Generally speaking, I think the coaches get the all-district teams as right as they can, being in the position that they are in. Teams selected by coaches these days seem to recognize as many of the good players throughout the district, not necessarily only the best. They try to be fair by naming a District MVP, Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP and Newcomer of the Year, which opens up four more spots for kids to earn first-team honors.

Now, much of the district – and I’m sure even the Lake Travis coaches – sees this as an opportunity not just to get more kids on the first team, but also have more teams represented. But when the district champion wins every game by an average margin of 39 points, that first team better be pretty close to an exact copy of Lake Travis’ starting lineup. To the victors go the spoils – that’s just how it works.

So here are the picks, and my take on the players that were picked (listed in bold type), and the players that maybe deserved another look.

District MVP: Andy Erickson, Lake Travis. The senior flex back did it all for the Cavaliers, and after being named the CenTex Player of the Year and an all-state honorable mention, he absolutely has to be the MVP of the district.

Offensive MVP: Michael Cummings, Killeen. Depending on your criteria for an MVP (you either go for the most impressive player or the most valuable player to his team), you could make a case for Cummings as MVP over Erickson or Brewer, simply because the Kangaroos would have probably had a hard time winning many games without him.

Defensive MVP: Quinton Crow, Lake Travis. Crow is an excellent pick but teammate Ian Lazarus deserves some consideration, too. Lazarus has been an integral part of the defense for three years and plays at a level beyond what you’d expect from someone his size. Also, I picked him as my preseason Defensive MVP in the ACN Preview, so I’m also saving myself.

Newcomer of the Year: Zed Woerner, Marble Falls. Again, not a new pick, but worth repeating. One man cannot sail a battleship alone, but the Woerners don’t let that stop them from trying. Zed’s older brother Thor made a habit of carrying the Mustangs through seasons, and Zed looked pretty good as a sophomore quarterback in a tough district.

Quarterback: Michael Brewer, Lake Travis. The quarterback of the two-time defending champs had a lot of responsibility to take on in his first year under center, and performed in remarkably admirable fashion.

Running back: Kenny Williams, Hendrickson. Williams absolutely is the best running back in the district, but Lampasas’ Ed Hall deserves a lot of credit. The speedy back gave Lake Travis fits in the first half of their district battle, helping keep the Cavalier offense off the field and holding it to its lowest point total of district play. Other picks: Kaleb Syring, Dripping Springs; Jaquail Hoskins, Killeen.

Receiver: Conner Floyd, Lake Travis; Tanner Gillette, Lake Travis; Cooper Bowen, Marble Falls; David Morgan, Marble Falls; Rodney Brown, Killeen; Ja’Corie Baker, Killeen.

Utility: Aaron Reyna, Lampasas.

Tight end: Nehemiah Hicks, Hutto; Anthony Jenkins, Killeen.

Offensive lineman: Taylor Doyle, Lake Travis; Ian Kelso, Lake Travis; Jeremy Spence, Hendrickson; I’Raunce Ellis, Killeen; Rafael Cazares, Lampasas. If you’re going to name Will Hawk the all-district center, why not just finish the job and give first-team nods to tackle Scott Morris and guard Reagan Womack? The Lake Travis offensive line kept Brewer on his feet and gave the quarterback and Erickson plenty of space to run. Cyril Lemon of Marble Falls probably deserved a second look, too.

Center: Will Hawk, Lake Travis.

Defensive lineman: Jonathan Roberts, Lake Travis; Carter Burks, Lampasas; Terrence Simmons, Hendrickson; William Keller, Killeen.

Defensive end: Trevor Gillette, Lake Travis; Nehemiah Hicks, Hutto; Michael Vickers, Killeen. The fact that Shaquille Marable isn’t on the first team squad is criminal. Before being shelved with a foot injury at the start of the playoffs he was fourth on the team in tackles, and the three guys above him at the time – Crow, Lazarus and Austin Williams – made first team, as well as the man below him, Gillette.

Linebacker: Austin Williams, Lake Travis; Juan Asencio, Hendrickson; Royce Asi, Killeen; Ian Lazarus, Lake Travis; Rush Seaver, Lampasas.

Cornerback: Taylor Wrinkle, Lake Travis; Justin Garcia, Marble Falls; Zach Caballero, Hendrickson; Alondre Thorn, Hutto; Brandon Howard, Killeen. It’s hard to really judge opposing secondaries when they all struggled against Lake Travis all year. Omar Duke-Tinson should probably have gotten one of these spots.

Safety: Colin Lagasse, Lake Travis; Marcellus Lee, Killeen; Cooper Bowen, Marble Falls. Hunter Akers deserves consideration here, if only for producing some of the hardest hits in the district from a member of the secondary.

Kicker: Kramer Fyfe, Lake Travis.

Punter: Brandon Abbott, Lampasas.

Thinking back to the beginning of the season, the biggest surprise on the list is the players that are missing – most notably Jeff Tuck and Jacob Moore of Dripping Springs. Injuries and some tough results for the Tigers kept the players from reaching their full potential this season.

With 19 spots on each side of the ball, it’s hard to leave anyone out, so again, credit to the coaches. But sometimes, working hard to include everyone leaves out some players that might deserve that first team spot.