Countdown to Kickoff: Randall Raiders

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The Randall Raiders are heading into their second year under head coach Dan Sherwood.

Last year, the team fared extremely well for a team under new leadership, with a 7-5 record overall. The Raiders went to the playoffs and left with a share of the district championship in one of the hardest districts in the state.

This year, Coach Sherwood and the team are ready to win, and have fun while they do it.

“Football is fun and I’m going to enjoy what I do,” Sherwood said. “If I don’t enjoy what I do, I need to go do something else. I love coaching. I haven’t worked a day in my life since I’ve done it. Being around kids and being a positive impact as much as I can, how can you not have fun doing that?”

Coach Sherwood’s players are fond of him as well, not just as a coach, but for his commitment to their improvement.

“I love him... [He’s a] great coach,” senior tight end/defensive end Brecken Melton said. “He’s done so much for us, all of us. We have a workout week where it’s really hard all week, and he worked out with us for one of the days. It’s called Raider Nation, it’s really hard.”

Coach Sherwood says it’s important to set a good example.

“Whenever I work out, I work out up here,” Sherwood said. “I don’t go to a gym and I think it’s important for kids to see that if I’m asking them to take care of their body and themselves, I’m going to do the same thing.”

For some players, being a Raider just means more.

“I was a Little Raider from third grade all the way up to sixth grade, and then I was at Westover, so I’ve been a Raider my whole life,” senior wide receiver Kaiden Miller said. “It’s really something special to be able to work my way up all the way to my senior year, starting, and I joined all these guys. They’ve been my brothers ever since third grade.”

At the end of the day, Coach Sherwood knows not only how much winning and being supportive means to this group of guys, but to their community as well.

“They’re an unbelievably supportive group,” Sherwood said. “They’re a tough group. They’re a hard working group. Everything that you look for in a community...they’re going to support each other, all the way from the Little Raiders to the varsity Raiders. It’s great to see, and I know that firsthand, because I see my varsity guys out there with the little kids. It’s an unbelievable community.”

The Raiders start their season at Happy State Bank Stadium on Aug. 30, where they will take on the Plainview Bulldogs for the first time since the 2021 football season when both teams were in the same district. Randall won that one by a score of 48-26.

To complete their non-district schedule, the Raiders will face the Monahans, Perryton, Legacy and Estacado.

Randall will start their district schedule against Dumas, who they’ve defeated the past three years.

However, one of the biggest changes in the UIL realignment for the Panhandle is the West Plains Wolves joining District 2-4A.

It’ll be the first time these two teams have met on the football field, set for Oct. 25.

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