Waxahachie Indians football fans can now set their travel plans for a 2022 fall season that promises to be challenging for a program on the rise.
WHS head football coach Shane Tolleson made the big reveal last week on social media, announcing the official football season for this fall. Watch those first three steps in District 11-6A play, though, because they’re a doozy: games against Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Duncanville right out of the gate.
Coming off a 6-5 playoff season in his first year at WHS, Tolleson was quickly able to nail down three non-district games following the Feb. 3 announcement of the new University Interscholastic League district alignment, including the 101st Battle of 287 against the Ennis Lions at Lumpkins Stadium on Friday, Aug. 26.
But District 11-6A still needed to work out its internal schedule, which was complicated by the presence of three Mansfield ISD high schools sharing only two stadiums with two other schools. The coaches in the district approved the schedule, which leaves WHS with as brutal a gantlet as what anyone else in the state is likely to face.
The Indians will open district play at Lumpkins Stadium against Cedar Hill on Sept. 16, then will travel to DeSoto on Sept. 23. Following a district-wide bye date on Sept. 30 that has been the district’s custom for several seasons, the Tribe will travel to Class 6A Division I state runner-up Duncanville on Oct. 7.
Last season, the Indians held their own against Cedar Hill and DeSoto, losing 14-10 and 31-25 respectively. Nobody in the league could hang with Duncanville, however, and WHS took a 52-3 loss against the Panthers after a 3-3 halftime tie.
Once the Indians emerge from that run of games, the rest of the slate looks more manageable. Homecoming will be Oct. 14 against Mansfield Legacy, then WHS will travel to Mansfield High on Oct. 21. After Senior Night at Lumpkins against Mansfield Lake Ridge on Oct. 28, the Indians will close out the regular season with their only scheduled Thursday night game on Nov. 3 at Dallas Skyline.
All district games will kick off at 7 p.m., a departure from the 7:30 p.m. kickoffs in previous seasons. The Ennis game will kick off at 7:30 p.m., with kickoff times or the other two non-district contests not yet announced.
After the season-opener against Ennis, the Indians will host Arlington Lamar on Sept. 2 and will travel to Grand Prairie’s Gopher-Warrior Bowl on Oct. 9.
Waxahachie Indians
2022 Football Schedule
Aug. 26 Ennis Home
Sept. 2 Arl. Lamar Home
Sept. 9 Grand Prairie Away
Sept. 16 Cedar Hill Home
Sept. 23 DeSoto Away
Sept. 30 OPEN
Oct. 7 Duncanville Away
Oct. 14 Mans. Legacy (HC)
Oct. 21 Mansfield Away
Oct. 28 Mans. Lake Ridge Home
Nov. 3 Dal. Skyline Away