Fall football is back.
With the Fort Bend ISD school year set to begin Tuesday, Aug. 11, area programs are deep into preseason preparations. Marshall High School has been welcoming new athletes to the Buffalos over the past week, Ridge Point is already running pre-fall camp, and Elkins and Stafford are building on strong offseason momentum heading into 2026.
Marshall Buffalos
Marshall's official social media accounts posted "Welcome to the Herd" messages on Aug. 2 and again on Friday, Aug. 7, greeting incoming players as the program ramps up for the season. The Buffalos highlighted senior cornerback Dylan Waters on Aug. 5 as a standout heading into the fall.
Marshall opens its 2026 season on the road at Brenham on Aug. 28.
Ridge Point Panthers
Ridge Point, winners of 11 consecutive UIL district championships, started pre-fall camp the week of July 27. The Panthers distributed equipment to seniors and returning veterans that Monday afternoon, then ran freshman camp from 6 to 8 p.m.
The program enters 2026 with serious defensive firepower. TexasFootball.com ranked Ridge Point's linebacker corps the best in Class 6A on Aug. 6, anchored by senior Dyllon Bennett, a four-year starter and Hampton University commit who posted 77 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two sacks last season.
The numbers back it up.
Rising junior Brayden Bonik, a DCTX four-star with more than 40 college offers, earned District Defensive Newcomer of the Year after recording 58 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Head coach Rick LaFavers told TexasFootball.com that Bonik has no neutral gear.
"He is just a relentless competitor. All he sees is Red. There's no neutral in him," LaFavers said in the Aug. 6 feature.
Junior Khalen Taylor rounds out the group at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. His father, Herb Taylor, played offensive line for TCU and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ridge Point sent 19 seniors from its Class of 2026 to play at the next level, including 17 at Division I programs. During the spring and summer, 127 college coaches from 94 programs visited the school to evaluate talent.
Elkins Knights
Fort Bend Elkins missed the playoffs by one spot last season but returns 14 starters for 2026. The Knights released their varsity schedule in late April and have signaled confidence that this year can be a breakthrough.
Stafford Spartans
Stafford's 7-on-7 team qualified for the Texas state tournament this summer, a sign of the skill-position talent the Spartans are carrying into the fall.
Setting the tone district-wide
Fort Bend ISD Athletics held a Student Athlete Leadership Summit on July 27, bringing together athletes from Marshall, Ridge Point, Elkins and other district programs. The district described the event as setting the tone for the 2026-27 school year.
Regular-season play for all four area programs begins the weekend of Aug. 28.
