MOORELAND BEARCATS
Coach: CLAY STEVENS
1-9
Mooreland moves into the 2026 season looking for a reset and significant improvement after a 1-9 campaign under head coach Clay Stevens. They bring back a team with a high level of experience that should benefit from those growing pains. With nine starters back on offense and nine on defense, Mooreland expects better continuity in its schemes and day-to-day operations, which should translate into more consistency on Friday nights. Stevens will again work alongside assistants Cooper Rhoads and Cruz Uhland as they try to turn that experience into results.
Offensively, returning nine starters suggests Mooreland will lean on familiarity and a cohesive unit that has already played a lot of snaps together.
That level of continuity typically helps in communication, execution and the ability to expand the playbook. The staff can build around a group that understands protections, assignments and timing, which should allow them to refine their identity rather than reinvent it. With a full offseason to address last season’s struggles, the expectation is that Mooreland will be more efficient offensively, sustaining drives, limiting negative plays and finishing possessions.
Defensively, the picture is similar, with nine starters returning on a unit that gained experience in virtually every situation last year. That kind of carryover gives Stevens and his staff the flexibility to adjust fronts and coverages, trusting that veterans can handle more responsibility. It also creates competition for snaps, as underclassmen push returning starters and raise the overall standard of practice. The amount of overall experience should make this a fun year for the Bearcats and their fans.
8-28 – at Guymon
9-4 – at Merritt
9-11 – vs. Hinton
9-18 – at Sayre
9-25 – at Empire
10-2 – vs. Apache
10-15 vs. Southwest Covenant
10-23 – at Carnegie
10-30 – vs. Hobart
11-6 – vs. Thomas
