CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Buccaneer Stadium is home to our KRIS 6 week two Game Night South Texas live TV matchup between the Ray Texans (1-0) and the King Mustangs (0-1). The Mustangs have a few things they need to work on, while the Texans are looking to build upon their strong foundation.
"Going out week one I felt so much more comfortable on the field than I did my sophomore year. Way less nerves," said Ray senior quarterback Tripp Thompson. "Still nerves and still anxious, but it's good nerves. Exciting nerves. I feel really confident with what we have at running back, receivers and the line."
Week one, Ray's offense looked balanced. The Texans passed for 168 yards and 4 touchdowns, and rushed for 262 yards and 5 touchdowns. Thompson served as a dual-threat senior quarterback, while three running backs averaged nine or more yards per carry.
"We looked like we turned a corner Thursday night," said Ray first-year head coach Brian Herman. "We hope to continue to grow from that. We had three different ball carriers if you don't count trip. We had three different running backs each with about four or five carries."
Ray's defense held Moody to a shutout, winning 69-0. The Texans started the game with an interception, but say it starts up front.
"Our d-line was able to stop the run up front, so everyone can rally to the ball and I think we did a great job of that," said Ray senior safety Cuatro Kennedy. "I think we can do a great job of that the whole year."
King was also proud of their defense, despite the score. They made the plays when called upon.
"The first game we did really well," said King sophomore receiver and safety RJ Gutierrez. "We got a lot of turnovers and a lot of stops when we needed it of course. First drive we got an interception."
The Mustangs defense showed sparks stopping the pass and ground game.
"You know we made a lot of stops you know on the defensive side," said King senior middle linebacker Josiah Garza. "A lot of turnovers. Really stopped them on the goal line you know."
King's offense has athletic receivers, a physical running back and two quarterbacks. It just comes down to limiting turnovers and believing in the plan.
"We have an exceptionally explosive group of kids," said King football head coach Austin Menner. "It's really just making sure that they understand what their job is and understanding that we still should be improving every single day."
The Ray Texans and King Mustangs kick off on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. for our KRIS 6 week two Game Night South Texas live TV matchup. You can watch the game live on our sister station KDF, on our KRIS 6 Facebook page and on our KRIS 6 website.
"I hope a lot of people get on and get to watch and see what we can do on the field," Thompson said.
Ray has won the last three matchups 35-17, 25-7 and 24-7. King's last victory in this series was in 2022, winning 20-14.
"Don't let that record or scoreboard define us you know," Garza said. "Come watch us play and you'll see what's up."
