Bowie and Austin High are ready to fill the void.
As District 26-6A play begins this week without longtime dominant powerhouses Westlake and Lake Travis – sent across the Bi-district bracket to join the Round Rock ISD schools in District 25-6A -- the Bowie Bulldogs and Austin High Maroons are eager to step out of their shadows. While Hays and Buda Johnson have joined them in the district, alongside fellow holdovers Dripping Springs and Akins, there’s no doubt that the district is far more up for grabs this year than it’s been in a long time.
That’s what makes Friday night’s (9/25) district-opener between longtime Austin ISD rivals Bowie and Austin High so important when they face off from House Park in our VYPE Central Texas Game of the Week.
Bowie seems especially poised to take advantage of 26-6A’s new reality. Head Coach Jeff Able’s Bulldogs (3-1) have raced out to a quick start, especially on offense where they’ve averaged a gaudy 51 points per game. They even scored 37 points in defeat against Vista Ridge in Week 2.
Junior quarterback Connor O’Dea (43-65, 656 Yds, 7 TD) has guided the Bowie offense admirably, connecting most frequently with senior receiver Evan Dranguet (17-258, 15.2 YPC, 2 TD). Yet the Dawgs feast on the running game where Senior Rhys Moreno (91-883, 9.7 YPC, 13 TD) has nearly racked up 1,000 yards already heading into just Week 5.
Seniors Cooper Medeiros (35 T, 2.0 TFL) and Cade Venable (32 T, 11 TFL, 5 Sacks) have paced a steady, if not overpowering defense that will be tested by Austin High’s emerging offense.
Coach Jason Cecil’s Maroons (0-3) are likely better than their record indicates. Austin High led SA Clark in an opener that was suspended and therefore not officially counted. They also led East View, a possible playoff team, into the 4th quarter last week and dropped another game to Westwood by just four points.
Senior Alijah Jablon settled into the starting role at quarterback last week and the Maroons have received good production as well from senior running back Niko Gabryluk-Melendez. Defensively, senior middle linebacker Ethan Kahle has been the anchor of a unit that’s kept the Maroons close as the offense develops while Omare Dawson nabbed a pick-6 last week.
With Westlake, Lake Travis and Dripping Springs leading the way, this game between Austin High and Bowie has been a de facto playoff game the past few seasons. While the district race is far more wide open this season, there are still only six district games to decide who plays in November and who starts Christmas shopping early.
Bowie vs. Austin High remains a marquee matchup in District 26-6A play.
What: Bowie vs. Austin High
When: 7:25 Pregame, 7:30 Kickoff
Where: House Park
Who: De Hansen, Stephen Foster, Colton Borger (Bowie Broadcast);
David Roy, Jae Head (Austin High Broadcast)
Watch: https://www.vype.com/7-30pm-football-austin-high-vs-bowie-2677923224 The Bowie broadcast is also streaming on the KVUE+ App.
Read More... Read Less
The 2026 VYPE Fort Bend ISD Fall Magazine is here to view. Be sure to check out the newest edition with amazing photography, great stories and much more within the pages! This gives you a full look into the 2026 VYPE Fort Bend ISD Fall Magazine!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE IN FULL
Thursday, Sept. 24
Frisco Wakeland at Denton Guyer at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.
The No. 11-ranked Guyer Wildcats will host Frisco Wakeland in a District 5-6A game. Guyer lost its last time out against Class 6A No. 1-ranked Waxahachie on Sept. 10, trailing 37-30 and in the red zone before a fumble return touchdown ended an upset bid. Like Guyer, the Wakeland Wolverines are coming off a bye. Both teams are 2-1.
Waxahachie at Dallas Skyline at Forester Field.
The Class 6A No. 1-ranked Indians, after winning two close games vs. Coppell and Denton Guyer, hammered Mansfield Lake Ridge, 63-27. WR Jordan Thompson-Woods had 4 catches and 4 TDs last game. Skyline is 2-2 and 0-1 in District 11-6A.
Friday, Sept. 25
Arlington Martin at Aledo at Tim Buchanan Stadium.
Aledo has won 136 straight district games dating back to 2007. The Bearcats will host a 4-0 Arlington Martin squad this week. Could the streak end?
Grapevine at Argyle at Argyle ISD Stadium.
This is a District 3-5A Division II opener for both teams. Argyle is 3-1 and has won three in a row since a Week 1 loss to Oak Ridge, California. Julian Caldwell had 240 yards and 4 touchdowns in last week’s win against Dallas Highland Park. Grapevine is 2-2 and has seemingly made progress after going 1-9 in 2025 and 0-10 in 2024.
Lancaster at Cedar Hill at Longhorn Stadium.
Lancaster enters as winners of 3 in a row since losing in Week 1 to defending Class 6A Division I champion Galena Park North Shore. The Tigers held Mansfield Summit to 66 yards rushing and 84 yards passing in a 21-7 win. Cedar Hill, like Lancaster, is 1-0 in District 8-5A Division I play. The Longhorns are coming off the first win of the season with a 38-28 win over Midlothian.
Flower Mound Edward S. Marcus at Lewisville at Lewisville ISD Stadium.
The Marauders will be underdogs in this game, facing a Fighting Farmers team ranked No. 13 in the state. This will be the District 5-6A opener for both teams — who were both idle last week. Marcus is 15-7 overall vs. Lewisville, but the Farmers have won the past 4 meetings.
Midlothian at DeSoto at Eagle Stadium.
DeSoto has won two in a row after a 0-2 start. A win over Burleson Centennial, 29-3, started the District 8-5A Division I portion of the schedule for Claude Mathis’ squad. Next up is a 2-2 Midlothian squad that lost two in a row.
Northwest Haslet V.R. Eaton at Southlake Carroll at Dragon Stadium.
The Eagles travel to Southlake, where the Dragons are coming off a win in the district opener against Keller Central. Southlake Carroll is 8-0 against the Eagles dating back to 2018 and the closest win for Carroll is 15 points. Last year, it was 66-7.
Princeton at Allen at Eagle Stadium.
Allen will look to go to 2-0 in District 6-6A play when Princeton comes to town. The Panthers are 2-2 and lost their district opener last week against Dallas Jesuit. Allen is 4-0 and has been steamrolling everyone this season. After a close start against Prosper, Allen won by 30.
Red Oak at Duncanville at Panther Stadium.
Red Oak is 3-1, while Duncanville is 1-3 heading into this District 11-6A clash. Red Oak is 1-0 in district play after beating Mansfield, 23-20, in its first 6A district game. Red Oak was 3-3 in district play last year and failed to make the playoffs. Duncanville, losers of two in a row, has not played Red Oak, dating back to at least 2004.
Celina at Frisco Panther Creek at David Kuykendall Stadium.
Panther Creek is already behind the 8-ball in the hunt for a district title in 4-5A Division II after losing to Anna in Week 3. The Panthers won 40-27 against Denison last week to even the district mark, but are still chasing Anna, which is 2-0 and 4-0 overall. Celina and Frisco are the teams with undefeated district marks, both 1-0. Celina, up from Class 4A Division I, is 3-0 under new coach Marc Bindel.
Read More... Read Less
aledo aledo bearcats aledo football allen eagles allen football argyle argyle football arlington martin arlington martin football celina bobcats celina football dallas fort worth high school sports dallas skyline dallas skyline football denton guyer denton guyer football desoto desoto eagles desoto football dfw football dfw high school football dfw high school sports eaton eagles eaton football frisco wakeland frisco wakeland football grapevine grapevine football lancaster football lancaster high school lancaster high school athletics lewisville lewisville football marcus football marcus marauders midlothian midlothian football panther creek panther creek football princeton southlake carroll dragons southlake carroll football waxahachie football waxahachie high school football texas high school football
TRENDING
GAMES
Join the #VYPETEAM
Get up to date news from all over the country!
FROM THE WEB
