Pisteuo: Boerne's belief has fueled them to a State Semi-Final appearance
Every year ahead of district play Boerne's Head Football Coach Che Hendrix and his staff take their kids out for a team meeting that includes some food and fun before before sitting down and setting the stage for district and beyond.
During this years gathering one word stood out to them that has carried them to an undefeated mark as they head into the state semifinals. "Pisteuo," coach Hendrix said. "It's a Greek word meaning to over believe. To try to over believe to believe in each other and that's been great for us."
That belief has been something that's been building over the last few years. With a coaching staff and players that all buy in it is easy to see why. "I feel like we have a tremendous coaching staff and we've had this staff in place for 5 years," coach Hendrix said. "They are a group that invests in the middle school and we've seen that pay off. When you can keep consistency and schemes and can build relationship and trust, that's the difference right there. It's a very tight knit group among us coaches and players."
That all culminated this past Friday where the Greyhounds came away with a 49-19 win over Calallen.
"We got off to a quick start with that kickoff return which injected a lot of confidence and energy into our team," coach Hendrix said of he's teams start in the regional final. "They (Calallen) did a good job early on with presenting us some problems with stuff they haven't done all year. But once we adjusted, settled in and got some stops we took control. We felt good all week going in with our offense and came out pretty hot to set the tone."
One of the keys this season has been Sophomore quarterback Jaxon Baize. Baize started the season replacing class of 2022 quarterback Rashawn Galloway. "Jaxon has really grown as a quarterback." Hendrix says. "The things we knew coming into the season; being a student of the game, having arm strength and talent, that's shown up this year for him. He has a ton of poise under pressure which we had seen because he is a multi sport athlete. He struggled early on in the first game with some interceptions but from that point on he has really learned and took on the challenge of preparing and being ready to go. His growth and maturity has been phenomenal."
Helping him along the way this season is Senior wide receiver, and brother, Braden Baize. "There's obviously some chemistry there. They are a tight family. and a quarterback wants to trust his receivers and that is the ultimate trust right there," said coach Hendrix.
Braden has had quite the season himself tallying over 1,000 yards receiving and 19 touchdowns on the year "Braden is an unbelievable receiver. He is deceptively fast and quick but he also has the ability to high point the ball and has made some of the greatest receptions I've ever seen this year."
The "unsung" hero of this team, though, has to be the offensive line. "We've made no bones about it, the offensive line is our best unit and we have put a lot of pressure on them and they have been ultra consistent and have played so well as a unit," said coach Hendrix. "We are big, physical, and athletic. The way they play together and work with each other has been really special. They are the back bone of our team."
The Greyhounds now turn to Tyler Chapel-Hill with their sights set on their first state title appearance. The Bulldogs come into the game at 12-2 and have speed that the Greyhounds have not seen yet this season. "They will be the fastest team we've seen and will be explosive offensively," says coach Hendrix. "They play really good defensively and do a lot of the same things we do. So we expect a very physical grind it out ball game. Their will be explosive plays on both sides so if we can limit theirs we have a real good chance to win."
One of the things coach Hendrix can rely on when his team takes the field on Friday? The fans. "We are just so thankful for the support we get," says coach Hendrix. "The community has showed up since Week 1 when it was 100 degrees. We have got a great fan following and community support system and I'm sure we will see them at the Alamodome this weekend."
And no matter the outcome, the Greyhounds are ready to enjoy the moment
"It's a honor to play in this game, we are going to cut it loose, we are going to have fun, and we are going to do what we've done all year."
