REFUGIO, Texas — The 2A No. 1 Refugio Bobcats (11-0) know all about playing football during Thanksgiving. They’re also very familiar with their third round playoff opponent, No. 2 Ganado (11-1). The Indians upset Refugio the past two seasons in playoffs, and now the Bobcats are ready to prove that their hard work since then has paid off.
“Redemption. You know we’ve been waiting for a whole year now to play them," said Refugio senior center Frankie Soliz. "Should have won last year. You know we had a couple of mistakes, but this year it’s going to be a lot different.”
Last year, the Bobcats fell to Ganado 14-6 in round 3 of playoffs. Ganado went on to win their first ever UIL 2A-DI State Championship. In 2023 playoffs Ganado upset Refugio 41-12, but the Bobcats won the district matchup that same season 30-7.
“You know it’s going to be a competition every time we play Ganado. They’re a really good team," said Refugio senior quarterback Ray Lewis. "I feel like our o-line is going to go really well against them and I feel like our skill guys are going to do really well against them as well.”
Refugio rallied early around their rushing attack. Senior duo Lewis and Zander Wills have totaled 2,400 yards and 43 touchdowns together.
“Earlier in the year, you know we got Zander, Ray and Johnny (Montalvo)," said Refugio football head coach Drew Cox. "We’ve got a lot of guys that can carry the ball and run good, so we kind of leaned on that and we kind of eased Ray into the throwing part.”
Lewis later found confidence in the pocket. The quarterback threw 3 interceptions week 2, and since then has kept it clean. Lewis alongside junior Matthew Perez have combined for 1,600 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.
“Matthew and Ray, they can throw the ball real well," Soliz said. "We figured that out. We have great receivers. Laytyn (Garza), Michael and all of them. They can catch the ball real well. It’s just great overall.”
Refugio’s defense returned a lot of experience, which they’ll need to slow down Ganado dual-threat quarterback Landyn Arriaga. The sophomore has nearly 3,000 total yards. Refugio is used to facing this level of pressure and playing at this time of year.
“If I ever retire I don’t know what I’ll do at Thanksgiving because I mean it’s just part of it," Cox said. "That’s what we do.”
Refugio and Ganado kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. in Port Lavaca. Since 2004, Refugio leads the series 12-3. The Bobcats are 1 of 5 Coastal Bend Teams that advanced to the third round of playoffs, alongside Gregory-Portland, Calallen, Sinton and Rockport-Fulton.
