Lake Highlands football returns from its bye week with a matchup against the Richardson Pearce Mustangs at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Eagle-Mustang Stadium. 

Lake Highlands football takes the field ahead of its 31-28 victory over Richardson Berkner on Sept. 25, 2026. Photo courtesy of Mike Duhon Photography.

The Wildcats (3-2, 2-0 District 7-6A) last faced Richardson Berkner on Sept. 25, squeaking out a 31-28 victory over the Rams. After the game, Lake Highlands coach Cory Campbell said that the bye week “couldn’t come at a better time” and detailed how the team would ease into Thursday’s matchup with Pearce (0-5, 0-2).

“The first thing is we’re gonna take a couple days off and get healthy,” Campbell said. “We’re gonna get in the film room a little bit and do some studying off our feet. We’re gonna practice two or three days next week, about an hour-and-a-half, (and) get back to some fundamental stuff that we need to work on that the video shows. Then we’re gonna start turning and looking towards Pearce at the end of next week.”

With the game drawing closer, the Wildcats will hope to keep the Mustangs winless. 

The Pearce Mustangs

Pearce is coming off a 55-10 drubbing at the hands of Coppell, the Goliath to the Mustangs’ David. Unfortunately for Pearce, the Mustangs couldn’t find the slingshot.

SportsDay tabbed Coppell as the sixth-best Dallas-area football team. Pearce, on the other hand, found themselves ranked at No. 73. With Lake Highlands ranked No. 52, Pearce will have to play up to the Wildcats’ competition on Thursday.

The Mustangs’ offense this season has been captained by senior quarterback Ty Henkel, who’s amassed 706 passing yards this season to go along with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Henkel has also been good for 59 rushing yards so far this year.

Henkel can thank sophomore receiver Wyatt Walters for a massive chunk of those passing yards. Walters has 24 receptions for 5 touchdowns on the season, tallying 361 receiving yards in the process. Senior William Grimsley is Pearce’s second-leading receiver, taking 14 catches for 154 yards.

Cole Morgan, the Mustangs’ junior running back, is perhaps Pearce’s best offensive weapon. Through five games, Morgan has recorded 338 rushing yards on 94 carries and 18 receptions for 152 receiving yards.

Morgan will test Lake Highlands’ defensive front, but the Wildcats have the tools to stop him. Backing up Lake Highlands’ defensive line is one of the best linebacker duos in the area: senior Christopher Theriot and junior Israel Samuel, the latter of whom holds a three-star rating and 24 Division I offers, according to 247Sports. 

Lake Highlands’ Offense

The Wildcats’ offense has excelled through the air this season, with junior quarterback John Cothern passing for 1,506 yards. That mark was good for the second-most among Dallas-area athletes and has netted Cothern 16 touchdowns to 5 interceptions this year.

Christopher Thibodeaux Jr. and Conrad Ince have been the early beneficiaries of Lake Highlands’ passing game, each ranking among the area’s best in passing yards. Thibodeaux has hauled in 36 receptions for 536 yards (No. 4 in the area) and 7 scores. Ince has achieved 435 yards (No. 14 in the area) on 26 catches for 5 touchdowns.

Mason Spangler is another receiver who’s produced for the Wildcats. So far, Spangler has caught 21 balls for 316 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

With senior athlete Franklon Evans coming back into his own after some early-season injury troubles, Cothern has another weapon at his disposal. The Boston College commit has proven efficient out of the backfield, while also making big plays as a receiver.

In limited time this season, Evans has taken 46 carries for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 17 receptions for 175 yards and 2 more scores.

Lake Highlands will aim to extend its district record to 3-0 against the Mustangs and keep Pearce winless at 7 p.m. Thursday on the road.