PORTLAND, Texas — Monday was a great day to be a Gregory-Portland football player because it marked the first day of fall 2026 football practice. That's because the the Wildcats had spring ball, so they start a week later. The Wildcats are coming off a strong season. They won the district championship in UIL 5A-DII, and they made a deep playoff run. We saw it on the scoreboard. We know Gregory-Portland knows how to find success and they're looking to do it again.
"I'm excited. I mean I woke up at like 4:30 a.m. and I got here at 5. We've just been getting that work in ever since."
"The intensity. Everybody has been waiting for this kind of moment," said Gregory-Portland senior linebacker Tate Mitchell. "Ready for a while. Since we had spring ball we couldn't get a whole week of two-a-days, so we're excited to get this little bit before school starts."
Gregory-Portland has high expectations, ranked No. 13 in the preseason poll for UIL 5A-DII. The Wildcats return experienced starters on the defensive front that will look to help out the secondary.
"It was a puzzle for sure. We had a couple of missing puzzle pieces, but we ended up filling them out," Mitchell said. "We're really confident with what we've got right now and we're excited to see them out on the field."
On offense keep G-P senior dual-threat quarterback Carter Dominguez on the radar. Last fall's district MVP passed for 1,805 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 881 yards and 25 touchdowns.
"I've played with him personally since I was like 8-years-old, so we definitely have a lot of chemistry," said Gregory-Portland center and guard Gilbert Moreno. "Our line is so trustworthy of our quarterback because we know he can make it happen."
Dominguez has built a strong connection with the returning wideouts, tight end, and a majority of the offensive line. Their running back will be new, but head coach Brent Davis believes in him.
"You know we've got a sophomore kid that we really feel good about, Kaden Bellard," Davis said. "We've got some other ones behind him that are going to be good too, but we're just real young there. Feel good about it. I think they're going to be fine."
G-P will compete in UIL 5A-DII District 15 against Ray and 5 Valley schools. They're projected to win the district once again, but it starts with a good early schedule.
"Our non-district is very tough," Davis said. "We made it that way on purpose and looking forward to it to get better."
Gregory-Portland kicks off the season against Carroll for the Battle of the Bridge rivalry on Thurs. Aug. 27 at 7:05 p.m. at Buccaneer Stadium. You can catch the game live on KRIS 6 for Game Night South Texas.
