Midland Lee running back Hayes Hamm tries to power through the Amarillo Tascosa defense on a goal line carry during a scrimmage, Aug. 14, 2026, at Astound Broadband Stadium.
Christopher Hadorn/Reporter-Telegram
Not many Texas high school football games can match the name recognition of the teams in this year’s season opener between Midland Lee and Plano.
The Rebels visit the Wildcats to kick off the season at 7 p.m. Friday at John Clark Stadium in Plano.
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The two programs are storied as it gets. Plano has captured seven state championships, while Lee lays claim to one of the greatest dynasties with three straight state titles from 1998-2000.
This is the first meeting between the two programs since the 1983 state semifinal when the Rebels defeated Plano, 35-14.
“What a historic football team,” Lee head coach Clint Hartman said of the Wildcats. “They have a rich history like we do. When I was growing up, they were the standard. They’re a large school (with 4,071 enrollment). Their coach is a good football coach.”
This is the third straight year that Plano has faced a District 2-6A program in the opener after facing Odessa Permian in 2024-25.
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The Wildcats beat Permian, 27-17, in the 2025 season opener, which was televised on NFL Network from The Star in Frisco.
Plano head coach Cody White said he was looking for an opportunity for his kids to travel for a game during a two-year scheduling period when he decided to call Hartman. Lee will host Plano in 2027.
White served as an assistant under head coach Scott Smith at Permian from 2003-04.
“I thought it would be fun,” White said. “We tell our kids about the tradition. They don’t remember all that stuff. Kind of like the Permian deal, I think it’s a bigger deal for the fan bases to a certain extent. Our fan base has been pretty loyal, had been here a long time and remember all those days. I know that Lee is similar. I think it’s fun for the fan bases than maybe even more the players.”
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The Wildcats haven’t played at the level of their glory days in recent years, but it is a program that is trending upwards as its 6-5 season in 2025 was Plano’s first winning season since 2017.
Plano was picked to finish fourth in District 7-6A and make the postseason by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
“We’ll see if there’s longevity in it,” White said. “There was a long ways to go when I first got here. I think we’ve steadied the ship to a certain extent. Obviously, a long ways from years past but we’ve got new facilities coming on board here in the six months in the athletic part. There’s a lot of exciting things. The kids have bought into what we’re asking them to do. They like each other. They’re good kids. We play the game a little better as a team than we used to when I first got here. I think there’s good things. Still, every year is new, and we have to go out there and play. We have gotten better over the last three years.”
Hartman says the Wildcats are a run-oriented team that will bring defensive linemen in and use them as blocking tight ends on a big offensive line.
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Hartman says Plano junior quarterback CJ Smith is a good scrambler and can throw on the run.
“It will be a good challenge,” Hartman says. “Every team in scrimmages, they don’t ever show what they’re doing. We’ll get in the game, and we’ll have to make adjustments. They’ve got a coaching staff, we’ve got a coaching staff. We’ll have to get in those games and make quick adjustments and get our kids to understand.
“I’m more interested in how our kids respond. It’s a long trip, six hours on a bus. How we are going to travel? How mature are we going to be? How focused we’re going to be because we have to travel, that’s part of our deal out here.”
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– Senior running back Hayes Hamm will wear Jacob Power’s honorary no. 37 jersey against Plano.
Power, a former Lee team captain, died in an automobile accident in July 2012 not long after his high school graduation.
Rebels head coach Clint Hartman picks a player each week to wear the 37 jersey, someone who exemplifies the qualities of Power by playing extremely hard and being a great teammate.
Hamm rushed for 1,317 yards and scored 16 touchdowns as a junior.
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“Ever since he’s been at Abell (Junior High), he’s been a hard worker, a Lee Rebel,” Hartman said. “He’s a good kid. The best compliment I can give him is I would let him date one of my daughters. He’s just a good all-around kid. An on the field, off the field hard worker and a man of not many words.”
– Senior linebacker Lorenzo Carrillo, junior wide receiver Ja’Braylen Anders, senior quarterbacks JP Reyes and Cash Tranum, junior linebacker David Ihediwa and junior offensive tackle Braydon Zeno have been named team captains.
–The Rebels are slated to start an offensive line that includes Zeno at left tackle, sophomore Juddson Lewis at left guard, junior Tyler Rounds at center, senior Mason Jordan at right guard and junior Desmond Anderson at right tackle.
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–Midland Lee games will be streamed this season by Midland ISD on Hudl, which can be accessed at https://fan.hudl.com/district/67ae15af3d210a077403a8ae/Midland%20Independent%20School%20District .