ROSSVILLE (KSNT) – The standard remains the same for Rossville football entering a new season: compete for championships.
The Bulldawgs came about as close as possible to adding another trophy to the program’s collection in 2025. Rossville reached the Class 1A state championship game before falling to Sterling, 35-34.
Rossville finished the season 11-2, making its sixth state championship appearance under head coach Derick Hammes.
Now, that one-point loss is serving as motivation for the players returning in 2026.
Junior quarterback Landen Lewis and senior running back/linebacker Cael Horgan are among the Bulldawgs looking to use last year’s finish as fuel for another run. The goal isn’t simply to get back to the title game; it’s to finish the job differently this time around.
“It’s on our mind. That’s our ultimate goal to win state,” Lewis told 27 Sports. “We have a good shot if we limit our mistakes this year.”
“It’s in the back of our minds, and we’re using it as motivation,” Horgan said. “We’re using it to get back to the title game, but this time change the result.
While the ending will stick with the returning Bulldawgs, Hammes wants the identity of this year’s team to be about more than what happened last November.
“I want fans to see we play the game in the right way and that’s with their assignments, the way they play physically and hard,” Hammes said. “Having that identity is important to us, and a good hard-nosed football team is how I want to be described.”
Rossville opens its 2026 campaign on Sept. 4 against Perry-Lecompton.
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