STEPHENVILLE — At first, the numbers, don’t look great. Seven offensive and four defensive starters back with 31 lettermen having received their diplomas. 

But if there is any team in the Big Country with a history of overcoming such losses — any team with the resources to keep rolling — it is the top-ranked Stephenville Yellow Jackets.  

Coming off a seventh state championship season which saw them post a 16-0 mark, the ‘Jackets have 22 lettermen returning, including several key players, and a gifted 10-0 JV team supplying the new faces. A youthful defense, however, will likely be the critical element to whatever success the ‘Jackets achieve in 2026. 

“We only return four players on defense,” coach Sterling Doty said. “But we’ve got some really good players coming back offensively, with our quarterback (Trot Jordan, 3,241 passing yards, 45 TDs), our tailback (Zyler McClendon, 1,702 rushing yards, 28 TDs), some receivers and on our offensive line.”