By Stephen R. Farris
Folks, it is only a couple of weeks away from the opening of the 2026 Texas High School Football season. Area teams have already begun practices and scrimmages as they prepare for their season openers. So, let’s get to it and see who is coaching, players moving up, and schedules.
Let us start off this year by taking a look at Class 5A, Division II, where Corsicana will play in 7-5A along with Midlothian Heritage, Mansfield Timberview, Arlington Seguin, Ennis, Burleson, Joshua, and Everman. Last season, the Corsicana Tigers made vast improvements from their previous season, finishing 5-5 overall and 3-4 in district play, under head coach Eugene Rogers. The Tigers have five offensive and six defensive starters returning from last year’s squad. According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine, Corsicana is picked to finish seventh in the district.
Players to watch this season will be linebacker Allen Walker II, safety Rennard Jackson, wide receiver/cornerback JaQualin Walker, defensive end Ja’Ryan Burrell, and junior QB Jaxon McGraw could get the nod starting under center this year. LB Walker led the team in tackles with 101 and was a first-team all-district pick.
The Tigers were close to making a return to the playoffs but were knocked out of hunt in Week 11. This year could be the one that sees this Tiger team make that push over the hump and into the bi-district round of the playoffs.
In Class 3A, Navarro County has three teams that will be playing in the same district. Blooming Grove, Mildred, and Rice will battle in District 11-3A, Division II. They will be joined in the district by Buffalo, Elkhart, and Teague. Should be a pretty tough district as Mildred, Blooming Grove, Teague, and Rice always seem to step up when district play starts.
In Blooming Grove, the Lions finished 3-8 overall, and 3-2 in district, finishing the season as a bi-district finalist in the 2025 playoffs under Coach Jason Burnett, who stepped down this year and will be replaced by new coach, Kevin Sherill. Sherill comes in after serving as the AD/HFC at Vernon. BG will be on the hunt for another playoff spot here in 2026. All three of the Lions wins last season were in district play. BG has five offensive and six defensive starters back on this year’s team. Some of the QB Joe Haden will match with in 2026 will be Alan Caballero (RB), Colt Steele (DB), linebackers Tucker Lewis, Jacob Lovett, and Jayden Stout and running back Brysun Wooldridge. Look for the Lions to give Mildred a run for the money for the district title.
The Mildred Eagles make their return to Class 3A, DII, after spending a season down in Class 2A, DI, where they finished 9-3 overall, and 4-1 in district competition. Mildred had hopes of making it to the ‘Ship in 2025 but fell out in the area round of the playoffs. Coach Jeff Callan feels his team is ready to jump up a conference and battle. Players to watch this season will be RB/LB Trent Harris, QB/LB Luke McKendree, LB/RB Cade Garrett, TE/DL Paxton Southard, WR/DB Wyatt Firth, OL/DL Noah Lueck, and kicker Manny Torres. With a stout offense and defense, Mildred should be in the hunt for a district title, as well as returning to the playoffs again this year.
The Rice Bulldogs seem to always come alive when district rolls around. That is when this team digs in deep, and it is paid off with playoff appearances. The most recent was last year when the Bulldogs made it to the bi-district round, finishing as a finalist. Rice – under now former head coach Royce Slechta – finished 4-6 overall and 2-3 in district.
This year, the Bulldogs will be under new head coach Jake Pierson. Pierson comes in from Red Oak, where he was the offensive coordinator. He should have plenty of talent to work with as Rice has six starters coming back on both offense and defense. Players to watch will be QB Jalon Burks, WR Brody Lawhon, OL/DL Chase Dearen, and LB Angel Salazar. This team could be deep at several positions, thus putting them in contention for the district title and another playoff appearance this upcoming season.
Down in Teague, the Lions look to top last season’s overall record of (5-5/2-3 in district) and strive to return to the playoffs. Coach Zack Linscomb will have seven offensive and six defensive starters coming back for the 2026 season, giving yet another District 11-3A, DII contender a chance at the top spot. Players you will definitely need to keep an eye on this year will be OL/DL Eli Gilbert, RB/LB Mario Cuevas, WR/DB Bryce Bates, OL/DL Lucky Jones, WR/DB Kade Kormos, and TE/DL Dylan Gauntt. Teague has a deep squad and will probably be the team to be this year in the district. The Lions are picked to finish in the No. 1 spot… no pressure at all!
Moving on to District 9-3A, DI, the Fairfield Eagles look to capture another district title, and another push to the state championship game in December. Coach John Bachtel’s Eagles finished 11-1 overall and 5-0 in district, while finishing the season as an area finalist. Even though this team only has four offensive and three defensive starters coming back for the 2026 campaign, there was this JV team of theirs that did finish 10-0, thus will be providing more talent to this Eagles team this season. Players to watch are athlete Tylan Davis – who’s good at any position he’ll be used at (QB, RB, WR), QB Landon Cockerell – should be the starter at that position after leading the JV to an undefeated season, LB Jeremiah Hudson, OL/DL Will Zachry, OL/DL Michael Zachry, and DB/WR Braylan McMillian. Fairfield could come out on top of the district again this season, but they will have to get past the Palestine Westwood Panthers to do it. The Eagles should have no problem against their other district opponents, Crockett, Diboll, Huntington, or Trinity.
Shifting down to Class 2A, not much will change in District 8-2A, DII, with Frost, Hubbard, Wortham, Mart, and Crawford, along with Meridian, and Santo. For the past several years, Frost, Hubbard, Wortham, Mart, and Meridian have battled each other in district play.
The Frost Polar Bears will have a new head coach as Cody Cheek takes over for Phillip Gibson who takes over as Holland’s AD/HFC. Cheek gets the promotion after serving as an assistant for the Polar Bears. Cheek was part of last year’s team that finished 6-4 overall, and 3-4 in district play, surprising a few of their opponents in the process. About the only thing the Polar Bears will need to fill is the QB spot. All-in-all, this team has six and six returning to the offense/defense. Keep your eyes on DL/OL Jordan Anderson, LB Lukas Rasco, and WR Brock Holland. Alexis Alvarado could earn the QB spot this season, and one other receiver he will have to throw to will be Mason Williams. Anderson recorded 10 QB sacks last season, and both he and Rascon made 63 tackles each. Do not be surprised if the Polar Bears turn into another winning season and finish higher in the district seeds.
Over in Hubbard, the coaching changes keep a comin’. The Jaguars will trade Lances at the AD/HFC position as Lance Connot replaces departing coach Lance Riddell. Connot comes in after serving as the AD/HFC at Brownsboro. It has been a rough go in Hubbard, as the Jags have only four wins in total since 2022. However, they do have experience working in their favor, as six and six returners for both offense and defense. A new coach and a new system could be the combination this team needs to overcome their five-year playoff drought. Players to watch this year will be OL/DL Jake Lane, OL/DL Dylan Scott, RB Owen Gillham, RB Gavin Wragge, and QB Gage Serna. With two of those four wins recorded during last season’s (2-8, 0-7) campaign, the Jags could squeak out a couple of more on top of what they had last year.
Across the county line south in Wortham, the Bulldogs also have a new head coach. Former Mildred Eagle OC, Bryce Perkins, will take over as AD/HFC for Chad Coker, who spent nine years leading the Bulldogs. Coker will take over as the AD/HFC at Colmesneil. Perkins was not left empty handed, as Wortham has 10 offensive, and 10 defensive starters returning. The Dogs finished with just two wins last season, both of those came in district play. Both athlete Trynen Cawthorn, and QB/LB Kross Montgomery, could split time as signal callers. Others to watch will be TE/DL Blake Hadden, OL/DL Nathan Chasteen, OL/LB Carlos Godinez, and RB/LB Darrius Creduer. Look out folks, this could be Wortham’s year to mix it up in the top four in district.
Back over in Navarro County, the Dawson Bulldogs (5-6, 4-2) finished the season as a bi-district finalist. Graduation took its toll, as the Dogs have only three starters returning on offense, and four on defense. HFC Bryan Kelley will likely be in rebuild mode this season, as JV players moving up will have to fill some big shoes. Players to keep tabs on this year will be WR Kane Funderburk, TE Casey Larramore, and OL/DL Addison Dugan. It is gonna take a lot of hard work and dedication for this team to stay in the loop to make the playoffs this year, but that is something the Bulldogs are very familiar with. Dawson pride folks, Dawson pride!
In District 10-2A, DI, the Kerens Bobcats will be scratching hard again this season and hope to improve on their 1-4 district record in 2025. Overall, the Cats finished 5-5, but it will be a battle this year as HFC Cole Lancaster has five starters back on offense, and five on defense. That’s a big plus though. Malachi Jordan gained a lot of experience as the team’s QB last season, and with another year of growth, Jordan could be in for an outstanding season through the air and rushing the ball. Joining Jordan on the gridiron this year will be WR/DB D’Majaion Allen, OL Jonathan Hernandez, OL Jay White, OL Eli Padilla, and DB Drace Kamp. The O-line should provide plenty of protection for QB Jordan, giving him enough time to find the open receiver, or open big enough gaps in the defensive line for him to pick up some big gains. Kerens plays in the district with Alba-Golden, Price-Carlisle, Cayuga, Como-Pickton, Frankston, and Hawkins.
That wraps up this season’s preview. Wherever you might live, be sure to get out on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night to support these teams, and the young men and women giving it their all on the field. That is what Texas High School Football is all about, filling the stands and supporting your team! Let’s have a great season everyone. See you in Arlington at the state championships!
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