DISTRICT 7-3A DII
Rice BULLDOGS
Head Coach : Royce Slechta 2024 Record : 4-7 Last Playoff Appearance : 2024
Rice is on the rise
By Mike Phillips Explore Corsicana
RICE — Where do you begin reviewing Rice ’ s breakthrough , breakout season of 2024 ?
The best place to start is to listen to what new Rice Coach Royce Slechta said at the end of season .
“ If we go 4-6 next year , I ’ ll be disappointed ,” Slechta said .
That ’ s how far the Rice program came in 2024 . The Bulldogs didn ’ t just move the needle , they crashed the image , rewrote the narrative and started anew for a program that had struggled mightily in recent years . To grasp the full meaning of what Slechta said you have to understand where the program was when Slechta arrived to take over the Bulldogs last summer .
Rice hadn ’ t reached the playoffs since 2020 and had won just four games over the previous three years , but in one surprising ( and that ’ s an understatement ) season the Bulldogs won four games , made the playoffs and were ready to set their sights on much more in 2025 . That ’ s where they are today . Slechta showed up , bringing a whirlwind of change with a creative , and enthusiastic blast of optimism and confidence that had the kids literally drinking the Kool-Aid and buying into a new offense and a new coach , who not only told his players they were good enough to reach the postseason but gave them a blueprint of how to get there — and washed it down with his own batch of “ Blue Kool-Aid .”
Honest , Slechta brought with him his own version of the Air-Raid Offense , ( he calls it “ Blue-Raid ” and his own recipe for blue Kool-Aid , which he makes himself . His Bulldogs , who were known for consistently running the ball , went to the air with a preview of what ’ s to come . Sophomore quarterback Jalon Burks matured in his first season under center and freshman Brady Lawhon emerged as one of the top receivers in the district . It was more than an experiment for the Bulldogs , it was an opening act to what Slechta sees as a bright future for his offense .
Lawhon was a unanimous pick for the All-District First-Team at wide receiver , but Rice loved to also run the ball . Sophomore Alvaro Contreras made the All-District First-Team at running back as Lawhon and Contreras weren ’ t just two of the top offensive players in the district , but two of the youngest in a program that has embraced it ’ s young players under Slechta , who wants to build his program .
Rice saw several players step up with big performances to lead the turn-around , none bigger than senior Christian Ramos , a two-way lineman who was named to the All-District First-Team on both sides of the line , including being a unanimous selection as a defensive lineman . Rice had a dozen players earn First-and- Second Team honors this season , including Reese Ellington , a junior , who made the First-Team as a Utility player and the Second-Team as a defensive back .
And if that wasn ’ t enough . junior Caleb Diaz kicked a 54-yard field goal and was named the district ’ s First-Team Kicker and the Golden Circle ’ s Co-Special Teams Player of the Year .
Slechta ’ s kids grew up on and off the field and finished third in the district , winning games and finding a new attitude and a mountain of confidence .
Rice changed its football life on opening night when the Bulldogs opened up its offense and defeated A-Plus Academy 57-14 . That ’ s the same A-Plus Academy program that
22 Explore Corsicana | Spring 2025