Refugio coach Jason Herring says this year's team might be the best he's ever coached. The Bobcats are 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state Class 2A poll.
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Originally published October 4, 2010 at 10:06 p.m., updated October 4, 2010 at 10:06 p.m.
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REFUGIO - Refugio can't do anything about its opponents. But the Bobcats have complete control over how they prepare for the teams they play.
"We play for perfection," said senior defensive back Logan Koonce. "That's your opponent is perfection."
Refugio hasn't achieved perfection, but it's come close enough to go 5-0 and claim the No. 1 ranking in the state Class 2A poll.
"I felt all year long we're one of the best teams," said Refugo coach Jason Herring. "I don't know if we're No. 1 but I feel like we're one of the best teams in the state."
Refugio's closest margin of victory was 22 points against Rice Consolidated. The Bobcats have been so dominant in their first two District 16-2A, Division II games that Herring is doing his best to guard against complacency.
"I'm going to be honest with you it's hard," Herring said. "We're sitting here thinking we played with so much more intensity when we played against Rice. Everything about it is different. The atmosphere is different. The fans are different. The crowd, the hype, everything about it is different.
"What I told our kids is we're not so worried about what happens on Friday night, we're really trying to focus on what we do during the week. I can't really control Friday night, but I can control day to day. They've done a great job of busting their tail end Monday through Thursday."
Refugio gained over 600 yards in its 69-13 win over Riviera last Friday night with most of its starters on the bench in the second half.
"I'm just going to play to the best that I can and not worry about other teams, and play each game to achieve the goal we want to achieve," said senior defensive back Marquise Brown, who has returned all three of his interceptions for touchdowns. "When we watch film, we don't worry about the score. We're trying to see what we did wrong and how we can improve."
Herring expects the Bobcats to continue to improve each week, but he's been pleased with their effort.
"It's the best chemistry team I've ever coached," Herring said. "This bunch has the best chemistry since 2000 (state champion) in Sonora. I don't know if it's because we have so many different weapons. This team has been with me since they started as freshman. This is the first team that I'm their only coach they've ever had.
"I used to have to fight getting them to practice on time, I used to have to fight if the bus leaves at 4 getting them here on time. I don't have to fight that anymore. It's a combination of that, a combination of three years in the same offseason program, and three years in the same summer strength and conditioning. Everything is easier this year.
"We're so far ahead of the learning curve," he added. "I'm not sure if this is the most talented team I've ever had I don't know. There's a part of me that thinks it might just be the best team I've ever had."
Around the area
Edna stayed at No. 8 in the state Class 2A poll. Ganado moved from No. 6 to No. 5 in the Class 1A poll.
Along with Refugio, El Campo, Gonzales, Edna, Karnes City, Schulenburg, Ganado, and Shiner St. Paul remain unbeaten.
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.
Comments
andrewpate says...
The first real test for the Bobcats may not come until their second game of the playoffs the weekend of Nov. 19 & 20, when, based on current standings, they will likely face either Poth or Karnes City. In between, as Coach Herring clearly sees, the problem is complacency among themselves. Not only may this be the 2010 Bobcats be the best Herring has coached, the may also be the best team Refugio has ever had.
October 6, 2010 at 7:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TitanClash says...
This is not to take away from what the athletes have done in Refugio as they are a fine bunch of boys that want to win. But, as we played them last week in a freshman game, Herring made an absolute butt of himself and I was embarrassed for his players and the school. He screamed at the officials and the players like they were dogs and made constant remarks about how the refs could not make that call because a 4A team was playing a 2A team. As mentioned, the Refugio boys played a great game and that is great for the players. But Coach Herring, show some class and respect for other teams and the referrees as well as your own players. You were a total embarrassment to your school and I hope this behavior is not excusable at the expense of winning. If he treated my son like he treated some of the Refugio players, I would have come out of the stands and Herring would have had a problem. The game is for the players. Do not take that away from them and please respect your position as you represent your school and community. There is no excuse for your behavior at any level. I am ashamed of you!
October 6, 2010 at 8:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
markmoore96 says...
I think thats extreme.Coach Herring is intense but he absolutly loves those boys and in return they love him and will follow him anywhere. I think that judging him by one time that you saw him is pretty unfair to the coach. Yes he probably needs to tone it down a bit but he has such a passion for the game and for his sons (all players) to do well in the game I can see why people see it as extreme.
October 6, 2010 at 10:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )