Wylie High School's Homecoming game Friday, Sept. 18, pits the 2-1 Bulldogs against defending Class 4A Division I state champion Stephenville, which enters 3-0 and was ranked No. 1 in its classification in Dave Campbell's Texas Football preseason poll.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

The Yellow Jackets beat Wylie 52-13 last season on their way to a 16-0 championship run. This time, head coach Clay Martin's squad carries momentum from back-to-back wins after a Week 1 loss.

Wylie opened the season with a 13-7 loss to Brownwood but followed with a 49-3 win over Lubbock Monterey and a 28-21 road victory over Wolfforth Frenship. Quarterback Jadin Karleskint threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns against Monterey, then 327 yards and three scores on 25-of-32 passing against Frenship, according to the Abilene Reporter-News. Receiver Blaze Ruffin hauled in six catches for 123 yards and all three touchdowns in the Frenship win.

Stephenville has outscored its last two opponents 76-31. The Yellow Jackets escaped Brownwood 28-24 on a 75-yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds left in the 86th Battle of 377. They followed that with a 48-7 win over Lubbock Cooper, where quarterback Trot Jordan threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-19 passing.

The Reporter-News picked Stephenville to win the Homecoming game.

After the Week 1 loss to Brownwood, Martin told the Wylie Bulldogs website on Sept. 4 that his team's problems were fixable. "We didn't execute when we had to … There was time to mope and pout but once you get to Monday, it's back on," he said. Wylie has won two straight since.

The Bulldogs return 42 lettermen this season, including seven offensive and eight defensive starters from a 2025 squad that went 5-5 and missed the playoffs. Ruffin posted 767 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last year. Running back Cooper Jones and receiver Dylan Regala round out the returning skill group.

The Homecoming queen will be announced at halftime. This year's court includes Lane Adams, Hannah Bailey, Claire Fellows, Elena Liew and Hope Willis, according to The Paw Print, the student newspaper.

The Homecoming Dance follows on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at The Back Porch of Texas, an outdoor venue. Tickets are $35 online through Thursday, Sept. 17, at thepurpledogcompany.com, or $40 at the door.