During the first game of the football season, held on Friday, Aug. 28, at the Gatesville stadium, the school district received a generous donation from Coryell Health for numerous specialized helmets for players.
The healthcare organization donated 50 Riddell Axiom helmets with fivezone InSite sensor pad system that can monitor both the location and force of all impacts the helmet takes during both games and practices.
This system will also collect the impact data and provide reports that the head football coach, Jose Aguirre, can review to better understand where the helmets are absorbing impact. This allows the team to adjust their technique and reduce the risk of future head impacts.
“Riddell placed a receiver inside our field house so every day the data captured by each helmet is immediately uploaded online,” Aguirre said. “My routine has been to come in, look at the data then watch practice film. We have already seen a reduction in using the top of our helmet on contact compared to last year and I am able to show each individual student athlete what part of their helmet they are using.”
With the donation from Coryell Health, the district now owns approximately 93 of these specialized helmets. This amount means that student athlete can be fitted with an Axiom helmet. These helmets, according to Aguirre, can cost over $1,000 in a sporting goods store.
“We are one of a handful of high school programs where every student athlete has an Axiom helmet,” Aguirre said. “We are also one of the first programs to be part of the ‘Riddell’s In-Sight Analytic Champions Program.’
“It’s truly a blessing that our student-athletes are wearing the same model helmet that the NFL has studies in both lab and field settings and has given its stamp of approval for NFL players to use,” Aguirre continued.
According to Aguirre, the exterior of the helmet has a shelf life of 10 years and each of the internal pads are custom fit to the specific player that is wearing the helmet. Aguirre also stated that during the off-season each helmet is serviced to ensure they meet safety standards required to be recertified.
Once a student with a helmet with customized internal pads graduates, the district will reuse the helmets exterior while the internal pads will be re-customized for the student athlete that will be receiving the helmet.
The helmets were presented during the pre-game portion of the inaugural game of the 2026-2027 football season against Lampasas.
“We are humbled by the generosity of Coryell Health,” Aguirre said. “It’s awesome to see a healthcare network back the safety of the student-athletes that live in their town by providing them with the absolute best. We are blessed to have so many people in our community support us, it is truly remarkable to see how many people care about the safety and well being of our student athletes.”