Celina's nine-time state champion football program will compete at the Class 5A level for the first time when the 2026 season opens in late August, navigating a coaching change, a young roster and a nine-team district under first-year head coach Marc Bindel.
The Bobcats, ranked No. 24 in the state by MaxPreps as of Aug. 3, enter the year with sky-high tradition but significant turnover. Bindel, hired March 24 after 12 seasons and a 99-53 record at Wichita Falls Rider and Memorial, replaces Bill Elliott, who retired in January after going 150-38 since 2012 and winning the 2024 Class 4A-DI state title during his 33 years at Celina.
"The Bobcats went through a lot of tumult this offseason and have completely changed the guard with new head coach Marc Bindel," Dave Campbell's Texas Football analyst Matt Stepp wrote in his Aug. 11 district preview. "They will also be incredibly young."
Stepp projects Celina to miss the playoffs, with Anna favored to win District 4-5A DII. That would be a jarring result for a program whose 30-game winning streak was snapped only by a 24-21 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Stephenville on Dec. 12, 2025.
The Bobcats do return talent. Evan Koehne, who hauled in a 32-yard touchdown catch in that semifinal, earned Dave Campbell's Preseason Offensive MVP honors for the district. Quarterback Bowe Bentley, a junior during the 2025 playoff run, also returns after leading an offense that scored 51.5 points per game during the 2024 state championship season.
Prosper, Rock Hill welcome Walnut Grove to 6A
Across town, the Prosper Eagles enter 2026 ranked No. 19 in the state and anchoring a reshuffled District 6-6A that now includes crosstown rival Prosper Walnut Grove, which moves up from 5A after going 23-3 with two district titles in its first three seasons.
Rock Hill joins Prosper and Walnut Grove in that district alongside Allen, Dallas Jesuit, McKinney, McKinney Boyd and Princeton. All three Prosper ISD programs land in the same 6A district.
New kid on the block: Prosper Richland
The other local storyline sits in Celina's district. Prosper Richland, a brand-new campus playing its first full UIL-sanctioned season after going 3-7 on an independent schedule in 2025, lands in District 4-5A DII alongside the Bobcats. Stepp's preview calls the Raiders "the other big question" in the district, noting "you just never know how Year 1 will go with a new program."
What's ahead
UIL football practice opened statewide Tuesday, Aug. 4. Scrimmages and preseason games precede district play for all local programs, though specific opener dates for Celina, Prosper and Rock Hill have not been publicly confirmed.
