Photos courtesy of Jim Taylor

After Santo knocked off Rio Vista in the first game this season, head coach Devon Mann had a gift to deliver.

Mann admittedly isn’t a big fan of delving out game balls, but he made an exception in Week 1, presenting the pigskin to someone he knows well – Santo’s all-time winningest coach Randy Thornton.

After four years away running Hico’s program, Thornton has returned to the small Palo Pinto County town and joined Mann’s staff as the offensive coordinator.