HOME SWEET HOMEcoming!!
Alamo Heights 35, Clemens 3
Come to Boerne next Friday….
A balanced offense, a solid defense and continued great play by the special teams helped lead the Mules to a 35-3 victory over the Clemens Buffaloes on Homecoming Friday night at Harry B. Orem Stadium. A packed homecoming crowd on a beautiful Friday night (Did we say Friday night??? Yes, that is the day after Thursday and the night when high school football traditionally is played). Mule Fan readers got the message and arrived timely---thanks for that---to the first 7:30 kickoff of the year. The game was the opener for both teams in the new Class 4A, District 27. The Mule Fan has been telling folks all year that reporters consider this the most potent district in the State. The San Antonio Express News, we presume taking a cue from The Mule Fan’s hype about the district, featured a full page layout on this new tough District on the day of the game. First up for the Mules was Clemens, ranked 3rd in the City in Sub 5A. It was apparent very quickly that there is a method to Coach Byrd’s madness as the extremely difficult pre-District match-ups for the Mules helped prepare them as they entered this first week of District play.
Boerne is close, and now that the IH-10 road work is complete, it's a very easy drive.
The Mules won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Before the game, the Mule Fan was advised by official Charlie Wernette (you sit by a Mule Fan editor and you get your name in print, it’s that easy) that the evening's officiating crew had over 30 years experience among them—nice fact, but so what? Clemens received Andrew Bailey’s kickoff and took the ball. Clemens offense was led by #28, Charles Ross, a huge, fast 200 pound Senior headed to the Rice Owls next season. The Mules defense set the tone and held the Buffaloes to a 3 and out. After the punt, the Mules moved the ball down to the Clemens 10, where a speedy defender jumped in front of a Drew Allen pass for the pick and return giving the ball back to Clemens. Charles Ross took over on offense on the next drive, running for 40-plus yards. After a 15 yard penalty, Clemens had the ball at the Mules 15. The Mules came up with big stops, including a stop by Mitchell Dan on a key 3rd and 9 forcing Clemens to kick a 30 yard field goal with 5 minutes left in the first for a 3-0 Clemens lead. Who would think that this would be the end of the Buffaloes scoring for the night? Surely not the folks on the eastern side of the stadium---for those of you who might by "directionally-challenged", that is the visitors side of Orem Stadium. The teams exchanged the ball with a Clemens drive stopped by a Beau Wilson and Terry Andersen blitz. The quarter ended with the Buffaloes facing a 3rd and 25.
Boerne will be first Friday away game---grab the family and friends.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Mules forced the Buffaloes to punt and Ryan Murphy came within a few inches of a terrific block. Again, both offenses moved the ball, but drives stalled. The Mule Fan observed that both sides were cheered on by their own fans in the stadium. The cheering included P.A. announcer and Mule fan Rick Shaw who allegedly thought his microphone was off as he screamed “go, go, go, go” to John Cabell as Cabell scampered after a nice throw from Drew Allen. The Mules got into scoring position but a rare (we mean rare!) miss on a field goal attempt left the score 3-0 Clemens. But then, things turned. Drew Allen, given great time by a solid offensive line, started to pick apart the Buffaloes defense. During the drive, he found Tyler Marshall for a nice 20 yard catch before hitting Trevor Lovelady in the far corner with under 2 minutes left in the half and a 7-3 Mule lead.
Boerne hates us!!
Halftime, right? Not so fast, Buffalo-breath. Clemens took the ball and a long pass to Stanley Harris put the Buffaloes in nice position after a leaping catch across the middle. A big sack by #44 Stewart Korte (John, did you get that in Guatemala?) and a huge Mules stop of Ross on 4th and 3 gave Heights the chance for what happened next. Time clock issues had given the Buffaloes a few extra seconds but ultimately, that gave the Mules more time. Some folks say the defense doesn’t get enough publicity (see editorial, lasts week Mule Fan) but fans, that defensive series was the reason you are still reading---if you are not asleep—about the first half. The Mules took over with 14 seconds and didn’t even consider taking a knee. Time froze for a moment after a scramble out of bounds by Allen. Mules ball at the 46 with 1.3 seconds left. Close your eyes--your mind drifts, you think of “Flutie to the End Zone” , “Oh my gosh, the Band is on the Field” and “OK, this is the last chance for Trinity University” and you try not to think of “Derek Fisher with 0.4 left on the clock…it’s up..” Suddenly, you open your eyes and Allen’s ball is in the air streaming towards John Cabell (however you want to pronounce his name), the defenders misjudge their leaps and Cabell focuses on the ball, not the students in the nearby student section. Does he have it? Yes…14-3 Mules as they sprint to the locker room. (Hang in there, 2nd half summary will be much shorter.)
Halftime, Kings and Queens are announced, Mules fans stretch stretch their legs and make plans to go to for Boerne.
The Mules took the 3rd quarter kickoff and the focus on offense became not only the air but also the ground. A.J. Lewis and Justin Rosenthal subbed back and forth and with fresh legs, the duo started running the ball and running the clock. Lewis had a terrific 45 yard sprint to the five. The lengthy run set up a Victor Givens grab of a touchdown pass from Drew Allen from the 4 for a 21-3 Mules lead. The Clemens defense, led by #2 , Sean Porter (an A&M commitment) suddenly looked vulnerable. However, no resting as Ross and the offense can strike quickly. After the Bailey kickoff, the kick team kept the Buffaloes pinned at their 20—a common theme but one that The Mule Fan will write about as long as they will continue because, besides “We”, field position “is the key”. Clemens was on the move again when Stewart Korte tipped a pass that was picked off by Senior Terry Andersen. The Mules took the ball again and a nice 3rd and 5 catch by Kyle Flores keep the drive rolling. On the next play, from the Mules 40, the Buffaloes appeared to send the entire 50 man squad on a blitz but the offensive line produced a nice hole (possibly between Rhett McSween, Ross Studer and/or Austin Amaro) on a draw play through which Rosenthal darted 60 yards for the touchdown and a 28-3 Mule lead with 4 minutes left in the 3rd. Then, you got it, the kickoff team with great coverage, pinned the Buffaloes deep again. End of the 3rd quarter.
No, I mean they really hate us---we need lots of support in Boerne PLEASE!
The fourth quarter rolled quickly, unlike the Laredo United fourth quarter. The Mules offense keep the ball on the ground with Lewis churning out the yardage and eating up the clock. After a nice 3rd and 6 reception by Tyler Marshall, Victor Givens catch from the 5 made it 35-3. Clemens kept the ball the remainder of the game but couldn’t score, thanks to the tough “D”.
The Mules had terrific special teams play, held Clemens on defense and churned up the offensive yardage thanks to great line play, allowing Coach Norment to keep his voice for another week. A GREAT START TO DISTRICT PLAY.
"Hail Mary" Touchdown play AH vs. Clemens September 26, 2008
A Few Words with the Head Coach of the Mules – Don Byrd
September 30, 2008
The Mule Fan: Last week’s district win over Clemens featured a balanced offensive attack from the running and the passing game, a very strong performance out of your defense holding Clemens to just three points and a good kicking game. There are plenty of positive aspects to the victory. What were your views on the keys to the win?
Coach Byrd: Well we had two great weeks of work. We really set our goals high to be as strong of a team as we can and it happens on the practice field. You don’t just go out and play a game on Friday. You have to take care of every little thing all week long and then big things happen for you on Friday. We had two setbacks starting out and that didn’t get the kids down. They just kept pluggin’ away, had faith in themselves, knew we’d get some kids healthy, we’d get our timing down and understand how to play this game a little better and then good things will happen. We’re fortunate to have it happen against Clemens. It was kicking game, offense and defense.
The Mule Fan: One thing we talked about in our first visit of the year was that you weren’t going to get too keyed up for the first game because your goal was to build as you went along and extend your season. The team has shown noticeable improvement each week. You’ve faced some adversity so now how do you approach handling a little prosperity?
Coach Byrd: That’s just as tough because we got there by setting high goals, working hard and just concentrating on fundamentals and schemes of football. Now that we’ve had a little success it’s not time to pat ourselves on the back and take a deep breath and talk about what we’ve done in the past because that’s not what got us to this level. We’re going to have to remember that hard work, taking care of the small details and working together as a team got us here. We can’t deviate from that. Really now that we’ve won our first game in a long district stretch we’re going to have to go through, we’re going to have to stay mentally tough and stay focused.
The Mule Fan: The Mules were on the business end of a lot of big plays in the Clemens win but none bigger than the one that has everyone talking this week and that’s the moon shot that Drew Allen throws to John Cabell as the clock winks down to zero in the first half. Talk about that play and what you said to get everyone back down to earth in the locker room at the half. Also, if you had been on the receiving end of that what would you have said if you were (Clemens) Coach Ferrara after getting a kick in the ribs like that?
Coach Byrd: Well first of all I let them come in to the dressing room and we always meet outside together as a staff. I let them go for about three or four minutes because I wanted the adrenalin to keep going. Then I finally walked in and told them to get off their feet, relax, get something to drink and we’d be in to make halftime adjustments in a few minutes. But they needed to get back focused, reminded them of the Clark game and reminded them that its four quarters and that our goal was to play a complete game and get their heads on. It was a great play but you have to come back after great plays and you have to come back after plays where you don’t do as well. They understood. It’s far enough along into the season where you have enough examples to make sure they’re thinking the way they needed to.
It’s hard to say how he (Coach Ferrara) would handle it. Basically you just say the score should have been just 7 to 3. We’re in this game. We need to come out and make these adjustments and this is what we need to do to win the game. You’ve just got to let things go, good and bad and move on because if you’re celebrating too much from a previous play you’re not going to do well. If you’ve got your head down over a previous play you’re not going to do well either. Each play is a new beginning and you’ve got to be in the right frame of mind to be successful.
The Mule Fan: Six of the top seven teams in the Express-News Sub 5A city rankings are teams in District 27-4A. So far this district has not disappointed in terms of strength and balance. And one of those teams is Boerne Champion, our next opponent and a familiar rival. What are you facing this week with Boerne?
Coach Byrd: They’re a good football team. I expect them to re-group after a setback with Kerrville and pick up on the things that they didn’t execute well and do things that they need to play a better game. They always give us a good game. They’re a very talented team. They have a lot of size and they have some good looking athletes on that side of the field. Alamo Heights is going to have to take care of business or this little advantage of being 1-0 will be over with real quick.
IT’S NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU SEE:
Up in the air, it’s a bird , it’s a plane, no….it’s (L to R) coaches White, Hanna and Harris in the Press Box. Check out the picture below and click the arrow to an exclusive view. You don't see these Mules coaches every game since they are not on the sidelines. Here they are hard at work during the Clemens game making it all come together on the field. Thanks guys!
The Mule Fan spoke with Coach Byrd about what takes place in the coaching booth in the press box.
The Mule Fan: What are the key responsibilities for the coaches who are up in the press box during a game?
Coach Byrd: They’re looking for substitutions first of all. On defense we have different personnel match-ups so you look for that. When we’re on offense it’s hard for me to see the far side of the field so I get alignments from our coaches up there. They remind you of things. They can tell you if it’s a first down or not or where the ball is especially when it’s down by the goal line when it’s really hard to see. Just a lot of little bits of information like that. And depending on what kinds of schemes a team is running, if they’re real sophisticated we give them things to call out right away to let us know what they’re doing. It’s very valuable to have them up in the press box.
(note to save space-the video below had to be deleted)
LOOKING AHEAD:
So you got it, huh? Next week the Mules travel to Boerne-- different school, different name, same players, same stadium. Boerne Champion opened up this year and the student body moved there while Boerne High is being renovated. Gene Phillips can fill you in on the details of the schools and their future---The Mule Fan just reports football. Nonetheless, the Mules travel west and hope to have a huge caravan following them out to Boerne. One can look to Boerne’s disappointing 50-20 loss last week and think this could be easier than a normal Boerne game. Not so fast Boerne-breath. Let’s look at a few things about Boerne Champion. Boerne came in to the game 4th in the City in Sub-5A. Boerne was 3 and 0 have beaten some fine clubs including East Central 39-13 (impressive victory) at East Central, against Midlothian at Waco and Del Rio at home. In the Kerrville game, Champion churned up 360 yards and played solid offense with no turnovers. On defense, Champion gave up one big play of 90 yards, but if you take that away, they really held Kerrville in check, despite what the score might indicate. In fact, they may have outgained Kerrville. Boerne is led by running back Josh Wray, who had 185 yards against Kerrville and 155 against East Central as well as solid games in the other two outings. The Boerne crowd will be fired up for this game as their District home opener is against the Mules. Your Mules will take two trips up IH10 but this is the first and, thus the most important.
BOERNE STADIUM DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
The Mule Fan’s job is to make life as easy for '09ers as they eat Bon-Bons and sit on the couch watching either Desperate Housewives (ladies) or The Outdoor Channel (gentlemen). Below are your driving directions to the Boerne stadium. No excuses now.
I-10 west to first Boerne exit. Stay on Main to 5th light. Take right on Blanco. Stadium and Boerne High School(the stadium is at Boerne High even though the game is against Boerne Champion) is about ½ mile Get Driving Directions and Map to Boerne
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Boerne game are on sale at the Alamo Heights Athletic office in advance. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for students. All tickets are $7 at the gate.
Selling hours are from 8:30am - noon & 1:30pm - 3:30pm Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday and from 8:30am - noon & 1:30pm - 3:00pm on Friday!
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PARKING AT THE BOERNE GAME!!!!
Anybody that has ever been to a game in Boerne will tell you that on its best day parking is not a pleasant experience there. Introduce major construction into the mix and you have potential to arrive at the game in a very irritable condition UNLESS you pay close attention to the fine service that the Mule Fan editors supply here. After taking a tip from Coach Byrd, the Mule Fan reached out to Patty Juarez in the athletic office. Patty is the "knower of all things Mule" and has been referred to by Alamo Heights elders as the "Mule Whisperer." This information is designed to make it easier for you to get there NOT to discourage you from coming. Please see below:
The shuttle will pick everyone up at Champion H.S. and drop them off at the stadium.Directions: I-10 West or 281 North
From San Antonio I-10 West: I-10 west to El Paso Exit 542(US Business toward Boerne Main St.) Cross bridge, right lane, merge right at light onto River Rd. Continue straight through 4-way stop (Hwy. 46 East), turn right on Charger Blvd. at light.
From San Antonio 281 North: North on Hwy. 281 out of San Antonio, left on Hwy 46 West through Bergheim. Just past Herff Ranch and Valero Station turn left at light onto Charger Blvd.
Volleyball parents need to park here as well. There is no parking at the stadium. Only people with parking passes issued by Boerne will be able to park at the stadium.
BOERNE MEETING PLACE:
Fans…come early, avoid the last minute rush and join up with you fellow Mule Fans. Andy Allen advises the Mule Fan that this week's gathering is Friday on the patio at Scenic Loop Cafe. The group will arrive around 5:00 and we hope to see everyone there but if not, then definitely at the Stadium. Scenic Loop Cafe is located on Boerne Stage Lane and Scenic Loop. Exit Leon Springs..go under the highway and keep going. Eat some more Bon Bons and click on this site for map to Scenic Loop Cafe.
http://maps.yahoo.com/map?&q2=25615%20Boerne%20Stage%20Rd%20San%20Antonio%20TX&mag=5&ard=1#mvt=m&lat=29.682104&lon=-98.675044&mag=5&zoom=13&q2=25615%20Boerne%20Stage%20Rd%20San%20Antonio%20TX
DISTRICT DOINGS:
Week One is in the books (District records after the games):
Steele(1-0) 49, San Marcos(0-1) 17
Kerrville(1-0) 50, Boerne Champion(0-1) 20
HEIGHTS(1-0) 35, Clemens(0-1) 3
N.B. Canyon 45, Seguin(0-1) 27
OTHER MULE ACTION:
The JV will play at home on Thursday and the Freshmen will travel to Boerne on Thursday. From the Junior School, next Tuesday the 7th grade faces Bradley at Home and the 8th grade goes to Bradley. Good luck to all of the Mules squads.
NEWS FROM THE NFL:
In case you missed it, the Pittsburgh Steelers played on NFL's Monday Night Football this week. In on special teams was former A.H. standout Partick Bailey, brother of current A.H. standout Andrew Bailey. Patrick made his mark quickly in his NFL career with a huge solo tackle on a Steelers kickoff. He was also involved in other tackles during the course of the game. Congrats again to the Bailey family.
THE MULE FAN TAKES TO THE ROAD:
Saturday morning, Ron and Barbara Mills led a road trip to Houston to watch Chase Clement and Rice take on North Texas and Giovanni Vizza and Sam Dibrell. Your Mule Fan reporters made the long trek on Saturday to present Mules fans with full game coverage. Well, actually, we wanted to see the game. Both quarterbacks had terrific first halves but the second half fell apart for Gio and North Texas as Rice romped 77-20. Gio finished 25-39 for 251 yards. AHHS alum Sam Dibrell had 7 catches for 84 yards. Chase went 22 for 28 for 298 yards and five passing touchdowns. Chase also ran 10 times for 70 yards and another 2 touchdowns. In the game Chase and Jarett Dillard set an NCAA record for combined career touchdowns by a quarterback/reciver with 41 so far in their the career. Spotted at the game was Colton Haverda who made the short drive to Houston after his (Texas A&M) win at home Saturday afternoon. Among those on the Mills bus were Bob Broadnax and Scott Courtney, fathers of 2008 graduates and standouts Bobby Broadnax and Cody Courtney. Rick Shaw also went on the bus but, at last report, remains in a Houston jail. Police arrested Shaw for breaking into the press box and threatening the Public Address announcer at gunpoint until he let Rick have the headset and microphone and call a couple of plays. Rick was last seen bartering his bond in exchange for pool memberships and margaritas (he's such an easy target).
MULES ON THE RADIO:The Mules radio home for the rest of the year (unless advised otherwise) is KKYX-680AM. Follow the action there with Ed Suarez and Dave Parker. Airtime will be 7:00 p.m. Don’t forget to patronize and thank the sponsors for their commitment to Alamo Heights.
MULES PHOTOS:View all the photos from Mules games and save those memories forever with Dulce Designs(Mary Candee)http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=23252
GO MULES! BEAT BOERNE CHAMPION!
To be added to an e-mail blast advising on new postings to The Mule Fan, go to brosenthal@trpsalaw.com and we'll add you to the blast.
By the way, your Mule Fan editors would love to hear any comments (in the comment section below) you have about the weekly blog. If you have some ideas for future topics, we'll take them and submit them to our editorial board for careful consideration. If you have criticisms we'll take those too provided you sign your name, provide contact details and don't run cowardly from possible and/or likely retaliation. If you have a good recipe for Welsh Rarebit, Chicken Fricasse or know the lyrics to a good sea chanty, that would be extra special.
Warm Mule regards,
Bob Cohen/Bobby Rosenthal
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