Two of San Antonio ’s top ranked teams collide Thursday night when Judson and Warren kick off the 2008 football season in Thursday night’s first games. Judson is number one in the Region 4 pre-season poll, and Warren checks in at eight. 

           Judson advanced to the state championship game last year after a roller coaster regular season saw the Rockets limp into the post-season on the heels of a 36-22 loss to Reagan.  Judson won five games in a row before falling to Euless Trinity 13-10 in the state championship game.  Warren posted a 10-2 record, and fielded one of the top total defenses in the state.  Warren ’s two losses came by a combined five points (vs. O’Connor and vs. Madison ). 

           Smothering defense will be on display in a game featuring some of the best defenders Texas has to offer this year.  Judson returns six starters from a unit that emerged as one of the state’s best by the end of last year.  Senior LB Chris McAllister roams the middle of the defense with a very talented and experienced defensive backfield behind him. Warren is led by senior DT Calvin Howell, senior OLB Tyler Smith and senior DB Joseph Bonugli. Howell leads a Warren defense that can be suffocating versus the run. 

           Both teams will be unveiling largely rebuilt offenses.  Judson is reloading with mostly seniors.  Senior OL Ameer Townes is the most experienced player returning for Judson.  As usual, Judson will be very quick in the backfield and Warren will be challenged to keep the speed contained. Also, conditioning is always a factor against Judson.  The Rockets wear opponents down over four quarters and Warren must resist fatigue if they want to send an early message to the rest of the region. 

          Warren lost quite a bit of production from last season on offense, but still return plenty of talent. WR Martel Moore and ATH Anthony Johnson are among those returning with experience. Warren will be breaking in a new offensive line as well. The nice thing for Warren's offense is that they won't feel the pressure to light up the scoreboard in order to win the game.

          This has the look of a defensive struggle on paper due to the relative inexperience of both offenses.  This is the first ever meeting between Judson and Warren.  Warren played its first varsity football season in 2002 (1-9).  Warren has three winning seasons in their history so far, and 2007 is the first time they’ve ever won at least 10 games in a season.  Judson has an experience advantage, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Warren challenged the end result.