Many Class 5A and 6A high school football teams in the area have completed a week of practice and are now preparing for their first opportunity to face live opponents. Several programs, including those from Celina and Prosper independent school districts, will participate in scrimmages on Thursday.
These sessions offer coaches a chance to assess player performance in a setting that closely mimics actual game conditions. The teams view these practices as critical for evaluating progress since the conclusion of the previous season.
Celina faces Coppell at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bobcat Field. The Celina program underwent changes during the offseason with the hiring of Marc Bindel as head coach. Consequently, the Bobcats skipped spring football and scheduled a second scrimmage before their Aug. 28 opener against Legacy School of Sport Sciences. They previously played an exhibition against Fort Worth Brewer.
Coppell enters the season ranked No. 12 in the state after finishing 10-2 last year and reaching a regional semifinal. The Bobcats must replace all 11 starters from their state semifinal defense. They will face Carter Zingelmann, a junior quarterback considered one of the top prospects in the Class of 2028. Celina’s offense is led by senior running back Evan Koehne.
Prosper plays Rockwall-Heath at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium. These teams have met in non-district play for the past two seasons, with Heath winning both, including a 45-27 victory last year in Rockwall. Prosper finished 11-2 last season but returns only three starters on each side of the ball. Significant graduation losses include players from the offensive and defensive lines.
Rockwall-Heath has hired Allen alum Casey Dick as its new head coach. The Hawks also return very few offensive linemen but have experienced quarterback Prosper Neal. Neal, an all-district selection, will test a Heath defense that is largely inexperienced.