Article By Greg Jaklewicz

What a difference a week makes.

The Wylie Bulldogs raised eyebrows on the opening night of football, not for winning, as expected, but for losing at home to Brownwood. Wylie shut out the Lions 25-0 the year before.

To the northwest, Frenship pounded Lubbock-Cooper, a District 4-5A rival of the Bulldogs, 50-17. That raised eyebrows, too. How good is Frenship? The Pirates traditionally are more competitive. Maybe L-C is down.

A week later, Wylie dominated Lubbock Monterey 49-3 at Lowrey Field, totaling almost 500 yards on offense and racing to a 42-0 halftime lead.

Frenship, meanwhile, came back to earth with a 44-13 loss to a good Lubbock-Cooper Liberty team.

Thus, Wylie and Frenship are 1-1 entering this week’s game, to be played at 7 p.m. in Wolfforth.

Frenship dropped from 6A to Class 5A Division I this year. The Frenship ISD in 2025 added Memorial High School, which has affected Frenship High’s enrollment. Frenship High’s drop is notable because it leaves the expansive Panhandle region of Texas without a 6A school.

Bulldogs and Tigers Meet Again

The Bulldogs and the Tigers have played before, battling over four seasons from 2006-09. Wylie won three times:

• A 14-7 win in 2006 (a 9-3 Bulldogs season) the year that Frenship went 12-3 and lost to Waco High in the Class 4A state championship.

• A 36-7 decision in 2007 (11-3).

• A 21-7 victory in 2009. That year, Wylie advanced to the state final in Class 4A Division I, losing 43-26 to Gilmer.

• The only loss to Frenship was 26-21 in 2008 (an 11-3 WHS season).

The schools have not played for 17 years but Wylie needed a fourth non-district game after Coronado dropped to Division II and replaced Plainview in the Bulldogs’ district. Plainview was moved to Class 4A Division I.

Wylie and Frenship had talked previously about playing again but only this year did scheduling work for both.

The Tigers were 4-7 a year ago, playing is what remains of the fabled Little Southwest Conference. Frenship finished fourth in district play, then fell 45-30 to El Paso Eastwood. The Tigers lost their last three games of the season.

Wylie was 5-5 a year ago, missing out on the playoffs.

A down 2025 was an anomaly for both the Bulldogs and Tigers.

Frenship was 28-8 from 2022-24, winning a district title in 2024 and losing 49-42 to Southlake Carroll in the playoffs.

Wylie had made the playoffs since going 4-6 in 2021.

Good stuff in Lubbock

Wylie coach Clay Martin was encouraged by his team’s stellar showing in Lubbock.

“The score is what it is but the fact that we played hard and executed … we made a big jump from Week 1 to Week 2,” Martin said. “I am really proud of our team and the way we played throughout the roster. Everybody got a chance to play. We were able to create some depth.”

An example is senior Maylon Green-Rhodes, who could be another target for quarterback Jadin Karleskiunt. Among his three catches was a leaning 11-yard touchdown grab for his first varsity TD.

It wasn’t just mop-up duty but “normal situations so you can evaluate everybody,” he said. Wylie’s new players held Monterey without a touchdown.

The tone of the game was set early.

The Bulldogs scored first on a big pass play, and then the defense did its part. That combo put Monterey in a hole that only got deeper. Field position was in Wylie’s favor, and Martin was pleased that his offense capitalized on that. The Bulldogs had four red zone trips against Brownwood and did not score.

“To finish drives was also very good,” he said.

Wylie had good line play on both sides of the ball. Frenship could not run, and their quarterbacks were under pressure trying to throw. Conversely, Wylie had time on offense for plays to unfold or to change the play.

“I thought we played well both running and protecting the passer,” he said.

Sizing up Frenship

Another big jump is expected this week because the quality of the opponent takes a big jump.

Frenship quarterback James Ordonez, a junior who goes 6-foot-3 and 192 pounds, had a banner game against Liberty, completing 20 of 30 throws for 324 yards. Four passes went to Zade McClure, a 6-2 senior who totaled 114 yards.

Receivers Maddux (senior) and Payton (junior) Archibald are 6-3, giving Ordonez good targets

Running backs Noah Gonzales and Zach Ferris each scored a TD for the Tigers, who led 6-3 at one point in the first half.

Martin said Frenship excels at the passing game and is not one dimensional. The Tigers mix screens, short routes, and deep throws. That will challenge Wylie’s secondary, which has given up 257 passing yards in two games but no touchdowns.

Martin won’t promise the Bulldogs will be as effective but the goal is to “disrupt the quarterback as much as possible.”

Be it a sack or just hurrying the quarterback is essential, “and Liberty was able to do that. We haven’t seen a team that will throw it this much. Not only do they throw the ball, they throw it a lot of different ways. They attack you in the pass game.”

That’s horizontally with screens and vertically with deep balls, he said.

“They have a wide array of weapons and schemes that they run,” Martin said.

The issue for the Tigers last week was Liberty’s defense, which registered a whopping 11 sacks. More amazing is that seven were by one player, Rylan Thomas. The result of Liberty's stifling defense was a minus 50 yards rushing for Frenship.

Defensively, Monterey’s stats don’t look horrible until you consider the Plainsmen had only three net yards at halftime and moved the football only in the second half against Wylie subs. Still, the Bulldogs surrendered just a field goal.

It was a 27-13 ballgame until Liberty scored twice later in the game to seal the win.

Frenship will have a size advantage - Gunner Edwards, on the defensive line, goes 6-5 and 250 - but Martin said his team shouldn’t be at a great disadvantage.

Frenship will play a 3-3-stack on defense, similar to what Brownwood presented in Game 1.

“They will present a lot of challenges for us on both sides of the ball,” he said. “Continuing to move forward and getting better is what it’s all about this time of year, and I fully expect us to do that.”

Wylie QBs shine

The Bulldogs will counter with senior Karleskint, who has thrown for 423 yards in two games and for five touchdowns. He connected on four of those in the first half against Monterey as Wylie built a 42-0 lead.

Wylie was 19-for-21 passing for 307 yards against the Plainsmen, while backup sophomore Myles McCarty saw a lot of time on the field. He threw his first varsity TD pass and was 4-for-4.

Scoring threat Blaze Ruffin, held in check by Brownwood, snared three TD passes including a 61-yarder on a deep route in the first quarter that put Wylie on the scoreboard and ahead to stay.

Martin said Week 1 was an anomaly in that Ruffin was held in check. Brownwood took away the outside receivers - Ruffin had three catches but for only 25 yards. He got that and more on his first catch vs. Monterey.

“Who knows? We’ll have to see how Frenship plays it,” Martin said. Fortunately, Wylie is developing its other weapons.

“We’ll take advantage of what they give us,” he said.

Running back Cooper Jones netted 77 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season.

Fans also got a look at what a pair of sophomores can do. Jett Wilson got 50 yards rushing while Jackston Williams totaled more than 100 yards receiving and scored his first varsity touchdown.

Around the district

The big story early in the season is Wichita Falls Legacy.

Legacy climbed all over Forth Worth Eastern Hills 56-16 for its second victory. This is Legacy’s first winning streak after going 0-10 and 2-8 its first two seasons. The Leopards won two games in two seasons. Already they have two wins.

When Martin said the district is more competitive top to bottom, he’s not just handing out coachspeak.

Last year, a 5-5 Palo Duro team in 2024 - losing 70-28 to Wylie - ran the table to win a district title. That may be a stretch for Legacy but the Leopards certainly will not be taken lightly when district play begins.

On the other hand, Lubbock-Cooper is 0-2. In fact, both Cooper schools are winless in four games. Lubbock-Cooper has lost to quality opponents, to be sure. The Pirates were clawed by Frenship 50-17 in Week 1, then fell 25-15 to Class 4A Division I No. 8 Greenwood. Greenwood was 13-1 a year ago and lost in the fourth round of the playoffs, so no slouch.

The district is 6-8 overall after two weeks. It could be 7-7 but Memorial lost a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and, eventually, the game to Canyon Randall, 35-34. Memorial went for two points and the overtime win but failed.

An added note - Brownwood, at home, made Class 4A Division I Stephenville work for its 28-24 win. The Yellow Jackets had to score late for the victory.

Wylie will conclude non-district play next week with its homecoming game against Stephenville, the defending state champ in its division. The Yellow Jackets, winners of 18 straight games, are host to Lubbock-Cooper this week.

2026 District 2-5A standings

Last week’s games

Wylie 49, Lubbock Monterey 3

Palo Duro 28, Amarillo Caprock 3

Abilene High 14, Abilene Cooper 6

Greenwood 25, Lubbock-Cooper 15

WF Legacy 56, FW Eastern Hills 16

Canyon Randall 35, FW Memorial 34 OT

Coronado 21, Lubbock High 10

Friday’s games

Wylie at Frenship

Abilene Cooper at San Angelo Central

Palo Duro vs. Amarillo Tascosa

Lubbock-Cooper at Stephenville

Lubbock Monterey at WF Legacy

Decatur at WF Memorial

Frenship Memorial at Coronado

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