2026 Preseason Preview: Crowell Wildcats

CROWELL, Texas (KAUZ) - The Crowell Wildcats are looking for a fresh start after finishing 1-9 overall and 1-3 in district play last season.

That led to a change at the top, with Blake Thompson taking over as head coach. Thompson says the first step in turning the program around is changing the team’s culture.

“Most of all, it’s got to be a culture change. I mean, they’ve got to see we can win, we can be competitive no matter who we’re playing against. And that’s got to be the number one thing we have to change to be successful this year. So just really, it just comes out of culture and what we believe we can do.”

That mindset has already started to resonate with the players. Sophomore quarterback Kyson Alvarado says the team’s work throughout the offseason has helped raise the standard while bringing out new leaders.

“I mean, we’ve been working hard off-season this whole summer. Everyone’s been showing up, showing out and, leadership- a bunch of people stepped up and started leading in the right ways. So, we’re just, we’re ready to roll.”

Playing in a competitive district, Thompson knows the Wildcats will be challenged every week. He says continued growth throughout the season, not just on Friday nights, will determine how far this team can go.

“We have to have growth week in, week out. We can’t say the same. It’s got to be every week something’s getting better. And that starts on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. You don’t win games on Friday; you win them throughout the week. And we’ve got to grow throughout the week. We can’t take practices off, plays off. We’ve got to get better each day.”