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The Rice Raider football team has reason for optimism in what is now the second year of Head Coach Brad Dumont’s second stint with the program. After a season in which the Raiders earned just one district win, Rice moves into the year with a foundation in place as the young players on the varsity squad improve with added experience. The wins the Raiders picked up last season displayed the character of the team as they look to build on their positive performances and find improvements in some of their areas of struggle from last season.
The offense last season was a solid indicator of whether or not the Raiders would be competitive in any game. The defining score production was at the 28-point mark as Rice lost just one game in which they reached that total. The 28-7 blowout over Kashmere, the 10-point, 37-27 victory over Palacios and their 28-27 victory over Danbury in their biggest win of the season were their only wins of the year. In these games, the Raiders benefitted from a balanced attack, finding success on the ground and in the air while applying strong pressure on the quarterback on the defensive side of the ball. In the four games from Sept. 16 to Oct. 7, the Raiders went 2-2 while averaging 30 points per game in their strongest offensive stretch of the season.
While last year’s quarterback, Rafeal Herrera, moved on from the team after his spring graduation, the Raiders are hoping to continue their balance with an emphasis on an effective run game around returning runner Dyren Johnson. Dynamic receiver D’Neriyan Fuller also makes his return to contribute to the offensive gameplan. When both the passing and rushing attacks produced at a high level, the Raiders found themselves being much more competitive in games.
Conversely, their losses featured an offense that had some difficulty putting points on the scoreboard. In the losses that occurred outside of their hottest stretch during the midseason, the Raiders averaged just over 10 points per game as they ran into some imposing defenses. Rice hoping that improvement at every level as well as a strong running game will help them have a more consistently effective offense.
The special teams unit also had some moments of success last season. A highlight was a punt return touchdown by Roger Gradney before succumbing to injury. Gradney’s return this season will provide some veteran experience to a team operating with a number of young impact players.
The other side of the ball is where the Raiders found their most struggles last season. Rice allowed the most points in the district last season as opponents averaged over 35 points per game against their defense.
Like the 28-point mark told the story for the offense, the 40-point mark defined the defense’s difficulty last year. The Raiders allowed their opponents to reach that threshold in every loss except for their defeat in the opener to Luling.
While there is clear improvement needed on that side of the ball, Coach Dumont believes that the defensive unit is a squad that will be looking to make a leap this coming season. If they can find some progress on that side of the ball, that will be a good sign for the development of the program.
Development is the operative word as the focus for the team is the weekto- week improvement through reps in practice and in games. Dumont has emphasized the importance of growth, experience, work ethic and the commitment to improve with his players as they look for big jumps at every level. Discipline to chase individual improvement while contributing to the team’s overall success is the key to their season according to the head coach.
Regarding the Raiders’ team success, the coaching staff is placing some high expectations on themselves as they have chosen a goal that they hope will become attainable this season. Their goal is for the program to make a huge jump in record, climbing from three wins last year to seven total victories and a playoff-berth this season. A year like that would be an early victory for a new era of Rice athletics that has committed to building strong programs in every sport.
