BUY THE STOCK: Class 5A Programs Ready to Bounce Back
The case for Lancaster Tigers, Laredo Martin Tigers, Nederland Bulldogs, and McKinney North Bulldogs as TXHSFB teams to buy stock in after a down season.
Lancaster missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season. But the combination of new coach Stephen Jackson and a move down from 6A to 5A (and out of the District of Doom) has us bullish on the Tigers in 2026.
Jackson went 22-3 in two years at West Mesquite, a program that had not had a winning season in the six years before he arrived. Lancaster has a loaded roster with blue-chip recruits like junior safety James Foster III (6-foot-3, 210), RB Victor Scott (6-foot, 190), and LB Amir Adkinson (6-foot-3, 210). An undefeated JV team will help fill in any roster holes.
After starting the Scott Rich era with a 7-1 record in 2024, Nederland has skidded to 3-10 ever since. But the Bulldogs are primed for a bounce-back with 17 returning starters and help from an 8-2 JV team and 10-0 freshman team. The new District 10-5A DII is also wide open behind Port Neches-Groves. No other program won more than six games last season.
Senior LB Colt Sheppard (80 tackles, six TFL) and 6-foot-3, 283-pound DL Levi Wright (32 tackles, seven TFL, two sacks in eight games) headline a defense that returns 10 starters. Rising junior CB Takorian Scott (39 tackles, one TFL, one forced fumble) earned Second Team All-District honors in a breakout season. The offense will run through Jaedon Ned (5-foot-8, 180), who rushed for 917 yards and 10 touchdowns in just seven games.
New Laredo Martin Coach Joel Lopez may be a fresh face, but he’s no stranger to South Texas football. Lopez has compiled a 168-128 record over 29 seasons as a head coach. In the early 2000s, he led Laredo Nixon to five consecutive district championships and 32-straight district wins. But don’t mistake this veteran ball coach for being stuck in his ways. Laredo Martin will implement a no-huddle Air Raid offense with an attacking 4-3 defense. Junior RB Angel Valdez is a reigning First Team All-District performer with 4.6 40-yard dash speed. Fellow junior Alex Labra was a standout sophomore from the cornerback spot, earning Second Team All-District.
The Bulldogs’ 3-7 finish last year was an outlier. The program has made the playoffs in eight of the last ten years. With nine returning starters on offense and help from an 8-2 JV team, we think Coach Kendall Brewer’s ball club will make the playoffs again in 2026. Surpassing Frisco Lone Star and Melissa will be tall tasks, but McKinney North and Frisco Reedy should fight for the No. 3 seed. The other four Frisco ISD schools (Heritage, Centennial, Lebanon Trail, and Liberty) haven’t made the playoffs since Heritage went 6-5 in 2022.
Senior DL Eli Harris (6-foot-3, 270) is a two-time team captain and First Team All-District performer who posted 45 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 14.5 sacks in 2025. Senior J’Ron Brown (5-foot-9, 165) is the team’s iron man who plays almost every snap on offense and defense. He had 1,011 all-purpose yards, six touchdowns, and five pass breakups.
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