I mention “at best” because Mother Nature did her best to disrupt and delay the start of the 2026 Texas High School season and often succeeded. Several games were delayed, cancelled or suspended in progress while others endured lengthy weather delays and finished in the wee hours.
That’s why Mother Nature is listed atop our inaugural Austin are football Power Rankings of 2026, tied with Lake Travis who will open their season this week. Despite the adverse conditions, there were a few intriguing clues revealed about the new season.
Vandegrift waited three hours to resume play, fell behind by 11 and came back to win on the road in overtime.
Westlake defeated Ingleside from Cali in a nationally intriguing match up whose “apples to oranges” intra-state nature did pundits who like to comparison shop no favors.
Weiss held off Round Rock in a good powerhouse match up to lead the 5A schools while Anderson picked up a convincing road win to start their season. Bowie looked uber impressivein a big win over McNeil while Cedar Park’s return to prominence seems close with a thrilling win over former district rival A&M Consolidated.
Further down, Liberty Hill and Georgetown started their seasons on the right note to knock on the Top 10’s door while Austin LBJ picked up a nice road win to debut as the area’s highest 4A team.
All-in-all, an intriguing start to the season.
So, we’ve thrown some darts at the dart board after Week 1, pinned the tail on the donkey and come up with our first Power Ranking of 2026
.VYPE Austin Top 20 Combined Class 4A-6A.
VYPE Austin Top 20 Combined Class 4A-6A*Last parentheses indicates most recent game result.
TOP 20 RANKINGS
(NR) Mother Nature (NR)
1. Lake Travis Cavaliers (6A) 0-0 (DNP)
2. (NR) Dripping Springs Tigers (6A) 0-0 (DNP)
3. (NR) Vandegrift Vipers (6A) 1-0 (W-OT 28-21 @ SA Brennan)
3. (NR) Westlake Chaparrals (6A) 1-0 (W 33-26 vs. Ingleside, CA)
4. (NR) Weiss Wolves (5A-1) 1-0 (W 42-28 @ Round Rock)
5. (NR) Anderson Trojans (5A-1) 1-0 (W 34-6 @ Buda Johnson)
6. (NR) Bowie Bulldogs (6A) 1-0 (W 62-14 vs. McNeil)
7. (NR) Hutto Hippos (6A) 0-1 (L 53-50 vs. Harker Heights)
8. (NR) Round Rock Dragons (6A) 0-1 (L 42-28 vs. Weiss)
9. (NR) Bastrop Bears (5A-2) 0-1 (L 52-34 @ Montgomery Lake Creek)
10. (NR) Cedar Park Timberwolves (6A) 1-0 (W 40-35 vs. A&M Consolidated)
11. (NR) Liberty Hill (5A-2) 1-0 (W 34-30 vs. Killeen)
12. (NR) Georgetown Eagles (5A-1) 1-0 (W 28-20 vs. Temple)
13. (NR) LBJ Austin Jaguars (4A-1) 1-0 (W 42-33 @ Sam Houston)
14. (NR) Cedar Ridge Raiders (6A) 1-0 (W 21-6 vs. East View)
15. (NR) Hays Hawks (6A) 1-0 (W 29-27 @ San Marcos)
16. (NR) San Marcos Rattlers (6A) 0-1 (L 29-27 vs. Hays)
17. (NR) Pflugerville Panthers (5A-2) 1-0 (W 25-21 vs. Leander)
18. (NR) Wimberley Texans (4A-2) 0-0 (Cancelled)
19. (NR) Glenn Grizzlies (5A-1) 1-0 (W 14-3 @ Stony Point, Susp.)
20. (NR) Legacy Ranch Wranglers (5A-2) (W 59-0 vs. Manor New Tech)
....
VYPE Austin Top 5 Private Schools
*Last parentheses indicates most recent game result
1. (NR) Regents Knights (TAPPS D2) 1-0 (W 45-14 @ Brazos Christian)
2. (NR) St. Michael’s Warriors (TAPPS D1) 2-0 (W 21-10 @ Covenant)
3. (NR) Hyde Park Panthers (TAPPS D2) 0-1 (BYE)
4. (NR) St. Andrew’s (Southwest Prep) 1-0 (Cancelled)
5. (NR) Brentwood Christian (TAPPS FL) 1-1 (L 54-14 @ Central Texas Christian)
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