PSJA Bears football is heading into a new era after a rough 2025 season that ended with a 1-4 district record and a missed playoff berth for the first time since 2021.

The Bears brought in a familiar face to lead the rebuild. Head Coach Horacio Garza, a former Bear who most recently served as offensive coordinator at PSJA North, is now running the program.

Garza is overhauling the coaching staff, adding Mark Gonzalez as defensive coordinator and Gary Lauer as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

At quarterback, the competition is between returning players Dylan Rodriguez and Gael Zambrano.

"It's a really exciting feeling. I'm really happy to be back home," Head Coach Horacio Garza said. "It's been a lot of years but we're excited to be back and God willing we can do some good things. We're going to try to see if we can fit some things for our kids."

"What our kids can do is what we'll be able to do," Garza said. "We have a good coaching staff so they'll be able to help with that and if the kids are able to run the ball well we're going to run the ball. If the kids are able to go out and throw passes and catch footballs we'll tailor what we have to do to help our team as best as we can."

Garza is also bringing his son, junior wide receiver and safety Isaiah Garza, to PSJA. Isaiah was one of the standout players on both sides of the ball last season.

"It's been awesome. Everything is a different change but my dad always tells me that there's always a better opportunity moving forward," Isaiah Garza said. "This offseason has been a lot of grind, team bonding and I'm grateful for everything. It's going to be a great year."

A senior linebacker on the team is counting on Isaiah to make an immediate impact.

"He's a really good athlete. I'm hoping he can bring that side of the ball over here to PSJA Bears and hope he can win us a district championship as well," the senior linebacker said.

The Bears open non-district play against Mercedes, followed by Pioneer, MCHI, Donna and Weslaco.

District play begins in the second half of the season against Harlingen. Week 8 brings a matchup against Brownsville Veterans, followed by Los Fresnos in Week 9, the Tri City Classic in Week 10 and a season finale against San Benito.