Photo by Seguin Gazette
AUSTIN, Texas — For a Seguin football team that spent much of the 2026 season learning how to overcome adversity, Friday night’s regular-season finale at historic House Park delivered one final test — and one unforgettable reward.
The Seguin Matadors outlasted the Austin McCallum Knights in a thrilling 43-39 victory, closing the first season under head coach Gary Gutierrez with a 3-7 record and, perhaps more importantly, a glimpse of what the future could hold for the program.
It was a fitting conclusion to a season defined by growing pains, perseverance, and a group of players who refused to stop fighting.
At the center of the Matadors’ offensive explosion was junior Miles Gutierrez, who accounted for 236 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a remarkable performance at quarterback. Playing the position for just the second time this season after recovering from an injury that required surgery, Gutierrez helped lead an offense that repeatedly answered the call in a back-and-forth contest.
His performance was about more than individual numbers. It represented the resilience that has become a central theme of Seguin’s season.
“By no means did he play a clean game tonight, but I know he showed some grit and determination, along with love for his teammates,” Coach Gutierrez said afterward.
And Miles wasn’t doing it alone.
Sophomore Avery Franklin, who had shouldered quarterback responsibilities during the season, contributed with unselfish blocking on the perimeter, helping spring Gutierrez for critical gains. It was precisely the kind of team-first effort the coaching staff has spent months trying to establish.
For an offense that struggled to find consistency early in the season, Friday night’s 43-point performance was a powerful illustration of how far the Matadors had come.
But the ending would require one more act of resilience.
After McCallum struck for a long touchdown to take the lead, Seguin had to respond once again. The Matadors reclaimed the lead with 1:45 left, leaving their defense to deliver one final stand.
And appropriately, it was junior Kyler Forehand who helped finish the job.
Forehand had been involved in the earlier defensive breakdown that allowed McCallum to pull ahead. But with the game hanging in the balance, the versatile defender stepped up on the final play to help secure the victory.
For Gutierrez, that moment captured everything he had come to appreciate about his young team.
“He gave up the long touchdown, and for him to answer the call is just a perfect storybook ending,” Gutierrez said.
The coach praised Forehand as a “jack of all trades” whose versatility had been invaluable throughout the season — and whose return in 2027 gives Seguin another important piece to build around.
A Season of Adversity, a Season of Growth
The road to Friday night’s celebration was anything but easy.
When Gutierrez took over the program, he inherited a team still learning a new system, new expectations, and a new coaching staff. Early in the season, even the fundamentals of getting lined up correctly presented challenges.
The Matadors endured difficult losses, weather interruptions, long nights, and the inevitable frustrations that accompany a program in transition.
But rather than abandoning the process, Gutierrez and his players committed themselves to staying the course.
The improvement didn’t always show up in the win column. It showed up in early-morning workouts, better execution, stronger relationships, and a growing willingness to compete through difficult circumstances.
“I always tell people this: the spectators need to see evidence of learning and growth, and I think that we’ve seen that,” Gutierrez said.
He credited the players for their commitment to the weight room, the practice field, and the daily work required to improve.
The result was a football team that looked markedly different in November than it did when the season began in August.
Friday night’s victory was the payoff.
One Last Memory for the Seniors
Perhaps no one appreciated the moment more than Seguin’s senior class.
For those players, the victory wasn’t simply the third win of a challenging season. It was the final opportunity to put on a Matador uniform, compete alongside their teammates, and walk off the field together as winners.
That significance wasn’t lost on their head coach.
“I’m just so happy for our seniors,” Gutierrez said moments after the victory. “Kids just kept fighting and kept fighting and kept fighting. Had every reason to turn it in, and they didn’t.”
He reflected on the scenes following the final whistle — teammates celebrating on the field, seniors embracing one another, and a group of young men enjoying a moment they had earned together.
“They’ll never forget running on the field at the end of the game,” he said. “They’ll remember that forever.”
The celebration also represented something deeper than football.
Despite having known many of his players for only a matter of months, Gutierrez believes the adversity they experienced together helped establish relationships that will extend well beyond the season.
“With trials and tribulations come great relationships and bonds,” he said.
His final message to the players was simple: “Once a Matador, always a Matador.”
The Foundation for 2027
For Seguin, the 2026 season ends with three victories, seven losses, and plenty of unfinished business.
But there is reason for optimism.
Miles Gutierrez returns after his breakout performance. Avery Franklin and Kyler Forehand are among the young players who gained valuable experience. And an entire program now has a season of experience working within Gutierrez’s expectations and system.
The coach made it clear that Friday’s celebration would not diminish the urgency surrounding the offseason.
“We’re going to progress. We’re going to get better, and we’re going to go into offseason full steam ahead,” he said.
At the same time, Gutierrez emphasized his commitment to helping the departing seniors finish their high school careers successfully, whether that means competing in other sports, preparing for graduation, or pursuing their next opportunities.
For a coach determined to build more than a winning football team, that commitment remains central to his vision.
Friday night’s victory won’t erase the difficult moments of the 2026 season.
It won’t change the final record.
But it will change the way this group remembers its final night together.
Because after all the early mornings, all the difficult losses, all the adversity, and all the uncertainty, the Seguin Matadors got to experience something they had worked toward all season.
They got to finish together.
They got to finish victorious.
And as the team boarded the bus for the ride home from Austin, the scoreboard at House Park told the story of one unforgettable Friday night.
Seguin 43. McCallum 39.
Three wins. Seven losses.
And one final reminder that the future of Matador football is still being written.
Other Area Scores:
Marion 25 (8-2, 5-1), Hallettsville 22 (7-3, 4-2)
Geronimo Navarro 41 (6-3, 3-2), Gonzales 0 (4-6, 3-2)
Navarro Lady Panthers (26-13) falls to Wimberley (44-4) 3-1 in UIL 4A-II Playoffs Regional Semifinals