The Mule Fan

Photos courtesy of Mary Candee-Dulce Designs

MULES PLUCK EAGLES 35-0 TO ADVANCE

LOOKING BACK

HEIGHTS DOWNS EAGLES 35-0

For the third year in a row, the Alamo Heights Mules faced the Brackenridge Eagles in the first round of the Division 4A Playoffs. For the second year in a row, the Mules were able to play this game at Harry B. Orem Stadium. Many believed that all of the District 27-4A teams would easily defeat their District 28-4A opponents. All three of the other teams took care of business in easy order – Steele, Clemens, and Kerrville. For the Mules....not so much. While this game never was in jeopardy, it took the Mules until the 3rd quarter to put this game out of reach.

The Mules won the toss and deferred to the second half. On the kickoff, Brackenridge returned the ball all the way to the 47, but a big hit caused a fumble, which was recovered by A.K. – Anthony Knowles. The Mules immediately went to work in the air with Mills hitting Bryson Marshall and then John Cabell on a 4th and 3, but a turnover gave the ball back to Brackenridge. Brackenridge was led by their star tailback, Willie Culpepper who tried to run but was stopped by the terrific Heights defense. The Mules took over at their 25. Mills hit David Cantu on a little out pass, but Cantu made a shifty move turning a short gain into an apparent touchdown. However, Cantu was called down at the 1. Mills passed to Bryson Marshall for the touchdown, and the Mules led 7-0 with 7:03 left in the first quarter. This would turn out to be all the points the Mules would need on the night. The Mules kickoff team had one goal after the initial kickoff – keep the ball away from the speedy Brackenridge kick return specialists. The Eagles got the ball after the pooch kick but went three and out. Again, the Mules drove well, including a scramble by Cullen Mills on a 3rd and 7 for a first down. The drive stalled when the Mules could not convert a fourth down. The defense once again held the Eagles, led by a Carter Thurmond break up of a long pass. Skyler Nelson, the talented sophomore, also made a big play. On the Brackenridge punt, Luke Maloy romped 40 yards on the punt return setting the Mules up at the Brack 40. End of the first quarter. Heights 7, Brackenridge 0.

Steven Elder came in on the next drive as Cullen Mills' hand had been injured on the first play of the game when it was stepped on by a defender. Elder went right to work, completing a couple passes before finding Bryson Marshall for a 20 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Heights lead (that's one TD for Hollye and one TD for Brent) with 11:13 left in the second quarter. Again Brackenridge could not move with one key stop made by Wills Bauer. With the Mules setting up from their own 44, on the first play, Elder found a streaking (yes, streaking) Sam Hall who caught the pass in stride and outran the defenders for a 56 yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 8:30 left in the second quarter. The Mule Fan was especially happy for Hall who had a great summer in 7 on 7 football but who hasn't had significant playing time due to the Heights depth at the receiver position. Again, the defense held Brackenridge to three and out and again Maloy gave the Mules good field position on the return. [Note: The defense, as you can tell, kept the Eagles from gaining any momentum when the Mules offense could not put the game out of reach. As we all saw in the second half, Culpepper is talented when he gets an opening, but the defense did not allow Culpepper any room until the score was out of hand.] The rest of the half featured a sluggish offense, but some good defense. Skyler Nelson had another great stop, Stuart Biltz had a nice interception and Jonathan Barshop made a terrific stop on a Stern punt, pinning the Eagles at the 3. The half ended with Heights up 21-0.

At halftime, the coaching staff likely was not thrilled with the intensity of the team. It seems that Heights plays at the level of its opponent, but fortunately the Eagles were outmatched by Heights. Not to take anything away from the Eagles. Coach Willie Hall had his team ready to go. On defense, Brack played 8 in the box, effectively taking the Mules running game out of play. While Heights made numerous substitutions on the night and did not show any special plays to the Killeen scouts in attendance, the Mules hoped to finish out the game on a stronger note…and they did.

With Mills icing his hand, the Mules started the third quarter behind Elder. The first drive was crisp Alamo Heights football. With tremendous pass protection on third and eleven, Elder passed to Zach Richter (look for that combination a ton next year) and on a great option read, Elder scampered for 25 on another third and three. Rosenthal carried it in from the 9 and the Mules were up comfortably 28-0 with 7:55 left in the third question. The defense got their first dose of how explosive Culpepper can be. He found daylight and ran for 50 yards with Jack Newman making a great stop. Newman and Tyler Elloriaga later combined for a fourth down stop. The Mules took over at the 1 yard line and had a terrific drive – finally running the ball with Rosenthal and Elder, who took one tuck for a 50 yard gain. However, a tipped pass led to a turnover with 14 seconds left in the third quarter. Quarter: Heights 28, Brackenridge 0.

The fourth quarter was a quick quarter due to the running clock. With such a lead, the referees have discretion to let the clock run on incomplete passes and out-of-bounds runs. In the quarter, Mitchell Dan broke up a deep pass forcing the Eagles to punt. Kristian Stern's excellent punting and the great down field coverage continued. The defense held Culpepper in check and Stuart Biltz had his second interception of the night. Scotty McIntyre made a nice catch and on Heights last possession, our own Willie – William Thompson broke free down the middle for a 17 yard touchdown run. Finally, "The King," Andrew Forney, kicked the extra point and a kickoff into the endzone. Final: Heights 35, Brackenridge 0.

On the evening, the defense was spectacular. Through Culpepper ran for 197 yards, the defense contained in the red zone. Brackenridge, playing with a backup quarterback, was 0 for 13 in passing and the defense came up with three interceptions. On offense, the running game was effective in the second half, once the passing game was established. Mills and Elder threw for a combined 261 yards and Elder led the team in rushing with 81 yards. Bryson Marshall and Sam Hall had big nights catching the ball. The kickoff coverage and punt teams were excellent as well. By the time the game ended, it was easy to see that Heights dominated on both sides of the ball.


LOOKING AHEAD

Killeen Kangaroos

Looking Back – No that is not an error in the posting. Before we can look ahead, we must look back. Quick Quiz – In the first round of the playoffs last year, who did the Mules play? If you answered "Brackenridge Eagles," you would be correct. In the second round of the playoffs last year, who did the Mules play? If you answered "Killeen Kangaroos," you would be correct. The prize for answering both questions correctly? A drive to Dripping Springs for round two of the 2009 4A, Division I, Playoffs.

Suffice it to say that as soon as the playoff brackets started to take shape (the night of the Steele game), the Mules' coaching staff and the seniors returning from last years varsity squad circled the potential second round matchup (which may have explained some of the sluggishness in the first round this year). In case you don't recall, on a cold, dark November night in Round Rock, the Mules 2008 season came to an end. The Mules spotted Killeen 19 points before halftime and looked to be defeated going into the locker room. Heights reeled off 16 straight points in the second half, including two 2 point conversions, to pull within three. Heights appeared to have held Killeen on a 3rd and 4 with a couple minutes left in the game and Killeen punted on fourth down, apparently giving the Mules the ball at the 35. With all the momentum, Mules fans were excited that they had the ball and a chance to drive the field. BUT, offsides was called on the punt, giving Killeen a first down and allowing them to run out the clock. Though The Mule Fan unfortunately recalls every painful second of those final moments, you can check on the 2008 posting of that game if you still crave more information. Don't be mistaken – Killeen was a great team and executed a terrific game plan all night. No sour grapes. They won the game and moved on in the playoffs. However, we must "look back" to be able to "look forward" when discussing this matchup.

The bad news is that Killeen returns 13 starters from last year's club – seven on offense and six on defense. The offense is led by QB Michael Cummings and RB Jaquil Haskins. Last year, Cummings ran and threw for over 1000 yards each. The defense returns two of last years defensive backs, including all district Brandon Howard and linebacker Marcellus Lee, the leading tackler. Like the Mules, Killeen was the second seed in the large team bracket – with both of the top teams in both districts (Steele and Lake Travis) going large.

Killeen started the year with four tough non-district games, going 3 and 1. Killeen opened district play against Austin Lake Travis, the State's #1 ranked team. While Killen lost the game 56-31, this was the closest game Lake Travis had all year. Killeen has since reeled off six straight wins, including a 49-26 victory over Austin LBJ in the first round of the playoffs.

Season Statistics? You've come to the right place thanks to the internet. Killeen scored almost 40 points a game this season, led by Junior QB Michael Cummings who threw for 2201 yards and 20 touchdowns. On the ground, Heights will have to contain running back Haskins, who ran for 800 yards and QB Cummings who himself ran for 630 yards. Cummings spreads the ball around very well. Brown and Baker had 35 and 32 catches respectively, while Sylvester caught another 22 passes. These receivers are very tall and fast, and Killeen has scored points quickly on long plays. The Heights backs better have on their jumping shoes. The Roo defense gave up a lot of points to Lake Travis but held other teams to around 21 points per game. The Mules will need to be focused and play with intensity to give themselves a chance to play with this talented, quick team. They cannot afford to spot Killeen 19 points this year, that's for sure.

Game Time: Friday Night 7:30 p.m. in Dripping Springs.

A Few Words with the Head Coach of the Mules – Don Byrd
November 17, 2009

Mule Fan: The Mules defense pitched a shutout and the offense puts up over 400 yards against Brackenridge to advance which is what it’s about this time of year. Turnovers would have been the only thing that one would think you weren’t happy with.

Coach Byrd: Yeah we played real well the majority of the time. It’s just this time of year you get a little nervous when you see the ball not being taken care of so we had four turnovers and we’ve got to get that corrected. Also we had some silly penalties that we’ve got to get straightened out. But the effort is there and we live for another week so it was a good day for Alamo Heights.

Mule Fan: Justin Rosenthal shouldered a big load against Kerrville and Steele but didn’t have as many carries against Brackenridge. Was that by design to give him a bit of a rest or was the defense taking away the run by stacking so many in the box against the Mules?

Coach Byrd: They took the run away from us a little but I wanted to give him a rest and look at some of the other things and highlight some of the other parts of our offense. We were going to try to see what we could do to refine some of the passing game and things like that. So that was the reason behind that.

Mule Fan: So next up are the Killeen Kangaroos and a rematch of last year’s game which we all know ended the Mules’ season in 2008. Alamo Heights spotted Killeen 19 points and put together a rally but fell short by 3. Turnovers played a big part in that game which we know was frustrating because it was a winnable game. Have you used that specific game film this week in preparation for this week’s game?

Coach Byrd: We haven’t used it as much in that respect. We’ve just shown them how they line up. We’ve talked a lot about turnovers. It was easy after this last game to mention it. We’re going to have to protect the football. They’re a very good football team. Last year they went to the regional finals and were beaten by Lake Travis I believe. That gave them a lot of confidence. That gave them a big boost to their program. They’re feeling good about themselves so we’re going to have to go out and play well to get a victory this Friday.

Mule Fan: They’re pretty similar to Heights in that they had a lot of returning starters from that team, something like seven on offense and six on defense. What are the biggest differences between what you know about this year’s Killeen team and what we faced a year ago?

Coach Byrd: Their quarterback last year was just a sophomore. Now as a junior he’s throwing the ball much better than he did last year. Their defensive line seems to be much more physical than they were last year. And they’re just a very athletic team. Again the other thing I noticed is that they’re playing with a lot of confidence from having success last year.

Mule Fan: Their quarterback, Michael Cummings, appears to be very multi-dimensional with good numbers running and passing the ball. Any similarities between him and say a QB like Johnny Manziel at Kerrville?

Coach Byrd: They’re both just dangerous with the football in their hands whether they’re running it or getting ready to throw it. They’re both the ones that make their offense click. Killeen just has some more weapons that he can go to than Kerrville had.

Mule Fan: As coaches, what do you guys do as you continue through the playoffs to get these players really dialed in to what their mission is for the coming week?

Coach Byrd: Well our main mission right now is “good isn’t good enough”. You have to become great. There’s no margin for error. That has to happen on the practice field. That has to happen with their attitude. So those are some of the things we preach. But they understand that over half the state two weeks ago put up their pads and half of whoever is left over put their pads away last week. And it’ll be divided again by half so you’re going to have to play great football to continue to play.

Mule Fan: You always say that you play the way you practice. So how has this week’s workouts been going?

Coach Byrd: We’ve had two very good days of practice. There’s been great weather. I think these players realize that we didn’t bring our best game last year up to Round Rock to play them so they’re hoping to correct that.

Mule Fan: So specifically speaking what are the keys to beating this Killeen team this week?

Coach Bryd: The key to beating them as we talked about earlier is turnovers. We’ve got to protect the football and it would be nice for us to get some turnovers. We did once or twice last year against them it seems like but we had some bad field position a lot of the game too. So turnovers is number one. Number two is that we’re going to have to execute, keep them from having the big play, we’re going to have to be able to run the ball and do some things to keep their offense off the field.

Mule Fan: There are always a lot of bumps and bruises towards the end of the regular season but this is the time of year where you tend to look past those things. Is everyone feeling relatively healthy going into this week’s game?

Coach Byrd: Yeah I think everybody is doing as well as can be expected. That just happens this time of year. But I’m sure the same thing has happened up in Killeen and to all the other teams that are continuing to play. So we’re just going to have to shake it off and get the most out of each play that we can.

Mule Fan: We know that our District 27-4A has been considered one of the toughest in the state. Killeen plays in a district with Lake Travis which is obviously challenging. What kind of talent and competition have they faced all year long in your opinion?

Coach Byrd: The top two or three teams in their district are very good football teams but it drops off tremendously. I think they’re just in a six team district too but I could be wrong. The main difference is that the bottom of their district is not as good as some of the ones that ended up in the bottom of ours. It’s been a mental grind. We’ve had to come out and play week in and week out.

FAN SUPPORT

This is a big game folks. Not that last week wasn’t a big game but since you all live close enough to Harry B. Orem Stadium to hit it with no more than a driver and a nice crisp two iron we didn’t feel compelled to have to push. We need folks this week. Take the nice scenic drive up 281 to 290 and get in that Dripping Springs stadium and help us make some noise for these boys. The travelling Mule Fans were a little lonely last year sitting up there in Round Rock playing these guys. And they noticed it down on the bench we can assure you. So really, unless you’re scheduled for surgery or a meeting with an IRS agent on Friday night, load up the kids, pack some ice cold Dr Peppers and put in a Jethro Tull 8-track and get up there! What’s better than a Texas high school football playoff game on a cool November night?


Killeen Playoff Tickets on Sale

Get your tickets in advance for this week’s hugely important playoff clash between the Mules and the Killeen Kangaroos. Tickets will be for sale at the Alamo Heights Athletic Office for the playoff price of $7 for adults and $4 for students (kinder through 12th grade). All tickets at the gate will be $8. Selling hours this week:
Wednesday 8:00 - 9:30; 1:30 – 5:00 Thursday 11:00 – 4:30 Friday 8:30-noon and 1:00-2:30

Mules Playoff Radio: ESPN 1250 The Zone

We need fan support in Dripping Springs this week. If you can come to the game, please do. But it you cannot make it you can follow the action on ESPN AM 1250 The Zone. Airtime for the pre-game show this Friday is at 7:00 p.m. Ed Suarez and Dave Parker will call all the action. Please say thanks and patronize all of the generous sponsors.

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Fly on the Wall Series

This week the Mule Fan hired a highly skilled camera crew to go down to the Mules' bench to catch a little candid footage of sideline activities. Once again we must notify you that the Mule Fan camera crew includes a group of very short sound men and therefore the microphone is pointed at everyone's knees. For better effect, please turn your computer speaker's volume up a little.