The Stratford Elks have returned to the practice field, ushering in a new era under head coach Stacey Alexander. The team enters the 2026 season on the heels of an impressive 11-win campaign that saw them sweep through district play undefeated. Alexander, who steps into the head coaching role, inherits a roster dotted with experienced contributors, providing a strong foundation as players adjust to new roles and a fresh coaching staff.

Alexander has laid out a simple philosophy for his program. 'Show up every day, work hard, be a good teammate — that’s something we’ve stressed to our kids and talked about a lot,' he said. The coach noted that the memory of last season’s abrupt end has lingered with his players throughout the offseason, serving as a powerful motivator. 'There’s only one team that ever gets to end with a smile on their face, and that’s the one that goes and wins it all,' Alexander said. 'But everybody else has to live with how that season ended. You hope that you learn from it and you’re driven by it.'

Despite the sting of that finish, Alexander insists the team’s focus remains squarely on the here and now. 'You can live in a town and have expectations of December,' he explained. 'Before December happens, August and September and October and November have to happen. You’ve got to get a little bit better each day, each week, each month.' The early returns from training camp have been encouraging. Alexander praised his players’ willingness to embrace change, from a different practice structure to new coaching methods. 'The eagerness of our kids to get going and the willingness to learn new things — change is not always easy for people. And our kids have been eager,' he said. 'Our community has been excited. Our kids showed up day one and the practice style is different, the schedule of practice is different. And they just keep showing up and they keep trying to learn and they’ve had a good attitude.'

On the field, Alexander envisions a brand of football defined by speed and physicality. 'I want us to play stinking good defense. I want us to be good at offense. I want us to play complementary football,' Alexander said. 'We want to be fast and physical on both sides of the football and play together and help each other out.' Offensively, the scheme will be tailored to the strengths of the personnel. 'I like the offense that works. I like the offense that gets first downs and scores points,' Alexander said. 'We’re going to make our offense fit our kids.'

The Elks have a challenging schedule ahead. They open the season at home against Sunray on August 27 at 7 p.m., followed by a road trip to Panhandle on September 4. A home game against Hugoton on September 11 precedes a matchup with Spearman on September 17. The team then travels to Texico on September 25 for a 6 p.m. MT kickoff, with an open date on October 2. District play begins on October 8 at Gruver, followed by an open week on October 16. The Elks will host Bovina on October 22 for homecoming, travel to Vega on October 30, and close out the regular season at home against West Texas on November 6 for senior night.

With a new coach at the helm and a roster hungry to erase the memory of last season’s disappointment, the Stratford Elks are aiming to build a championship run one day at a time.