Article by Greg Jaklewicz

Photos Provided by Wyliesports.com and TexPix.com

That Wylie vs. Stephenville matchup is looking better for Bulldogs fans than it did two weeks ago.

Stephenville is the defending Class 4A Division I champs, winners of 19 straight games. Last year, in the second game played at the Yellow Jackets’ new stadium, Stephenville stung the Bulldogs with a 21-point first quarter and led 31-7 at halftime before cruising to a 52-13 win.

The Jackets currently are 3-0, dispatching injury plagued Lubbock-Cooper 49-7 last week.

Wylie, however, is starting to come around.

After losing to Brownwood at home, the Bulldogs have looked dominant in two wins in Lubbock County. Wylie drilled Monterey 49-3 and then built a 28-0 lead on former 6A Frenship before the Tigers scored a flurry of touchdowns in the final 4 minutes. An onside kick recovery preserved Wylie’s 28-21 win.

Along the way, Stephenville struggled against Brownwood, needing a rally in the fourth quarter to win 28-24.

Thus, the outcome of Friday’s homecoming game at Sandifer Stadium may be more doubtful than some thought earlier in the season.

It’s the final game for Wylie before district play begins with a third trip to Lubbock, this time to face Coronado.

Coach Clay Martin certainly would like to make headlines with an upset of Stephenville but important, he said, “is building the Wylie Bulldogs. This will be just another step in that process … getting in the grind where you prepare each and every week.

“You have an opportunity Friday to show the work you’ve put in.”

Lots to like in Wolfforth

For 42 minutes, the Wylie Bulldogs were dominant in Frenship. The last six minutes, not so much. Martin and his team focused on what they did well against the Tigers after both teams sputtered at the beginning.

“I thought we got off to a little bit of a slow start in the first quarter offensively. The defense played exceptional. Once we got things rolling in the second quarter, I thought we had a good performance on all three phases,” he said.

Martin referred to the adage that the end of the first half and the start of the second half of football. Frenship was driving toward a score late in the first half with hopes of cutting its deficit to 14-7. Jett Wilson recovered a fumble at the Bulldogs 25 and Wylie marched down the field to score with 10 seconds on the clock on another Karleskint-to-Ruffin hookup.

“I thought we played well in that area of the game,” Martin said. “They’re driving to make it a one-score game but we go into halftime up 21-0.”

The Bulldogs made it 28-0 midway through the third quarter.

Martin said Wylie had a good plan to stymie the Tigers on defense and get points on offense.

“I thought we did a good job of executing that plan, especially on the defensive side of the ball,” he said.

Martin said the wild end to the game was the result of not executing, regardless of who was in the game. (Frenship) is a very explosive team offensively and capable of big plays, and they did at that time.”

The Tigers got two touchdown passes and a nifty 18-yard scoring run to remove the zero from their side of the scoreboard.

The sure-handed Ruffin ended all doubts by recovering an onside kick.

Circle Sept. 18 on the calendar

The Bulldogs have marked this date on the calendar. Stephenville has won seven of the last eight games against Wylie. Since going 6-6 in 2020, the Yellow Jackets are 67-8, with two state championships - 2021 and 2015. Both were undefeated seasons.

Stephenville was 11-3 in 2023, losing to Wylie 41-32 and then to Anna in the playoffs.

The 2022 game was a crowd-pleaser, with Stephenville hanging on for a 56-49 as the Bulldogs outscored the visitors 21-14 in the fourth quarter at Sandifer Stadium to keep the outcome in doubt.

It’s likely a week of distraction meeting excitement..

“There is a lot going on this week,” Martin said. “We have a lot of pride in our school and community, and homecoming always has been special. We have played quality opponents, and we get to play another on Friday.

‘“It will be a big challenge for us. It’ll be a fun game, two programs with a lot of tradition and a lot of pride in their football team.”

Stephenville is Stephenville, he said. How good they are this year is unknown. The Yellow Jackets will bring a good number of fans and an offensive attack that can score rushing or passing.

“They are well-rounded and have huge big-play capabilities. They make you defend the whole field … we are going to have to stand our ground up front. It will be the key to the game - how things are won in the trenches.”

Back for Stephenville is running back Zyler McClendon, who scored three times last year against Wylie. He anchors a running game that allows the Yellow Jackets to sting opponents with the pass.

The Bulldogs scored twice last year in Stephenville as Jadin Karleskint threw touchdown passes to Blaze Ruffin and Jayden Naemi. He also was intercepted, and the pickup was returned for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Brownwood got off a three-touchdown lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

Martin said it’s vital that the Bulldogs don’t let the game get away early.

“We’ve got to play cleaner in the first half, especially in the first half, especially unforced errors.

The Bulldogs misfired early on against Frenship with an interception on the second play of the game, an errant snap that lost 16 yards, a dropped pass, a third-and-1 penalty that resulted in a punt, a lost fumble, and a penalty that wiped out a sideline interception by Kannon Ruffin.

“That has been a point of emphasis all week,” Martin said of fixing things that can be fixed.

Wylie, however, scored 21 points in the second quarter. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 63-3 in the first half this year.

Wylie will counter Stephenville’s offense with one led by Karleskint, who has been on the money this season. The senior has completed 59 of 74 passes for 723 yards and eight touchdowns against one interception. His completion rate is a sparkling 80 percent.

He has spread the ball around, namely because he has an array of receivers to find. That is helped by all the attention given to Blaze Ruffin, who has 14 catches for 273 yards and three TD catches in each of the last two games.

The Bulldogs haven’t piled up the rushing yards, with only 333 in three games. Senior Cooper Jones has accounted for 137 yards on 31 carries, with one touchdown.

Martin hasn’t been worried since the passing game is cooking with teams trying to stop the run.

Around the district

Three cheers for Wichita Falls Legacy. After going 0-10 its first season, then winning just twice in 2025, the Leopards notched their third win of the season over Lubbock Monterey, 42-14. The Plainsmen lost 49-3 to Wylie the week before.

Legacy sits atop the District 2-5A standings, a game up on Wylie and defending champion Palo Duro. The Dons downed Amarillo rival Tascosa 41-14.

The eye-popping game last week was between Wichita Falls Memorial and Decatur. The Eagles outscored Memorial 71-64 to run their record to 3-0. Decatur had scored 55 and 44 points in its first two games.

Memorial leads the district in points scored with 152 but has given up 140.

After two close losses, Abilene Cooper got its first win under new coach Scott Stewart, coming from behind to beat San Angelo Central 28-21. The Bobcats led 21-14 at one point but could not secure a homecoming victory.

Central had defeated Abilene High in Week 1. Abilene High then beat Cooper in their crosstown game.

That is why the games are played on the field, not on paper.

The series

Stephenville leads 9-4, winning six of the last seven games.

2025: Stephenville 52, Wylie 13

2024: Stephenville 49, Wylie 27

2023: Wylie 41, Stephenville 32

2022: Stephenville 56, Wylie 49

2021: Stephenville 37, Wylie 7

2020: DNP

2019: Stephenville 34, Wylie 0

2018: Stephenville 41, Wylie 28

2017: Stephenville 33, Wylie 20

2016: Wylie 44, Stephenville 3

2015: Wylie 24, Stephenville 14

2014: Wylie 21, Stephenville 7

2013: DNP

2012: Stephenville 59, Wylie 28

2011: Stephenville 42, Wylie 14

2010: Stephenville 33, Wylie 21

2026 District 2-5A standings

Thursday’s game

Decatur 71, WF Memorial 64

Friday’s games

Wylie 28 Frenship 21

Abilene Cooper 28 San Angelo Central 21

Palo Duro 41, Amarillo Tascosa 14

Stephenville 48, Lubbock-Cooper 7

WF Legacy 42, Lubbock Monterey 14

Frenship Memorial 30, Coronado 13

This week’s games

Stephenville at Wylie (homecoming)

Odessa High at Abilene Cooper

Palo Duro at Dumas

Coronado at Plainview

Lubbock-Cooper at Canyon (Thursday)

WF Legacy at Greenwood

WF Memorial at FW Chisholm Trail

Game will be live streamed below: