The Early Longhorns won their sixth consecutive season opener, downing Merkel, 35-26, a week ago.

Now, Early will attempt to avoid the skid that followed the first game of head coach Marvin Wilson's initial campaign.

The Longhorns (1-0) travel to face the Breckenridge Buckaroos (0-1), who dropped their first outing of 2026 to Comanche, at 7:30 p.m. Friday.