One year after finishing the regular season with a sub-.500 record, the Van Alstyne Panthers are heading into the playoffs as district champions.

Van Alstyne capped off an impressive regular season Thursday night with a 49-28 victory over Sanger, finishing 9-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in District 6-4A play to claim the district championship.

The accomplishment marks a significant turnaround for the Panthers, who finished 4-6 overall and 3-3 in district competition during the 2025 season.

Both sides of the ball showed significant gains this year. After averaging 33 points per game in 2025, the Panthers increased their offensive production to nearly 48 points per game this season. Defensively, Van Alstyne lowered its average points allowed from nearly 31 per game last year to just under 22 in 2026.

Along the way, Van Alstyne reversed the outcome of several matchups that went against the Panthers a year ago.

Among those victories were wins over Krum and Aubrey, two teams that defeated Van Alstyne last season by a combined 14 points.

The most dramatic reversal came in the regular-season finale against Sanger.

In 2025, Sanger handed Van Alstyne a 73-23 defeat, the most points the Panthers allowed in a game all season. This year, the Panthers held Sanger to 28 points while putting up 49 to close out their district championship campaign.

The Panthers' lone loss of the 2026 regular season also came against a familiar opponent. Sunnyvale defeated Van Alstyne 49-41 in the Bi-District round of the playoffs last year, ending the Panthers' season. This year, the Raiders again came out on top, winning 36-24, but Van Alstyne held them to 13 fewer points than in last year's matchup.

Van Alstyne is expected to face Venus in next week's Bi-District round, although the matchup has not yet been finalized. The date, time and location of the game are also still to be determined.

Additional playoff information will be shared as soon as details are confirmed.

Note: 2026 scoring averages are based on nine games played and exclude the scheduled game against Gainesville, which was not played.