The Mule Fan

LOOKING BACK

MULES REFUSE TO LOSE TO ROOS---21-19

Heights heads to the third round of the playoffs with thrilling victory.


For the second straight year, the Mules went 7-3 in the regular season. For the second straight year, the losses were against Stony Point, Clark, and Steele and the victories were against the same seven opponents--Laredo(seems like a lifetime ago),Clemens, Boerne, Seguin, San Marcos, New Braunfels and Kerrville. For the second straight year, Heights beat Brackenridge in the first round of the playoffs. For the second year in a row the Mules were matched up against a talented team from Killeen. For the second straight year, the game was played on a cold, drizzly night at a neutral stadium. NOW GET THIS ONE, for the second straight year, Killeen scored 19 points...that's pretty weird but having written for two years, The Mule Fan writers recall these things. For the second year in a row, the game was on the line at the end of the fourth quarter. But this time, the ending was oh so sweet.

For those of you who have followed the Mules this year, the game seemed to be a snapshot of so many events that had happened during the year. Like the Clark game, a steady rain changed both team's game plans. Like the San Marcos game, the Mules stuffed a critical two point conversion to preserve a win at the end of the game. Like the Kerrville game, the defense shut down a high-powered offense averaging 40 points a game. Like the Steele game, the smallest lineman for the opponent seems to be twice the size of our largest lineman...and meaning no disrespect to our linemen, our linemen are a pretty healthy sized group. And like so many games this year, the Cardiac Kids have aged each of their parents by a good 10 years---this writer's hair has gotten thinner and grayer by the week (got to blame it on something).

So, here we go. Mules won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Killen set up shop at its own 12. Before you could even say the second "Car" in "Car-Car" or the second "Da" in "Da-Da", Mamma Sharon (I presume "Ma-Ma" in the Thurmond household) is on her feet because Carter Thurmond has picked off the first Killen pass and returned it to the endzone for a 7-0 lead with 11:42 left in the first quarter. Wow...an unexpected start to the game. Killen took the next kickoff and got a couple of first downs on the ground. With the wet weather, Killeen had to change its game plan which is normally a passing offense. So too did Heights have to change its defensive scheme which was geared to stop the pass. The Roo drive went all the way to the Heights 36 when a bad snap gave the Mules the ball at the 48. Heights went to work on the ground getting as close as the Roo 10 before a holding penalty pushed Heights back to the 20. The drive stalled and Kristian Stern kicked a 28 yard field goal for the 10-0 lead with 5:08 left in the first quarter. Time for a quick editorial aside: The special teams were awesome on the night...something as simple-looking as an extra point or a field goal deserves extra credit on a rainy night--great blocking, great snaps by David Garza, great holds by Steven Elder and, of course, great kicking by Kristian Stern added 4 points in the first quarter that were not sure things in this weather. The defense went back to work holding the Roos to 3 and out. Rosenthal with a 35 yard gain to the sidelines but again Killeen held on a 4th and 8. Killeen then started to roll its offense. RB Haskins and QB Cummings (both juniors) went to work on the ground and the quarter ended with Killeen driving to the Mules 5 yard line. Heights 10, Killeen 0.

On the first play of the second quarter, the Roos scored on a 5 yard run. Killen had cut the lead to 10-7. Though Heights had outplayed the Roos, the offense was struggling to put points on the board, missing opportunities by not making the plays when they needed to do so. Momentum Roos. In the words of Scooby Doo..."Rut Roh." The rest of the second quarter was a bit sluggish. With the heavy rain, neither team was able to do much on the ground or in the air. Both teams struggled to move the ball and again the defense was holding back this potent Killeen offense. Halftime: Heights 10, Killeen 7.

What do you do at halftime? You listen to the band, watch the Spurs and ponder what should have been. It seemed that the Mules had the Roos on their heels but they could not put them away. Grab a cup of coffee, discuss strategy with the other fans and head to the seats. Speaking of fans, the Mules had a tremendous amount of support. Thanks to all the folks who made the road trip on such a crummy night. The crowd definitely pumped up the Mules and it was evident as many Mules players turned to the fans encouraging them to turn up the volume. The crowd- appointed cheerleader, Brent Marshall, did his impression of Rick Shaw--not the "hand over your right heart" thing, but the "That's Enough for Another Alamo Heights First Down" thing.

Third quarter started with William Thompson returning the kickoff to the 30. On the night Thompson returned kickoffs extremely well giving the Mules good field position on a couple of occasions. Cabell and Marshall make great catches from Mills, but the Mules drive stalls. Enter one of the best weapons on the evening--Krisian Stern. Stern's punt pins the Roos at the 12. After the defense held again, the Mules forced a punt on 4th down. This Mule Fan can not see so well at night (scary to think he then drove 70 miles back to San Antonio) so he is unable to specifically point out names of the defenders making great plays on the night. However, the linemen, as always were awesome, the linebackers (on this evening led by Mike Warren and his 14 tackles) and the defensive backs (led on this evening by the hard hitting Phillip Massari) contained the Roos offense. Back to the story. Roos punting on 4th down but the snap goes into the endzone for a Mules safety and a 12-7 Heights lead. A Mules turnover set Killeen up in good field position. On a 3rd and 20 Cummings found Baker and the tall, strong receiver pushed his way into the endzone. Up 13-12, Killeen elected to go for 2 to try to put themselves up by a field goal--this missed conversion would be important later in the game. The extra point was no good, but Killeen led 13-12. See Scooby Doo above. The Mules again took the ball but the drive stalled. Fear not though Mules fans--Stern's punt drops out of bounds at the 3. The defense holds AGAIN and on the 4th down punt, the snap is extemely high (from my lofty perch, it looked like it went through the goal posts), goes out of the end zone and the Mules are up 14-13 with 1:43 left in the third quarter. Luke Maloy returned the free kick to the 48 where Heights went to work. Steven Elder on the keeper romped for 15 yards, the Mules moved the ball further on the ground and Rosenthal carried it in from the 15 for the 21-13 lead with 38 seconds left in the quarter. The Roos took the ball and Massari and Sandoval made nice plays to end the quarter. Heights 21 Killeen 13.

Starting the 4th quarter, Maloy broke up a 3rd down pass, presumably because he wanted to return the punt again. Oh how (Mules baseball coach) Coach T cringes everytime the Mules force a punt. The Mules drive stalls and Stern pins Killeen at the 10. The defense holds and the Killeen punter boots a 58 yard punt. The Mules punt and Killeen starts at their own 17 with 3:18 left in the game. The defense looks to be in good shape but on 3rd and 10, the call is pass interference against the Mules. Very questionable call it seemed from our side of the field (Any of you seen that Buffalo Wild Wings commercial where the fans ask the ref to do something to send it to overtime? For those of you that have, this penalty seemed right on point in front of the Roo sidelines). In any event, the refs certainly had a better view than The Mule Fan (and was probably a bit less biased), so the Roos had life. Killeen continued to drive nicely down the field and Cummings found Sylvester for a 28 yard touchdown with 38 seconds left. Killen will go for two to try to tie the game. More grey hair. Less hair. See Scooby Doo above. On the option pitch the Mules stuff the run at the one foot line. Though there were certainly others there, Mike Warren and Luke Maloy looked to be in on the big stop. Now, the onside kick...shades of San Marcos. On the kick, the reliable Zach Richter comes up with the ball. 36 ticks left..Mules to take a knee..no direct snap...shades of New Braunfels Canyon. Snap is good. Mules win 21-19.

They (spotter Charlie Wernette, to be precise) say a team needs to win two out of three to win a game. Let's start with defense. Killeen averages 40 points a game and over 400 yards a game. The Mules hold them to 205 yards with 83 yards coming on the last drive and the defense held the Roos to just 19 points. What a performance by the defense. Special teams? Kicking team, punting team, kickoff return team and punt return team. Add in perfection on field goal/extra points and the Mules are in good shape. The offense outgained Killeen and totaled 240 yards with a wet field. What a great win for the program. Practice over Thanksgiving week is what these boys have hoped for...and they've got it.

PLAYOFFS ROUND TWO-LOOKING BACK


CLASS 4A, DIVISION I, REGION IV


C.C. Flour Bluff 38, Harlandale 21


Lake Travis 27, Steele 20


Heights 21, Killeen 19


Gregory Portland 12, Mission 7

Sneak a Peak at the Post Game Locker Room Excitement from Dripping Springs!

There's nothing like the excitement of a crucial playoff win in high school football. For the second consecutive year, the Mule Fan editors have negotiated a "playoff budget" with their publishers to travel the video crew. This occurred at the last minute on Friday so we had to roust them out of the bowling alley to pack up in time to get up 281 and through the traffic to get to Dripping Springs. During the course of the game, the Mule Fan editors paced the aisles nervously waiting for the crew to arrive. They finally turned up claiming that we told them to go to Sulphur Springs. Come to think of it, it is possible. But, no worries, they made it in time to capture an excited group of Mules in the post game locker room. Enjoy!!

Tickets and Transportation to Corpus Christi

Next to Thanksgiving plans, the most important topic of the week (or is it THE most important topic of the week-we know how the Mule Fan would vote!) is the subject of tickets and transportation to the game this Friday November 27th, as the Mules face off with Gregory-Portland in Calallen’s Wildcat Stadium at 7:30 pm.
First up-ticket sales info directly from Patty Juarez (All ticket sales at the AH Athletic Office except in Muledome as noted):

Monday 1:30-4:30 (Athletic Office) & 4:30-7:30 (Muledome)
Tuesday 8:30-noon & 1:30-5:00
Wednesday 8:30-noon & 1:30-5:00
Thursday (Thanksgiving-no ticket sales)
Friday 8:30-1:30

Pre-Sale Prices: Adults $7 Students $3 All tickets at the gate at $8

Bus transportation has been arranged. Please read the information below very carefully. Families of players (and anyone else wishing to depart early) will depart at 2:00 p.m. after a player send-off at 1:30. The 2:00 p.m. buses will make a stop at a restaurant in Corpus Christi before the game. Cost per person on either the player family/early bus (or buses depending on demand) or 4:15 departure/fan bus is $15 per person. A fan/later bus (or buses depending on demand) will depart promptly at 4:15 p.m. Both groups of buses will depart from just outside the athletic office and Muledome. Bring your own refreshments.

IN ORDER TO RESERVE A SEAT ON YOUR BUS, PLEASE WRITE A CHECK FOR THE NUMBER OF SEATS YOU ARE RESERVING TO “AH VARSITY FOOTBALL”. HERE’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! DROP OFF YOUR MONEY TO PATTY JUAREZ, AND INDICATE WHICH BUS DEPARTURE TIME YOU WANT TO THE AH ATHLETIC OFFICE (HER OFFICE HOURS THIS WEEK ARE POSTED ABOVE) BY NO LATER THAN 9:30 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING NOVEMBER 25. WE WILL FILL AS MANY BUSES AS WE CAN BASED ON DEMAND. WE WILL DETERMINE THAT NUMBER BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. NO SEATS ON THE BUS CAN BE RESERVED WITHOUT THE PAYMENT.

Two Mule Fan Posts this Week!!

Oh you're in luck Mule Fan readers. We figure everyone has a little extra time on their hands this week. Since the Mule Fan editors have used up all our vacation, the publishers have "asked" us to consider putting out two posts. It is playoff time and we're three rounds deep so we agree that it is only right that we "feed the beast" a second time. Our preview of the Mules' next opponent, Gregory-Portland and our weekly visit with Coach Don Byrd will be out mid-week. Plus we'll have maybe a few more surprises. Keep checking back!