’t too much of an upset and shouldn’t keep the Bearcats down for long. … Wylie was No. 4 in the preseason but fell out of the rankings. The Pirates' loss to Sachse was surprising in itself, but what is more concerning is the fact that Sachse was able to put up 30 points on a team that relies on its defense. … It’s hard to say teams like Mesquite Horn, Cedar Hill and Everman were misses because they all fell to ranked teams in the first week of play. It will take a few more games to see if these teams are not playing as expected.

Say hello to: 5A -- Flower Mound Marcus and Denton Guyer; 4A -- Frisco Centennial, Mesquite Poteet, Corsicana and Rockwall-Heath

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Cedar Hill and Mesquite Horn; 4A -- Wylie, Everman, Lake Dallas and South Oak Cliff

Watch out for: 5A -- Colleyville Heritage and Arlington Bowie; 4A -- Richardson Pearce and Lancaster

ESPNDallas.com gets ready for the start of the high school football season by unveiling its preseason rankings, one spot at a time:

4A NO. 1: ALEDO BEARCATS

2010 record: 16-0

Predicted 2011 regular-season record: 10-0

ESPNDallas.com spring ranking: No. 1

Division I commits: RB Johnathan Gray (Texas), OL Michael Wilson (Texas A&M).

Why they’re here: What’s not to like about this Parker County powerhouse? Sparkling facilities, two consecutive Class 4A Division II state titles, an active 29-game winning streak and, most importantly, senior Johnathan Gray, ESPN RISE Mr. Football USA national player of the year in 2010. While Gray (351-3,221, 59 TDs) seems a sure bet to end his career owning a couple of state career touchdown records, Aledo is far from a one-man team. Quarterback Matthew Bishop threw for 2,709 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 781 yards in 2010. Michael Wilson anchors the line and Michael Mann (57-1012, 11 TDs) is the leading returning receiver. Aledo returns eight starters from an offense that averaged 48.8 points per game. Safety Dayne Davis, one of five returning defensive starters, contributed 118 tackles last season.

Holes to fill: Cornerback James Place will help shore up the secondary, an area hit hard by graduation. The defensive line also must re-tool after the graduation of Slaiter Vandertuin and Danny Edwards, who combined for 146 tackles last season. Look for defensive end Jaylen Hill to improve on his 2010 numbers, 77 tackles and four sacks. Extra points were an adventure at times last season, but sophomore Chance Nevarez takes over the job full-time this fall. If all goes according to coach Tim Buchanan’s plan, Nevarez should be very busy.

Key game: vs. Lake Travis, Sept. 9

5A NO. 1: ALLEN EAGLES

2010 record: 10-2

Predicted 2011 regular-season record: 10-0

ESPNDallas.com spring ranking: No. 1

Division I commits: QB Alec Morris (Alabama), RB Jonathan Williams (Missouri), LB Thaddeus LaGrone (Baylor).

Why they’re here: Why wouldn't Allen be here?

With its high participation numbers and seemingly endless talent pool, the Eagles are a perennial state title contenders even in years when they don't have a lot of returning experience.

This year Allen has seven starters coming back on each side of the ball, a high number for a team that usually relies heavily on its senior classes.

It's not just quantity coming back, but quality, and at key positions. QB Morris shouldn't have any trouble improving on the 2,533 yards and 22 touchdowns produced as a junior. Williams has the potential to lead 5A area players in rushing after passing the 2,00-yard mark in 2010.

Morris has experienced receivers returning in Andrew Rodriquez and Oliver Pierce. OLs Jake Trotter and Mark Massey return after all-district seasons at a position where the Eagles never have a problem excelling.

With so much talent and experience, expectations are soaring in Allen, and anything short of a state title will be considered a disappointment.

Holes to fill: For any team, 14 returning starters is a big number. It's even bigger at Allen. There aren't many holes. Allen has to fill out its offensive line and secondary, but head coach Tom Westerberg's primary concern coming into the season was establishing depth.

Key game: at Plano, Sept. 23

ESPNDallas.com gets ready for the start of the high school football season by unveiling its preseason rankings, one spot at a time:

5A NO. 2: EULESS TRINITY TROJANS


2010 record: 15-1

Predicted 2011 regular-season record: 10-0

ESPNDallas.com spring ranking: No. 2

Division I commits: OL Hiva Lutui, (UCLA).

Why they’re here: Trinity has lifted its football excellence to a new level in the last five years, reaching the state championship game four times, emerging victorious on three occasions. While the Trojans have had their share of great players, head coach Steve Lineweaver and his veteran coaching staff are masters at melding individuals from varied backgrounds into cohesive units.

Since 2004, Trinity has either won the state title or lost in the playoffs to the eventual state champion.

The Trojans can build their defense around linebacker Brian Nance, who recorded 174 tackles to go with four interceptions and three sacks in an all-state junior season. Defensive tackles Polo Manukainiu and Moahengi Latu and defensive back Iliau Moeakiola are other key returnees.

On offense, Kailahi Kautai completed 46-of-83 passes for 666 yards and four touchdown in a part-time quarterback role last season. The staple of all Trinity teams is its massive offensive line. This season should not be any different with guard Hiva Lutui, center Dillon Dillard and tackle Henry Lea’aetoa, three all-district selections.

Holes to fill: Graduation of running backs Terrence Tusan and Tevin Williams along with QB/WR Brandon Carter represented 4,000 yards of rushing yards last season. Joel Kimpela is the leading returning rusher with 410 yards and a 13-yard average per carry, but spent most of 2010 on the junior varsity. Enrique Oquendo is the leading returning receiver with four catches for 152 yards.

Key game: vs. Colleyville Heritage, Sept. 22

4A NO. 2: DENTON RYAN RAIDERS

2010 record: 15-1

Predicted 2011 regular-season record: 10-0

ESPNDallas.com spring ranking: No. 2

Division I commits: DE Mario Edwards (Florida State), LB Alex De La Torre (Texas), LB Jordan Richmond (Texas A&M), DE Dominique Banks (Baylor)

Why they’re here: Not many opposing quarterbacks will be able to maintain bladder control lining up against Denton Ryan this year.

Mario Edwards, the No. 1 recruit in the nation, lines up on one end of the defensive line. Banks, a Baylor commit, lines up on the other end.

Don't even ask if the Raiders decide to bring some heat with a blitz in their 4-2-5 defense. That's two three-year starters who are headed to the Big 12 coming at you in De La Torre and Richmond.

And if the quarterback actually manages to get the ball out of his hands before getting crunched? Ball-hawk safety Trey Mohair, a two-sport star who's been Ryan's starting point guard since he was a freshman, might just take it the other way for six.

Those five returning starters, the primary defensive players who fueled Ryan's run to the Class 4A Division I state title game in 2010, give the Raiders the foundation for what may be the best defense in the state -- 4A or 5A.

Holes to fill: For the second straight year, Ryan will have turnover at the most important position on the field -- quarterback. Kevin Carpenter will run the offense after serving as a backup last season. Ryan plans to take advantage of his running ability.

Key game: at Wichita Falls Rider, Oct. 6