Wall-Jim Ned Named One of Texas Football’s Top 10 Games of 2026

WALL, TX — Texas Football has released its top 10 nondistrict games for Class 3A and 4A next fall, and one of our area’s best rivalries made the list.

Wall and Jim Ned, which are home to two of the top athletic programs in the state, will play Sept. 11 in Tuscola.

The two teams have played 43 times since 1970 and have often shared a district. Wall holds a 29-14 advantage, though they’ve split the last six games.

Wall made a statement in last year’s meeting when it went into Tuscola and handed a state-ranked Indians team a 24-0 shutout loss. If it wasn’t clear the Hawks were ready to contend for a state title before that night, it was certainly apparent afterward.

Sure enough, Wall went on to a perfect 16-0 season and brought home the program’s first state title.

In 2020, Jim Ned won its first and only state title, and the Indians’ 28-8 win over Wall was a sign that Jim Ned was the real deal that season.

Both teams are in Class 3A Division I after Wall was bumped up in the most recent UIL realignment, but they’re in different districts. 

Wall, along with TLCA San Angelo, was sent to the Hill Country with Llano, Ingram Moore and Early in District 3-3A. Jim Ned’s new district in 2-3A has a more West Texas feel with Kermit, Odessa Compass, Lamesa, Sweetwater and Clyde.

Wall and Jim Ned are both in Region I, so they could collide again in the playoffs.

It’s hard to know what to expect from this year’s meeting. Wall brings back only three starters on each side of the ball, and the Hawks graduated the top pieces from their spread offense, including quarterback Landon York and wide receiver Reid Robertson.

Jim Ned, meanwhile, returns only three starters total from last year’s 11-2 team that reached the third round of the playoffs.

It’s safe to expect both of these programs, however, to reload and put a quality product on the field.

For Wall, Jim Ned is one of five teams on the Hawks’ 2026 schedule that finished the regular season last year ranked in the top 10 along with Canyon West Plains, Ozona, Midland Greenwood and Llano.