6A

Grand Oaks Grizzlies 2026 Season Preview

by
Adam Ogburn
July 12

Grand Oaks Grizzlies

Head Coach: Shaun McDowell (4th season; 17-15 record)

Last Season: 8-4; 5-3 in district (Lost to Cypress Ranch in area round)

Grand Oaks Key Players and Storylines

Grand Oaks is on the rise. Not only did the Grizzlies earn the program’s first-ever playoff berth last year, but they also recorded the program’s first-ever playoff victory in a 38-28 bi-district triumph over Aldine Nimitz.

The challenge this year offensively will be replacing both a four-year letterman at quarterback and a 1,700-yard rusher. They do have a gamebreaker at receiver in Utah commit Darnell Jackson Jr. (430 receiving yards and six touchdowns). He’ll be a welcome presence for junior Holt Adams, who appears set to take over at quarterback. The run game is also in good hands with Bryan Victorian Jr. (641 rushing yards and six touchdowns), who still made an impact as the second fiddle a year ago.

Junior SZN
29 Rec
430 Yds
457 APS
14.8 Avg
39.1 Y/G
51 Lng
6 TD
*1st playoff game in school history
*1st playoff win in school history @GOaksFootball @coach_mcdowell @CoachFrost12 @jarrettbailey12 @coachupton43 @TheProtectUCrew @dctf @MaxPreps @vypehouston @MaxPreps… pic.twitter.com/fVLpFDLej3

— Darnell Jackson Jr (@Darnell2Jackson) December 7, 2025

When it comes to the offensive line, the Grizzlies have seniors Joel Botchway and Aiden Cruz, who were both all-district honorees last season.

Defensively, the interior of the Grand Oaks defensive line is basically a brick wall with 6’1″, 300-pound UTRGV commit Chase Leonard (33 tackles, and 12 TFLs), who moves in from Oak Ridge, and 6’2″, 290-pound senior Bruce Warren III (49 tackles, nine TFLs) at defensive tackle. The Grizzlies do have avoid in the middle of the field after graduating two first team all-district linebackers, so safeties Tierce Godfrey and Jaylen Ashley (36 tackles) will be counted on to take on anything that breaks past the front seven.

This is a Grand Oaks program that has plenty of belief after last season’s success. The Grizzlies have some key players to replace, but with the talent ready to step up in this program, they’ll expect to be in the playoff mix again this fall.