Texas High School Football season is officially one month away. While the weather still very much says summer, fall is quickly approaching and we can begin counting down the days for Friday Night Light’s. 

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at all three Hopkins County teams and their weekly schedule, as each team looks to make a run for the postseason. 

Week 1, Aug. 25

Sulphur Springs @ Jacksonville 

Year 1 under Coach Brandon Faircloth and company was a huge success for the Sulphur Springs Wildcats, which started out with a home win against Jacksonville. This year they will be looking for a similar outcome, though they will have to do so on the road this time. 

Coming off a 7-3 regular season in 2022 and their first playoff appearance since 2018, the expectations are high for the Wildcats this season, and Week 1 is no different, as Sulphur Springs is currently a 15-point favorite in their season opener according to Dave Campbell’s. 

Last year it was running back Malachi Roland who stole the show in the season opener, rushing for a pair of touchdowns and finishing just shy of 100 yards on the ground in the Wildcats 21-6 victory. Quarterback Brady Driver also had a strong showing, passing for 145 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up 83 yards on the ground. 

Defensively the Wildcats were led by safety Ty Bybee, who racked up nine tackles in the season opener. Entering his junior year and stepping into a leadership role in the secondary, Bybee will look to once again start his season off with a strong outing. 

In the front seven it was Larren Vaughan who shined, leading the way with three QB hurries. Juinors Zac Taylor and Daedae Hall were each able to put pressure on the quarterback as well, and will be looking to open their senior campaigns by doing so once again. 

Last season it was a 15-point win in the season opener that set the tone for a great season for the Wildcats, and this year they are predicted to win by the exact same margin. 

Como-Pickton @ Simms Bowie 

The Como-Pickton Eagles and Simms Bowie Pirates are two teams who have gotten very familiar with each other, as this season marks the fourth consecutive year they will open the season against each other. Despite a close loss in last years opener, Como-Pickton has had success in the matchup, winning the previous two matchups by final scores of 17-0 and 20-8, and will be hoping to have similar success this season. 

The Eagles will be looking to open the season with a win, in hopes for a bounce back year after going 1-9 in 2022. Keeping their positive trend and recent success over Simms Bowie could go along way in opening their season with some momentum, despite being the underdog in Week 1. 

Cumby vs Tom Bean 

The Cumby Trojans will be the only Hopkins County team playing in front of their home crowd in Week 1 of the Texas High School Football season. They will be doing so against Tom Bean, a team who beat Cumby 36-28 a season ago, though Cumby is predicted to get their revenge this season. 

Dave Campbell’s currently has Cumby as a 4-point favorite against the Tom Cat’s of Tom Bean, who went 2-8 in 2022. Cumby will also be a team looking to have a bounce back season this year, after also going 2-8 last fall. 

The last time the Trojans won their season opener was back in 2019, which kicked off an 8-win season for them. Cumby would go on to finish second place in their district and even defeat Simms Bowie by a final score of 50-28 in the opening round of the playoffs. 

They will certainly be looking to have a similar season in 2023 and a home win in Week 1 could go a long way towards accomplishing that. Who will have the upper hand in the season opener matchup? Will Cumby be able to avenge their season opening loss from a season ago, or will Tom Bean once again walk away victorious?