By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Editor’s Note: As the district football season arrives, the 830 Times will be featuring members of the Del Rio Rams football team in profile stories on a weekly basis. This will be the first of those stories.
As summer turns to fall, the scene begins to take a familiar look.
The colors of royal blue and white begin to dominate the landscape. Hundreds of students representing groups like the Mighty Ram Band, the athletic trainers, cheerleaders, Queen City Belles and more get dressed in their finest threads, get those stretches in and prepare for the pomp and circumstance that accompanies the unique traditions of Texas high school football’s nearly mythical Friday night lights.
And at the center of it all are the Del Rio Rams.
For 40 years the Rams have carried the pride and hopes of a community onto football fields around the state and even into nearby New Mexico. The team has produced players that went onto play college football and one NFL draft pick. But all of those memorable names and Ram Stadium legends shared the same trait – they all bled blue and white.
Del Rio High School senior Samuel “Sammy” Flores is hoping to become the latest Rams player to etch his name into the book of heroes with a standout senior season that he dreams leads to a future on a college campus willing to take a chance on him and his skillset.
Flores, a strong safety and linebacker for the Rams, has been playing football in Del Rio for 11 years, starting when he was just six years old. He is now in his third year as a member of the Rams varsity team.
He had an interception and a tackle for a loss in Del Rio’s final scrimmage of the preseason. He also had three tackles for a loss and a sack in Del Rio’s scrimmage against John Jay.
“We are starting off the right way and eliminating the little mistakes early while building our confidence,” Flores said when discussing Del Rio’s preseason performance.
In the Rams’ season opener against San Antonio Roosevelt, Flores had his name called several times. On Roosevelt’s opening drive, Flores forced an incompletion with his pursuit of quarterback Bryan Rhoder. It was just the first of many times Flores would disrupt Roosevelt’s plans on the evening.
While the season opener didn’t end in Del Rio’s favor, Flores remains confident that the attitude the team has shown in the build up to the season will lead to great things as the 2022 campaign progresses.
“All around, the energy is different. People are excited to be doing things like walk-throughs, lifting and practices,” Flores said.
Flores had a busy summer. He attended camps at Stephen F. Austin University, the University of Texas – San Antonio and Texas Tech University. And while he hasn’t received an offer from any colleges yet, his hopes for a career after high school remain high.
“I want to play college football and attain a degree in law,” Flores said when asked about his future.
No matter what Flores’ future holds, he’s enjoying his time now as a Ram. It may not come with tremendous media exposure or a chance to play on television, being a Ram still means a lot to Flores.
“It’s great knowing we represent our city and having kids look up to us,” Flores said.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
