Palestine Brings Nine Returning Starters and a New Playbook Into Friday’s Opener
A full breakdown of the Wildcats offense the Dragons will face under first year head coach Ty Robinson.
An Offense Bigger Than Last Year’s Numbers
Palestine enters Friday night’s season opener with one of the more interesting offensive situations on the Dragons’ schedule. The Wildcats were not productive in 2025. They scored 155 points across 10 games, an average of 15.5 per contest, and finished with a 1-9 card.
But Palestine does not enter 2026 with an inexperienced offense. The Wildcats return nine offensive starters under new head coach Ty Robinson, and several players who handled the ball last season were young varsity players who now have another year of experience. The result is a unit that remains largely unproven but carries considerably more potential than last year’s record suggests.
Quarterback Is the First Mystery
Seagoville’s biggest preparation challenge may be figuring out exactly who directs Palestine’s offense and how Robinson intends to use his quarterbacks. Palestine divided its passing opportunities among three players last season, and all three had moments of success.
| Quarterback | Completions | Attempts | Comp Pct | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Hutchinson | 39 | 75 | 52 percent | 385 | 4 |
| London Brown | 34 | 68 | 50 percent | 364 | 2 |
| Ashton Cook | 13 | 24 | 54 percent | 181 | 1 (0 INT) |
Completion percentages are calculated from the raw totals above. Hutchinson completed 14 of 21 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown against Henderson. Cook opened the 2025 season at quarterback and threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to CJ Jones against Nacogdoches.
For Seagoville, the important point is not necessarily which player takes the first snap. Palestine has real experience using more than one quarterback, and Robinson inherits enough versatility to build different packages if he chooses. The Dragons have to prepare for a quarterback rotation rather than a single traditional starter.
London Brown Gives Palestine a Different Dimension
Brown may be the most intriguing piece of Palestine’s offense. The junior can affect a game as a runner, a passer, or a receiver, and that versatility creates real problems for a defense trying to key on one threat.
Brown’s performance against Chapel Hill showed his ceiling. He rushed 12 times for 101 yards, including a 59-yard run, while also throwing two touchdown passes for 112 yards through the air, good for 213 total yards of offense in a single game. He does not have to line up at quarterback to influence a game. Palestine can move him around the formation and still keep the threat of the ball in his hands. For Seagoville, locating Brown before every snap will matter as much as anything else on the scouting report.
Replacing Braylon Beckworth Is the Biggest Question in the Run Game
Palestine’s most significant offensive loss is running back Braylon Beckworth, who graduated after leading the team in rushing by a wide margin.
The Departed Workhorse
- Braylon Beckworth, 2025 (graduated)
- 138 carries
- 643 yards, about 4.7 yards per carry
- 4 rushing touchdowns
The Leading Returner
- Da’Zarian Cummings, 2025 totals
- 27 carries
- 124 yards, 4.6 yards per carry
- Best game: 46 yards on 7 carries plus 36 receiving yards versus Chapel Hill
Brown also figures into the rushing equation regardless of where he lines up, but Palestine does not currently have a proven replacement for Beckworth’s workload. That makes the Wildcats’ ability to establish a conventional running game one of the biggest questions entering Friday.
The Receiving Corps Has Experience
| Player | Receiving Yards | Notable Moment |
|---|---|---|
| CJ Jones | 173 | 59-yard touchdown catch from Cook versus Nacogdoches |
| Deaundre Turner | 149 | Touchdown catch from Hutchinson, same Nacogdoches game |
Palestine did not have one dominant target in 2025, which may make the group harder to predict rather than easier. Ashton Cook also deserves attention here. Although he has played quarterback and defensive back for Palestine, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football currently lists Cook as a wide receiver prospect in the Class of 2027, and he holds scholarship offers from UTSA and Texas Southern. If Robinson uses Cook more as a receiver, Palestine gains another athletic option without losing his value in quarterback packages.
Experience Up Front Could Be Palestine’s Biggest Strength
The offensive line may give Robinson his best starting point. Two returning linemen earned recognition from the District 9-4A coaches last season.
Experienced linemen can make a coaching transition easier, especially when the offense is also sorting out how carries and quarterback snaps will be distributed. For Seagoville, controlling the line of scrimmage becomes the game within the game. Force Palestine into second and long, and the Wildcats lose much of their ability to use every option Robinson has built in.
Do Not Assume What Robinson Will Run
One mistake Seagoville cannot afford is assuming Palestine will simply repeat last year’s offense. Robinson was hired in May and has a history of adapting his approach to the personnel he inherits, which makes this a different kind of scouting assignment. Seagoville can study Palestine’s returning players and what they did last season, but no amount of old film shows exactly how Robinson will combine those pieces in his first game as head coach. That makes discipline on the opening possessions especially important. The Dragons need to identify formations, personnel groupings, and tendencies quickly rather than reacting to what Palestine ran under its previous staff.
What Seagoville Must Stop
Take Away the Run Game
Without Beckworth, Palestine needs someone new to produce between the tackles. Making that difficult is priority one.
Locate Brown on Every Snap
He can hurt a defense with his legs, his arm, and as a receiver. Losing track of him when Palestine shifts personnel is the biggest risk.
Avoid Explosive Plays
Palestine averaged only 15.5 points a game last year. A single long touchdown gives a developing offense exactly the momentum it needs.
Force Long, Sustained Drives
Make the Wildcats execute repeatedly instead of letting one athlete change the game with one play.
Scouting Verdict
Palestine’s offense enters 2026 with more questions than proven strengths. The Wildcats must replace their leading rusher, establish an identity under a new coaching staff, and improve dramatically from a unit that scored only 155 points last season.
Seagoville should have the defensive advantage if it controls the line of scrimmage and forces Palestine into long, methodical drives. The danger comes if the Dragons let the Wildcats’ versatile athletes turn uncertainty into explosive plays. Friday night will provide the first real look at what Ty Robinson has built in Palestine.
Game Information
Seagoville Dragons at Palestine Wildcats
Friday, August 28, 2026 • Kickoff 7:30 PM CDT • Wildcat Stadium, Palestine, Texas
