What I hear: Mojo vs. West Coast, 4A champs to meet...

The Herbstreit Challenge will come back with a flurry on Labor Day. The event was on life-support until about 30,000 showed up last year to watch the Hakans of Trinity beat South Jordan (UT) Bingham.

Trinity is having to work out some scheduling to avoid playing on a Saturday following the Monday. The UIL realignment put the Trojans in a 9-team district and had Trojans coach Steve Lineweaver negotiating to keep a scheduled game against Shiloh (Ark.) Christian.

The Trojans really like having the shadow of Cowboys Stadium as a motivating factor through the spring and summer and Lineweaver would really like to play on Labor Day. We'll see how cooperative the rest of the new 6-5A (Colleyville, Grapevine, Haltom, Richland, Bell, Irving, MacArthur and Nimitz) will be.

The rest of the Herbstreit packs power as well:

• Skyline vs. 2009 national champ St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)

• Arlington Bowie vs. DeSoto

• Denton Guyer vs. Cedar Hill

State champions matchup: Lake Travis vs. Aledo

We'd all love the DI and DII champions to meet. We get our wish with Class 4A Division I champ Lake Travis going against Division II champ Aledo. Great game.

Only thing better would have been Trinity vs. Abilene.

The ABCs of Texas vs. Florida

A: Skyline vs. St. Thomas Aquinas

Skyline will find itself equaled in talent from this major Florida private school school power, which doesn't recruit, of course, but every good player in Florida seems to end up finding Michael Irvin's alma mater as their best academic fit.

B: Abilene vs. Miramar (Fla.)

Abilene might have to play the Texas Longhorns to fill out their schedule. The defending Class 5A Division II champs return a ton of talent. The War Eagles will host Florida's reigning Class 6A state champion Miramar.

C: DeSoto vs. Belle Glades (Fla.) Central

Belle Glades Central has been looking for a Texas game. They've spent time around the state in 7-on-7 tourneys. They've got talent with a 6-5, 215 national recruit at tight end (Kelvin Benjamin) but 2010 is the wrong year to play a senior-laden, talented DeSoto.

Mojo vs. West Coast

Permian has tentatively scheduled Bethel (Wash.) to play at Ratliff in Week 1 of the next two years. Bethel is a Class 4A in Spanaway, Wash..

From the Odessa American: Bethel has a listed enrollment of 1,450 students, a number that only counts 10th through 12th grade. Last year, the Braves finished off a 9-2 season by bowing out to Skyview 40-21 in the first round of the playoffs. In the last five years, Bethel is 30-21.

Texas vs. Mexico

Allen drummed an ambitious school from Mexico the last two years. But Monterey Tech is back for more. Monterey will play Highland Park and Monterey will play Stony Point in Week Zero.

Anybody needing having some extra sub-varsity teams…

My San Antonio home

Abilene _ lots of Abilene cause they're the new Southlake Carroll and Katy if you haven't noticed. Eagles will play back-to-back games in San Antonio. 2009 ended with 5A title win over Katy and open against Belton in the Alamodome the 2010 Texas Football Magazine showcase games.

What's up in Katy?

Katy ISD has a nice district which will come down to the Tigers and Cinco Ranch for quite a few years to come.

Katy non-district schedule

Zero Week: at North Shore

Week 1: Alief Taylor

Week 2: Open

Week 3: at Beaumont West Brook

Cinco Ranch non-district

Zero Week: Klein Forest *

Week 1: Cy Ridge*

Week 2: Clear Springs

*Homes and homes TBD

Welcome back Little SWC

The UIL put back together most of the "Little Southwest Conference" in West Texas. And it had to do what's never been done _ drop the bottom enrollment in Class 5A.

But we're glad to have District 3-5A as Abilene, Cooper, Midland, Lee, Permian and Odessa High.

It makes 2-5A look like a 4A district, but at least those schools have a playoff chance among Amarillo (welcome new coach Mel Maxfield), Tascosa, Lubbock, Coronado, Monterey and San Angelo Central.

Are u kidding with Region IV?

In Class 5A, Cibolo Steele moves up to Class 5A and is an immediate semifinal contender in Region IV. Madison and Southwest are good. But the first four rounds of the playoffs _ compared to the other Regions _ is a cakewalk. Austin Westlake goes to Region II.

In Class 4A, this is one of several reasons Lake Travis is such a plum job. You've got Smithson Valley dropping from 5A and then watch out for …. Who? Maybe 1 or 2 teams a year will even has a shot at Lake Travis before they play the Region III winner.

You gotta put some Central Texas schools in Region IV. Regions II and III are way tougher than I and IV as it is but Region has to play some DFW teams quickly.

[rl]