BOLING, Texas – We all know football is king in Texas, and the smaller the town, the bigger the king.
The Boling Bulldogs are a perfect example of that, as they look for a state championship Thursday night.
Boling is a town about an hour south of Houston. Less than 2,000 people call it home, but they're all excited about their Bulldogs.
"Incredible. The atmosphere is great. Everybody's so excited about leaving (for Thursday's state title game),"said recent Boling high school graduate Jamie Macek. "The town's going to be empty tomorrow. We're all go to be there to support. It's amazing."
"It's been exciting. These athletes have really poured their hearts out. They're fighters," Boling high school Principal Keith Jedlicka said. "The excitement that it's brought to this community and campus, it's been an enjoyable experience. Being a former alumni, this is something we've been waiting for, for a long time."
This wouldn't be the first for Boling to win the state title, although their last win was in 1972, so it's been a long time coming.
"It's a very rare thing for these kids. I've had to explain to my daughter, who's a freshman, that this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. You need to savor it, enjoy it," said Boling resident Jeff Gubbels.
Community support has been strong this year and has been strong all through the years. The people in Boling are all excited about what's ahead.
"A lot of the people in the community have gone to school here," Principal Jedlinka said. "I have students in the school that I went to school with their parents. So yeah, it's been an exciting year."