Seguin and New Braunfels kick off the 2026 high school football season Friday night with the 114th Guadalupe River Bowl, a matchup that also doubles as a hunger-relief fundraiser for a Seguin food pantry. The Seguin Matadors host the New Braunfels Unicorns at Matador Stadium at 7 p.m., and this year's edition carries a twist: it's the first time in the rivalry's century-long history that the two schools have opened the season against each other rather than meeting later in district play.
A Century-Old Rivalry With High Stakes
The Seguin-New Braunfels series dates back to 1922 and has been played every year since 1926, making it the third-oldest high school football rivalry in Texas and the oldest in the San Antonio metro area, according to Seguin Today. New Braunfels enters Friday's game riding a 12-game winning streak in the series, with Seguin's last victory coming in 2013, a 38-31 overtime win, per the same outlet. Seguin ISD is home to the Matadors, and the team will look to break that streak under new leadership, as the district appointed Gary Gutierrez as its Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for the 2026 season, according to the Rotary Club of Seguin.
Mayors Wager Pecans and Sausage on the Outcome
As is tradition, Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen and New Braunfels Mayor Michael French met ahead of kickoff for the annual mayoral wager, with Dodgen betting bags of local Seguin pecans against French's offering of local Wurst sausage in a nod to New Braunfels' German heritage. It's the first Guadalupe River Bowl wager for French, who took office earlier this year. Dodgen made clear she isn't eager to keep handing over pecans to her New Braunfels counterpart, according to a post from the City of Seguin - Government on Facebook.
Game Doubles as Peanut Butter Drive for Local Pantry
Beyond the scoreboard, Friday's game is also the Peanut Butter Bowl, a statewide campaign asking fans to bring a jar of peanut butter to the game or donate two dollars online to supply one jar to a local pantry. All peanut butter collected at Matador Stadium will go to the Christian Cupboard, according to the City of Seguin's post. Schools are offering collection points for donations, and the campaign reports it has served 1.8 million people and collected 228 tons of donations since it began in 2016 through the 2026 season.
The Peanut Butter Bowl campaign started in 2016 with a single San Antonio high school game and has grown to 50 participating games across Texas for the 2026 season, according to Very Bold Ministries. The timing of this year's donation drive matters more than usual for Seguin's pantry. The Christian Cupboard has provided food assistance in Guadalupe County since 1991 and maintains a dedicated shelf of single-serve items for unhoused residents, per Seguin Today's earlier reporting. Earlier this year, the pantry severed its purchasing partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank to buy items directly, a move that has increased its reliance on direct community donations, the outlet reported.
Poverty Numbers Underscore the Need
Mayor Dodgen has pointed to the scale of local need behind the charity push, telling Seguin Today that roughly 1 in 6 Seguin residents and 1 in 7 Guadalupe County residents live in poverty. That context helps explain why civic leaders lean on high-profile community events like the Guadalupe River Bowl to funnel donations toward pantries such as the Christian Cupboard. Kickoff for the 114th meeting between the Matadors and Unicorns is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Matador Stadium, with fans encouraged to bring a jar of peanut butter or contribute online at peanutbutterbowl.com.
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