The Class 4A Division II No. 24 Brownwood Lions will close their preseason scrimmage schedule Thursday on the road against the Class 4A Division I No. 12 Alvarado Indians, giving both teams one final opportunity to prepare for the 2026 regular season.

The varsity event will begin with a traditional pre-game warm-up at 6:30 p.m. for the Lions and Indians. Junior varsity and freshman action is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. on opposite ends of the field.

A different scrimmage format

Unlike Brownwood’s scrimmage last week against Class 4A Division II No. 6 Brock at Gordon Wood Stadium, Thursday’s varsity format will include a limited number of scrimmage plays followed by live football. Brownwood head coach Brixey said each team will run 10 plays with its first-team offense and defense, followed by 10 plays with its second units. The teams will then play two live regulation quarters.

There will be no live kicks or punts, but the rest of the regulation-quarter action will be live. Brixey said the format was designed to give players game-time experience before the regular season begins.

The junior varsity and freshman teams will use eight-minute sets rather than a fixed number of plays. After the first eight-minute set, the teams will take a two-minute break before switching offenses and defenses.

What Brownwood wants to improve

Brixey said Brownwood’s defense needs to improve its tackling after the Brock scrimmage. He also identified blown assignments, miscues, pursuit to the football and conditioning as areas the Lions want to address against Alvarado.

On offense, the Lions are seeking progress in their running game and pass protection. Brixey said the offensive line showed positive physical play against Brock, but pass protection was inconsistent at times.

“Defensively, as well as we played the other day we need to tackle better. I don’t think we tackled well at times the other night. We had some blown assignments and miscues that you want to see get better. We also need to run to the football a little bit better, be in better shape.”
“Offensively, we have to do a better job in both our run game stuff and our pass protection was not good at times the other night. At other times it was really good, but I would like to see marked improvement in that part of the game.”

Brownwood also enters the scrimmage managing an injury from the Brock meeting. Fullback Boudy Humphries suffered a shoulder injury and is out indefinitely, according to the report.

Alvarado brings a highly ranked challenge

Alvarado finished last season with a 12-1 playoff record and enters the scrimmage ranked No. 12 in Class 4A Division I. Despite that ranking, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football projects the Indians to finish third in District 4-4A Division I, behind No. 3 Springtown and No. 7 Decatur.

Alvarado’s roster will feature a new head coach, Aubrey Sims, who moved to his alma mater from Weatherford. The Indians return three offensive starters and two defensive starters from 2025. Among the players identified in the report are quarterback Kameron Jenkins, receiver Kenneth Lomack and defensive end Zyon Brown.

Brownwood coach Brixey said Alvarado may have limited numbers but has considerable talent among the players available.

“It’s another chance to get better. Every week you’re either getting better or getting worse, there’s no status quo. Even if you’re the exact same you were last week, compared to what you should be doing, you’re worse because you should be getting at least a little bit better. And the teams that play a long time are the teams that get better every week.”

Looking back at the Brock scrimmage, Brixey said Brownwood played well defensively and that he was fairly pleased with the offensive line’s physical performance. The Lions scored one touchdown during the quarter with their first units, while Brownwood was moving toward the end zone when time expired.

The Alvarado scrimmage will also give Brownwood experience with its pre-game warm-up routine. Brixey said that preparation is intended to ensure the Lions have gone through the process before traveling to Abilene next weekend.

Brownwood will open the 2026 high school football regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at Class 5A Division II Abilene Wylie.