Malakoff has ascended to the No. 1 position in the latest #bEASTTexas Fabulous 15 rankings, which cover Class 3A/2A/TAPPS teams. The new standings were published Monday, September 28, 2026. The Malakoff Panthers, currently undefeated with a 5-0 record, secured the top spot with 222 points, including 12 first-place votes. This shift occurred following previous No. 1 Troup’s 33-21 loss to Tatum.
Within the #bEASTTexas Fabulous 15, Arp received one first-place vote, placing it at No. 2. Jefferson moved into the No. 3 position, having garnered two first-place votes. Winnsboro advanced one spot to No. 4, while Troup, after its recent defeat, slid to No. 5. Tatum, the team responsible for Troup's loss, entered these small-school rankings at No. 12. Additional teams receiving votes for the #bEASTTexas Fabulous 15 included Westwood with 17, Hawkins with 6, Mount Vernon with 4, Union Grove with 4, Cushing with 3, Paul Pewitt with 3, Gladewater with 2, San Augustine with 2, and Shelbyville with 1.
In separate East Texas rankings, Carthage, Lindale, Longview, Pleasant Grove, and Athens remained the top five teams, also identified as Class 3A/2A/TAPPS in the polling. Rusk entered these big-school rankings at No. 13. Other teams that received votes in this broader polling category included Tyler Legacy with 28 votes, Kilgore with 22, Sulphur Springs with 14, Terrell with 12, Palestine with 11, Lufkin with 4, Brownsboro with 2, and Henderson with 1.
The rankings are determined by a panel of voters comprising sports journalists and broadcasters from across East Texas. These voters include Phil Hicks and Brandon Ogden from the Tyler Morning Telegraph; Jack Stallard of the Longview News-Journal; Lauren Rosenberg and Aubrey Marjason from the Marshall News Messenger; Nathan Hague and John Krueger of the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel; Edwin Quarles and Josh Havard from the Lufkin Daily News; Dan Mallea of CBS 19; Harlen the Sports Guy from the Friday Night Scoreboard Show; Bret Swinney and Jarrin Peeples of the Northeast Texas Sports Network/NETSN; Benny Rogers of The Rogers Report; and Conrad Bahr of 99.9 KMOO FM.
Football action continues this week with several notable games scheduled. These matchups include Henderson at Chapel Hill, Paul Pewitt at Union Grove, Beckville at Waskom, Hawkins at No. 9 Carlisle, No. 8 Pine Tree at Palestine, and Jacksonville at Kilgore.
