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However this district plays out, you can count on one fact holding true: A good team will get left out.

None of the teams in this four-team loop finished below .500 last year, and that could hold true again. Three of the teams are ranked in sixmanfootball.com’s top 11 in the state — Penelope is No. 5, Aquilla is No. 7 and Abbott is No. 11. Bynum would likely be a playoff contender in another district.

Coming off its first-ever district championship, Penelope wears the tag of favorite. But the talented Aquilla Cougars are on the upswing and it would certainly be foolish to count out Abbott, which has made six straight playoff trips and features one of the savviest six-man coaches in Central Texas in Terry Crawford.

Penelope Wolverines

Head coach: Corey McAdams (9th season: 32-52)

All-time: 33-70 since 2000

Playoff history: 1-3 in 3 trips, most recently 2009; 0 state championships

Returning: 16 lettermen; 5 offensive, 4 defensive starters

Quinton Griffens
Jerry Larson / Waco Tribune-Herald

Outlook: It’s beginning to get hard to remember when Penelope was a struggling program, as the Wolverines have won 25 games over the past three years while making three playoff appearances.

The team’s defense should be stout behind LB Jayson Williams, a first-team all-region and second-team all-state honoree last year, and DE Quinton Griffens (above), who earned first-team all-region recognition. LB Quinn Parks is also a strong defensive force.

Penelope averaged just over 47 points per game in 2009, and will rely on TE Melvin Jones (6-0, 205) as the key target in the passing attack.

Aquilla Cougars

Head coach: Kirk Hinkson (3rd season: 11-9)

Playoff history: 7-8 in 9 trips, most recently 2005; 0 state championships

Returning: 16 lettermen; 3 offensive, 3 defensive starters

Outlook: After an up-and-down 2009 season, Aquilla appears poised for a breakthrough.

RB Zack Tadlock, a state qualifier in track, is no less athletic on the gridiron, after running for 1,257 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2009. He’ll occasionally cede carries to RB Josh Jordan, while QB Mondo Ortega and SE Shay Smith spearhead the passing game.

A key to Aquilla’s season might be the Abbott game. The last time the Cougars topped the Panthers was 2004, and Aquilla reached Week 12 that season.

Abbott Panthers

Head coach: Terry Crawford (13th season: 106-33)

Playoff history: 16-13 in 14 trips, most recently 2009; 0 state championships

Returning: 7 lettermen; 7 offensive, 2 defensive starters

Outlook: As usual, the Panthers are blessed with hearty numbers, with 30 players out. But many will be new faces to the varsity, as Abbott must replace a talented senior class that included stars like Bryan Price, Chris Rodgers and two-time Super Centex Player of the Year Hunter Johnson.

Even the team’s returning two starters will be playing new positions.

Josh Hejl (right) moves to QB after lining up at receiver a year ago, while Justin Lairson shifts from guard to center. OG Michael Kaska will also be counted out up front, and SE Zach Brandt, a move-in from Maypearl, has picked up on the six-man game quickly in preseason practices.

Sophomore RB Travis Russell will follow in the cleat marks of a load of great Abbott tailbacks, and has the talent to keep the tradition alive. He’ll benefit from the lead blocking of FB/LB Casey Morgan, who moved over from center.

Bynum Bulldogs

Head coach: Andy Ball (7th season: 26-33)

Playoff history: 1-3 in 3 trips, most recently 1992; 0 state championships

Returning: 14 lettermen; 4 offensive, 5 defensive starters

Outlook: Ball said his team will have to win the physical war to beat out the likes of Abbott, Aquilla and Penelope in this district.

RB/S Kolton Fain missed the end of last season with a shoulder injury, but is healthy again and ready to lead Bynum’s offensive surge. He’ll get help from C/DE Addison Symank (right), OG/DE Quinton Williams and FB/LB Tyler Garcia.

For Bynum to contend, it must beat the good teams. Last year, the Bulldogs went 5-0 against foes with losing records, and 0-5 against winning teams.

— Cherry