Wildcat football captains: Back: Jamadric Mackey, Carlos Sanchez, Jakson Thomson, Coach Judd Smith, Kamadre Phillips, Coach Cory Campbell, Coach Lonnie Jordan and Jonathan Barrows. Front: Will Haskins, Latrell Smith, Azion Washington and Jack Hutton.

Lake Highlands High School Head Football Coach Lonnie Jordan is full of competitive enthusiasm and confidence about the new UIL alignment and the school’s move to 8-6A, even though it means facing powerhouse schools like Duncanville (5,000 students) and DISD magnet Skyline (4,700) this fall.

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“We love where we are, and we love who we are,” Jordan told Exchange Club members at their annual football season kickoff. “Duncanville is projected to be one of the top 5 teams in the state, and Skyline is double our size, but we expect to be up at the top.”

Dallas Molina also is added, and Jesuit Prep is gone from the district.

Jordan introduced his captains and pivotal players and said his coaches are excited about their prospects.

“Our core group is pretty special,” Jordan said. “We’re getting calls from SEC and ACC schools that want to come out and see our kids.”

“When we go to playoffs, we’ll go west,” Jordan went on, explaining that LHHS moved to Region I when it went from 9-6A to 8-6A. LHHS will now face opponents in the western quadrant of Texas. Note that Jordan indicated it’s “when,” not if, the team earns a playoff berth.

LHHS was invited to play in the Cotton Bowl Showcase Saturday, Sept. 8, a chance to see and be seen by college coaches and big crowds.

“It’s an honor to play in that storied stadium,” Jordan said of the week two game. “I’d love to see everyone from Lake Highlands there. We want you to see these guys play in a stadium that size.”

Jordan may have one or two greys up top, but his social media savvy keeps the team’s profile high. Last year’s motto was #OwnIt, and, if you follow him on Twitter, you can expect to see #Believe and #BSTW: Believe, Self, Team, Win.

“Believe is different than hope. When we’ve put in enough work and we’ve sacrificed, we can have faith in the win.”

You can find a Wildcat football schedule on MaxPreps here. Lake Highlands plays Mesquite in our first home game Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

#Believe, baby. Go Cats.

Wildcat Bell Boys: Joe Williams, Pierce Walling, Isaac Solario and Drew Keatts