Round Rock High School football coach Cody Moore isn’t mincing any words heading into the 2026 season.
“I’ve told our booster club, all of our parents and even our kids, ‘guys, we’re not settling for just being an okay football team in the Austin area,’” Moore said. “We want to be an elite team.”
In fairness, the Dragons have been better than “okay.” Round Rock has made the playoffs 8 of the last 9 seasons, and though it hasn’t won a playoff game since 2018, all signs point to a promising 2026 season. Moore’s team brings back key pieces all over the offense, a defense that looks to build around all-district returnees at every level, and a group of leaders who are already doing the heavy lifting.
Case in point: Round Rock’s preseason practices run from 5:30-7:30 a.m. Coaches meet at 5 a.m. to go over the day’s goals and expectations. Moore said players regularly beat them to campus.
“This year has been probably by far the coolest experience as far as our leadership goes,” Moore said after the team’s Aug. 11 practice. “There’s a group of 10-12 players that are here and ready to roll by 4:45 a.m. It’s neat to see those guys take some ownership and leadership and do it by example.”
Refreshing doesn’t mean surprising.
“We have 7 guys on our leadership council, and they’ve done a phenomenal job over the summer holding guys accountable,” Moore said. “I’ve invested way more time and energy into leadership training, and it’s been really cool to see these guys grow into young men and lead the team in the right way.”
The council includes QB Dov Stickler, WR Dylan Jaeger, TE Jonah Mussey, OL Colton Steed, OL Jaxn Cly, DB Cooper Martinez and LB Ellis King. Moore really likes the way the group inspires, motivates and even corrects their teammates when necessary. Most of the time, Moore said, feedback from peers proves more impactful than the same feedback coming from the coaching staff.
“I believe (the best teams are player-led),” Moore said. “Guys are always going to be inclined to listen to their buddy or be encouraged by their buddy than when they hear it from their coach.”
No Dragons are closer than Stickler and Jaeger, who Moore says have been best friends since elementary school. They represent two pieces of what might be the most complete offense in the area heading into week 1. Jaeger, a TCU commit, is a 3-year starter and one of the most explosive players in the area. Stickler stepped into the starting role last season and played solid football, passing for more than 1,800 yards with 15 touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes.
“They do everything together,” Moore said, “including running routes together on the field, by themselves. They have a great connection, and they have their timing. I expect those guys to make some big plays.”
They aren’t the only weapons on the Dragons’ offense. RB Ryan Sirwaitis returns after rushing for 409 yards and 8 TDs while averaging more than 7 yards per carry. WRs Dylan Harper and Simon Sylvain will also catch their share of passes. And then there’s the offensive line, which features three players who’ll play Division 1 college football and another multi-year starter.
Colton Steed (6-7, 250), a TCU commit, leads the way along with Yale commit Mark Moreno. Caleb Castaneda has already picked up several D1 offers. Ben Pittman returns at center to anchor the group.
“We’re excited about our line for sure,” Moore said. “I wholeheartedly believe that you win with the guys up front. You have a chance with some big bodies to move some dudes around, and then you just have to do the little things right within that. They’ve done a great job since January of trying to gel, doing things together as a group, and it’s exciting to see that.”
Experience is key, and Moore sees the offense as a group ready to take off.
“Having the meat of what we do offensively and those guys being back,” Moore said, “is very exciting. I can’t wait to see those guys in action.”
Moore also believes in how the defense is shaping up. The Dragons return playmakers at every level and scrimmages throughout the spring proved spirited and beneficial to both sides of the ball, Moore said. Moore, a defensive coach by nature, admitted that the offense might have been a step ahead at times, but he can live with that.
“It’s definitely an iron sharpens iron type of thing,” Moore said of the spirited scrimmages and practices. “It’s been really, really healthy.”
Round Rock’s defense starts in the trenches, where Payton Johnson, the 2025 District 25-6A co-newcomer of the year, returns alongside all-district pick Evan Anders. Ford Lucas returns after a solid sophomore season on the edge. Linebackers King and Jason Nold are back, and Martinez anchors the secondary after an all-district 2025 season.
“We’re excited about the core of that group,” Moore said. “We have a few holes to fill, but we have some options who can go out there and do some really good things.”
Moore pointed to linebackers Hunter Windham, who gained experience last season, and Quincy Kokodoko as players who could have an immediate impact.
“Quincy was a kid that was kind of a sleeper last year, and I’m excited about him because he’s extremely athletic,” Moore said.
The biannual UIL realignment guaranteed the Dragons one certainty about the 2026 season: they will not face Lake Travis in the Bi-District playoffs, they’ll face off in the regular season (in every sport). The teams have met 4 times in the opening round since 2020 (Lake Travis holds a 3-1 edge, including the last 3). The Dragons, along with the other 4 Round Rock ISD schools, welcome Lake Travis and Westlake as district rivals.
Moore will get ample opportunity to match his team against the state’s elite – between them Lake Travis and Westlake hold 10 state titles - and learn what it might take to raise his program to that level.
“I love those guys being in our distict,” Moore said. “Not only is it going to make our UIL district better, but it’s going to make our ISD better. We’re all going to see a high level of athletics (across all sports) that we might not have seen in a while.”
To prepare his football team for the challenge, Moore scheduled tough non-district games with a few familiar faces, including Dripping Springs and Vandegrift, along with Weiss and Temple. The Dragons open district play on Oct. 1 against Westlake.
“Our entire schedule is pretty difficult,” Moore said. “We want to be an elite team and in order to do that you have to play elite teams. We’re not going to shy away from that. We’re going to put our best foot forward and give it everything we’ve got each week.”
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