2026 Preseason Preview: Bryson Cowboys

BRYSON, Texas (KAUZ) - As the Bryson Cowboys head into the 2026 football season following the passing of former head coach Kevin Ray in May, new head coach Justin Ramirez wants to keep a steady shift from previous years to this year by continuing to emulate what the team has worked on.

“We’re just refreshing from what we’ve done the last couple of years,” Ramirez said.

He added that his players are bought in and ready to get started.

This season, the Cowboys, who play in District 9-1A Division I, don’t has much size as they’ve had in previous years, according to Ramirez. However, there is one team trait the Cowboys do have that they believe can help them.

“We’re not very big, but I mean, we’ve got some speed on the team and we’re going to try to use that to our advantage... be pretty quick,” Ramirez said.

Quarterback Bryce Thorne also shared the same sentiment.

“We definitely have a lot of speed. We’re a little smaller, but I think we can definitely get the job done,” Thorne said.

One player who the Cowboys will rely on this year is three-back and safety Tyson Martinez. As a junior, the two-way player joins Bryson’s team this year after not having played football since junior high. During that time, he played eleven-man football, so this season will be his first one in six-man. Initially, Martinez didn’t think he’d like this version of the sport because of how different it was to him with there only being six players per team on the field. But when he started actually playing it, the game began to grow on him.

“I thought I wouldn’t like it, but then I got out here and started playing and I kind of like it,” Martinez said.

Even though Bryson will have upperclassmen like Martinez who can help lead, the team won’t be counting on just one player to do most of the hard work this season.

“It’s going to take all six of us or all six on the field to be successful,” Ramirez said. “We’re not relying on one person to just carry the team. We want them all together to work together.”

Bryson will open their 2026 season with a game against a non-district opponent in 1A Division I but in District 2: Whiteface. That kickoff will take place at Jayton High School on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.