The Refugio Bobcats have missed the playoffs just once in the last 40 years, and they still had a winning record that 1991 season.
It just shows how dominant, successful and consistent the Coast Bend school has been over several decades.
Of all they’ve achieved through the years, the 2016 season may have been one of the best of all-time. The Bobcats won the Class 2A Division I state championship with relative ease last season.
Refugio has been known for its offenses that light up scoreboards, but last year the Bobcats did it with a stifling defense. How’s this for a dominating D — over a seven game stretch last year they allowed 12 total points and pitched five shutouts. Over a nine-game stint they had six shutouts and allowed 24 total points.
Through 16 games, they allowed just 7.3 points a game.
They didn’t go undefeated last year because of a 14-6 setback to Class 4A’s Geronimo Navarro, which went 14-1 and lost in the 4A state semifinals. So for the record, Refugio was downright good last year.
After outscoring its district opponents by a collective score of 256-12, Refugio crushed La Villa, 68-0, in the bi-district round and throttled Junction, 77-12 in area.
They beat Ben Bolt, 36-12, in the regional and punched Mason, 28-7, in the state quarterfinal.
Refugio beat a very talented Centerville squad, 38-14, in the semifinal and held off a good Crawford team, 23-20, for the state title. The Bobcats lose some talented players, but like so many times before, they’ll have a new set of athletes to fill those shoes.
Key Losses
Kobie Herring, D’Mond LaFond, Robert Ortiz
Herring was the most valuable player in the district, LaFind was the district’s Defensive Player of the Year and Ortiz was a unanimous first-team all-district pick at receiver.
Key Returners
RB Jacobe Avery, OL Trey Upton, FB/OLB Sylvester Henderson, QB Jared Kelley
Jacobe Avery was the MVP of the state championship game. He passed for 1,288 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 572 yards and 10 more scores last season. Upton (6-1, 250) has good size on the offensive line.
Henderson was a first-team, all-district utility position player and will be a force on both sides of the ball. Kelley moves into the quarterback position for his sophomore year.
December 15, 2016 – Texas UIL 3A Div. I State Championship game between Crawford and Refugio at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Image Credit: Joseph Nguyen/texashsfootball.com)
The Verdict
Some teams have a slight drop off after winning state. That’s not necessarily the case with Refugio heading into 2017. They’ll shuffle around some players to new positions, but the pieces should fit just fine for coach Jason Herring.
Six starters return on offense and five come back on defense — some of them are the same guys. The schedule will be the same with only one difference — the big target on the Bobcats’ backs. Refugio opens the season on the road at Hebbronville and then get Goliad and Edna at home.
In Week 4 Refugio travels to face 4A stalwart Navarro, which handed the Bobcats their only loss last season, 14-6. Refugio opens District 15-2A DI at Ganado and travels to Yorktown the following week. The Bobcats finish with two of its final three games at home, with district rival and possible district championship game with Shiner going to Refugio to end the regular season.
The playoff road will be tough with teams like Mason, Shiner and Crawford in the way before a potential state clash with perennial power, Mart.
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Refugio just reloads every single year , unbelievable what they have done… highest winning percentage of any team in any classification in the state during the playoff and have been good since 1940..
What team kept them out of the playoffs in 1991?
Three rivers I believe… it was definately a down year for Refugio… if u remove that year, I think Refugio would made the playoffs for the last 60 years.. but don’t quote me…
As a fan from calallen, I can’t remember hardly any year Refugio didn’t make a playoff run ever..
Shame that coaching held them back so much during the 90’s they shoulda had 6-7 titles during that time frame. 40 fullback dives a game cost em, and they didn’t even have a passing play in the playbook.
Legends of Matt mckinney, Alex Boyd, Willie Mack, james Lott, james Haywood (iron head Haywood nephew) , bill bisby, isiah green, bill English, Kent Harris, Eugene whitmire, art green, and James Youngblood all come to mind. They woulda replaced celina as team of 90’s with a different staff. I’ll never forget celina coach in 99′ saying , thank god it was mart and not Refugio that won that game. They have almost every track and field record in the book at the 2a level.
Shame bill bisby son went to Portland instead of Refugio where his sister did and where he was raised.. they’d have won 3 more titles in the 00’s..