BUY THE STOCK: Class 4A Programs Ready to Bounce Back
Class 4A Texas high school football teams that are ready to bounce back in 2026 include the Aubrey Chapparals, Palestine Wildcats, Van Alstyne Panthers, and Waco Connally Cadets.
Normally, the fact that Palestine hasn’t had a winning season since 2020 and just hired a new head coach on May 11 would scare me off the scent. But not many head coaches have a resume like Ty Robinson. Most recently, Robinson turned Crawford from 3-9 to 10-2 in one year. In 2024, he led Woodville to its first-ever state championship appearance. Robinson also isn’t a complete stranger to Palestine’s program, having served as the defensive coordinator from 2010-13. With Robinson at the helm, 16 returning starters, and help from a 5-5 JV team, we expect Palestine to make a big jump from last year’s 1-9 record.
Coach Mikeal Miller has only had three losing seasons in 17 years at Van Alstyne. With 16 returning starters and help from a 10-0 JV team, we predict Van Alstyne will drastically improve upon its 4-6 record.
The offense returns nine starters and will run through RB Xavier Vidaurri (5-foot-10, 190), who earned First Team All-District honors with 606 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The Panthers should be balanced, however, with Swiss Army Knife WR Cayden Benedict and 6-foot-2, 180-pound Tim Moore, who missed all but three games last season with injury. Coach Miller says Moore has next-level talent and speed. This bevy of skill-position talent will help new starting QB Cason Howard, a junior whom Coach Miller describes as an up-and-coming dual threat.
Waco Connally (3-7) needed a shot of adrenaline after missing the playoffs for just the second time since 2018. We like head coach Willie Carter’s hiring for multiple reasons. He proved himself as the offensive coordinator on back-to-back District Championship teams at Arlington Bowie. He’s also a young coach who played running back at Tulsa and in the NFL, a perfect resume for one of the state’s most underrated DI factories at Connally. He won’t have to hold dual duties as an AD/HFC. Connally moved former head coach Terry Gerik into an AD-only role for Carter to lean on as a mentor. Finally, he was an assistant under former head coach Shane Anderson when the team went 8-4 and 12-1.
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