Thursday’s second scrimmage schedule

It’s the last dress rehearsal before the 2026 high school football season begins.

Below is the list of every 11-man scrimmage we’ve got going on tonight. Legacy will face Lubbock Estacado and Aubrey at Memorial Stadium, while Burkburnett, Holliday, Henrietta and Electra will also be hosting nearby scrimmages.

Jonathan Hull and I are hoping to get out to a couple scrimmages so be on the lookout for coverage on our Facebook page.

We’ve published a good chunk of our area previews with Burkburnett, City View, Iowa Park, Legacy and Memorial coming in the next week.

Among the other stories I’ll be publishing next week: the local media’s thoughts on the season, every area team’s quarterback situation, a Preseason Top 10 poll and my “10 thoughts” column.

And while we’re talking stories, my personal Facebook feed reminded me that Tuesday was the two-year anniversary from when I first launched Red River Roundup. In fact, this scrimmage story is the 400th published on Substack.

There have been tons of analysis, previews, game columns plus features written since August 2024, but what I enjoy writing the most is in-depth features and historical pieces.

Since we’re celebrating a milestone and because recent subscribers might have missed some of these, I thought I’d post my 10 favorite stories I’ve written (in no particular order) since Red River Roundup became a thing.

* The UIL banned Burkburnett for a year in 1962 after its fans attacked an official. It ended up leading to the Bulldogs getting one of their best players in program history.

* Windthorst once had to play eight-man football because a few players left right before the season to join an Arkansas monastery, gaining national attention. This story also dove into the roots of the Trojans’ football program.

* Memorial had to go to El Paso for the 2025 playoffs. But that’s nothing compared to when top-ranked Wichita Falls lost a coin flip 73 years ago and had to make a journey to Corpus Christi for a first-round playoff game that didn’t go so well.

* Speaking of WFHS, December marked the 75-year anniversary of an unlikely state title run the Coyotes went on after starting 1-4. How the Coyotes were able to win it all was Cinderella-like.

* Last summer, Jonathan Hull and I ranked the top area players and coaches in the first 25 years of the 20th century. But my favorite was ranking the Best 25 games of the 2000s.

* More recently, I got to spend time with the Belchers this summer and wrote an in-depth profile on Windthorst’s Brock Belcher.

* I’ve done lots of research for single-game and single-season area offensive leaders. My favorite was a deep dive into Chillicothe’s Randy Boone and how his 357 receiving yards in a 1984 game has tons of red flags. It’s interesting if you enjoy historical records.

* Since leaving the TRN, Jonathan Hull is an occasional writer for Red River Roundup. He wrote this engaging feature on Holliday’s Ryder Strohman, who was one of the best 3A runners in the state but always second in his own house.

* It was the end of an era when Iowa Park’s Scot Green coached in his last baseball game in the state semifinals a couple months ago. So he reflected back on his career.

* A few days after City View’s Heath Aldrich passed away, I had some of his coaching friends share their favorite stories about him.

Legacy vs. Lubbock Estacado/Aubrey, 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium

Memorial at Springtown, 7 p.m.

City View at Burkburnett, 7 p.m.

Boyd at Graham, 7:15 p.m.

Iowa Park vs. Jacksboro/Tolar, 6:40 p.m. at Tolar

Bowie at Henrietta, 6:30 p.m.

Vernon at Holliday, 7:15 p.m.

Olney at Electra, 6 p.m.

Nocona at Tom Bean, 6 p.m.

Windthorst at Alvord, 6 p.m.

Archer City vs. Lockney, 6 p.m. at Seymour

Petrolia at Quanah, 6 p.m.

Seymour at Crosbyton, 6 p.m.

Baird/Winters at Munday, 6 p.m.