SAN ANTONIO — July 4, 2025, is a day the Texas Hill Country will never forget. In the weeks since the flooding in towns along the Guadalupe River, folks in the area have been trying to rebuild and recover.“Nothing is going to fix what happened here,” said Jay Rieken, Comfort High School head football coach.Part of that healing process in these towns, though, can come through high school football.“I know it’s not gonna help the floods, prayers out to those families who lost lives,” said...
SAN ANTONIO — July 4, 2025, is a day the Texas Hill Country will never forget. In the weeks since the flooding in towns along the Guadalupe River, folks in the area have been trying to rebuild and recover.
“Nothing is going to fix what happened here,” said Jay Rieken, Comfort High School head football coach.
Part of that healing process in these towns, though, can come through high school football.
“I know it’s not gonna help the floods, prayers out to those families who lost lives,” said Damian Neri, a Comfort linebacker. “But I think with Friday nights, it will help with people coming together.”
“Friday night lights, it does group everybody together up in the stands,” said Hunter Ledlow, a Comfort running back. “You just kind of get to talking, having a great time and kind of brings everybody together.”
While the Comfort football team is back on the field preparing for the upcoming season, it was just a few weeks ago that the gym and other athletic facilities on campus were being used in the rescue efforts.
“They really wouldn’t talk much, but they just said coach, it’s bad, it’s bad,” said Rieken.
Comfort High School housed rescue teams from Nevada and Indiana, as well as Texas A&M’s Veterinary Emergency Team.
“Really thankful that a lot of people came from out of town, hours and hours away to help out with the flood,” said Ledlow. “It’s a great deal.”
We know how much high school football means in the state of Texas, especially in small towns like Comfort. It can bring communities together, and that is needed in some of these places in the Hill Country right now. That first Friday night of games is going to be special.
“When you step on the field, that’s what it’s all about when the lights are on,” said Rieken.
“It feels great to get back out here and do the sport we love,” said Carter Pape, Comfort's quarterback.
For the Comfort Bobcats, they get to play at home that first Friday, Aug. 29, against Bracketville.