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."
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As 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 team's at, and the goal is each and every week after that to continue to get better. Most teams make the biggest jump between Week 1 and Week 2 because you really find out who you are, what you can do, things like that. From my perspective, I'm sure he feels the same."
Burbank scored less than 30 seconds into the game, thanks to a 77-yard touchdown run by senior running back and reigning district MVP Edward Rodriguez with 11:39 left in the first quarter. But the game skidded to a halt even faster than it started as inclement weather forced a delay that lasted nearly 90 minutes.
MacArthur scored coming out of the weather delay, but a failed two-point conversion preserved a 7-6 lead for Burbank.
MacArthur's defense started to turn the tide with a pair of goal line stands to keep Burbank down.
Matthew Rodriguez powered the MacArthur offense, rushing for three touchdowns to help the Brahmas build a sizable lead.
"I hope we can go upwards and continue to win a couple more games," the running back said.
Burbank visits Southwest Legacy next Friday, while MacArthur hosts Holmes next Thursday at Heroes Stadium. And although nothing is set in place yet, there's hope the Ricker Bowl could be an annual game going forward.
"I love my twin brother," Jordon said. "It was a fun experience. I'll call him when I get home, but it was a special moment."
SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at MacArthur opens season with win over Burbank in first ever ‘Ricker Bowl'.
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