At long last, the 5 and 6-team districts begin district play around Texas. This includes 14-4A-DI, where the matchups include the Uvalde Coyotes at the Boerne Greyhounds.
Boerne (5-0, #2/4A-DI in the state in the Padilla Poll) has gone undefeated through a strong non-district schedule. All five of their non-district foes (Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Pleasanton, Antonian, Gregory-Portland, Salado) are in the top 10 in their region in the Padilla Poll. Jaxon Baize has completed 84 of 128 passes for 1254 yards, 17 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in just half a regular season. Baize’s older brother Braden is the Greyhounds’ leading receiver with 24 catches for 480 yards and 7 touchdowns. Caleb Hamby has four sacks, and the defense has 12 takeaways for the year.
“It’s great to be 5-0 and it feels good, but it really does nothing to help us achieve any of those goals we’re set out for,” warned Boerne head coach Che Hendrix during an appearance on the Boerne Coaches Show on Boerne Radio and Texas Sports Productions. District play is when the goals come into sight.
“Our players have done a great job to this point; I’m proud of where we are, and how we’ve handled this first half of the season.”
The Greyhounds well remember last year’s meeting with Uvalde. The Coyotes pulled within 20-17 early in the second quarter on a 78 yard touchdown pass from Brodie Carnes to Jarrett Hernandez. The Greyhounds closed the game with 34 unanswered points on their way to a 54-17 victory.
Carnes, Hernandez, and many other Coyote players and coaches are back for this year’s matchup. Hendrix sees improvement in the Uvalde football team.
“They’re better. They’ve had a lot of continuity with the coaching staff offensively and defensively, so they’re better prepared for what they’re doing. They’re a year further into their system, so they play with a lot of confidence.”
In their last game, the Coyotes (3-2) took a tough home loss 42-14 against Devine. Uvalde was only outgained 446 to 378, but 3 turnovers, including 2 inside the Warhorses 5 yard line, were too much to overcome.
A bright spot for Uvalde was Hernandez’s 10 catches for 101 yards. Uvalde coach Wade Miller described Hernandez as “not crazy fast, he’s not crazy athletic, but he runs his routes, he blocks, he’s a three year starter… he’s just a great kid.”
Miller reported that the open date came at a great time. The Coyotes had their best practice of the season on Monday and are fully healthy. (“I was afraid I’d have to be the one to bring the juice… I had to calm them down a couple of times!”)
Even so, the Greyhounds present a formidable challenge.
Miller has experienced this before. As the head coach at Woodsboro, his Eagles competed with state powerhouse Falls City. As the head coach at Tuloso-Midway, his Warriors competed against state juggernaut Calallen. He’s worked out an approach.
“I tell the kids the same thing: it’s a golden opportunity. No one in the state expects you to win this game, so just go out and play and have fun. “They believe, and that goes a long way.”
Boerne will recognize Uvalde in several ways in the wake of the May 24th Robb Elementary tragedy. It will start with a community tailgate. “We’ve invited the whole Uvalde community,” announced Hendrix. “We’re gonna feed them, and have a little fellowship before the game.” Over 100 people from Uvalde have signed up for the tailgate at this writing.
Just before the game, the Boerne team will come out with Uvalde flags. A flyover is scheduled to memorialize the victims at Robb Elementary. Boerne will also feed the Uvalde players for the bus ride home. “Hopefully it’ll be a nice tribute to them,” wished Hendrix.
Mark Kusenberger
October 4, 2022
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