As high school football season approaches, the goal all over the Houston area is the same

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- For every high school football player in the Houston area and around the state of Texas, the goal is the same. [ABC13 Eyewitness News]

High school football programs across Texas are preparing for the upcoming season with championship aspirations and renewed rosters heading into opening weekend Thursday, Aug. 27.

At Brennan High School in San Antonio, head coach Stephen Basore's squad enters the campaign as the predicted District 29-6A champion according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football publication. The Bears finished last season with a 10-2 overall record and compiled a 7-1 district mark before bowing out in the area round of the playoffs with a 13-7 loss to Lake Travis. Brennan will field 10 returning starters this year, split evenly between offense and defense. The program will prepare for its Friday, Aug. 28 regular-season opener against Vandegrift at Farris Stadium at 7:30 p.m., with a scrimmage against East Central scheduled for Thursday night.

In the Houston area, Spring Branch Memorial High School and Fulshear High School held their initial fall scrimmage, marking a notable reunion for two coaching staffs. Brooks Haack, who leads Memorial, and Stephen Hill, Fulshear's head coach, previously worked together as co-offensive coordinators for a state championship squad at Randle during the 2024 season.

Memorial enters the new season off a historic campaign, going undefeated in district play. Fulshear, meanwhile, finished Hill's inaugural year as head coach with a 7-4 record. Both programs are transitioning into new district alignments this season and feature relatively young rosters. Haack emphasized the difficulty of achieving ultimate success in the state's competitive landscape. "So much has to go right," he said. "So many of the pieces have to fall in the right place."

The two schools will rely on experienced leaders to guide developing talent. Memorial linebacker Jackson Van Wie cited the team's defensive youth, noting that five experienced players return. "We got a whole new group coming in," Van Wie said. "We had five returners on the defense, so some fresh faces. So we're excited about the season."

Fulshear's roster similarly blends youth with veteran presence. Senior running back Jayelen Collins articulated the squad's lofty goals. "Goal for the team: 16-0 easy," Collins said. "After the weight room, we got 16 push-ups to represent us going 16-0 and going to state this year."

Senior linebacker Ryland Forks echoed the importance of team cohesion amid roster transitions. "We're really focused on coming together as a team," Forks said. "We're young, and we've got some guys that are going to shine this year for sure, some young guys. So we're ready to get out there and start winning some games."

Both programs, along with schools statewide, harbor championship dreams with the state tournament scheduled for Dec. 16-19 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.