SAN ANTONIO — Given their winning tradition, it was only a matter of time before the Clemens Buffaloes won a district championship again.
Clemens took three straight league titles from 2004 to 2006, but never finished better than third in the ensuing 12 years.
That changed last Friday night when the Buffs beat Judson 34-30 in the District 26-6A championship game. Clemens (9-1) went 7-0 in league play and knocked Judson (9-1, 6-1) from its perch atop the KENS5.com Class 6A area rankings.
"The most important thing about our team is the bond that the players have," Buffs coach Jared Johnston said Wednesday. "They really love each other and enjoy playing together. Another big key to our success is that our players are unselfish. They don't care who gets the credit. It's all about the team."
Judson's fall moved Brandeis (10-0) to the No. 1 spot in the final rankings of the regular season. The Broncos, who won the 28-6A title, had been No. 2 for most of the season. Clemens, No. 3 last week, moved up to No. 2, and Judson slipped to No. 3.
Steele (8-2) and Roosevelt (9-1) round out the top five in the 6A rankings.
Wagner, which finished 9-1 for the second year in a row, finished No. 1 in the final Sub-6A rankings of the regular season.
Kerrville Tivy (9-1), Boerne Champion (9-1), Harlan (10-0) and Veterans Memorial (8-2), in that order, finished No. 2 through No. 5 in the Sub-6A rankings.
KENS5.com Area High School Football Rankings
CLASS 6A
1. Brandeis (10-0)
District: 28-6A
Ranking last week: No. 2
Last week: Defeated Taft 28-12
The skinny: Broncos QB Jordan Battles rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries and passed for another TD.
This week: vs. Johnson, 6A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Farris Stadium
2. Clemens (9-1)
District: 26-6A
Ranking last week: No. 3
Last week: Defeated Judson 34-30
The skinny: Buffaloes won their first district title since 2006.
This week: vs. Austin Bowie, 6A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Lehnhoff Stadium
3. Judson (9-1)
District: 26-6A
Ranking last week: No. 1
Last week: Lost to Clemens 34-30
The skinny: The loss snapped the Rockets' 19-game regular-season winning streak.
This week: vs.Buda Hays, 6A Division I bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Rutledge Stadium
4. Steele (8-2)
District: 26-6A
Ranking last week: No. 4
Last week: Defeated East Central 35-20
The skinny: Knights have won five straight since losing to Clemens on the last play of the game.
This week: at Austin Westlake, 6A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
5. Roosevelt (9-1)
District: 27-6A
Ranking last week: No. 5
Last week: Defeated Churchill 41-21
The skinny: Roosevelt running back Rashad Owens rushed for 164 yards and three TDs on 18 carries.
This week: vs. Brennan, 6A Division II bi-district playoff, Thursday, 7 p.m., Heroes Stadium
6. Madison (8-2)
District: 27-6A
Ranking last week: No. 7
Last week: Defeated Johnson 49-34
The skinny: Mavericks running back Darien Gill rushed for 225 yards and two TDs, and quarterback Michael De La Garza ran for 189 yards and two TDs.
This week: vs. Stevens, 6A Division bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Comalander Stadium
7. O’Connor (8-2)
District: 28-6A
Ranking last week: No. 6
Last week: Defeated Stevens 31-0
The skinny: Running back Zion Taylor was a workhorse for O'Connor, rushing 33 times for 117 yards and three TDs.
This week: vs. Reagan, 6A Division I bi-district playoff, Saturday, 7 p.m., Farris Stadium
8. Brennan (8-2)
District: 28-6A
Ranking last week: No. 8
Last week: Defeated Holmes 35-0
The skinny: Bears outgained Huskies 337-86 in total offensive yardage.
This week: vs. Roosevelt, 6A Division II bi-district playoffs, Thursday, 7 p.m., Heroes Stadium
9. Smithson Valley (6-4)
District: 26-6A
Ranking last week: No. 10
Last week: Defeated New Braunfels 42-28
The skinny: Rangers running back Greg Eggleston rushed for 258 yards and three TDs on 26 carries.
This week: at Austin Lake Travis, 6A Division I bi-district, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
10. Johnson (6-4)
District: 27-6A
Ranking last week: No. 9
Last week: Lost to Madison 49-34
The skinny: Jaguars yielded 582 yards to the Mavericks, 478 rushing on 51 attempts for a 9.37 average.
This week: vs. Brandeis, 6A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Farris Stadium
Dropped out of rankings: None
SUB-6A AREA RANKINGS
1. Wagner (9-1)
District: 13-5A / Division I
Ranking last week: No. 1
Last week: Idle
The skinny: Thunderbirds have finished the regular season 9-1 each of the last two years
This week: vs. Harlandale, 5A Division I bi-district playoff, Thursday, 7 p.m., Rutledge Stadium
2. Kerrville Tivy (9-1)
District: 14-5A / Division II
Ranking last week: No. 2
Last week: Defeated Medina Valley 35-14
The skinny: Tivy QB Trapper Pannell completed 19 of 30 passes, with two interceptions, for 290 yards and four TDS and rushed for a fifth TD.
This week: vs. Georgetown East View, 5A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7 p.m, Kerrville
3. Boerne Champion (9-1)
District: 14-5A / Division II
Ranking last week: No. 3
Last week: Defeated Alamo Heights 42-7
The skinny: Chargers QB Luke Boyers had 248 yard of total offense, passed for two TDs and ran for another score.
This week: vs. Leander Glenn, 5A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7 p.m., Boerne ISD Stadium
4. Harlan (10-0)
District: 14-5A / Division I
Ranking last week: No. 4
Last week: Defeated Laredo Martin 48-21
The skinny: Harlan quarterback Kannon Williams completed 9 of 16 passes for 169 yard and three TDS and ran for another TD.
This week: vs. Burbank, 5A Division I bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Gustafson Stadium
5. Veterans Memorial (8-2)
District: 13-5A / Division I
Ranking last week: No. 5
Last week: Defeated Sam Houston 38-12
The skinny: Patriots QB Khaliq Paulette completed 11 of 18 passes for 125 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 131 yards on 13 carries for a 10.1 average.
This week: vs. Laredo Martin, 5A Division I bi-district playoff, Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Rutledge Stadium
6. Navarro (10-0)
District: 13-4A / Division II
Ranking last week: No. 6
Last week: Defeated Bandera 41-38
The skinny: Panthers running back Euler DeLeon rushed for 221 yards and two TDs on 22 carries.
This week: vs. Crystal City, 4A Division II bi-district playoff, Thursday, 7 p.m., Edgewood Veterans Stadium
7. Antonian (7-3)
District: TAPPS District 3 / Division I
Ranking last week: 8
Last week: Defeated Central Catholic 41-38
The skinny: Apaches QB Khalil Warfield rushed for 221 yards and four TDs on 17 carries and completed 6 of 9 passes for 98 yards and one TD.
This week: vs. Argyle Liberty Christian, TAPPS Division I bi-district playoff, Saturday, 2 p.m., Antonian
8. Southside (7-3)
District: 15-5A / Division II
Ranking last week: NR
Last week: Defeated Floresville 21-20
The skinny: Cardinals running back Caleb Camarillo rushed for 124 yards and two TDs on 21 carries and caught five passes for 59 yards.
This week: at Sharyland Pioneer, 5A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Mission
9. Poth (9-1)
District: 15-3A / Division II
Ranking last week: NR
Last week: Defeated Stockdale 47-0
The skinny: Poth running back Drew Arevalos rushed for 198 yards and four TDs on 15 carries.
This week: vs. Taft, 3A Division II bi-district playoff, Friday, 7 p.m., Karnes City
10. Jourdanton (9-1)
District: 15-3A / Division I
Ranking last week: NR
Last week: Defeated Cole 35-13
The skinny: Jourdanton won three straight after losing at Cotulla in third district game.
This week: vs. San Diego, 3A Division I bi-district playoff, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Jourdanton
Dropped out of rankings: No. 7 Bandera (8-2), No. 9 Boerne (6-3), No. 10 Fredericksburg (6-4)
Entered rankings: No. 8 Southside (7-3), No. 9 Poth (9-1), No. 10 Jourdanton (9-1).
In our latest high school football podcast, KENS 5 digital producer Cameron Songer and sports reporter Evan Closky break down every big game from the last week of the regular season. That included district championship games, like Judson-Clemens, Madison-Johnson, Harlan-Martin, Navarro-Bandera and more. Other games served as play-in games for a playoff berth, with the winner earning a spot. Those matchups included Smithson Valley-New Braunfels, Reagan-South San, Lanier-Burbank, Lockhart-Uvalde and more.
You can listen to the podcast below, or find us on your favorite podcast app.
If you're looking for more coverage of high school football in San Antonio, you're in the right place. We have weekly features, updated rankings and photo galleries, plus highlights every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
On game day, KENS 5.com has a high school football scoreboard with live score updates. Save the link if you can’t make it to your favorite team’s game and need to know what’s happening!
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