Ridge Point opens the 2026 football season 2-0 and ranked No. 8 in the state Class 6A poll, per Dave Campbell's Texas Football, after sending 16 players to Division I programs from last year's 11-1 squad.

The Panthers beat Dickinson 29-26 on Aug. 28 and routed Shadow Creek 28-7 on Sept. 4. The early results suggest head coach Rick LaFavers has reloaded a roster that lost a starting running back, three Power Four offensive linemen and the bulk of a historically talented senior class.

Eight defensive starters return. Every one of them holds at least one college football offer, LaFavers told the Defender Network, and several rotational players do as well.

"I just want to play football," four-star junior outside linebacker Brayden Bonik said. "I don't care about the recruitment right now or the stars. If I play well out here, it will take care of itself."

Bonik, listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, recorded 58 tackles and 10 tackles for loss last season and holds more than 40 college offers. He is the son of Devin Bonik, a former NFL coach who played linebacker at Oklahoma State, according to Sports Illustrated.

Senior linebacker Dyllon Bennett leads the unit after posting 77 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 2025. Junior defensive end Chris Racey, the reigning District 21-6A defensive lineman of the year, added 46 tackles and seven sacks. Senior linebacker Aaron Williams, a North Carolina commit, was named to the Touchdown Club of Houston's preseason All-Greater Houston team on Aug. 24.

LaFavers said the defense's speed and depth allow the Panthers to rotate heavily, keeping players fresh and building depth across the roster.

On offense, senior quarterback Brody Bartee returns after throwing for 2,098 yards and 26 touchdowns in his first season at Ridge Point. LaFavers called Bartee a proven leader who gives the offense confidence. Bartee said he was still growing into a leadership role after transferring in last year and is now taking it on.

Senior wide receiver John Rangel has opened 2026 with 13 catches for 254 yards through two games. He headlines a receiving corps that includes Suhaib Ramseur and Caiden Lawrence.

The ground game remains the biggest question mark. Ridge Point must replace its starting running back and rebuild an offensive line that lost three Power Four starters.

New district, familiar goal

The Panthers enter district play chasing a seventh consecutive title. Ridge Point owns the longest active district winning streak in the Houston area at 44 games, per the Houston Chronicle, and has not lost a district game since Oct. 17, 2019.

District 21-6A looks different for the 2026-28 UIL realignment cycle. Strake Jesuit, a boys-only private school, joins the district and replaces Dulles, which dropped to 5A. The full district now includes Fort Bend Austin, Bush, Clements, Elkins, Hightower, Ridge Point, Travis and Strake Jesuit.

LaFavers acknowledged the playoff path could shift depending on whether Ridge Point lands in the Division I or Division II bracket. Either way, he said Region III is loaded and the Panthers are focused on improving week by week.

Ridge Point's defense held district opponents to 10.2 points per game in 2025. The regular-season finale is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 6 when Hightower visits Hall Stadium in Missouri City.