Richardson ISD pushed Friday's Wylie-at-Lake Highlands varsity football kickoff to 7:30 p.m. because of forecasted heat. Pirates fans heading to Wildcat Ram Stadium will get a later start than originally scheduled.

The host district announced the change Tuesday, Sept. 1, moving all ninth-grade, JV and varsity games for the week to later start times. The updated schedule on Richardson ISD's website cited "forecasted heat this week" as the reason.

No game will begin before 6 p.m.

Hydration stations will be set up on both the home and visitor sides of Wildcat Ram Stadium during periods of excessive heat. Fans can bring empty plastic water bottles through the gate and fill them inside. Water will also be available for purchase at concessions.

The game is Wylie's second of the 2026 season. Head coach Jimmy Carter's Pirates opened Aug. 28 with a 41-23 win over Richardson Pearce, a game where quarterback JB Blake and running back Daylon Gordon connected on a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the fourth quarter to put it away.

Gordon, who piled up 840 rushing yards, 558 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns last season, is a Power Four prospect, according to Texas HS Football's season preview. Blake, a dual-threat quarterback, threw for 1,599 yards and ran for 540 more in 2025.

Carter enters his seventh season at Wylie with a 30-33 career record and 34 returning lettermen, including six starters back on each side of the ball. The Pirates missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since 2021 after three district losses by eight points or fewer.

Friday's contest at Lake Highlands is a non-district game. Wylie's ninth-grade teams play at Wildcat Ram Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., while the JV squads play Thursday at Wylie High School at the same times.

District play opens Sept. 18 when Wylie hosts Sachse.