​MacArthur’s Maximus Cavazos (8) runs the ball in for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Burbank Bulldogs at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News)
Twin brothers Jordon and Mitchell Ricker have done just about everything together, from playing football at MacArthur to earning their degrees from the same college institutions.But Thursday night was something new in the Rickers’ intertwined history. The Rickers faced off against each other for the first time as head coaches as Jordon’s MacArthur Brahmas faced Mitchell’s Burbank Bulldogs in their season opener at Alamo Stadium. The brothers enter their second year as head coaches in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Jordon emerged victorious with MacArthur downing Burbank 32-10 to earn his first career victory as a head coach. The victory was a long time coming for Jordon, who last season had the difficult task of navigating a juggernaut district that included state champion Smithson Valley as a brand new head coach.”I’m just so proud of our guys,” Jordon said. “We talked all offseason about building our culture and getting in the right direction, and our kids really bought in.”NEWSLETTER:Get the latest on San Antonio high school sports, delivered to your inboxAs soon as the score went final, the MacArthur players doused their coach in ice water and presented him with a surprise trophy while chanting “Ricker Bowl” and jumping around. “We had to fight for our coach,” MacArthur senior running back Matthew Rodriguez said. “We had to be the Ricker (team) on top.” While they maintain a close relationship, the Rickers admit their conversations leading up to Thursday’s game were a little different.”Usually we talk every week about our opponents, how our practices are going, things like that,” Jordon said. “This week we haven’t talked as brothers, we’ve talked as opposing head coaches.” While each head coach knows the other one very well, the brothers tried approaching this week like any other game week.”It just so happens that their head coach looks like me,” Mitchell said. “So that’s really the only difference.” Although the Rickers have technically coached against each other as assistants at other programs, they knew they would eventually compete against one another as head coaches. After finding out their new districts on UIL realignment day this past February, the brothers found the time to set up a game that would not only be fun for their family, but also benefit both teams.
Twin brothers Mitchell Ricker, left, Burbank head coach, and Jordon Ricker, MacArthur head coach, talk with an SAISD Athletics official during halftime of a varsity football game at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News)
“We knew we had two teams that would be a good match against each other,” Jordon said. “I think the most important is Week 1. You’re setting the bar to see where your