2026 Preseason Preview: Saint Jo Panthers

SAINT JO, Texas (KAUZ) - Saint Jo has football known what it takes to win in recent years as the six-man team enters 2026 by coming off of a streak of playoff appearances. This year, however, the challenge may look a little different.

As the Panthers approach the same goal of winning, they’ll do it with a new-look roster. The team won’t feature any seniors, but there are many new freshman joining. While this may be the first season of high school football for the newcomers, head coach CJ Hantz believes they can still get the job done.

“It is kind of scary because these freshman are about to have to play some dudes, which is fine because they are the class to do it for us,” Saint Jo head coach CJ Hantz said. “They’re not scared. They’re a good bunch of kids.”

The transition to the next level of football for Saint Jo’s freshman has been more gradual than sudden. Hantz said they have been practicing with the high school team since they were in junior high.

“They understand it and they’ve seen it, and those [high-school players] led them this way,” he said. “We haven’t missed a beat on the hard work. Like, it’s just bred into them now.”

Freshman fullback and linebacker Trenton O’Neal talked about the advantage of his class learning to play together early on.

“We may be the young dogs right now, but [in] three years, we’re going to have a lot of experience together, so we should be doing pretty good... have a good bond with each other,” O’Neal said.

Junior quarterback Colton Curry plays the leadership role on this year’s team. Not only did he express his confidence in the freshmen, but he also talked about the significance of what it would be if the upperclassmen made a leap this season as well.

“If I say I didn’t believe in a single [freshman player], I’d be lying. I think all these kids are really talented and we just have what it takes,” Curry said. “And, I think if us juniors and us upperclassmen can really take a step up, we can really do something special.”

Saint Jo’s week one matchup will feature Crowell, as the Panthers will face them on a Friday night-away game on Aug. 28.