North Shore and head coach Willie Gaston will be chasing a seventh state title in 2026.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
With the beginning of the 2026 Houston high school football season less than three weeks away, there is a lot to keep an eye on throughout the area. From the powerhouse programs to the national-level talent to the coaching milestones and just some fun and interesting notes, here are 100 facts and stats to know.
1. With a seventh UIL state title this season, North Shore would join an elite club that currently includes only 11 programs: Aledo (12), Carthage (11), Celina (9), Katy (9), Richland Springs (9), Mart (8), Southlake Carroll (8), Abilene (7), Brownwood (7), Plano (7) and Stephenville (7).
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2. Katy has the most all-time wins of any current Class 6A program in the Houston area with 659. That ranks 46th in state history. Dallas-area powerhouse Highland Park is No, 1, regardless of classification, with 912 wins.
3. Katy also has the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons (35) in the Houston area. That streak started in 1991 and was extended last year as the Tigers went 10-3 and won yet another district championship.
4. Ridge Point has the longest active district winning streak in the Houston area at 44 games. That dates back to the 2019 season. North Shore had won 57 straight district games before Summer Creek ended that streak last season.
5. Randle scored 862 points last season, averaging 53.8 per game. It’s the most total points scored by a Houston-area team. Ever.
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Randle running back Landen Williams-Callis, who is committed to Texas, is the first high school player to appear alone on the cover of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football in 26 years.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
6. Randle star running back Landen Williams-Callis enters the season with 7,554 career rushing yards. He needs 185 yards to pass 1978 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims (Hooks) for 19th place on the state’s all-time list.
7. Williams-Callis needs 749 rushing yards to pass his cousin, former Lamar Consolidated star and NFL running back Jacquizz Rodgers, for 11th place on the list.
BY THE NUMBERS: Returning stats leaders for Houston area
8. Williams-Callis needs 870 rushing yards to pass Midland Lee and Texas Longhorns legend Cedric Benson for ninth place. This summer, Williams-Callis became the first solo athlete to appear on the cover of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine since … Cedric Benson in 2000.
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9. Williams-Callis needs 3,829 to pass former Mount Enterprise star Kaegan Ash (11,329) and become the leading rusher in the history of Texas high school football.
10. North Forest senior Javeon Taylor and Wheatley senior Peter Dorsey, who both play in the same district, combined for 50 sacks last season. Taylor led all Houston-area returners with 26 sacks last season, while Dorsey is second on the list with 24.
11. There were 18 players statewide, across all classifications, who passed for more than 3,000 yards last season. Six of them were from the Houston area, and three of them are returning in 2026: Willis’ Lincoln Frazier, Summer Creek’s Noah Spinks and Dickinson’s Lorenzo Aguirre.
Summer Creek fans will have a preseason top-10 team to cheer on in 2026.
Jason Fochtman
12. There are 10 teams from the Houston area (40%) in the top 25 of the Class 6A preseason state rankings: (2) North Shore, (3) C.E. King, (5) Summer Creek, (10) Dickinson, (11) Atascocita, (14) Katy, (15) Ridge Point, (17) College Park, (21) Cypress Ranch and (22) Shadow Creek.
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13. Summer Creek’s enrollment has shifted the dynamic of the new District 17-6A. With 4,110 students, the Bulldogs now have the second-largest school behind North Shore (4,151.5), and assuming they make the playoffs, they’ll go to the Division I bracket no matter what.
14. North Shore’s Willie Gaston (43-4), Summer Creek’s Kenny Harrison (141-68), C.E. King’s Cory Laxen (13-3) and Atascocita’s Kyle Coats (23-12) have a combined head coaching record of 220-87 (.717 winning percentage). All four will be coaching in the same district this season.
15. Gaston, who led North Shore to its sixth state title last season, has a winning percentage of .915. Two of his four losses came in the 2023 state title game and the 2024 semifinals. The other two came against South Oak Cliff and Summer Creek during last year’s regular season.
16. North Shore has the most consecutive 14-win seasons in state history with eight (2018-25). The Mustangs have won 118 games over those eight years. The next schools on the list are Austin Westlake (2019-24) and Allen (2012-17), which each have six.
17. Yates outscored its eight district opponents 463-49 last season. The Lions averaged 58 points per game during that stretch with a 71-point performance against Furr.
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Yates running back Jordan Simmons posted eye-popping averages as a junior.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
18. Yates senior Jordan Simmons averaged 12.7 yards per carry, 26.1 yards per catch and 37.5 yards per punt return last season. With 1,691 all-purpose yards, he averaged 20.8 yards per touch.
19. Out of the 92 Houston-area teams set to play in Class 6A this season, Cypress Falls (9-4 last season) and Eisenhower (6-5) have the most returning starters on offense (9). Sam Rayburn (5-5) has the most returning starters on defense (11).
20. College Park senior kicker Beckett Cocke made 20 field goals last season, accounting for 20.8% of the Cavaliers total points scored. Eight of those came from 40-plus yards out.
21. C.E. King junior receiver Dillon Mitchell averaged 21.7 yards per reception last season. He had eight games with at least one catch of 30-plus yards.
RELATED: Records that could be broken this season
22. Katy junior David Olotu-Judah and Waller junior Weston Hubertus each had seven interceptions last season, leading the way for all Houston-area players in Class 6A.
23. La Porte junior running back Sean Simon averaged 219.1 rushing yards per game in 2025. Assuming he plays 10 games in each of the next two seasons, his career pace of 180.6 yards per game would put him at 7,405 yards. That would place him sixth in Houston-area history.
24. Milby receiver Artavion Davis came within 67 yards of the Houston-area single-game receiving yards record (419) in last season’s opener. He finished that game with 352.
25. Davis accounted for 47.7% of the Buffaloes’ catches last year with 94. He accounted for 52.8% of the team’s receiving yardage (1,602) and 66.6% of the touchdown catches (22).
Milby receiver Artavion Davis had 22 touchdown catches in 2025.
Courtesy of Milby Football
26. Cypress Ranch senior quarterback Braden Baker had six games with a completion rate of 70% or better last season. He had two games with a completion rate of 80% or better.
27. Summer Creek quarterback Noah Spinks and Milby quarterback Gabriel Gutierrez each recorded eight touchdown passes in a game last season, tied for third in Houston-area history.
28. Cy-Fair head coach Jeff Miller needs just seven wins to reach 200 for his career. The Bobcats finished 7-4 last season and should be a playoff contender once again with 15 returning starters.
29. Katy head coach Gary Joseph needs 14 wins to reach 300 for his career. The five-time state champion has 286 victories and trails only Lamar’s Tom Nolen (307) in Houston-area history.
30. North Forest senior Da’Veon Perkins recorded nine interceptions last season and returned five of them for touchdowns. He had three games with multiple interceptions.
Kingwood quarterback Landon Hinson is the program’s standard bearer at the position.
Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer
31. Kingwood senior quarterback Landon Hinson holds the program’s single-season and career marks in both passing yards (2,553/3,488) and touchdown passes (29/43).
32. Hightower senior Carson White is 36-5 (.878 winning percentage) as a starting quarterback.
33. Shadow Creek has two players who are the sons of Super Bowl champions: Junior Jaylen Addai, the son of running back Joseph Addai; and B.J. LaFell, the son of receiver Brandon LaFell.
34. Speaking of NFL pedigree, Angleton cornerback Kasen Jammer is the son of former NFL corner Quentin Jammer, the nephew of former NFL defensive back Quandre Diggs and the cousin of Cam Ward, the Titans’ starting quarterback and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
35. Out of the top 50 players in the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings for the class of 2027 in Texas, 16 (32%) are from Houston-area schools. The Dallas-Fort Worth area has 21 (42%).
36. Westfield senior defenders Jordin Jones (26), Jalin Jones (17), Davon Smith (24) and Antonio Underwood (24) combined for 91 tackles for loss last season.
37. Cypress Falls senior edge rushers Kaden McCarty (26) and James Harris Jr. (23) combined for and 49 tackles for loss last season.
38. La Marque junior running back Dameon Smith averaged 37.1 yards per kickoff return last season, piling up 297 yards on eight returns.
39. Fort Bend Crawford had an average margin of victory of 36.5 points in its 12 wins last season. The Chargers scored 30-plus points in 11 of their 14 games (78.6%). They scored 40-plus points in nine games (64.3%) and tallied 50-plus in seven games (50%). They also scored 60-plus twice.
40. Columbus, No. 1 in the preseason state rankings for Class 3A Division I, returns 10 starters on offense from a team that went 11-3 and reached the regional final.
41. During his seven-year tenure as Columbus’ head coach, former NFL player Matt Schobel has guided his teams to a combined 83-16 record with a 23-6 mark in the playoffs and a state championship in 2024.
42. Dickinson finished the 2025 season with a 13-1 record. That win total matched the program record, also achieved by the Gators in both 2014 and the 1977 state championship season.
43. Ridge Point has eight starters returning to a defense that allowed just 12 points per game last season. The Panthers surrendered just 10.2 points per game in their 11 victories.
44. One of Ridge Point’s returning starters is safety/linebacker Aaron Williams, whose uncle is former University of Texas and Kansas City Chiefs legend Derrick Johnson.
45. During his time as the offensive coordinator at San Antonio Johnson, new College Park head coach Michael Buro helped the Jaguars average 40.1 points per game and 7.8 yards per play. During the 2025 season, his offense set a new school record with 6,122 total yards.
46. Since its first varsity season in 2018, Shadow Creek has a record of 83-17 (.830 winning percentage). The Sharks have never lost more than four games in a single season.
47. Since the program’s inception, Shadow Creek’s season leaders in touchdown passes have combined for 222. That works out to 27.7 per season. Kyron Drones set the single-season record in 2019 with 46. Senior Tavis Coleman, the returning starter, had 37 last season.
48. Pearland made history in 2025, recording the program’s ninth undefeated regular season since 1949 (1950, 1962, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2018).
49. Pearland averaged 271.7 rushing yards per game and 7.6 rushing yards per carry in 2025. The Oilers rushed for 300-plus yards five times, including a season-high 371 against Manvel.
50. The Woodlands is seeking its 32nd consecutive playoff appearance this season, a streak that dates back to 1995. During that stretch, the Highlanders have won 16 district titles (51.6%).
51. The Woodlands allowed just 16.1 points and 88.8 passing yards per game on defense last season. The 2026 defense will be led by Magnus Herndon, who had 16 of the team’s 46 sacks as a junior.
The Woodlands edge rusher Magnus Herndon had 16 sacks in 2025.
Courtesy of The Woodlands Football
52. Over the past three seasons (41 games), Willis has averaged 47.4 points per game under head coach Trent Miller. The Wildkats scored 700-plus total points in 2023 and 2024.
53. During that same stretch, Willis has a 35-6 overall record and a 23-1 mark in district play.
54. Over the past two seasons, Bridgeland senior running back Kash Schwab has averaged 9.9 yards per offensive touch (206 carries, 38 catches), piling up 3.424 total yards.
55. Manvel had the unique designation of being the only team in the Houston area to score 70 points in the first round of the 2025 playoffs and give up 70 points in the second round.
56. During its 70-35 playoff victory against Hightower, Manvel rushed for a season-high 446 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per carry as a team.
57. Cy-Fair senior quarterback Sean Riegler had at least one completion of 29 or more yards in all 11 games last season. That included a season-long 94-yarder against Cypress Falls.
58. Lamar has made the playoffs for 26 consecutive seasons. The Texans have won 19 district titles during that stretch and have won district titles in 15 of the last 16 seasons (93.7%).
59. Lamar has not lost a district game since 2020. The Texans’ streak currently sits at 30 games.
60. Tomball has won at least eight games every season since 2021. The Cougars have a 46-20 record (.696 winning percentage) during that stretch.
61. Klein averaged 422.6 rushing yards per game last season. The Bearkats rushed for 400-plus yards in five of their 10 games. They rushed for 500-plus three times and 600-plus twice. Their season-high was 663 as they averaged 13.3 yards per carry in a victory over Tomball Memorial.
62. Goose Creek Memorial ended the program’s 34-game district losing streak last season with a win over Channelview. The Patriots also averaged 63 points per game during their 3-0 start.
63. With new head coach Charles Brown leading the way, Aldine enters this season with hopes of ending the program’s 72-game district losing streak.
64. Yates has the highest all-time winning percentage (minimum of 500 games) of any Houston-area program at .712. The Woodlands (.698) is second, and Katy (.681) is third.
65. Barbers Hill is the only program in the Houston area that must replace a starting quarterback who passed for more than 10,000 career yards. Brady Barrier, who played at Anahuac and Rusk before transferring to Barbers Hill for the 2025 season, finished with 10,639 and ranks 27th in state history.
66. The good news for Barbers Hill is that another transfer, former Woodville star Luke Babin, is now in the fold after passing for 5,169 yards over the past two seasons.
67. Clear Falls must also replace a heralded passer after the graduation of Kyden Barker, who finished his career with 8,486 yards between his time with the Knights and Galveston Ball.
68. Randle will have a new starting quarterback after the graduation of three-year starter Tyler Skrabanek, who finished his career with 7,905 passing yards.
69. Kinkaid is aiming to become just the third program to three-peat as an SPC champion since 1988. Episcopal (1991-93) and Irving Cistercian Prep (1998-2000) are the others.
70. Kinkaid senior running back Wayne Shanks Jr. needs just 112 offensive yards to reach 5,000 for his career. He surpassed 4,000 yards rushing last season.
71. After starting the 2025 season 1-5, Second Baptist went 6-2 down the stretch and finished as the TAPPS Division II state runner-up.
72. Pasadena First Baptist has posted a 59-5 record in TAPPS six-man action since 2021. The Warriors won state championships in 2024 and 2025.
73. Over the past three seasons, Iowa Colony has a 36-5 record under coach Ray Garza. Four of those losses have come against Randle, two of which have come in regional finals.
74. Katy Freeman will be playing its first varsity season in 2026. The six Katy ISD schools that have opened since 2000 have combined for a 7-52 record in their inaugural campaigns.
75. That being said, Freeman has 32 lettermen and all 22 starters returning from a team that went 8-2 while playing an outlaw schedule in 2025. The Golden Eagles will play in Class 5A Division I.
76. Westbury finished last season with nine wins, the most for the program since 1999. The Huskies will be looking for continued success this year with 15 returning starters.
77. Wisdom made the playoffs last season, ending a 33-year postseason drought. After competing in Class 6A for the past two years, the Generals will be moving down to Class 5A Division I.
78. Madison won its first district championship since 2016 and also returns 15 starters to the fold. The Marlins went 8-0 in district play, beating their opponents by an average of 24.1 points.
79. Willis has the tough task of moving on from Mr. Texas Football, five-star receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr., who is now at Texas. He accounted for 40.5% of the Wildkats’ offensive yardage last season and is the Houston-area’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
80. Bellville head coach Grady Rowe needs just two wins to reach 200 for his career. Since taking over the program in 2011, he’s piled up a 144-46 record and 10 district championships.
Katy’s football team celebrates it’s 34-7 win over Austin Lake Travis for the 6A Division II championship football game at NRG Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in Houston. Katy won the title 34-7.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
81. Katy is currently riding a 41-game district winning streak. The last time the Tigers lost a district game was in 2019 against a Tompkins team led by now-NFL quarterback Jalen Milroe.
82. Bay City senior quarterback Keimarion Wiggins achieved the rare feat of recording a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game, doing so in the 2025 opener against Sweeny.
83. Yates’ playoff win over Needville last season was the first for the program since 2011.
84. Baytown Sterling returns 18 total starters, including 10 on defense. The Rangers finished last year with a 5-5 record, securing the program’s first non-losing season since 2016.
85. Sealy scored 583 points last season (44.8 per game), the highest total for the program since 1995 when the Tigers scored 678 and won the second of four consecutive state titles (1994-97).
86. Angleton averaged 52.4 points per game (11 games) last season, the most in program history. The Wildcats beat the previous mark of 51.1 (14 games) from the 2017 campaign.
87. Six Houston-area teams averaged 50 or more points per game during the 2025 season: Randle (53.8), Angleton (52.4), Yates (50.7), C.E. King (50.1), Summer Creek (50) and Dickinson (50).
88. After posting a record of 71-23 (.755 winning percentage) from 2014-21, Spring will be looking to end a four-year streak of losing seasons as KaRon Coleman takes over as the Lions’ head coach.
89. Since Cornelius Harmon took over as head coach, Nimitz has put together the most successful four-year stretch in program history with a 29-15 record (.695 winning percentage). The Cougars return 13 total starters this season, including nine on defense.
90. Klein Collins is seeking its 13th consecutive playoff appearance and ninth under head coach Adrian Mitchell, who has a 69-26 record (.726 winning percentage) since taking over in 2018.
91. Cypress Lakes secured the first playoff berth in program history last season under coach Tyrone Carter. The Spartans played their inaugural varsity season in 2010.
92. Waller secured its first playoff berth since 2014 last season under coach Marcus Mendoza.
93. Langham Creek returns eight starters on defense, including lineman Ezekiel Ayangbile, whose father is former Houston Texans offensive tackle and five-time Pro Bowler Duane Brown.
94. After 20 years as the head coach at Channelview, Averion Hurts stepped down from his position during the offseason. He won 74 games during his tenure and helped develop his son, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, into a prolific college player and Super Bowl MVP.
95. After going 2-18 over the past two seasons, Channelview will turn to Clarence McKinney to lead the program as interim head coach. McKinney previously served as the head coach at Texas Southern (2019-23) and Yates (2005-07), leading the Lions to a 28-10 record.
96. For the first time since 2009, Fort Bend Marshall will have a new head coach. Wale Okunnu takes over for James Williams, who left to start the program at Tomball West.
97. Following two of the most successful seasons in program history, Strake Jesuit will have to replace star running back Johnny Hebert, who had 67.6% of the team’s offensive yardage in 2025.
98. Atascocita will have big shoes to fill at quarterback after the graduation of Cardae Mack, who accounted for 3,648 yards and 52 total touchdowns (32 passing, 20 rushing) in 2025.
99. Concordia Lutheran senior Jaxon Coleman scored a touchdown in five different ways in 2025. He reached the end zone via reception, rush, kickoff return, punt return and interception return.
100. At least one Houston-area team has played in a state championship game every year since 2002. North Shore, C.E. King and Randle all reached Arlington in 2025.
Quarterback Jefferey Randall and C.E. King look to build on the program’s best season in 2025, reaching the state championship game.
Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer