BOYS RANCH, Texas – Dedicated fans and supporters helped the Boys Ranch High School Varsity football team win new uniforms through voting in an online contest.
Coach James Layman designed the uniforms for the Boys Ranch Roughriders in the contest sponsored by Xenith, which sells sports equipment.
The design is a black shirt and pants with blue trim and gold slash accents. Layman chose black to represent the trauma some of the players have experienced in their lives with the slashes representing their emerging colors.
“When you look beyond their pasts, they are truly golden,” Layman said. “As coaches, we try to instill in our kids the core values of our team (integrity, discipline, toughness, faith and love), and that is the true color coming out of our kids. They have learned that they cannot change the past; they can only control what lies ahead.”
The school’s uniforms were to be replaced soon, and the Xenith uniforms represent about $4,500 the school won’t have to spend on 45 uniforms.
Xenith selected Boys Ranch to advance to the final-16 tournament based on an essay Layman wrote about the school. The Roughriders won each head-to-head matchup handily, thanks to Facebook fans from across the United States who voted consistently.
They have learned that they cannot change the past; they can only control what lies ahead.
“Please thank everyone who voted for us via social media, emails and text messages,” Layman said. “The Roughriders family is strong and proud.”
The new uniforms will be in use consistently during the 2021 season.
Xenith was founded in 2006 and has a football equipment production facility in Detroit.
Boys Ranch Independent School District is housed on the campus of Boys Ranch, founded by Cal Farley. For more on Boys Ranch Independent School District, go to https://www.boysranchisd.org