By Brian Argabright
Del Rio Rams Head Football Coach Roderick “Rod” Taylor knows that there are a lot of folks out there who aren’t giving the Rams much of a chance in their Bi-District playoff game against San Antonio Brennan.
But Taylor said any run at a state title is going to be filled with tough teams like Brennan, and there’s no ducking those tough teams come playoff time.
“The message for the team this week is that Brennan is just like any team. Good or bad, they will have strengths and weaknesses, and we have to exploit those weaknesses. They have 22 starters and not all of them are going to play at the next level like the SEC or Big 12. We have to take advantage of what they give us. We can’t get on the bus saying we don’t have a chance. That can’t be our attitude. We have to go out there as coaches and as players and do the best we can to put ourselves in the best position to win,” Taylor said Tuesday. “You have no chance at a state title if you don’t get to the playoffs. You gotta have a ticket if you want to go to the dance.”
It has been three seasons since the Rams have been in the playoffs, and this is the first time for Taylor as Del Rio’s head coach. He was the offensive coordinator on the 2015 team that made it to the third round of the playoffs before a loss to Steele ended Del Rio’s playoff run, so he’s seen the Rams at their best and at their worst, as a 2-8 record last season in his first year at the helm will attest.
“We are grateful to be back in the playoffs,” Taylor said. “We’re excited to be playing Friday night and we’re preparing to play hard and win. What we run is a little unorthodox and if (Brennan) doesn’t line up right, we could surprise them.”
Brennan (8-1) hasn’t lost a game since Oct. 30. They also haven’t played a game since Nov. 28, so the Bears should be well rested and healed up for the game.
The Rams are still smarting from a physical regular season finale against Eagle Pass this past Friday that left Del Rio on the wrong side of a 21-0 final.
“We’re licking our wounds coming off that Eagle Pass game, but we have to bounce back from there,” Taylor said. “Some of our kids are still a little banged up, so we probably won’t be 100 percent by Friday’s game.”
The biggest weapon the Rams won’t have for the playoffs is wide receiver/kick returner Jovahn West. West, a sophomore, suffered an injury against Laredo United South and missed the Eagle Pass game. Taylor said he isn’t expected back for the remainder of the season but should be ready for the 2021 campaign.
Taylor added that this is a week the team’s seniors should be proud of. He said it’s their commitment, their leadership, that has made this season one to remember and said it should have served as a building block for future teams to follow.
“I’m grateful to these seniors for doing what I asked of them, to put us back in relevancy. You don’t wanna be a team that never has a chance to win a district championship, and these young men did a really good job of making us relative again,” Taylor said. “We’re losing 30 seniors, and 21 were major contributors, but with this season we’re only scratching the surface of what this program can do. We’ve got some big, talented kids coming up that can run and they’re really starting to do something. Our senior leadership is leaving us the blueprint, so we just have to stick to that and improve on it.”
Friday’s Bi-District playoff game will be held at San Antonio’s Dub Farris Athletic Complex off Loop 1604. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
