In 2016, Cuero was knocked out of the Texas high school playoffs in the regional final round in a 35-21 loss to Navarro. In 2017, Cuero again lost in the regional finals, falling 44-36 to Wimberley.
So when the Gobblers reached the Class 4A Division II Region IV Final against Navarro, the theme of the week was obvious: Break the Door Down.
So assistant coach Aaron Grubb broke the door down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLqcFOxdWxc
“We found a door and on the door we wrote down all the things the kept us from making the next round,” Grubb told the Victoria Advocate. “That was the main focus. We wanted to make sure the kids came up and wrote on that door and knew those were the reasons why we hadn’t got through that door.”
As you saw above, the ploy worked immediately. It worked in the long-term, too. The Gobblers blasted Navarro 48-23 that weekend -- Cuero led 48-0 before Navarro scored -- then topped Silsbee 29-24 to advance to the Class 4A Division II State Championship.
The Gobblers broke that door down, too, defeating Texarkana Pleasant-Grove 40-28 to deliver the one-horse town of 7,000 residents in between San Antonio and the Gulf of Mexico its fourth state title.
“Our kids wrote on that door everything they thought were reasons why we lost the previous two years,” head coach Travis Reeve told the Advocate. “Coach Grubb kicked that door down and we took that door with us and set it up in the locker room as we were going out to the field to remind us of the mission and needless to say we kicked it down.”