EASTLAND — The Mavericks had a rough go of it in 2025, posting a 0-10 mark through multiple injuries while a young group of replacements did their best to keep the ship afloat. 

The good news for Eastland is, a large amount of experience returns with nine starters back on both sides of the ball among 18 lettermen.  

Despite all the familiar faces, however, there will be some noticeable differences in how second-year coach Matt Landers will be running things in 2026. 

Gone will be the flexbone option offense the Mavericks were using a year ago — replaced by a spread look to help the Mavs open things up a bit. Gone will be the even fronts often shown by the Eastland defense last year. Instead, the Mavericks will commit to an aggressive 3-3 stack full-time — a look they had experimented with some last year.