Texas High School Football: Willis ISD seeks eye-popping amount for new stadium

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the price tags for high school football stadiums.

Recent projects in the Katy and McKinney independent school districts have come at a cost of more than $70 million — nearly all of which is from local taxpayers. And the Willis, Texas district is now looking for something similar.

As part of a larger bond package that will ring up to $115.4 million, the Willis ISD has included a proposal for a $68.8 million dollar football stadium.

The district is comprised of six elementary schools and three middle schools but only supports one high school, Willis High.

If approved by voters in November, the facility would replace a 50-year old stadium while expanding capacity to 8,500 seats. It would also come with additional amenities, including a community room, field house, concessions, and parking for 3,400 vehicles. The district cites growing enrollment and outdated infrastructure as key reasons for the upgrade, according to TexasHSFootball.com.

The ever-expanding budget for Texas high school football grows even larger

The dollar figure is in line with other projects in Katy and McKinney, which rang up $72 million and $70 million, respectively. The Prosper ISD also received a new stadium in the past five years, which cost a little less than $60 million, according to data obtained by Front Office Sports.

Adjusted for inflation, the Willis ISD project would be the seventh-most expensive high school football stadium built in Texas over the past 20 years.

Willis’ population is just more than 7,000 people and has grown by more than 10 percent since the most recent census in 2020. The high school, however, draws from a number of surrounding areas and has a an estimated enrollment of more than 2,600 students in 2024.

The Wildkats’ football program has alsp seen major success in the past two years, going 12-1 in 2023 before losing in the state title game to Dallas-area power DeSoto. That team was led by Five-Star Plus+ quarterback DJ Lagway, who signed with Florida and is starting as a freshman for the Gators.

This season, Willis is off to an 8-0 start and No. 19 ranking in the latest On3 Massey Ratings.