CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — It's rare to see an undefeated team counted out in the final game of the season. But Ray head coach Brian Herman says his team relishes being the underdog.
"I think leaning into that is a good thing. I think at the beginning of the year we were picked third at best in our district and we haven't worried too much about that. We just want to keep our self confidence that we're gonna go out and compete every week," Herman said.
The 9-0 Texans take on another undefeated squad, Gregory-Portland, with the UIL 5A-DII District 15 district title on the line.
Ray is partly viewed as an underdog because of the adversity the team has faced. The Texans lost starting quarterback Tripp Thompson to injury early in the year, and their backup quarterback was hurt during district play.
"It just pushes us to play even harder with all the injuries. Just to show we can hold teams and hold our ground even when we're facing adversity like that," senior safety Cuatro Kennedy said.
When I asked Herman about the quarterback situation on Friday, he smiled and gave a short answer:
"We've played lots of kids at quarterback all year."
The secret to their success? The defense. Ray has five shutouts this year and is allowing just five points per game.
"Our secondary is phenomenal they really are a threat. My buddy Jason Elmore is great. He leads the team in tackles and leads the district in tackles. He's an awesome player and we really play well as a team together," said James Stevenson, a senior outside linebacker and defensive end.
But they've got their toughest test yet in Gregory-Portland. The Wildcats are also undefeated and are also coming in with a chip on their shoulder.
"I feel like we've been looked down on for some reason. We've also been taking our starters out every half. That's definitely not happening any time soon. We're going full throttle. We're not holding back anymore," said Gilbert Moreno, a senior offensive lineman.
Gregory-Portland boasts an incredible offense with wideouts like Cohen Bartee and Jacob Powell, led by dual-threat quarterback Carter Dominguez. But the Wildcats also boast a strong defense, allowing just seven points per game.
"It's always been throughout the years the Wildcat defense... We always just want to go out there and kill. We always want to go out there and hit. That's what we do," said Eli Supnet, a senior defensive back for Gregory-Portland.
If the Wildcats win, they'll clinch back-to-back district titles for the first time since 1986-87.
If Ray wins, it will be their first outright district title since 1982.
Both coaches told me this is not just a regular season game, and it's not just for a district title. Each team is approaching this matchup like a playoff game.
"They're 9-0, we're 9-0, we've played a lot of the same teams in district and similar outcomes, that probably tells you that we're even," said Brent Davis, Gregory-Portland's head coach.
After nine weeks of Texas high school football, this could be the game of the year.
"Buc Stadium on a Friday night in November, it doesn't get any better than that," Davis said.
The winner will take home our Game of the Week trophy and the district title. We'll have highlights and the trophy presentation on KRIS 6 News at 10 and on YouTube.
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