The 2026 Football season is finally here and we got a great game coming when the New Home Leopards travel to Slaton, Texas to take on the Tigers on Friday Night! Both teams made deep runs in the playoffs in their respective classes and both teams lost a lot, coming into the 2026-27 season.
For Slaton, they will have some key weapons that return and that includes Billy Harris: an exceptional athlete that will play both ways for Coach Conkin and Z’qedrian Whaley at the Wide Receiver position who has FCS potential and the measurables to boot. Also, a player that I think will make an immediate impact this season is Cashton Kennard at the tailback and Linebacker or safety position. Oh yeah, how is the Quarterback rotation going to go with Schilling and Strickland?
New Home will be led this season by Senior Lincoln Preston; an athlete who put on 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason and still runs a 4.6 40-yard dash at 195 pounds. My question for Coach Ward’s team after seeing them all summer and for a few practices in the last couple of weeks is.. Who’s QB1? Also, how will they navigate their tough non-district schedule with some lower numbers this fall?
This will be a trenches game as both teams will try to establish the run, but the advantage to me in this game is the air strike: the ability of Slaton to push the ball down the field in a hurry through the air with Whaley or Crawford. If New Home can stay close and force some turnovers, they can win. If not, Slaton could overpower the Leopards at home.
I’ll be there live at 6:30pm to cover this opening game for the Capital Pizza Game of the Week!
