The Fulshear Chargers kick off their 2026 football season Thursday night inside a stadium that has nearly quintupled in capacity over the past year.
Lamar CISD will dedicate the expanded Paul Scherer Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, with kickoff against the Andy Dekaney Wildcats following at 6:30 p.m. at the Gene Tomas High School campus in Richmond.
The venue now seats approximately 4,500 after a two-phase, $27.8 million expansion project that wrapped up this summer. Phase II, a $3.26 million grandstand addition completed in August, added 3,100 seats to what had been a modest 950-seat facility when Gene Tomas High School opened in 2025.
District officials described the new seating as roughly 2,000 seats on the visitor side and more than 1,000 on the home side, according to My Neighborhood News.
The stadium is named for Paul Scherer, a Fort Bend County attorney who served 21 years on the Lamar CISD Board of Trustees, including multiple terms as board president. The district selected the name through a formal process that included a public nomination period and board consideration.
The expanded venue gives Lamar CISD, which now operates seven high schools, a second place to host varsity football alongside Guy K. Traylor Memorial Stadium in Rosenberg.
For second-year head coach Stephen Hill, the new digs come with high expectations. Hill went 7-4 in his debut season, finishing 5-1 in district before a bi-district loss to Cinco Ranch. The Chargers return 20 lettermen, including six offensive starters and seven on defense, and move to District 23-6A for 2026, according to Texas HS Football.
The Fulshear Athletic Booster Club promoted the opener on social media Aug. 24, calling Paul Scherer Memorial Stadium "our newest athletic facility" and encouraging fans to arrive early for the dedication.
Thursday's game is cashless. Tickets are available through GoFan, and debit cards, credit cards and mobile payments will be accepted at concessions.
The Chargers' move to District 23-6A means a new slate of conference opponents awaits after the non-district opener against Dekaney.
