COMAL COUNTY, Texas – The Smithson Valley Rangers celebrated their 2024 state championship title with a ceremony on Wednesday night.
The team sat in rows behind the trophy while fans expressed their gratitude for the players' and coaches' hard work this season.
Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill shared his thoughts on the ceremony and his gratitude for the community.
The @SV_RangerFB team is being honored with their @uiltexas 5A State Championship ceremony here at Ranger Stadium. Don’t miss hearing from the kings of 5A-D1 tonight on @ksatnews 🏈🏆 @KSATbgc pic.twitter.com/7LtMfDEQQZ
— KSAT Nick Mantas (@KSATNick) January 16, 2025
“It’s real special,” Hill said. “You win a state championship, but then there’s no school for a couple of weeks, and it takes a little time to get an event like this together. And we had a lot of people pull together and put it on. It was real special.”
During the ceremony, the four senior captains stood up to express their gratitude and inspire the next group of Rangers in charge of leading the program next season.
Senior wide receiver Brody Day told the junior class to cherish each moment of their final season.
“This event was awesome. I think this event just reiterated to everyone how bought in our community is” said Day. “(The) Smithson Valley community is huge. You know, people who had their kids play here 30 years ago, people who played here 30 years ago that are moving back here so their kids can play, you know what I mean?
“It’s awesome, and I think it shows how bought in this community really is. You want to get one for the community, especially when you underperformed on such a big stage last year, so it feels great.”
Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page.