Building Our Own Legacy: Inside Lovejoy Football with Coach Todd Dodge

“We’re not Southlake. We’re not Westlake. We’re our own team. We’re Lovejoy.”

Those words capture the heart of a special feature taking viewers inside the Lovejoy Football program and the new chapter being written under Head Coach Todd Dodge.

After stepping away from coaching and settling into retired life in the Texas Hill Country, Coach Dodge wasn’t necessarily looking for his next sideline. But a trip to North Texas—and a chance to watch his son Riley’s team play in Southlake—helped rekindle something familiar.

The itch to coach was back.

Now at Lovejoy, the seven-time state championship coach is bringing decades of experience and a proven championship blueprint to the Leopards. But this story isn’t about recreating what happened somewhere else.

It’s about building something that belongs to Lovejoy.

More Than Winning

The feature takes viewers behind the scenes, from early-morning practices before the Texas heat arrives to film study, player development and the relationships being built between coaches and players.

Coach Dodge’s message goes beyond schemes, scores and championships. It’s about getting an entire team pulling in the same direction—and giving players an experience that stays with them long after their final snap.

“Winning is so important, but it’s not more important than the lessons that they are learning.”

Players also share what that approach has meant to them, from learning how to read defenses and becoming better football players to understanding accountability, perseverance and the responsibility they have to lift up their teammates.

A Finish They’ll Never Forget

The film also follows the Leopards into an unforgettable matchup with All Saints.

Lovejoy entered halftime trailing 14–0, but the Leopards refused to fold.

A second-half surge turned the game into a battle, setting up one final opportunity with just seconds remaining. With Lovejoy down four and the ball at the 35-yard line, Dodge and the Leopards designed one final play in the huddle.

A Hail Mary.

The ball went up.

Caught. Touchdown. Ballgame.

For a coach who has experienced just about everything Texas high school football has to offer, it was something new.

In more than 40 years of coaching, Dodge said it was the first time one of his teams had ended a game with a walk-off touchdown.

The moment was dramatic, but what surrounded it says even more about where Lovejoy Football is headed: belief in one another, resilience when things get difficult, and a group of players and coaches learning what can happen when everyone buys in.

Lovejoy isn’t trying to become somebody else.

The Leopards are building their own history.

Watch the full feature below for an inside look at Coach Dodge, the players, the culture and a memorable night in Lovejoy Football.