The Tioga Bulldogs football team battled the injury bug for most of last season and still reached the playoffs, but with health on their side to start the year, they are on the hunt for an even better 2026 season.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football released their predictions for the upcoming season and have the Bulldogs predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in a challenging district, featuring the reigning 2A Division II State Champion Muenster Hornets.
“We’re rolling into this season with a lot of unfinished business from last year,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “Not being in the Top 25 when you’ve been there the last two seasons and being picked third in the district is just a reminder of the chip we’re going to have on our shoulders rolling into this season.”
The injury bug bit the Bulldogs hard last season, with their projected starting quarterback going down in the preseason and multiple starters missing significant time, but the 2024 2A-1 Region II District 6 champs battled their way to a 5-5 record before losing to Hamilton in the opening round of the playoffs.
Tioga’s road back to the top of their district got a little rougher after the recent UIL realignment, which moved multiple new faces in Chico, Olney and the back-to-back state champion Muenster Hornets.
“We’re on the journey to build an elite program here in Tioga, and what better way to take the next step than to compete against an elite program in the district with Muenster,” Birdwell said. 'They're one of the best 2A programs of all time, and I can’t think of a better measuring stick for our program, and we get to kick off district with them. That’s an exciting new challenge.”
One area the Bulldogs will look to rely on is their senior class headlined by DCTF Players to Watch receiver Jaxson Hurst, linebacker Jaxton Dejernett, and receivers/defensive backs Justin Arrington and Jake David.
“It’s a special group, and now it’s time for them to officially be the top dogs and the leaders,” Birdwell said. “This is their moment, and that’s what we’ve been preaching to them: to win the moment.”
Birdwell said one of the highlights of the offseason has been seeing multiple players recover from injuries and seeing new faces show potential.
'It's been great seeing the guys that battled through injury last season back in the weight room and back to doing things at full speed,” he said. “… It’s also good to see some of our young guys that we’re going to be counting on step up, one in particular, Joseph Cuellar. He’s been a big part of what we did last year on JV, and he’s going to step into a big role on the defensive side.”
Despite all the changes to the district landscape, Birdwell emphasized that the Bulldogs still plan to play their signature style of football.
“We’ve spent the last three years building the brand, and now it's time to protect it,” he said. “We fell short of that in some places last year, which contributed to our record, but when those lights come on Friday night, we have lot of wrongs we’re going to make right this year.”
