Over the last decade, the Edna Cowboys moved from yearly Regional finalist contender to yearly State Semi-Finalists, with their last three seasons ending one round from the State Championship game. This year Edna enters with a new, yet familiar, head coach with hopes to get Edna over the hump. Jamie Dixon arrived after resigning as Athletic Director from Blanco High School. Before that, Dixon was head football coach at Industrial.
Dixon arrived at Industrial and turned a struggling team into a yearly playoff threat. After the 2020 season, Dixon moved on to Blanco, where he compiled a 26-12 record including playing three playoff games in 2022 and four in 2024. He has a 6425 overall career record.
Between Blanco and Industrial, Dixon has coached against Edna, going 2-4 with both wins coming while he was at Industrial.
“There is a rivalry,” Dixon said about the season opening game against Industrial. “I’ve been an enemy to the Cowboys for the last seven years at Industrial and then Blanco, and now I’m part of this team and the community here. The community, the schools, the kids, they all love it.”
For Edna to get a chance to get to another State Semi-Finals –and the ultimate goal of a State Championship appearance– the Cowboys first have to get through district play.
As it has been for the last two seasons, Edna and Goliad start the season ranked in the top 25 in the state with the Cowboys ranked 5th and the Tigers sitting at 15. This season however, Orange Grove also slipped in, sitting at 21st.
Edna should have no problem making the playoffs, but these two games, especially the Goliad game, will determine if Edna enters the playoffs as District champs.
“It’s a tough district,” Dixon continued. “It is well-coached, there are some good coaches in this district. There are, I think, five new head coaches in our district, so we have to feel each other out and see. I do think our district will be a dogfight.”
When the playoffs begin, Edna will have many tough foes as they move forward, but the team this year believes they can get over the hump and finally pass the State Semi-Final round.
“I see us right back where we were last year and finally getting over that hump,” Hunter Buehring said. “To do that we need to fix our mistakes, be more disciplined.”
“I think Coach Dixon coming in here and bringing in more discipline, and more things like that, I think will get us over the hump,” Keegan Hicks added.
Dixon acknowledged the previous coaching staff and hopes to continue the winning tradition.
“We’ve got to work on the little things,” Dixon continued. “Coach (Jimmie) Mitchell and his staff did a great job and won a lot of games and it is my job to carry on the tradition they built. Everywhere I go I talk about doing the small things well. When you get into big games, you have to start off fast and you have to make sure you don’t make little mistakes.”
Fixing the little things will come along faster once the new players get used to their new positions.
“This is my first year on both sides of the ball but (the line) is coming along well,” Cornell Norman said. “It’s a different scheme but my quarterback has been my quarterback since junior high so we have that chemistry. Most of the guys we lost switched in and out last year, so we have experience out there.”
The Cowboys will begin their season on Friday, September 29, when they host Industrial.
