Summer break is over.
Students are back in the classroom. Football pads are popping. Practices are underway.
That can only mean one thing.
High school football season has officially arrived.
With it comes a new cast of stars, championship expectations and plenty of unanswered questions. Can a reigning state champion reload? Will a coaching change drawing Lane Kiffin comparisons reshape a county power? Which teams are ready to break through?
Those answers will come in time.
For now, here are the biggest storylines entering the season.
First stop: the Tri-City Athletic League.
The Rams lost plenty. Did they lose too much?
The Rams graduated a three-year starting quarterback. A backfield responsible for more than 2,000 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. The greatest receiver in school history in UCLA freshman Kenneth Moore III. Their second- and third-leading receivers. Both starting safeties. A three-star linebacker.
Then projected No. 1 receiver and San Jose State commit Carter Williams transferred to Folsom.
However, the defending CIF Division 2-AA state champions haven’t lost a TCAL game since 2013 and have spent the better part of two decades proving they can replace stars with new ones.
Coach Tony Franks insists this team isn’t rebuilding.
It’s “retooling.”
Senior quarterback Ronan Carr steps into the spotlight. Fifth-year senior Jeremiah Brown — yes, that’s right, fifth year. Just wait until you hear his story. Then there’s 6-foot-4 tight end and Fresno State commit Rene Garcia, a transfer from Lincoln, giving the Rams yet another weapon.
The foundation also remains intact with four returning starting offensive linemen, San Diego State commit Damian Anyasodo, The Record All-County Co-Defensive Players of the Year Jake and Luke Lucatello, plus returning starters Mehtaab Bhangu, Micah Mandracken, Nate Nemee and Braylon Lindsey.
The biggest questions remain at running back, wide receiver and safety.
All of that said, can anyone finally end the Rams’ reign? Or will St. Mary’s once again prove reloading is just as dangerous as rebuilding?
The Eric Crocker Era: Can Edison finally take the next step?
After more than two decades leading the program, Booker Guyton stepped aside following a 6-5 season and first-round playoff exit, saying he wanted to allow someone else to take Edison where “I feel it should go.”
That someone is Eric Crocker.
After leading Stagg to its first eight-win season since 2013, Crocker inherits a program accustomed to winning. Before joining the TCAL in 2024, Edison captured five consecutive SJAA championships.
But one obstacle remains.
St. Mary’s has handed Edison each of its two TCAL losses and hasn’t dropped a league game since 2013.
Crocker isn’t shying away from that challenge.
Even after saying goodbye to Stanford-bound wide receiver Langdon Horace, quarterback Devin Rasmussen, The Record All-County first-team selection Francis Taamu, third-team pick Amareon McKenzie and several other key contributors, Crocker summed up his team with one word.
“LOADED.”
Junior wide receiver Alonzo Ward returns as one of the area’s premier pass catchers. Sophomore quarterback Ayden McClendon is expected to take over under center. Junior running back JeShanon Martin, a transfer from Lincoln, arrives with a Division I offer already in hand. Junior offensive tackle Finau Paea continues to collect Power Four offers, junior defensive back Dezmond Sanders anchors the secondary, sophomore cornerback Antwone Beattie already owns an Oregon State offer, and freshman offensive lineman Donald Kennard III adds another familiar football name to the roster.
Getting past the first round of the playoffs for just the third time since 2004 — and finally knocking off St. Mary’s —would be a fitting start to the Eric Crocker era.
Experience isn’t the question. Results are.
Experience won’t be an issue for Tracy.
Five of the Bulldogs’ top six tacklers return. So does a quarterback who accounted for 21 total touchdowns, a 1,100-yard running back, the team’s only two players to record sacks and three 6-foot offensive linemen.
Outside of wide receiver and cornerback David Goularte, who finished with 595 receiving yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and nine pass breakups, Tracy brings back virtually its entire core.
The Bulldogs still have work to do after finishing third.
But with so much returning talent, expectations naturally rise.
Lincoln’s fortunes rest on its star duo
Senior quarterback Julian Perez enters the season after throwing for 2,981 yards and 33 touchdowns while drawing interest from Fresno State, Idaho, Sacramento State, Cal Poly and Eastern Washington.
He’ll need to be every bit of that player this season after losing several key transfers.
Still, the Trojans return one of the county’s most dangerous connections in senior wide receiver and Cal Poly commit David Gray, who finished with 812 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. On defense, senior defensive lineman Fallon Barquet is back after leading the county with 11 sacks.
Lincoln proved it could compete with the county’s best, falling by nine points to Edison and 13 to St. Mary’s.
But close only goes so far.
Will this be the season Lincoln posts a winning record, wins its first playoff game since 2012 and breaks through against the county’s elite?
Fresh starts come with fresh questions
The records from last season are easy to remember.
Kimball went 2-9. Lodi finished 1-9.
The rosters, however, won’t look anything like they did a year ago.
Most of the offensive production is gone. So is much of the experience on defense.
That leaves more questions than answers.
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County football 2026: Top TCAL storylines as practices begin
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
