Top 10 Non-District Games in 2026: 4A and 3A
The Top 10 4A and 3A non-district games of the 2026 Texas high school football season, including Columbus at Bay City, Sealy vs. Gunter and Texarkana Pleasant Grove vs. Kilgore.
Gunter has made the state semifinals every year since 2016. The big question for the Tigers this season – can they maintain that level of success while jumping from Class 3A DII to Class 3A DI? The season opener against Sealy is a perfect benchmark. For one, Sealy has gone 10-4 and 11-2 over the last two years as a Class 4A DII team. This game will also be played at a neutral site in Waco, giving it a playoff atmosphere and travel scenario.
But this is also an important game for a Sealy program that loses several three-year starters. The good news is that the rising junior and senior classes aren’t short on confidence. Both groups went undefeated as ninth-graders, and the JV team has lost only one game over the past two years combined.
For the first time in 12 years, Pleasant Grove's Josh Gibson won’t be on the sideline. Gibson stepped down to take a job in the private sector after compiling a 124-39 record with three state championship appearances. But his fingerprints will be all over this game. Kilgore head coach Clint Fuller was Gibson’s defensive coordinator at Pleasant Grove for three years and was a finalist for Dave Campbell’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019. New Pleasant Grove head coach Jonathan Darby first replaced Fuller as defensive coordinator, then five years later replaced Gibson as head coach.
Last year, Kilgore’s defense – among the best in the state – stuffed Pleasant Grove’s offense in an 18-6 win. But Pleasant Grove returns seven starters on offense, headlined by reigning District Offensive Player of the Year Colt Yancey at quarterback. Meanwhile, Kilgore must replace three All-State players on defense (DL Cameron Christian, LB/S Lakeyleon Graves, DB Jakalen Sheffield).
The changing of the guard – combined with the shared history between the coaching staffs – makes this one of the most intriguing season openers across the state.
I know last year’s score was lopsided. Carthage took home their 11th state championship in a 49-21 drubbing over West Orange-Stark. The score wasn’t even that close. Carthage had a 49-0 lead entering the fourth quarter and used the final 15 minutes to sub their starters off to standing ovations. But very rarely do we get a state championship rematch in non-district play, and I’ll put one on this list every single time.
Besides, I believe the 2026 matchup will be much more competitive. West Orange-Stark returns seven starters on each side of the ball from its first state championship appearance since 2017. RB Khelvy Jefferson is West Orange-Stark’s all-time leading rusher with 4,208 yards – an incredible feat considering running back is the position of record in West Orange-Stark, and he still has an entire season to go. LB Anterrion Fontenot is just as dominant on the defensive side. He earned First Team All-State as a junior with 169 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
Carthage, meanwhile, said goodbye to the most star-studded senior class in program history. QB Jett Surratt and RB KJ Edwards both rewrote the record book on offense, while the linebacker tandem of Qui Beck (Texas A&M) and Carson Crawford (Colorado) was among the state’s best. Don’t get me wrong: Carthage will be awesome. Coach Scott Surratt has more state championship rings (11) than playoff losses (8). But now the script has flipped, and West Orange-Stark has more preseason star power.
With this pick, I’m wishcasting that these two teams can run back last year’s thrilling 49-41 barn burner in which Cuero came out on top. Even if the game is similar, La Vernia (13-2) and Cuero (12-2) will look plenty different this year.
Cuero’s offense flowed through the electric passing tandem of QB Jaxxon Marie and WR Walker Dietze in 2025. This year, these Gobblers might gobble up yards on the ground more often. The running back tandem of Melo Perez (1,214 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Jordan Jones (645 yards, 13 touchdowns) is the team’s strength.
La Vernia, on the other hand, will be a much younger squad in 2026, with most of the competition for playing time coming from the freshmen and sophomore classes. The Bears will still be finding leaders this early in the season, but they have a solid core of seniors with S Matthew Lindsey (109 tackles, 15 PBU, 5 INT), TE Wyatt Frank (610 yards, 12 pancakes, 5 TD), and QB Cooper Null (1,100 passing yards, 1,500 rushing yards, 40 total TD).
If this were a Week 1 game, I probably wouldn’t have picked it. Canyon West Plains has undergone almost an entire change of the guard this offseason. The Wolves said goodbye to a historic senior class – the first to attend Canyon West Plains for all four seasons and a 35-8 record over the last three seasons. The program’s only head coach ever, Adam Cummings, also moved to Canyon ISD’s Executive Director of Schools and Leadership position.
But I think new head coach Jeff Lofton, elevated from assistant head coach this offseason, will have these Wolves rolling by Week 5. Canyon West Plains returns a dynamic three-year starter on both sides of the ball. RB Slade Russell was All-State last year with 2,002 yards and 24 touchdowns. LB Cash Lofton was also All-State with 143 tackles and 16 tackles-for-loss.
Canyon West Plains will need to be at peak performance for Stephenville. The Yellow Jackets return seven starters on each side of the ball from last year’s Class 4A DI State Championship team. While the defense must replace a legendary senior class, the offense should hit the ground running with the return of the state’s offensive player of the year in QB Trot Jordan, All-State center Cooper Doty, and 1,700-yard running back Zyler McClendon.
If we had College GameDay for Texas High School Football, you’d turn on your TV, see Franklin and Newton’s helmets facing each other on the desk, and all would feel right in the world. These two programs symbolize TXHSFB. Franklin has played varsity ball since 1915 and reached at least the third round of the playoffs 13 times in the last 15 years. Newton has eight state championship appearances: the first was way back in 1974, and the last was just this past year, when the Eagles came one point short of a state championship.
This game is an important measuring stick for a Franklin program that has questions about its depth on both lines of scrimmage and size in the backfield. Newton, headlined by Houston commit Kendray Porter Jr (2,400 rushing yards, 40 TD), is a big, physical team. Franklin must lean on senior TE AJ Phillips (6-foot-5, 245) and two-way lineman Ryder Klein. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound rising junior had 83 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and three sacks last season.
Earlier this month, I listed new Palestine Westwood head coach Randy Pippin as one of the 10 first-year head coaches who could win a state championship. That sounds crazy on the surface, considering the Panthers have played varsity football since 1961 and never reached the third round of the playoffs. But with Texas Tech QB commit Kavian Bryant at the forefront of 17 returning starters, I’m asking ‘If not now, then when?’
We’ll find out whether or not Palestine Westwood is state championship material in Week 2 against Malakoff. Of course, the Panthers could lose this game and get better as the season progresses, especially considering Pippin didn’t officially take over until June 1. But it’s an important benchmark nonetheless. Malakoff’s 8-4 record last year, an excellent season for most, was the lowest win total since 2012. Coach Jamie Driskell and the core of his staff have been at Malakoff for 18 years and compiled a 181-40 record. They’re confident the experience at QB with Canyon Marsh and on the offensive line will result in a big leap.
Commerce’s Aidan Brown versus Edgewood’s Trevor Golightly is the best quarterback matchup on this list. Both are dynamic dual-threats. Brown (6-foot, 195) had 2,325 passing yards, 1,600 rushing yards, and 52 total touchdowns. Golightly (6-foot, 220) put up video game numbers himself with 3,391 passing yards, 1,198 rushing yards, and 54 total touchdowns.
Their supporting casts are polar opposites. Brown has more proven skill weapons, but also a more inexperienced offensive line than Golightly. Commerce returns 1,200-yard running back Ky’Mani Graham and two-way star Donovan Maria (632 receiving yards, nine touchdowns, 61 tackles, two interceptions). Edgewood's offensive line has four standout players. Seniors Camron Love (6-foot, 260, reigning District OL of the Year) and Triston Linzy (6-foot, 270, First Team All-District) are the leaders. C Brendan Mulligan plays far bigger than his listed 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame, earning First Team All-District accolades. Adam Pool (6-foot-7, 300 pounds) was a Second Team All-District pick.
I honestly have no idea what could happen in this game, which is what makes it so exciting. Wall, fresh off its first state championship in program history, returns just three starters on each side of the ball. I wouldn’t put it past Coach Craig Slaughter to come out in Week 2 with an entirely new offense. Wall changed from the flexbone veer to the spread two seasons ago to highlight QB Landon York’s skillset and a deep wide receiver corps headlined by Reid Robertson. But most of those kids who benefited from the scheme change have graduated. Jim Ned (11-2) also graduated the bulk of its key players from back-to-back third-round playoff trips. The Indians bring back three starters TOTAL.
This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.
We've been the Bible of Texas football fans for over 60 years. By joining the DCTX Family you'll gain access to all of our exclusive content and have our magazines mailed to you!