BELLMEAD, Texas — The La Vega Pirates are heading into the high school football playoffs after a dominant regular season, but for people in Bellmead, the team's success means more than wins and rankings.
At Bellmart, longtime Bellmead resident and proud La Vega High School graduate Ruth Monteral said football has long been a source of community pride.
“We have a very good community when it comes to our football,” Monteral said. “Very proud of him. I'm glad that they're doing some reconstruction on the school.”
That support comes as La Vega enters the postseason ranked No. 1 in Class 4A Division II and No. 57 statewide by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
The players say they feel the community behind them, including starting quarterback Kourtney Parr Jr.
“I see that they care,” Parr said. “They act like they want to be there. They cheer us on no matter where we're at. You know, we only had two home games and they showed out to every single one, so it means a lot to us.”
Parr has recorded 1,753 total yards this season, but the quarterback said individual numbers and regular-season success are secondary to the Pirates' ultimate goal.
“All the success don't matter if we don't win the state,” Parr said.
Head coach Don Hyde is taking a similar approach as La Vega prepares for the postseason. Despite the Pirates' No. 1 ranking, Hyde said his team isn't putting much stock in the polls.
“Rankings are for the fans. Rankings are for clicks on social media and things of that nature,” Hyde said. “We don't look at that. We as coaches don't pay any attention to that.”
Hyde pointed to La Vega's 2015 state championship team as proof that rankings do not determine what happens in the postseason.
“I think in 2015 we won a state championship; we were ranked number 11,” Hyde said. “And so, rankings don't matter when it's all said and done.”
For Bellmead, the playoff run offers another opportunity for the community to rally around a program that generations of residents and graduates have supported.
For the Pirates, however, the mission remains focused on what happens on the field.
La Vega is set to begin its playoff run Thursday against Manor New Tech.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by Alexa Conroy and was converted into a digital format with the assistance of AI.
