There’s something stirring at Ray High School, which hasn’t had a winning football season since 2018.
After seven consecutive losing seasons, in which they went a combined 19-53, the Texans are off to a 3-0 start this year after beating longtime rival Miller last Friday.
The 18-0 victory against the Buccaneers snapped a seven-year losing streak in the series for Ray, which hadn’t defeated Miller since 2018. From 2019 to 2024, the Bucs rolled to six lopsided victories – 61-0, 62-0, 48-0, 49-17, 68-14, 54-0 – before the Texans lost only 35-31 last year.
Led by first-year coach Brian Herman, Ray is playing with a renewed confidence and intensity that are palpable when they step on the field. Leading Miller only 3-0 at halftime, the Texans leaned on their
defense to contain the Bucs.
“The intensity that we played with on defense was, by far, the biggest difference in the ballgame,” Herman said. “My favorite part of our team is our improvement on defense from last year. I think they were good on defense last year, and I would say that we're more than good now. We’ve been pretty outstanding defensively.
“It was a phenomenal performance to keep Miller from scoring in a rivalry game. It was impressive with the amount of talent and weapons that Miller has. It was pretty impressive to watch our kids fly around and play with confidence. They knew their assignments and executed them well.”
The Texans play Carroll (1-2) in their final nondistrict game at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at Buc Stadium. Ray opens play in District 15-5A Division II on the road against Brownsville Pace on Sept. 24.
Herman, 50, took over the Texans’ program in early February. He was assistant head coach at Georgetown for two seasons before moving to Corpus Christi. Herman also has been a head coach at Eustace, Lockhart and Marble Falls and amassed 65 career wins.
Herman said the emotional victory against Miller, combined with the game being homecoming for the Texans, left his players drained.
“I talked to the kids for one quick minute about the (Miller) game the first time I saw them (Monday), and then we were on to Carroll,” Herman said. “I think the best way to put it is that we were focused. We had a little bit of fatigue coming off a game like that, but it was a focused day.”
Ray opened the season with a 69-0 rout of Moody and beat King 47-6 a week later.
“That being said, you still have to beat the opponent in front of you,” Carroll coach Cal Neatherlin said.
Neatherlin said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen of Ray in game films.
“Coach Herman has done a great job,” he said. “They’re playing hard. I would say that's the biggest difference that I’ve seen from previous years. They’re playing with a motor. They got after Miller. They believed they could beat them, and you could tell that on film. They’re playing with confidence.
“Winning builds confidence, especially when you haven’t had big success. I think they’re headed in the right direction for sure. I tip my hat to them. Hopefully, we can get after their butts. We’ll probably be the best team they’ve faced.”
Carroll lost to Gregory Portland (53-6) and Calallen (42-14) before beating Beeville (41-3) last week.
David Flores is a San Antonio-based freelance writer who writes about Coastal Bend sports history.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: First-year Ray coach Brian Herman has Texans off to 3-0 start
