By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Rams varsity football players received their horns this week, but got a little help from some of the strongest women in their lives to make the whole thing official.
Members of the Del Rio High School Rams varsity football team and their mothers, or strong female role models, took part in a ceremony Monday and Tuesday to affix the various decals on their helmets just days ahead of the season opener.
Each varsity player’s helmet features the San Felipe Del Rio CISD logo on the left, a rams skull with a segmented horn on the right, and down the middle of the helmet, from the rear of the helmet to its front, is a spinal column with a smaller rams skull on the front. Inside the spinal column are the letters RSVP, which stand for the four tenets Rams head coach Rod Taylor believes are the foundation of the program – Relentless, Selfless, Valiant and Precision.
Taylor explained that the idea of inviting family to be a part of the ceremony is something other coaches in other sports here and at other schools have done in the past, but this year the focus was on the women in these young men’s lives.
“Coaches have done this in the past but we are pushing the whole family model and we felt mothers would enjoy this and they loved it!” Taylor said.
Last season, Queens softball head coach Nufie Rodriguez invited parents to be a part of the decal ceremony to affix the Queens’ crowns to the team’s batting helmets. Now, the Rams have adopted the same family-building idea.
“This is the first year we are doing it and some of the fathers came out as well. We really wanted to include the moms or significant role models or family members in these players’ lives as well,” Taylor said.
The first ceremony was held Monday at the high school’s weight room. A second one was added Tuesday night.
“Some of the parents couldn’t make it the first night or they weren’t aware of the ceremony, so I added a second night,” Taylor said.
Del Rio is scheduled to open the 2022 season Friday night against the San Antonio Roosevelt Rough Riders at Heroes Stadium at 7 p.m.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
