Things are not always as they appear on the Central Texas football scene.

As district play kicks off this week for many high school teams, fans and media will be trying to separate pretenders from contenders.

Twelve Central Texas teams remain undefeated while preseason favorites Cedar Park, Liberty Hill and Wimberley have losing records.

But records can be deceiving, as some teams have gotten off to sluggish starts because of tough non-district schedules.

Take Hays for example.

The Rebels are 0-4, knocking on the door of their first losing season since 1985. However, Hays has played an impressive non-district schedule, as the Class 4A school opened against Bastrop, Bowie and Anderson, all undefeated 5A schools. Last week, the Rebels lost a 40-35 shootout against McCallum.

On the other end of the spectrum is Hays' rival, Lehman.

In its fourth year as a varsity program, Lehman is 4-0, and the Lobos already have set a school record for wins in a season.

In its past three games, Lehman beat Reagan, San Antonio Edison and Lanier, three teams that have combined for a 0-10 record this season. This week, Lehman plays Gonzales, a winless 3A school.

The only team Lehman has played that has a winning record is Class A Waco Riesel. The Lobos scheduled Riesel two years ago when Johnston closed; their only other option was 5A powerhouse Euless Trinity.

Although their non-district schedule is among the area's weakest, the Lobos are using the early games of this season to improve their young program. Lehman, which was 6-23 during its first three seasons, has 35 players on its varsity roster this season, 18 of them seniors.

"I think it's a balancing act," Lehman coach Steve Davis said. "You want to get opponents that are going to be challenges, you want to schedule teams you are on par with.

"I know our non-district schedule isn't as (hard) as Hays' has been, but we're trying to get better."

Non-district schedules are usually created after the biennial UIL realignment wraps up.

Coaches generally have worked out gentlemen's agreements for home-and-home series beforehand, but they don't finalize anything until they see the results of the realignment.

Travel, level of competition and sub-varsity match-ups are some of the factors that go into non-district scheduling.

"We're looking for teams that are going to help us prepare for our tough district," Westwood coach Anthony Wood said. "Teams that are going to prepare us and exploit our weaknesses so we can work to get better."

"I think that wins don't factor into it, we're trying to (make) the team better," Bowie coach Jeff Ables said. "You try to get people that are going to make you better."

For teams anticipating playoff games in December, non-district games in August and September have become a valuable asset.

Fifteen area schools have new coaches this season, and their players have been adjusting to new schemes and playbooks over the past month. Some schools have used non-district games to decide where to plug in players.

The non-district schedule also can help set the table for a playoff run.

To open the 2008 season, Lake Travis played close games against Westwood, Westlake and Cedar Park, all Class 5A schools. After fighting off the bigger schools, Lake Travis cruised through district play and rolled to a state championship by winning each of its playoff games by at least 17 points.

Lake Travis' first three games of this season were against the same three teams, and the Cavaliers won those contests by a combined score of 151-69.

"I think (the non-district schedule) was good looking back on it," said Lake Travis coach Chad Morris, referring to the schedule he inherited from former Cavaliers coach Jeff Dicus.

"Going into it, it has the potential to go either way. ... We hope that the prior history holds true to form for this year."

Some of the area's biggest rivalries have been showcased recently during the season's opening games. Lake Travis and Westlake has been a can't-miss game over the past few seasons, and the non-district schedule has given natural rivals like New Braunfels and New Braunfels Canyon and Burnet and Marble Falls the opportunity to play each other once a year.

"I think the kids enjoy that type of atmosphere and I think the kids get excited for big games like that and they should," Morris said.