It’s special when a high school football team gets to play Thanksgiving weekend and it’s something that has become the norm for Boerne High recently.
The Greyhounds tangle with Victoria West this Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and it will be the fifth time in seven season under Coach Che Hendrix that BHS will play after the holiday.
Hendrix said he’s thankful to be playing Thanksgiving weekend, but doesn’t want the team to take it for granted.
“We have a saying, ‘that we labor on Labor Day in September so we can give thanks on Thanksgiving Day in November,’” he said. “It’s hard to do and I don’t want anybody to take it for granted.”
One added benefit is that it keeps the players in the program for a few extra weeks and it helps develop them for the future.
“To get to play multiple weeks and practice is a huge deal,” he said. “To keep them playing football and get the players in real varsity games and get them playoff experience, it sows so many seeds, you just hope you have a big harvest later on.”
Hendrix said he’s especially thankful to be playing this weekend because they were 2-3 at one point in the season, but have reeled off seven straight wins.
“From being 2-3 to playing Thanksgiving weekend, it shows you the journey we’ve been on and how much growth there has been,” he said. “It’s really awesome.”
Senior Logan Schram has played in three Thanksgiving weekend games so far and said they’re special.
“It’s what you want to be doing, no one wants to be at home,” he said. “Everyone is glad to be out there practicing and spending time together during the break.”
What’s even more special for a high school team is playing into December, something the Greyhounds did in 2022 when they played for the state championship the week before Christmas.
If the Greyhounds win Friday, they’ll play the winner of Alamo Heights – Corpus Christi Miller next weekend in early December.
“That’s a huge goal, playing December football is elite and there’s nothing like it,” Hendrix said. “We’re a week away from that, but we’re going to do everything in our power to get it done.”
Since school is out this week, Hendrix said they’ll practice in the mornings and are done before noon. They usually have a team dinner on Wednesday and the coach said they’ll keep it this Wednesday but switch it to a team breakfast after practice on Wednesday.
On Thanksgiving day, they’ll go for about an hour before letting the players go home to enjoy the holiday. On Friday, they’ll load the buses and head to Seguin for their 6 p.m. game.
It will be Boerne’s fifth Thanksgiving weekend game in seven season under Hendrix. The only two years they haven’t done it was last year and in 2019.
“It’s just so special and we’re thankful for it,” Hendrix said.
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