Mansfield schools open new football season this week

By Bob Kowalski

Mansfield Record

The Manfield ISD football teams open the 2026 season with non-district games this week, with three of the five squads playing at home.

Legacy starts Thursday, playing host to Arlington Heights at 7 p.m. at Vernon Newsom Stadium. Timberview opens at 7 p.m. Friday at Newsom against West Mesquite; Mansfield welcomes Arlington Martin at 7 p.m. Friday at R.L. Anderson Stadium; Summit travels to face Red Oak at 7 p.m. Friday at Lancaster High School; and Lake Ridge visits Prosper Walnut Grove at 7 p.m. Friday.

The UIL's biennial realignment provides the teams with new district opponents and a few familiar foes.  

*Lake RIdge and Mansfield were placed into District 11-6A, and are joined by Crowley, Duncanville, North Crowley, Red Oak, Dallas Skyline and Waxahachie.

*Legacy and Summit fall into District 8-5A Division I, with Burleson Centennial, Cedar Hill, Cleburne, Desoto, Lancaster and Midlothian.

*Timberview lands in District 7-5A Division II, along with Burleson, Corsicana, Ennis, Everman, Midlothian Heritage, Joshua and Arlington Seguin.

Legacy's Broncos are coming off a 4-6 season in 2025, and have a new head coach in Courtney Allen, who previously coached at Mesquite Horn and North Crowley. He replaces Broncos coach Jeff Hulme, who after five seasons at Legacy became associate head coach at Eastern New Mexico University.

Timberview, under head coach Jacody Coleman, reached the first round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs last season, finishing 7-4. The Wolves have reached the postseason every year since 2017.

Mansfield, led by head coach Greg George, is building off the momentum of a playoff appearance in 2025. The Tigers were 5-6, winning three of their final four district games before falling to Byron Nelson in the first round of the Class 6A postseason.  

Summit, under head coach Channon Hall, finished 6-4 last season, narrowly missing a playoff berth with a one-point loss in the final game of the season.  The Jaguars aim to intend to return to the postseason for the first time since 2023, when they went two rounds deep.

Lake Ridge, led by head coach Kirk Thor, had the longest postseason trip of the Mansfield ISD schools last season, defeating Euless Trinity in the first round before falling to Odessa Permian in the area round. The Eagles closed their district schedule with four consecutive wins with an average margin of victory of 25 points.