Round Rock McNeil Mavericks
Head Coach: Jerry Gardner (1st season)
Last Season: 6-4; 5-3 in district
Returning Lettermen: 10 (1 returning starter on offense; 4 on defense)
McNeil Key Players and Storylines
McNeil will be learning on the fly this fall. Head coach Jerry Gardner, who was most recently the offensive coordinator at Wylie East, just accepted the job in early June. On the field, he has just ten returning lettermen to work with, so it’s a fresh slate no matter where you look for McNeil.
Offensively, the one returning starter is a key one: speedy running back Zylen Hall (703 rushing yards and six touchdowns). He’ll be a great leader for the Mavericks alongside senior quarterback Orion Covault, who will get the keys to the offense as he moves up from JV due to his “strong and accurate arm.”
A few throws w/ Mama’s Boys 7v7 Fri before real fb starts Monday. @FootballMcneil pic.twitter.com/NMOQWLsbvz
— Orion Covault (@OrionCovault) August 3, 2026
Junior Kaden Kerney will also pitch in at running back, but his strongest position is at safety where he had 74 tackles for the Mavericks last season. In front of him, physical linebacker Tyson Cox (68 tackles) and 6’1″, 265-pound defensive tackle Ethan Nguyen will take the lead in run defense.
While this year’s group is still growing in consistency, Gardner has loved their togetherness. It will be a steep learning curve this fall, but this McNeil program has been heading in the right direction overall with two playoff berths in the last three years.
2026 McNeil Mavericks Football Schedule
*Denotes District 25-6A Contest
- August 28 (Friday) — @ Austin Bowie at Burger Stadium — 7:00 PM
- September 4 (Friday) — vs. Lake Belton at Dragon Stadium — 7:00 PM
- September 11 (Friday) — @ Rouse at Gupton Stadium — 7:00 PM
- September 18 (Friday) — @ Vista Ridge at Gupton Stadium — 7:00 PM
- *September 24 (Thursday) — vs. Lake Travis at KRAC — 7:00 PM
- *October 2 (Friday) — @ Cedar Ridge at KRAC — 7:00 PM
- *October 9 (Friday) — vs. Stony Point at KRAC — 7:00 PM
- *October 16 (Friday) — @ Westlake at Chaparral Stadium — 7:00 PM
- *October 23 (Friday) — vs. Round Rock at KRAC — 7:00 PM
- *October 30 (Friday) — @ Westwood at KRAC — 7:00 PM
