Nikki Rowe High School's football program is heading into year two under Head Coach Jamaar Taylor with one of the most experienced rosters in District 16-5A.

Last season, Taylor's first as head coach, the Warriors started strong but dropped their final four games of the regular season. They finished 3-4 in district play and fourth in the standings, missing the playoffs.

"Very humbling that first year. You come in and you want to change the program immediately but it takes time. You have to have patience. The kids have been great, our community has been great. We've had a tremendous amount of support. We have a lot of kids coming back so we're going to capitalize on that experience and hopefully we can win because of that experience," Head Coach Jamaar Taylor said.

The Warriors return 6 starters on both offense and defense heading into the new season.

"Expectations and goals this year is year two of the cycle. First year head coach last year we took our lumps, learned a lot during the season, played some really good teams and we were really close and competitive in those games," Taylor said. "Now we take the next step, get into that fourth quarter and hopefully we finish those games."

Senior linebacker Christian De Leon said the team's bond is a key strength going into the season.

"Our team is really strong all around. We're a really big family and at the end of the day if you don't have a family in a team you will crumble. We have effort. If you can get 100% effort every day then you guys can get better every day," De Leon said.

The Warriors open the season with tough matchups against Harlingen, Los Fresnos and Mercedes before district play begins in week four against Mission and week five against McAllen.

After the bye week, Nikki Rowe will face Palmview, Donna North, McAllen Memorial, Rio Grande City and PSJA Memorial to close out the season.