MULE FAN UPDATE 17 SEPTEMBER 2008
LOOKING BACK:
JUST L-IKE we L-IKE it……MULES 52, LAREDO UNITED LONGHORNS 30
The winds in southeast Texas and the storm surge at the coast caused by Hurricane Ike weren’t the only intensity of the week. Around here, the intensity started last Monday morning and didn’t stop until what seemed to be the longest game in high school football history ended around 10:30 Thursday night. Monday morning, your Mules and their coaches hit the locker room around 7:00 to begin an intense film session. The day continued with a tough practice and more film with the team breaking up after 7:00 p.m. Monday night. On Tuesday, the intensity in ’09 continued with more early film (thank goodness someone brought the boys and the coaches breakfast….thanks!) and another tough practice. The HEB parking lot was jammed with Mules moms who were intensely stocking the house with water, flashlights, and other vital items to survive IKE. The intensity continued Wednesday when the boys found out that one Longhorns game (UT vs. Arkansas) was postponed for two weeks while the other Longhorns game (Laredo vs. AH) was pushed up to Thursday—the third straight Thursday night outing. [By the way, hats off to everyone involved in changing a game on one day’s notice, especially you Patty!] That day as well, some Mule dads reportedly streamed down IH 37 to Rockport and Port A. to quickly and frantically pick up boats and jet skis and to board up houses (it is alleged that Brent Marshall was not so frantic and actually took his fishing pole and some bait with him, but sometimes Hollye exaggerates). The intensity on game day continued, though Dana Warren’s fall at the varsity luncheon did lighten things up. And then they took to the field….
It was Senior Night for the parents of the football team and all other organizations related to the team. After Mary Candee’s photos it was game time in 09. Heights took the kickoff but the Longhorns took the ball away on the kickoff return. Laredo United converted a 4th and 6 before Senior Roger Rueweler took it in from the 2 for a 7-0 Laredo lead with 37 seconds gone in the game. The Mules countered with a lengthy sustained drive including nice catches by John Cabell and a 3rd and 3 conversion on a pass to Andrew Richter. In the stands, Charlie Wernette (a high school and college official) informed The Mule Fan that Laredo was playing a 3 on 3 defense--as if that means anything to most of us. On a scramble from the 4 , Drew Allen provided the scare of the night as the Senior QB dove towards the goal line, was stopped short and was knocked out. After several moments, Allen walked to the sidelines, the drive stalled at the 1 and the Andrew Bailey field goal made the score 7-3. Allen would not return for a few series. After a controversial(according to Wernette-see above) safety, the Mules punted and on the next Longhorns possession, Terry Anderson picked off a pass at the 40 to end the quarter.
Starting with the second quarter, the Mules look more comfortable on their home field. Ryan Murphy recovered a fumble on the 22 and a 20 yard strike to Cabell gave the Mules the lead(10-9) that they wouldn’t give up for the night with 8:08 left in the second. On the ensuing kickoff, Rich Garza and Stewart Korte made a terrific tackle on the returner. Here is as good a place as any to say---GREAT JOB KICKOFF COVERAGE TEAM. All night long, the Mules kicked and all night long, the coverage team performed. Keeping the Longhorns on their end of the field was huge and it happened time and time again after Mules scores. More offense for the Mules—a nice catch by Nicky Helm with a great block by Victor Givens and a great catch by Kyle Flores put the Mules up 17-9. Another Laredo United muffed punt and a recovery by Terry Andersen gave the ball to the Mules at the Longhorn 29. The offensive line held up very well and Cullen Wernette’s pick up of a blitzing linebacker allowed time for Allen to find Cabell for a grab before Tyler Marshall found the end zone and a 24-7 Mules halftime lead. The crowd stretched, parents checked on their younger Mules (most of whom seemed to be loitering beneath the stands), the band played, the Spurs danced and then it was back to business.
Turning to defense for a moment, the defense played a terrific game. The statistics are misleading as most of the Longhorns offense came on a few really, really long plays. Most of the night, the Mules defense, led by the front line and backed by the linebackers and the backs contained the Longhorns offense putting them into many difficult situations. One of those Longhorn big plays, however, came on the first offensive play of the second half and with only 24 seconds gone in the second half, the sprint by Longhorn Rich Velasquez, and the 2 point conversion, made it a 24-15 game. The Mules came back and after another key pickup on 3rd and 10 caught by Richter, Tyler Marshall caught a 38 yard TD to put the Mules up 31-15. The kick team again kept the Longhorns pinned. Defensive stops by Tyler Keller and Ryan Murphy forced a 4th and 23 for the Longhorns. When the Mules got the ball back, after several key plays, a very patient Drew Allen threw a 10 yard pass to Kyle Flores for a 10 yard TD and a 38-15 lead.
Before the Mule fans could sit down after clapping to the Mule Fight Song (raise your hand if you actually know the words), the Longhorns struck for another of their long plays and with another two-pointer, it was 38-23. [Note: The Mule Fan just received the Mulepusher calendar which has the Fight Song on the back cover—more info on that in an upcoming blog posting.] The most controversial call of the game came when a forward swing pass---yes forward, thus a pass—was called a fumble giving the ball to the Longhorns. Not wanting to be critical of officiating, but what part of the play was that ref following? Obviously, not the pass. Laredo quickly scored and suddenly it was 38-30…can someone say Clark? Well fortunately, that game was a million years ago….the Mule Fan may be fired for even bringing that up. The Mules had had enough! Terry Andersen’s nice return of the kickoff to the 40 set the Mules up in good shape. Allen found Lovelady and then Kyle Flores on a beautiful catch. The quarter ended 38-30 but the Mules ball on the Longhorn 2.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Mules. Right off the bat, Sergio Acosta scored from the 2 through a hole opened up by, among others, Senior Ross Studer. After a 3 and out, the tide had turned (and so had IKE for that matter). Allen found Richter for a 48 yard catch and a 52-30 lead and final score. The game finally ended after 3 ½ hours, lengthened by 2 Laredo timeouts with exactly 7.1 and 3.7 seconds left. We’ll assume either the Laredo coach wanted to make sure all the stadium traffic was gone before the game ended or he simply wanted to work on his 2 minute drill.
ALLEN COLLECTS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior QB Drew Allen was named Offensive Player of the Week by the San Antonio Express News for his performance in the Mules victory over Laredo United (52-30). Allen completed 23 of 32 pass attempts for 367 yards and six touchdowns to four different receivers and no interceptions. Congratulations Drew!
LOOKING AHEAD:
CLEMENS BUFFALOES AND THE START OF DISTRICT PLAY
The Mules look to build on the home field momentum when they return to action against Clemens for homecoming on Friday, September 26, assuming the game is not changed to a Thursday night outing for some unforeseen reason. The Mules have the week off on Friday, September 19, allowing them time to heal and re-group before heading into the grueling 7 week district play.
The Mule Fan observed that Clemens looked neither good nor bad this past weekend. In fact, Clemens left no impression at all. That’s because the Buffaloes didn’t play.
Actually, this appears to be a very good match up to determine where the Mules are at this point in the season. Clemens was projected sixth in the district by Texas Football and seventh by the Express News but has steadily climbed in the City’s Sub 5A rankings to third---above Heights. Clemens is the smallest school in the district with 1350 students. Clemens returns 11 starters and Heights will key on RB Charles Ross, who at 6’ 0” and has 4.5 speed, was all-City and all-District as a Junior, averaging over 5 yards per carry. Ross has already committed to Rice University. On defense, the Buffaloes are led by linebacker Sean Porter who earned the same honors in 2007 and has committed to A&M. In its first game, Clemens beat Eagle Pass 27-0 behind Ross and junior Stanley Harris (3 carries, 115 yards). In its second game, Clemens beat Southwest 26-12 , led by QB Leal and RB Ross.
An update will follow next week, during Heights bye week, advising of Clemens upcoming September 19 game.
September 16, 2008
The Mule Fan: The Mules cracked the win column last week by keeping the chains moving, rolling up 380 yards passing and getting some big plays. What is your view of the keys to the win over Laredo United?
Coach Byrd: We went back to the basics the week before the game. Our spacing with our receivers was not real good. Our protection at times was breaking down but not all of our protection. We went up against a couple of good teams. So we went back and got our spacing with our receivers. Then we got our linemen and we went back and worked on a lot of different blitzes that we knew we’d be seeing and that all came through. It gave Drew a little more time with people not at his feet. The receivers opened up the field and the receivers did a great job of catching the ball in traffic. So that helped us offensively. We’ve still got some work to do on the running game but there were some glimpses of it getting better. But it was a good Laredo United team and a big win and that’s what we needed to go out and do this week.
The Mule Fan: Aside from the two losses, are you where you wanted to be at this point in the season particularly in terms of knowing your team as we get ready to begin district?
Coach Byrd: The difference is that we’ve only played three games and usually we played five games before district so it’s going to hit us. We’re still in our growing pains where usually after five games you’re getting synced up and know what’s working and what’s not. So we’re not where we are normally when we hit district. But we’ve progressed each and every week. Usually about the third game you really settle in on what you’re doing and then you clean it up the fourth and fifth game. But this is the way it’s been dealt to us and we’re going to go out and make the most of it. We’ve got to get better with our specialties, receiving the ball, not giving up big plays on defense and we’ve got to get better at running the ball. We can do all this but that’s something that keeps popping up the last three games. To be a better team we’ve really got to work in those areas.
The Mule Fan: Do you “experiment” with lineups and substitution patterns differently during non-district games vs. district games?
Coach Byrd: Right. You try to change different combinations, try to see where kids are, try to take a shot at putting them in another position a little bit in the non-district schedule. But by district you need to have a pretty good plan and go from there. Some areas we’ve got a lot of depth that we’re excited about. At linebacker we’ve had several of them step up and play. Running back has been a real good position for us. Some others we don’t quite have the depth and we’re a little concerned. Hopefully we won’t have any injuries in those areas.
The Mule Fan: With all the new teams in this district, the benefit of familiarity with tendencies and styles is naturally no longer there at least for now. How will that affect your preparation throughout the district schedule?
Coach Byrd: Well we have a rule that we exchange film from every game that everybody’s played. We ought to be able to get a good feel. I know some of these programs. They’re all established programs and we know what they’re about a little bit. But it will be different because the rest of them we’ve played for such a long time. It’s been a long time since we’ve played Canyon. Boy I can’t remember playing Seguin. We used to play San Marcos but that was years ago. Clemens we’ve scrimmaged so we know a little bit about them. Steele is brand new. So it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
The Mule Fan: What do you do during this extra week since you’re off Friday plus you played a day earlier than you originally planned? How does that affect your preparation and what do you expect from Clemens?
Coach Byrd: We watched film last Friday and gave them off Monday. We try to give them two long weekends to get their feet back under them and get situated. Then we work them out real hard during the actual off week Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We get pretty good practices there because we’ve got to keep them in shape. We go back to a lot of fundamentals. We watch some film of what we’ve done and the things that we really need to correct and we highlight those. Then we slowly start working on things we want to run against Clemens.
Clemens is a very talented team especially on defense. They probably have four guys in my opinion that could play Division I ball-their two safeties and two outside linebackers. The rest of them are solid high school players. They’ve always put their better athletes on defense. Coach Ferrara does a great job with the defense over there. They’re a solid program. On offense they’re still trying to decide if they want to be a two back set like they’ve done for years or spread it out a little bit more. They bounced around and so forth. They have a very talented running back going to Rice. He’s a big play guy both running with the football and they stick him in at receiver some. They’re going to be a well-coached team. They’re going to be an aggressive team. They’ve got a great tradition there and have won a lot of games. We’re going to have to take care of business to get a win out of this one.
This week-Jeff Hooks
Name (how many years at Alamo Heights): Jeff Hooks-1st year at Heights Spouse’s Name: Shan
Children (ages): Sam (29), Andy (26)
Hometown: San Antonio College Attended: Trinity University
High School: Judson
Coaching responsibilities this season: Defensive Secondary
Career path that got you to Alamo Heights: 30 years in teaching and coaching before Alamo Heights
Hobbies: Outdoor activities
The thing you had the most fun doing this past summer: Visiting Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
High School or College Athletics you played (position): High School – Receiver/Defensive Back; College: Receiver
What was your best subject in school: Math/History
What teams do you follow as a fan: Texas Tech and Trinity
Fondest memory or the greatest moment in your athletic career: Too many to list. I have enjoyed the journeys each year.
Most well known athlete(s) you’ve competed with or against in your playing career (who, what team or game, what level, where, those kinds of details): I’m too old to remember.
Outside of Coach Byrd (of course), what coach at any level of any sport do you admire most: Bobby Knight
What is your pre-game ritual or any superstitions: none
First car: 1964 Pontiac Bonneville Favorite type of music or favorite artist(s): Rock and Roll (Tom Petty)
Musical instruments played?: none
Which song from your youth would you consider your favorite: Tie between Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison and My Little Runaway by Del Shannon
If you were doing one song in an “air guitar” concert, which one you tear ‘em up with?: What is an “air guitar?”
If you were forced to do one karaoke song, what would it have to be: “Inna Gadda Da Vida”
(Editor’s note: Coach Hooks is trying to pull a fast one on us here but we are on to him! This song from 1968 contained one verse and one chorus (about 20 words total) sung by a man with a satanic voice who had been partying a long time before the recording session. The 17 minute long psychedelic anthem from the acid rock group Iron Butterfly took up one entire album side. Students, ask your parents what that means. It also contained one of the most famous drum solos in rock history lasting about 6 minutes. Young drummer wannabes (those are the ones who used two new unsharpened number two pencils turned upside down so the erasers thumped your geography book) at school had to be able to play two solos to be taken seriously; the one from the 60’s surfing pop hit “Wipeout” and the one from “In A Gadda Davida.” So pick another one for karaoke coach and don’t cheat any more. There ain’t enough words in that one and who wants to stand around waiting 15 minutes for the chorus?)
Four people alive or dead you’d most like to have dinner with: Bill Walsh, George Patton, Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lambert
Favorite food: Free Food
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three items would you want with you after your survival gear was covered: Radio, hammock
Favorite TV show from your youth (not a cartoon): The Fugitive
Favorite Saturday morning cartoon show from your youth: Bugs Bunny
Favorite movie ever: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
What’s the best thing that you cook: Steak
Favorite breakfast cereal from your youth (or now if it still applies): Cocoa Krispies
At what kind of trivia contest would you be invincible? Texas High School mascots
You don’t want to play me at (game/sport/board game/video game/card game, etc.): Washers
If Alamo Heights Offensive and Defensive coaches squared off in a game of flag football, who would you most fear and why? Coach Byrd – he’s our boss!
What do you like most about coaching at Alamo Heights: The positive atmosphere created by the staff and students
What advice do you have for your players at this point in their lives: Work hard, be humble and enjoy each day
By Bob Cohen
Radio and TV sportscasters who stay in the business a while will inevitably develop a signature phrase to describe something on the field or court. It’s their trademark. “Holy Cow,” “HOOOLLLLEEE TOOOOLEEDO,” “Oh Doctor,” “He breezed him one more time,” “Turn out the lights, the party’s over,” “That ball is history,” and many others which get burned into our memory.
Public address announcers also chip in a few of their own from time to time. And so it is with Rick Shaw, the long time PA voice of the Alamo Heights Mules. How many Mules is it when a “host of mules” join in on a tackle? We all know it’s somewhere between two and 11 but that doesn’t matter so much. It’s just good to know Rick’s up there in the press box and it’s a fall evening at Harry Orem Stadium. It’s all good.
But there is one particular piece of announcing which is just this side of crucial to a home Alamo Heights football crowd. It is to a home Alamo Heights football game what free refills are to iced tea, what wax teeth are to Halloween, what the curl is to a Dairy Queen cone. When the chains move for the Mules, what must follow next is Shaw’s trademark. Do I even have to write it? “THAT’S ENOUGH FOR ANOTHER ALAMO HEIGHTS (then the required pause timed precisely long enough for dozens of Mule fans to fill their lungs and complete the statement)….. FIRST DOWN!” Ahhh, just writing it makes me happy. Simple, comforting, reassuring and OURS.
Did he plan it? Nope. The best ones are never planned. They appear like a freckle. Soon they are part of you. The origin is much more ordinary. Shaw, the ’09 restaurateur, AH Pool Czar and one-time sword-toting, plumed-hat wearing emperor of the city for 10 days, is a take charge guy whose voice can rattle windows without a microphone. And in the early days of his proprietorship of La Fonda, it was only every 10 minutes that the kitchen and wait staff heard, “That’s another…ENCHILADA PLATE.”
“We were all this close (holding thumb and forefinger two centimeters from one another) to walking if it went on much longer,” said one employee who wished to remain anonymous. “I’m not joking. It was too much. We’d alternate placing prank calls to Rick just to occupy him on the phone and give us relief. The call from Alamo Heights couldn’t have come a moment too soon.”
As beloved as it is by the majority of Mule fans, talking up first down has not been without its controversies or detractors. As recently as last season, an increasingly vocal group which calls itself “Friends of Second Down” has started to make things a little uncomfortable for Mr. Shaw.
“It takes no chops at all to be a fan of first down. The risk factor is nada,” commented Eddie Huddles, the group’s spokesperson. “With first down, you’ve got four downs to work with and virtually the entire playbook available to you. Third down? Come on we all know that in this day and age, the last thing quarterbacks and receivers need is their own down but they got one ‘cause they said they needed it.”
What about fourth down? On this subject one could conclude that Mr. Huddles is borderline mean-spirited. “You gonna try and argue fourth down is the most important down? The only people that care about it are punters, deep snappers, return men, their parents and grandparents, people who don’t punctuate text messages and the scoreboard operator who likes to punch the reset button. We don’t like to talk about this too much but we have some sketchy dudes in our organization who have considered setting fire to a stadium all because of fourth down. All the upside is in second down and its high time people came to grips with this.”
“These people are a nuisance,” commented an agitated Shaw, having to be calmed by John Thomas, his trusty spotter of many years. “They’re loonies. It’s as simple as that. I’m hesitant to even talk about them because I don’t want to give them credibility. When they come into La Fonda, the only thing they ever order is hot water. I spent 10 minutes one night trying to convince one that there was no such thing as a coffee cup for people who are left handed! And they always ask if we have square tortillas. They got in Alamo Heights pool once last summer and, well I’m not gonna say what they did but we had to drain the dang pool after it.”
While First Down is clearly something the home fans favor, it occurred to this reporter that the topic might be sensitive to one other group not normally considered irrational or anything approaching the more vocal malcontents. That group is the Defense and parents thereof. Nobody was really comfortable speaking on the record at first but I found one person who insisted on anonymity and couldn’t resist revealing a crackling cauldron of emotions bubbling under the surface.
“Well if you want to know the truth, it’s hard.” said our source. “We suffer in silence. Lookit, I don’t want to take anything away from the offense but our boys work their tails off too. Why should they be made to feel guilty to take the field?”
“Wasn’t Rick a quarterback in his playing days?” the person asked rhetorically. “And his brother Stan was a receiver at Heights wasn’t he? I’m not usually a conspiracy theorist but if you ask me it smells fishy. Why is he so quick to rub it in – every stinkin’ time?”
So sit back fans and know that there is a whole lot more to this PA gig than just down and distance and who made the tackle. Years of being perched high above Harry Orem Stadium have helped Shaw hone his craft. The atmosphere of a Mules home game wouldn’t be the same without him. You can tell he loves it too.
“Shoot I’d do this for free,” proclaimed Shaw when asked how he keeps it up year after year with all his other responsibilities. When reminded that he does do it for free, Shaw simply smiled and said, “It’s all for the blue and gold, long may it wave.”
All Alamo Heights fans appreciate it and hopefully that’s quite enough for a bunch more Alamo Heights first downs!
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
Bobby Rosenthal/Bob Cohen
Electronically raising my hand- because of course, any Mule worth his/her weight in Blue and Gold, should know the words to the Fight Song.
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