St. Thomas HS, Sam Rayburn HS football players hit 1st day of practice with enthusiasm and humility

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The high school football season is officially underway.

Schools that didn't hold spring camp hit the field on Monday to prepare for the 2024 season. Regular season games kick off on Aug. 29.

At Sam Rayburn High School, the football team hit the field at 6 a.m. on Monday. They are in a new district, which includes district powerhouses such as Shadow Creek, Manvel, Dawson, and Pearland.

The team will face new challenges but are excited about what lies ahead.

"I couldn't sleep last night. It was one of those deals that I was just tapping my leg on things," Sam Rayburn football coach Sergio Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez starts his third year at Rayburn, and he's seen the interest in his program grow from 115 players when he started to 180 players on Monday.

"We're disciplined. If you mess up, don't put your head down. If you put your head down, someone's going to come over there and pick it up," Sam Rayburn offensive lineman Angel Roman said.

"We're all about working together and putting in work as a team, holding each other accountable for what we do," Sam Rayburn running back Haven Livingston said.

The core pillars at Sam Rayburn are about family, trust, and brotherhood.

And brotherhood is the key. Football is much more than wins and losses. It's something that mirrors everyday life. Life lessons that stay with you well beyond graduation.

"This year's a lot different. Everyone wants to win as a team. I feel like we're going to do that this year," Sam Rayburn quarterback Malachai Rivas said.

"The work you put in at football translates to how you play. To be good, you have to put in the work. You can't just come out here and think it's just going to come to you. If you want something in life, you got to go get it," Rivas said.

Rayburn hopes that the team bonding and the offseason work translate to party crashers for some of the most respected programs in the Houston area.

"All summer, we work hard as a team together. We're ready to come back and attack it," Sam Rayburn wide receiver H'Rei Jones said.

"It mirrors life because if you just sit there, it's going to pass you by. Football doesn't wait on you to come back. You got to get up and work for it. Work for your spot," Jones said.

Shifting gears to St. Thomas High School, Monday started with a big announcement off the field.

"What we know is that if you have one concussion, it puts you at risk for additional concussions," Dr. Ronald Andrews, a St. Thomas HS alum and board member, said.

Andrews has seen the impact of concussions and head injuries in his medical career, so he donated Guardian Caps for everyone in the football program for player safety.

"Anything we can do to reduce head injuries at an early age, it'll be an ounce of prevention that will hopefully afford them a lifetime of success," Andrews said.