“Blanco’s real good again,” said Coach Jason Herring. “They’re big, strong and physical and they run at you. We’re going to try to keep playing like we have been – hitting hard and flying to the football. Our kids are hungry to win.”
Earlier in the season when the Bobcats handed Herring his 100th career win, the coach said a state championship is like a perfect storm, conditions have to be right to win the big one. So far, the Bobcats have been perfect, going into the quarterfinals with an unblemished record, and only one loss in the past two seasons – to Friday night’s foe.
Senior all-state player Dylan Klare says the team has come together perfectly and has no injuries to hold them back. The team is ready to turn the tables on Blanco.
“We’re playing better,” Klare said. “I’m going to keep playing as hard as I can and make every play.”
Brian Ramirez, who the coaches selected as the most valuable player in the Rice Consolidated game, said the Cats have a “few things up our sleeves” for the Blanco game plus more.
“We’ve got the perfect storm,” Ramirez said. “We have all the pride and tradition it takes to win.”
Herring said Ramirez earned his MVP pick.
“I told him all week before the game that he could make a difference,” Herring said. “Brian accepted the challenge and played lights-out football. His overall performance on offense and defense had an impact. He played outstanding defense in critical moments.”
Herring expects the same of him Friday night. Last week, the Raiders double-teamed Jourdan “Poppy” Ortiz so Ramirez stepped up.
Charlie Henderson, who began the season on the offensive side of the ball, has progressed into a stalwart linebacker.
“I love playing on the defense,” Henderson said. “We can win if we go out and play our game. I’m looking forward to Friday night. It will be a good game.”
Freshman Draigon Silvas, whose father, Manuel “Piggy” Silvas, and uncle Willie Mack Garza were both outstanding Bobcat players, said he set his goals early, in the seventh and eighth grade.
“My father told me if you want to be somebody special, you’ve got to practice hard – harder than anyone else. If you don’t work hard, you’ll slow down and everybody else will catch up to you,” Draigon said.
Like Silvas, Taylor Henning’s father and uncles played football as well.
“They expect a lot out of me and I expect a lot of myself,” he said. “We want to keep the record going. Being undefeated is real exciting.”
Gino Dodge, who made some key tackles last Friday night, says the key to a perfect season is “to not get big-headed.”
“We don’t want to get overconfident,” he said. “We’re in the best shape we’ve been in all year. Our game is coming together and we’re playing like a team.”
Herring said the Bobcats have been catching breaks this week. The Cats won the toss and got to pick the stadium. Refugio will be the home team. The Cats only will travel 45 minutes compared to Blanco’s three-hour drive. As far as the predicted cold weather goes, Herring says that will even out for both teams playing on turf.
The head coach promises “no excuses football” for the fans.
“I’m real proud of where we are,” Herring said. “We’re healthy, hungry, focused and real excited.”
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