This is going to be one fun class to watch. With all the changes, Class 3A has piqued my interest probably like nothing else in the high school football scene.

Whether it’s the great 4A teams (Weatherford, Star Spencer) moving down or all those solid 2A teams making the jump up, cannot wait to see how this all plays out.

Some random 3A thoughts:

- Is Cascia Hall still unbeatable? This will be a heckuva test for Joe Medina’s Commandos. Three straight championships, three straight undefeated seasons. Whew. I don’t see how any team is going to survive this class undefeated, but we’ll see.

- Will Star Spencer be able to contend? I don’t doubt coach Terrell Love one bit, but last year’s team is almost completely gone. And how will a team like the Bobcats handle prosperity and the target that comes with being last year’s 4A champion.

- What 2A team moving up is going to end up being The Team? From Heritage Hall to Bridge Creek to Sequoyah-Tahlequah to Kingfisher to all the other top ones, who is going to emerge as the best?

- Atoka’s L.T. Pfaff and his quest for the state passing record. I wonder how he’s going to handle all the extra attention that is surely coming his way this year.

- Not really a dark horse in the traditional sense, but I like Purcell to make a big run this year. With Cole Swayze and Hunter Marcum leading the way, Mike Wilson’s kids should be around in late November.

District Previews:

- For more info on 3A-8, where Seminole is coming down from 4A and looks to be the favorite, here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-7, where Checotah has enough pieces coming back to make a run, here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-6, where it might be a battle of the Sequoyahs (Tahlequah and Claremore), here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-5, where Cascia Hall still has that bulls eye on its forehead, here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-4, where Chandler has been given the nod by the coaches, here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-3, where there are other players to watch besides Barry Sanders, here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-2, where the Dragons and Madill are looking to contend for the gold ball, here ya go.

- For more info on 3A-1, where Tuttle’s Tigers are expected to earn the district title, here ya go.

We’re in the middle of 4A so keep it locked at NewsOK.com/Varsity for all your district preview information.

Yea, I know we’re closer to being into 4A than we are 2A at this point, but I still wanted to chime in with some thoughts about the class. Blame two-a-days for not getting here earlier.

And I had a couple of people e-mail wondering if I would do a little something for it. Same format for Class A: give some things I’m looking for and links to the previews.

Here we go:

- Is there too much pressure on Millwood, Lincoln Christian and Davis? I expect these three teams to be so dominant as I’m sure most others do as well. The Falcons with their talent, the Bulldogs with their recent success (and championship) and the Wolves with their tradition.

Darren Melton’s team is going to have to reload after losing a great group of kids. This might be a sign of whether or not LC becomes a perennial power.

Millwood has all the top recruits a school could ask for (no need to rehash that again) while Jody Weber’s club gave LC a heckuva good game last year.

- Stay clear of Jones. Anyone who faces the Longhorns is going to be dealing with an extremely angry team after what happened last year.

I’ll tell ya what I like about it is that coach Dave Martin isn’t shying away from it. He’ll talk about it and admit how much his club can’t wait to get out there. This is a top 10 team, for sure.

- Late coaching changes. From Pawnee (Jody Boyd) to Washington (Brad Beller) to Lexington (Waymon Scott), who is going to bounce back the fastest? My money (actual value: zero) is on Beller getting the Warriors rolling.

- How will some of last year’s top Class A teams fare in 2A? Teams like Tonkawa, Hennessey, Stroud, OCS, Watonga, Salina, etc. How much will the jump from A to 2A affect ‘em?

District previews

- For info on 2A-8, where Commerce is expected to contend, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-7, where Lincoln Christian is predicted to dominate, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-6, where Vian and Talihina will battle it out, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-5, where Morris edged out Stroud as the favorite, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-4, where Davis should reign as king again, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-3, where Lindsay nipped Washington as the top team, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-2, where it’s Millwood….and everybody else, here ya go.

- For info on 2A-1, where Hennessey and Tonkawa will fight it out, here ya go.

Heck, in a couple of days, it will be time to do the same for 3A. Keep it locked here on Varsity for every district preview.

If it’s late July, then it must be time for district previews. Kicked ‘em off last week, and we have already made our way to Class B.

However, here is a look back at Class C.

District C-4: Once again this seems like Maud’s district to lose. I remember talking to Bruce Harrell all the time back when I was in Shawnee, knew his squads would be good. Amazing to think none of his seniors have lost a district game.

- No more Andrew Bell for Claremore Christian. He was always the go-to guy when it came to talking to coach Ryan Mullins. We’ll see how things go now.

For more on C-4, including the coaches poll, here ya go.

District C-3: What do you do for an encore if you’re at Timberlake? A magical run to the program’s first state title makes them now the hunted.

- For my money (and recruiting purposes), very intrigued to see some film of Covington-Douglas’ Dylan Sterling. Sterling, Derek Deeds of Yukon and Heritage Hall’s Barry Sanders are in Virginia this week for a special skills competition. Interesting to see the coaches like Deer Creek-Lamont as the winner heading into the fall.

For more on C-3, including the coaches poll, here ya go.

District C-2: Look out for Ryan. After being a formidable foe in Class B, the Cowboys might just have all the tools necessary to earn the Class C gold ball.

- Always enjoy talking to Temple coach Brad Spurlock and this looks to be another good season for his boys. Their leader? Kyle Baze. At 150 pounds, he just barely weighs more than me. He’s tough son of a gun and a big reason why the coaches like Temple.

For more on C-2, including the coaches poll, here ya go.

District C-1: Could we really be talking about someone else other than Shattuck? We’ll see. The Indians are coming off a loss for the first time in what feels like forever. Very intriguing to see what fire is burning there.

- Thirteen games – 196 tackles. In my expert analysis, ‘that’s not bad.’ Those numbers belong to Forgan’s Taylor Eagan, a starter since his freshman year.

For more on C-1, including the coaches poll, here ya go.

And for more on all your districts, keep it locked at NewsOK.com/Varsity and our special district preview page.

Now, he faces the challenge as the head coach for US Grant High School, which has long been trying to break through in Class 6A. The Generals were 1-9 last season under coach Terrell Love, who was hired by Star Spencer.

Little Axe coach Tony Smith, who was an assistant when Miller played there, then hired Miller when he became head coach, says his former pupil has the work ethic to succeed.

“The best thing about him is that he’s young, enthusiastic and willing to learn” Smith said. “He doesn’t fear the challenge that comes with a job like that. He saw working here that you can’t be afraid in that situation and that it will take hard work to get it done.”

Miller handled a variety of roles in his four years at Little Axe, working as co-defensive coordinator and position coach for linebackers, running backs and receivers at different times.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com