After losing a tremendous senior class that saw 13 players sign from the 2016 Class 4A Division II State Championship team, the West Orange-Stark Mustangs’ reputation remains sky-high as the Mustangs are ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 4A Division II in the preseason poll by Dave Campbell Texas Football Magazine.

Of course, fans of the team in Blue and White have become spoiled as WO-S rolled to a perfect 16-0 as the Mustangs captured their second consecutive Class 4A Division II State Title with a whipping of Sweetwater and third straight trip to the State Championship.

All the Mustangs accomplished was outscoring the opposition by a 811-69 count to go along with eight shutouts in what was one of the best performances in Texas high school football history.

Coach Cornel Thompson and Co. are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode entering the upcoming season. The Mustangs do have a handful of starters back on both sides of the ball plus plenty of young talents that captured District 9-4A Division II titles on the junior varsity and freshman levels.

There are plenty of tradition-rich programs that fill up the poll.

The Gilmer Buckeyes (13-2 last year), who defeated the Mustangs in the 2014 state title game, is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A Division II.

Celina (11-3), who the Mustangs toppled in the 2015 state title game is ranked No. 4. Sweetwater (13-2), meanwhile, is ranked No. 10.

Cuero (13-1), a program the Mustangs toppled in the state semifinals in 2015, is ranked No. 3.

Giddings (11-3), who the Mustangs buried 48-5 in the Region III playoffs last season, chimes in at No. 5.

Wimberley (10-3) is ranked No. 6 followed by Monahans (9-3), Texarkana Pleasant Grove (6-7), and Jasper (10-3) at No. 9. Other teams ranked in the top 20 from the region includes Bellville at No. 11 and District 9-4A Division II member Liberty at No. 15.

In Class 4A Division II, both the Bridge City Cardinals and Silsbee Tigers are ranked in the top 20 as the Cardinals (9-3) are No. 19 and the Tigers (6-5) are No. 20.

The two teams duked it out for the District 10-4A Division I title last year with the Cardinals taking a thrilling 42-41 victory at home as Bridge City went three rounds deep into the postseason.

Defending state champion Carthage (13-2) is ranked No. 1 and Abilene Wylie (11-2), who Carthage defeated in the state title game is No. 6.

Waco La Vega (13-1) is ranked No. 2 followed by Argyle (11-1), Kennedale (11-4), Midlothian Heritage (11-2), Abilene Wylie, Van (12-2), China Spring (13-2), Henderson (11-2) and Kilgore (7-5) to round out the top 10.

One district, 9-4A, has three ranked in the top 10 in Carthage, Henderson and Kilgore.

In Class 5A, Port Neches-Groves (11-2) and Port Arthur Memorial (10-2), who shared the District 22-5A title with Vidor last season, are ranked No. 31 and No. 35 respectively in the Class 5A poll.

Texas Football Magazine will be hitting the newsstands soon with University of Texas first-year head coach Tom Herman on the cover.