It has been 294 days since the Wylie Bulldogs played a football game.

That’s too long.

That’s too long because Wylie did not make the playoffs last fall, ending its season against Plainview. The Bulldogs hadn’t missed the playoffs since going 4-6 in 2021.

Coach Clay Martin’s crew, however, plans to start a new streak this season.

Wylie football opens play at home again versus Brownwood, a Class 4A team that most often gives the Bulldogs a good game. The Lions now are Division II.

A year ago, Wylie took a 25-0 win. It was the team’s only shutout and a workmanlike win. The Bulldogs scored once in each quarter and kept Brownwood out of the red zone. The closest the Lions came to scoring was a botched field goal try in the final quarter.

The win avenged a 35-21 loss to Brownwood in 2023. The teams did not play in 2024 due to inclement weather.

The Lions last year did not have one of its better teams - this is Brownwood football, remember, and standards are high - but the Lions still posted a 7-5 season record, taking second place in their district. Brownwood lost 31-28 to Canyon in the second round of the playoffs.

The teams had a common opponent - powerhouse Stephenville. Wylie lost to the Yellow Jackets 52-13 while the Lions were blanked 49-0. Stephenville won all 16 games and the Class 4A Division I title and will buzz into Sandifer Stadium for a Sept. 18 game against Wylie.

Martin believes the Lions will be better this season. But he also believes his Bulldogs will be better.
What that looks like will be seen on the field Friday night.

“A good outcome is a W, for sure,” Martin said. “The first game of the year, the first district game, the first playoff game, I think those are the most unpredictable. It’s been that way since football started. You have to have a lot of poise in those games.”

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Lions coach Jerry Brixey is in his second year. The first-year adjustment now is behind the Lions.

Brownwood returns a number of starters, many of them still underclassmen. The Lions will start their 2025 JV quarterback, Riggs Gray. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior became the backup for the playoffs.

After scoring 10 points in two opening losses last year, the Lions scored 28 or more points in every other game except the shutout loss to Stephenville.

Running back Trent Buffington totaled 775 and scored nine touchdowns. He was a first-team all-district pick.

Martin said Brownwood will mix up the run and pass, operating out of the I. Wylie will have to react to that setup, he said.

“We will have to stop the run. They are a team that’s based on the run, with play action,” Martin said. “Playing good up front will be the key on the defensive side.”

Receiver Conner Cornelius, a second-teamer, caught 23 balls for 375 yards and three scores. Hudson Fry was a second team tight end, with two TD catches.

Rylan Martinez, a 290-pound sophomore, will be an anchor on the offensive line. Aiding him will be 265-pound junior Jackson Rainey.

Brownwood’s strength looks to be its defense. The Lions had one shutout and three games giving up just one touchdown in 2025.

They favor a 3-3 stack.

The secondary is loaded with experience. Senior DB Wyatt Wolf was a first-team selection while senior Sirr Beam was second team. Each had three interceptions.

Also returning are cornerbacks Nick Rodriguez, a second team pick, and junior Aiden Jimenez.

In front of them are linebackers Fry and senior Isaac Gonzalez, who had 86 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He was first-team all-district.

Martin said it will be up to his team to execute crisply to negate Brownwood’s talent on defense.

“We’re going to play fast, so that will take a big role in how successful we are.”

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Martin is eager to see how his team performs in a game situation. Penalties, turnovers and mistakes can derail even the best teams.

In 2025, Wylie did not turn over the football against Brownwood and recorded its first shutout in three years. On the downside, there were 11 penalties and the offense totaled just 260 yards - 128 from senior running back Julius Laine.

Laine, a four-year letterman, is gone and Martin will be looking to see how hard-running backup Cooper Jones, defensive leader Landry Pate and newcomer Jett Wilson fare in the backfield. Jones had a 128-yard game vs. Lubbock Coronado while Wilson, as a freshman, ran on Wylie’s record-setting 800 relay in the spring.

Pate will split time, one of seniors who had breakout years at linebacker as a junior.

Quarterback Jadin Karlesklint threw only seven passes in his varsity debut against Brownwood last year for 60 yards. A junior, he emerged as a steady performer during the season, one who made few bad decisions. He will be more of a factor on the field this year against the Lions.

Martin certainly would like to see another shutout, and Wylie has the defense to do that with a deep linebacking corps, strength up front and an improved secondary.

Wylie likely will score against Browwood, which means sophomore Kannon Ruffin will make his placekicking debut. The Bulldogs were money on kicks the past two years but Noah Rehburg has graduated. Martin believes Ruffin will be as dependable but Game 1 will be his Friday night debut. He will be one of several players to begin varsity careers, adding to the unknown that Martin said makes the first game so exciting.

2026 DISTRICT 2-5A STANDINGS

Team District Season
W L PF PA W L PF PA
Wylie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ab. Cooper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Am. Palo Duro 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lub-Cooper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
WF Legacy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
WF Memorial 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Thursday
WF Memorial at FW Paschal

Friday
Brownwood at Wylie
Ab. Cooper at Azle
Palo Duro vs. Amarillo High
Lubbock-Cooper at Frenship
WF Legacy at Grapevine