GAMES
RANKINGS
The featured standouts of the 2026–27 Memorial Mustangs football team.
VYPE Houston 2026 Football Preview | District 20-6A: SBISD, HISD, Alief Make for Competitive District
Lamar Texans
Stratford Spartans
Heights Bulldogs
Bellaire Cardinals
Alief Taylor Lions
Westside Wolves
Elsik Rams
Hastings Bears
*Teams in bold are projected playoff contenders
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VYPE PRESEASON AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Grant Sperandio, Memorial
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jayden Robins, Lamar
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kristopher Connor, Bellaire
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Marvin Alexander, Stratford
ON THE CUSP: Heights Bulldogs
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Lamar Texans
Matt Powell (VYPE)
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Brooks Haack enters his second year at the helm of the Memorial football program. In his inaugural season, the Mustangs went 10-2 and reached the Area Round. A dozen starters return to the mix for Haack, including Georgetown-commit Jackson Van Wie at defensive back. Vane Wie had 100 tackles a year ago. Quarterback Grant Sperandio returns after passing for 2,000 yards and more than 20 touchdowns a year ago. He will pace the offense. Other key returners include Georgetown-commit Myles Goebel and Carnegie Mellon-commit Jacob Espinoza. The three keys to success for Haack’s team this year include health, physicality and grit.
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Lamar is coming off a season where they went 8-4 overall and 6-0 in district play. The Texans reached the Area Round of the playoffs and have been in the big dance for the past 18 years. Ninth-year coach Michael Lindsey brings back nine starters to the team including dual-threat QB Jayden Robins, who was named the District 18-6A Offensive MVP last season. Lindsey considers him a “gamechanger” and “has all the tools”. Robins finished with 1,122 yards passing and 16 TDs and rushed for another 320 yards and two scores. Colorado-commit Prince Washington holds down the secondary as a three-year starter with great speed. Other key returners include WR JaCarsten Landor (839 career receiving yards, 12 TDs - multiple DI offers), RB Kaze Bryan (10.3 yards per carry on 50 carries; 6 TDs) and LB Jaxon Richmond (3-year starter - multiple DI offers) and center Seth Lim (lone returning starter on OLine). Keys to success include the play of the offensive line and defensive back group.
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Stratford reached the Area Round a year ago and finished 5-7 overall. Todd Rankin enters his 10th season of leading the program, which returns six starters for this season. The offensive line will be anchored by TCU-commit Ty Greene, who is making the move to the offensive side of the ball after playing defense in 2025. Other key returners include defensive edge Callan Kirk, who is an “instinctive and athletic force” on the defense. Rankin will look to him to lead the defense in 2026. Offensive guard Nate Edwards is “tenacious” and will set the tone on the OL and OT Marvin Alexander is expected to have a big sophomore year after becoming a varsity starter during the playoffs. Keys to success include having quick growth with the young skill players on offense and defense, finding a run game and being a better tackling defensive unit.
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Heights went 6-5 overall a year ago and posted a 5-1 mark in district play to earn a playoff slot. The Bulldogs reached the Bi-District Round where they fell to now new district foe Stratford. First-team, all-district selections QB Kobe Miles, RB Phelan Powell, OL Felix Mora and TE Jack Whisenhunt are set to return on offense in 2026. Powell led the team with 610 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Second-team receivers Micah Olivia and Nelson Rodriguez are also set to be back. Defensively, first-team, all-district selection Ashton Davis (DB - 40 tackles) and second-teamers Domingo Herrera (OLB - 51 tackles) and Tristan Hadley (Deep Snapper) return....
The Bellaire Cards went 6-5 overall a year ago and reached the Bi-District Round of the playoffs. The Cardinals bring back a handful of talent including first-team, all-district OL Paul Wallace up front who will set the tone in the trenches. Second-team, all-district all-purpose back Jake Brasington is back after finishing second on the team in receiving yards with 347 and chipped in 61 yards on the ground. Defensively, first-team, all-district ILB Kristopher Connor and second-team, all-district DL Sifredis Romero and DB Keaton Davis are set to return as well. Connor led the team with 99 tackles and 14 tackles for loss last season. He also had two interceptions as well. Romero chipped in 28 tackles and one sack, while Davis reeled in two interceptions.
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The Alief Taylor Lions are coming off a 4-6 campaign in 2025 and just barely missed the playoffs. Alief Taylor brings back plenty of talent including first-team, all-district QB Nick Kongolo, RB Hameer Shokunle and ILB Danilo Penso. Second-team, all-district selections Jaylon Leonard (OL), Ikenna Nwawueze (LB) and Arthur Rogers (DL).
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Westside is coming off a season that saw them go 2-8 overall. The Wolves return four starters off that team as Cedric Allen enters his fourth season of leading the program. Players to watch this season for Westside include QB Gavin Meador, DT Roderick Chambers, RB Cordie Kimble, WR Worldens Saint Jean, Safety Christian Ellis, OL Emmanuel Griffin and LB Roger Dingamnarbe. Keys to success for Westside in 2026 include getting stops on defense in key moments and controlling the game by running well on the offensive side of the ball, according to Allen....
The Elsik Rams went 2-8 overall and missed the playoffs. Alief Elsik dropped its final four games of the season. The Rams return Newcomer of the Year Horatio Washington at WR, while first-team, all-district picks Ontario Washington (WR), Koi Reed (DL) and Jonathan Molina (K). Also returning is second-team, all-district selection Curshawn Johnson on the offensive line.
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The Hastings Bears are coming off a 1-9 season in 2025. Alief Hastings returns first-team, all-district Kenneth Alfonso (DL), and second-team selections Matthew Onwuchuruba (RB) and David Umah (ILB). Onwuchuruba rushed for 736 yards and averaged 81.8 yards per game.
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Alief Elsik's Kaden Mendenhall
STUDENT OF THE GAME: How Experience and Drive are Elevating Mendenhall, Alief Elsik
Now entering his final year, Mendenhall stands as the catalyst for a rising Rams program with plenty to prove and even more to gain.
His breakout 2024 season—where he threw for more than 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 343 yards and five more scores—earned him first-team, all-district honors and helped guide Elsik to its first playoff appearance under a new 20-6A district slate.
Yet for Mendenhall, last year was just the beginning.
2025-26 Alief Elsik FootballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“This year is going to be about execution,” he said. “There were several games last season where we were right there with the other sideline, but we just didn’t seal the deal. Finishing games will be a focal point for us.”
Elsik finished fourth in district play and fell in the first round of the postseason to perennial powerhouse Katy—a program with a long standing tradition of deep playoff runs. That loss sharpened the focus for what’s ahead. With a talented core returning on both sides of the ball, expectations within the locker room are growing—and Mendenhall is leading the charge.
“From my perspective, the biggest thing will be to continue striving to be the best leader I possibly can,” he added. “That relates to body language, and making sure that my actions speak louder than my words.”
Part of Mendenhall’s growth as a quarterback has come from learning how to impact the game beyond his arm. Once more of a pocket passer, he’s added a dangerous element with his legs—something he credits to both personal development and studying the playing styles of dual-threat quarterbacks like Cam Newton and Jayden Daniels.
“I wasn’t too active with my legs early on, and making that change adds another level to the offense,” he said. “It also allows me to be a little more evasive in the pocket and be able to distribute the ball better.”
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
This summer, Mendenhall took that growth a step further by training alongside recently drafted NFL quarterbacks Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans) and Shedeur Sanders (Cleveland Browns). The experience gave him a window into the demands of the next level—and what it takes to reach it.
“I got to see their work ethic, their leadership qualities, and how they carry themselves when the cameras aren’t around,” he said. “It was incredible to work out with guys who have reached the level I’m hoping to achieve.”
A product of Alief ISD schools since elementary, Mendenhall’s journey has been built in the same environment he now represents under center.
“Being around for the early days all the way to this point, I’ve gotten to see plenty of older guys and role models, and learn from their successes and failures,” he said. “So many people comeback to this community for a reason—and I can see myself doing the same thing further down the road.”
For now, his focus remains locked on the present. And as the 2025 season looms, Mendenhall and the Rams aren’t just hoping for more—they’re preparing to earn it.