For the first time in almost two decades, the Refugio Bobcats' football team is going to have a new head coach as Jason Herring is stepping down after 17 seasons.
Herring cited health reasons as the reason he'll no longer be running the football program. The four-time championship coach (three with Refugio) will remain with the school as athletic director.
Longtime assistant Drew Cox will take over as head coach. Cox and Herring came to Refugio together in 2007 after leading Sonora to a state title. The two enjoyed immense success together, eventually getting Refugio over the state semifinal hurdle and ending the school's 29-year state title drought state title back in 2011. Herring also lead the Bobcats to Texas' mountaintop in 2016 and 2019, which were the program's fourth and fifth championships, respectively.
One of Herring's biggest accomplishments was leading the program through the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey back in 2017 after the town was severely damaged. The Bobcats' indoor facility housed mattresses that were made available to those impacted by the Category 4 storm. Herring eventually lead the Bobcats to the state championship game just four months later.
3News will continue to update this story.
STATEMENT FROM REFUGIO SUPERINTENDENT MELISSA GONZALES:
