As the 2026 UIL football regular season approaches its conclusion, Rockwall High School has already achieved one of its most significant objectives.
The Yellowjackets have secured a playoff berth after being absent from the postseason altogether the previous year, and their success on Friday nights has been forged through relentless preparation when no one is watching.
“We’re just teaching that mentality to finish,” Rockwall linebacker Christian Lawyer said. “Just be physical and have that finishing mentality. The physicality during practice helps a lot.”
“We just out here and practicing wholeheartedly as a team,” Rockwall wide receiver Brayden Puffer said. “Everyone is holding each other to a high standard. We’re striving for success. When you come together as a team like that, you’re capable of great things.”
Head coach Trey Brooks is now in his seventh season leading the program.
Since assuming the role in 2020, he has steered the Yellowjackets to three district championships.
With every year that passes, he has discovered a deeper appreciation for the process itself.
“In some ways I think it’s flown by, and in some ways I think back to 2020, and it seems like forever ago,” Brooks said. “These guys are special. Just their attitude and what they bring every day. It’s really awesome. We could see it early on in the offseason. A lot of times you get to this point in the year, and it’s a bit of a grind because you’ve been going for so long. For this team, it’s fun to be out here in practice every day.”
So what drives Rockwall’s consistent success? It is, in truth, no closely guarded secret. It is printed directly on every player’s jersey, and the athletes themselves acknowledge that living by it is a daily responsibility.
“We go by the motto, JFND: Jacket Fight Never Dies,” Puffer said. “Kind of stick that in our heart. Coming out here busting our tails every day, working out here as hard as we can.”
The Yellowjackets will wrap up the regular season with a highly anticipated matchup against their crosstown rivals, the Rockwall-Heath Hawks.
The team is approaching it as they would any other contest, yet there is no denying that a Friday night where an entire community rallies behind its schools represents the very essence of high school football.
“I’m really excited, obviously,” Lawyer said. “Being raised in Rockwall, it’s a fun game. I know a lot of those guys too. Just playing at a young age, I always looked up to those guys. I was like, ‘Man, I want to be like that.'”
“We want them to enjoy it,” Brooks said. “It’s such a cool night just for this entire community. Everybody is there and it’s a packed house. We want them to enjoy that, but for me it’s about them separating that from the actual game. The game is important because it’s a district game.”
