Cayuga WILDCATS
Making History
Wildcats chasing a program first
The Cayuga Wildcats are on the precipice of doing something that has never been achieved in the history of the program: securing a playoff berth for a sixth consecutive season.
For head football coach Jacob Magee, this upcoming campaign isn’ t just about continuing a winning tradition— it’ s a deeply personal milestone.
“ We want to continue to grow, but we’ re just ready to work and watch these kids have their shot at it,” Magee said.“ This is the first group that I’ ve coached all the way from seventh through 12th grade. This group could be the first to make history.”
According to Dave Campbell’ s Texas Football, the Wildcats are projected to punch their ticket to the Class 2A, Division I postseason as a third seed. They certainly have the veteran presence to back up the hype, boasting 15 returning lettermen and seven starters back on both sides of the ball.
The anchor of the defense
One Wildcat earning early spotlight honors is linebacker BB Roberts, who enters the season as the preseason district Defensive MVP.
After recording a stellar 98 tackles last year to push Cayuga into the bi-district round, Roberts has transformed from an overlooked underclassman into a marked man.
“ I think him coming back is huge,” Magee noted.“ He earned a lot of recognition last year, picking up All-State honorable mention and All-East Texas honors. He plays hard, works hard, and does really good things.”
Magee credits a trial-by-fire environment for Roberts’ rapid ascent.
“ BB really benefited last year from playing the‘ Will’ linebacker on the weak side alongside Harris Reynolds, Gunner Douglas, and Trace Sims. He was kind of the unknown last season, lacking varsity reps. People challenged him, and he stepped up and played his tail off.”
‘ All Gas’ under center
On the opposite side of the ball, quarterback Kase Dickson is another battle-tested returner Magee is thrilled to have guiding the offense. Dickson’ s path to the starting job required quick maturation.
“ He went from not playing quarterback his sophomore year to suddenly having to be‘ the dude’ when Gunner went down,” Magee said.“ Then we mixed it up and utilized two quarterbacks last year. He’ s a phenomenal leader because he’ s fiercely competitive. He is all gas, completely fearless and he’ s going to make everybody else around him better.”
Answering the question marks
Despite the star power, the Wildcats aren’ t without their roster hurdles. As Cayuga gears up for the season, Magee points to the trenches and roster depth as his primary focus areas.
— Rebuilding the front line:“ We’ ve got some big, young kids playing offensive line. Replacing that unit is our number one priority,” Magee said.
— Filling veteran shoes:“ Losing four seniors who played crucial spot minutes last year is tough. When you have to replace guys like Hayden Schranck, Kaden Edwards, Gunner and Harris— who brought tons of tackles, game experience, size and speed— it’ s a major challenge.”
While summer workouts have laid a solid foundation, the coaching staff is looking for significant strides as the team transitions into two-a-days and scrimmages.
Blocking out the noise
No matter what the preseason magazines say, Magee is making sure his locker room stays grounded.
“ Every year there is a new team,” Magee said.“ Our kids work hard and having made the playoffs five years in a row, we expect to be in the mix regardless of who is in the district. We don’ t look at projections or any of that stuff because it always changes.”
To prepare for the district gauntlet, Cayuga will rely on a demanding non-district schedule to forge their identity.
“ You’ re going to find things that you like and things that you don’ t like,” Magee said of the early-season matchups.“ You are going to change and you’ re going to grow. It’ s vital to see who we are, find out who can handle adversity and put them in the best positions to succeed.”
Ultimately, if the Wildcats are going to rewrite the school record books, it will come down to mastering the basics.
“ We’ re entirely focused on who we are— the rest of it will take care of itself,” Magee said.“ Our kids have figured out that if you work hard and play hard, good things usually happen.”
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2026 CAYUGA WILDCAT SCHEDULE
8--28- @ T. K. Gorman 9-4- @ Ore City
9-11- Mt. Enterprise 9-18- Itasca( HC) 9-25- @ Hawkins *
10-2- Como Pickton * 10-9- @ Alba Golden *
10-16- Kerens * 10-23- @ Frankston *
11-6- Carlisle( Senior Night)
* Denotes district games
All games are scheduled for 7 p. m.