If the University Interscholastic League realignment places Boys Ranch in the enrollment numbers within Six-Man football for the 2024-25 school years, the Roughriders would make the historic move from 11-man football to the wide-open world of Six-Man ball.
Historic, because Boys Ranch had played 11-man football for 61 straight years since joining the UIL in 1962.
Kelley didn’t flinch. Bring it on.
Kelley was born into football royalty as the grandson of his namesake Lubbock Estacado coaching legend Louis Kelley.
“I had no choice. There was no choice,” Louis says with a laugh of becoming a football coach one day. “It was inbred in me that you go to college and then you go coach. I am thankful for that and thankful for some of the people I have met. Like Coach Seth Parr, he has played a big role in my life since Lubbock Coronado.”
Eleven-man football had been Louis’ life as Kelley’s grandson – “I always wondered why everybody knew him in Lubbock and then I learned when I got older” _ then as a player at Pflugerville High from 2013-16, then as an assistant under Parr at Lubbock Coronado.
But Kelley didn’t balk at the possibility of coaching Six-Man ball during his Boys Ranch interview.
Boys Ranch principal Shawn Read was on the interviewing committee and became a Kelley fan that May day.
“During our interviews we explained to all our candidates if we are below again, it’s not 50-50, it’s greater than that we will make the choice to play Six-Man football for the benefit of the kids,” said Read, who this fall starts his ninth year as Boys Ranch High principal. “Louis said, ‘I want this job and I’m willing to be there for that job in Six-Man if it happens.’ So absolutely we are glad he decided to stay. We are very pleased Louis stayed not just as our coach but his presence in that high school building in the classroom.”
They take numbers in football. Well, they bring just as much mojo to a program as a star quarterback.
Boys Ranch ended 2023 with a 2-9 record in Kelley’s first year playing the final game with 24 players and no junior varsity games. That left the Roughriders with one winning season – 6-5 in 2008 – over the past 33 years.
“I’m very thankful Boys Ranch has decided to go this way,” Kelley said. “If we had stayed 11-man another year we wouldn’t have the depth or size to play with a lot of the teams in our district. This is giving our kids a chance to compete. And gives us a chance to even have a JV team.”
Principal Read agrees with his head football coach having witnessed the numbers game over and over at The Ranch.
“It’s not dropping down to Six-Man it’s moving to Six-man because you have a chance to be more competitive,” Read said. “I think we are pretty steady with 28 kids out right now and this is the first time in my eight years we may have a depth advantage on a football field. With sometimes having 16 or 15 playing the Stratford’s, the Panhandle’s and Vega’s that’s not a scenario you are going to be successful in very often.”
To gain Six-Man football knowledge Kelley has attended Six-Man specific clinics in Wichita Falls and College Station, along with chatting up several Texas Panhandle coaches familiar with the game.
“Man, I’m an offensive coach,” Kelley said. “This is great for me. This is what I do is offense. Being creative and using all the skill players I have. This is my skill set.
“The biggest difference for me is understanding you’re going to get scored on. There’s not much defense. That’s a hard pill for me to swallow.”
Kelley says the vibe around Boys Ranch is one of excitement as well as questions like: what is this Six-Man stuff?
And, Kelley knows for sure, it’s a whole different game from 11-man.
“The kids were iffy about it at first,” Kelley said. “A lot of them had never heard about Six-Man football. When we started talking about it and explaining it to them they have all bought into it. We have a chance to be very successful.
“It is a totally different game we are learning. I’m a little worried about knowing all the rules so I’ve been studying up on that. And then getting used to seeing backyard plays. You might be rushing in and the ball is suddenly over your head to a running back and then the ball gets thrown another way. It’s going to be exciting.”
“Midnight practice,” Kelley said. “Man, it was great. They loved being out of the house late. We had people lining the sidewalks. It was a lot of fun. The kids are pumped up. We have a chance to play Booker, again, and that’s a good and big rivalry. We have a lot of skill players returning who can do a lot of different things.”
The excitement for Boys Ranch continues with a scrimmage Thursday night at Wildorado and then things get real on Aug. 29 when Boys Ranch hosts Silverton in its first-ever Six-Man game in 62 years of playing UIL football.
“It’s a blessing to be out at Boys Ranch,” Kelley said. “I have everything I need. To have access to these kids 24 hours a day it’s a great feeling when you are playing sports. And now, with our numbers we feel like we can be successful.”
Read is no stranger to Six-Man football having been employed at schools playing the game. He expects the fans, players and coaches at Boys Ranch to find joy playing this game of football they love to watch, play and coach.
“It’s still Texas High School football,” Read said. “My time at Guthrie, Trent and Samnorwood I loved the game. It’s different than 11-man football but it has it’s own flair. Its own flavor. It’s still football and you have to embrace it.
“That Silverton game is going to be exciting. It’s going to be a very interesting matchup.”