Gainesville's football team plays at North Lamar High School in Paris on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., according to the Leopards' varsity schedule, a week after Bowie beat Gainesville 68–14 in the Leopards' homecoming game. The final score comes from an update published by KNTX, the Bowie football broadcaster.
KNTX's in-game updates put Bowie ahead 28–0 at the end of the first quarter and 55–7 at halftime.
The homecoming game was decided in the first half
Score at the end of the first quarter, at halftime and at the final whistle.
Show the numbers
| Quarters completed | Bowie (points) | Gainesville (points) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | 0 |
| 2 | 55 | 7 |
| 4 | 68 | 14 |
Source: KNTX in-game updates, kntxradio.com
Gainesville High School had identified the Friday, Sept. 11, meeting with Bowie as its homecoming game, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
The Leopards' official schedule lists opponents and starting times and provides no scoring or turnover log. No primary record available for this report confirms which players scored or how many turnovers either team committed.
The two schools play in different classifications. The University Interscholastic League's 2026–28 realignment lists Gainesville at 885 students in Class 4A, assigned to Division II, and Bowie at roughly half that enrollment in Class 3A Division I.
Two schools, two classifications
Gainesville: 885 students
Assigned to Division II
Bowie: 430 students
Assigned to Division I
Source: UIL 2026–28 realignment, realignment.uiltexas.org
Gainesville began the season with an interim head coach. The district named L.J. Searcy interim head football coach for 2026–27. On Aug. 6, the UIL State Executive Committee suspended head football coach Neil Searcy for one season and imposed three years of probation, a public reprimand and additional training. The same ruling cost the football program four preseason practices and one scrimmage and placed the school's athletic program on three years of probation with a public reprimand.
Friday's opponent comes from outside Gainesville's district. UIL alignment documents place North Lamar in District 7 and Gainesville in a six-school District 6 with Krum, Lake Worth, Ponder, Sanger and Van Alstyne. The seven-school district Gainesville played in from 2024 through 2026 also included Bonham, Caddo Mills, Farmersville, Krum, Sanger and Van Alstyne. UIL rules send the top four finishers in each Class 4A district to the playoffs.
After Paris, the schedule lists a road game at Burkburnett on Sept. 25 and an open date Oct. 2. Ponder visits Gainesville on Oct. 9 in the first scheduled meeting with an opponent from the new district.
UIL's centennial football records show Gainesville beat North Lamar 37–7 in the 2003 playoffs. That season the Leopards went 15–0, outscored opponents 601–130 and won the Class 3A Division I state championship 35–24 against Burnet.
_Editor's note: Everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law._
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