AH Mules vs. Lockhart Lions
“Great Way To Begin District!”
Having finished another tough year of pre-district play against tough 5A teams, the Mules built upon that experience with a convincing win over the Lockhart Lions 34-6 in their first district game of 2011. It was a lot like last year when the Mules put up a similar score against the Lions of 31-6. The Mules dominated the game statistically, racking up 419 total yards on offense to Lockhart’s 222 yards.
The Mules started on defense and spent the first series trying to figure out the deceptive “who’s got the ball?” Lion running attack. Lockhart took advantage of their football slight-of-hand and drove the ball 70 yards to put the first score on the board. Their attempt at a two-point conversion failed and the Mules were surprisingly down 6-0. While allowing the Lions to score wasn’t exactly on the Mules game plan, the defense used the series to make adjustments to a Lion offensive running attack that was hard to duplicate during last week’s practice walk-thrus.
After the Lions tried an onside kick, the Mules found themselves with good field position to start their first offensive drive at the 41-yard line. After two good runs by Coby Bailey picked up 35 yards, QB Dub Yarborough floated a screen pass to Garrett Iverson who weaved his way into the endzone from 24 yards out to quickly gives the Mules their first score. But unfortunately, the Mules were penalized on the play, and instead of a touchdown they found themselves repeating 1st down back at the 28-yard line. After some good defensive stops by the Lions, the gutsy Mules converted a 4th and 8 with a nice pass from Yarborough to John Geibel down to the 2-yard line. Yarborough would spin his way into the endzone on the next play to reclaim the touchdown and put the Mules back on top 7-6. The Fab Five offensive line of Molak, Stephens, Peacock, Noe and McCarty would do a great job all night creating running lanes and protecting the quarterbacks in passing situations.
After the Mules kickoff, Lockhart started their second offensive drive of the evening, but the Mules defense reacted with the proper adjustments and stuffed the Lions running game. Swarming Mule mobs made up of Warren Monnich, Chase Stockton, Lucci Vizza, and Alex Johnston gave the Lions nowhere to run. After a blitzing Skylar Nelson took down the Lion QB for a loss, Lockhart was forced to punt. The snap sailed over the punter’s head, giving the Mules great field position at the Lockhart 43-yard line. With the quarterback tradeoff, Wes Yancy took control and completed two passes -one to Garret Iverson (3 for 60 yds) and another to John Geibel (3 for 45 yds), giving the Mules a first down on the 7-yard line. Two plays later Coby Bailey trotted into the endzone untouched and the Mules extended their lead to 14-6. The score would remain 14-6 through the remaining 11 minutes of the 2nd quarter and the Mules headed to the locker room, relinquishing the field to the “Friday Night Heights” Homecoming Royalty.
The Mules opened the 2nd half, after another Lockhart attempt at an onside kick, with good field position at their own 38-yard line. Wes Yancy put together another impressive 6-play drive that was capped off by a 34-yard touchdown run by Coby Bailey to bump the Mules lead to 20-6. Nice response by the Mules coming out of halftime!
After receiving the kickoff, the Lions tried to put together their own drive, but they were completely harassed by linebackers Skylar Nelson, Nick Uretsky, Aaron Rigers, David Verette and Blake Klumpp, along with cornerbacks Kevin Kujawa and Matthew Kelly. After being stuffed by the Mules, the Lions were able to keep the drive going on a fake punt. As the clocked ticked down in the 3rd quarter, Lockhart would eventually drive the ball down to the Mules 7-yard line, but a bad pitch from the Lion's quarterback resulted in a 22-yard loss that killed the Lion's chances for a score.
On the turnover on downs, the crowd cheered as Andy Brooks trotted onto the field and lined up at his familiar spot behind the quarterback. This was Andy’s first appearance back in the line-up since his knee injury in the season opener against O’Connor. Andy certainly didn’t disappoint his fans and on his first carry he bolted 70 yards before being forced out of bounds at the Lockhart 20-yard line. After a couple of nice runs by Coby Bailey put the ball at the 1-yard line, Andy finished off the drive with his first touchdown of the season! Mules 27, Lockhart 6. Both Mules running backs had great games as Coby Bailey rushed for 108 yards on 14 carries and Andy Brooks finished with 87 yards on just 5 carries.
The 4th quarter would be all Mules as the defense kept the Lions caged the entire period. Skylar Nelson picked off a Lion pass on 4th down and returned the ball to the Mules 39 yard line before he simply ran out of gas. A nice reception by Alex Bathie set up a 9-yard keeper by Yancy to score the game’s final touchdown. The Lions never gave up and fought hard to the end. Final score: Mules 34-6 and a big district win!
District Standings - Week 1
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Chirps from the Byrd - Head Coach Byrd, that is:
Mule Fan: Congratulations on a big win Friday night! What is your breakdown of how we played.
Coach Byrd: Yes, I was proud of our team in the midst of Homecoming and all of the excitement. I thought we played well. Defensively, we gave up the first drive. A lot of that is due to their offense. We try to simulate all those tricky handoffs in practice, but its real hard for us to get the same tempo and the same angles as the way they run it. You know, they (Lockhart) really did a pretty good job. They only had 28 kids on their roster, and I thought they played hard. They ran out of gas at times but that was basically because they had a lot of guys playing both ways. After our defense had a chance to see their offense for eight or nine snaps we were able to adjust and I thought we played an outstanding game the rest of the night. Offensively, I thought we did great on the first two drives. We stalled some a little in the second quarter but we made some adjustments at halftime and then we played real well in the second half. Great effort by our team and we got that first district win.
Mule Fan: I know you have spent a lot of time working on the kicking game this year. What was your strategy on kickoffs?
Coach Byrd. We didn’t want to kick the ball very deep in this game. They like to run some reverses that are pretty tricky and we didn’t want to give their kick receivers that opportunity.
Mule Fan: Our next district game is this Friday against Buda Hays at Buda. What do you know about the Rebels?
Coach Byrd: Hays is a team that can do some good things offensively. They’ve got a good quarterback and a good running back. They run a spread offense similar to ours. They will run a tight end and sometimes they will have two backs. They have a new coach at Hays. They are getting better and better. Hays is a team that our guys are going to have to play well against. On defense they run a 50-Front. Two of their linebackers are probably their best defensive players. They are not a huge team, but they are a team that plays well. They also won their first district game and we are going to have to play a good game against them. I’m a little worried about letdown after our first district win and homecoming and all of that excitement. It’s hard to tell if we are suffering a little letdown or not because it’s been so hot at practice and I think that affects our spirit a little. I know it’s a bit of a drive to Buda, but I’m hoping we get some good fan support on Friday night.
Mule Fan: The Mule Fans will be there! Thanks Coach!!
Hargrove returned the ensuing kick off to the 40 and Brockwell drove the Mules down the field. The scoring drive was capped off by a 5 yard dive from Lattimer. The extra point was good, Mules 7 Lions 6.
The running attack of the Lions kept the mules confused. Despite big hits from Tommy Tyng and Josh Arnold the Lions scored again and this time converted the two point play and led 14-7.
The Mules were stopped on the next possession but a great punt by Jay Hargrove that was downed on the Lion's 1 yard line by Moses Diaz pinned the Lions deep. The Defense held and Robert Weigel returned the punt for a touchdown. The PAT was missed Lions14 Mules 13.
The Lions managed to score on a pass play to end the half and led 22-13 at halftime.
The offense got rolling in the 4th quarter. Brockwell led the Mules on a long drive and we scored on a beautiful pass to Christian Lalinde. 22-20 Lions.
With three minutes left the Defense came up huge with a stop on 4th down giving the ball back to the Mules offense. Scot Uhl led the team on this drive and with 38 seconds left he found Robert Weigel open on a slant pattern. Touchdown Mules!!
Final: Mules win 26-22
AH Mules vs. Buda Hays Rebels
Bob Shelton Stadium – Buda, TX 7:30 PM
Get ready Mules Fans for round two of district play! This week the Mules travel 56 miles north to take on the Rebels of Buda Hays. Head north on I-35. When you get to New Braunfels, keep going. When you get to San Marcos, keep going! If you get to Austin, you’ve gone too far! I think Congress must draw up these districts!
Big changes this year at Hays. After 42 seasons, that’s right 42 seasons, head coach Bob Shelton retired last year and the Rebels are now coached by Blake Feldt. Feldt is a winning coach who not only brings a winning resume, but also his all-state offensive lineman/son Boone Feldt. Feldt comes from Pilot Point where his Bearcats won the 3A Division I State title in 2009. He is known for coaching aggressive defense and a balanced offense. Both Alamo Heights and Hays are 1-0 in district play and 3-2 overall. Last week, Hays narrowly defeated rival Kyle Lehman 28-27. The Mules have had great success playing at Bob Shelton Stadium, beating both Kyle Lehman in district play and Vista Ridge in the 2nd round of the playoffs. We expect another great “away” performance from the Mules on Friday and the Mule Fan would like to encourage a big turnout on Friday night. So pack up the family for a short vacation and trek it on up to Buda for the game. Promise your wife that you will stop by the Outlet Mall on the way home!
See you there! Go Mules!
Get To Know Your Varsity Coaches!
Meet Coach Luke Moody
Coaching responsibilities: Inside Linebackers
Hometown: Castroville
High School: Medina Valley College: Angelo State
What sports did you play in high school or college? Football and Track
How long coaching at Alamo Heights: Four years
Family: Wife: Adriana; Children: Not yet!
Hobbies: Hunting and Fishing
Favorite College Team: Texas Longhorns Pro Team: Dallas Cowboys
Prior coaching jobs before Alamo Heights: AD at Junction and an Assistant at Baird High
What else do you teach here at AHHS? Environmental Science
What are your pregame rituals or superstitions? I wear my special socks and I chew the same type of gum
Most embarrassing moment in your athletic career as a player. In my first varsity football game, I vomited on the field while in my three-point stance.
What was your first car? 1994 Chevy Silverado
What is your favorite restaurant? Mejor Que Nada
Favorite cereal? Heartland
What’s the best thing you cook? Chicken Manicotti
Favorite movie of all time? For the Love of the Game
Name three people alive or dead, that you would like to hang out with: John Wayne, Johnny Cash, and Clint Eastwood – all posters I had on my wall!
What CD would your friends be surprised that you own? Mozart
If you were doing one song in an “air guitar” concert, which one would you tear ‘em up with? Come On Feel The Noise by Quiet Riot!
What’s your best dance move? The Sprinkler
If you could have a super-power, what would it be? To fly
French Fries, Onion Rings or Tater Tots? Tater Tots
What advice would you give to your players? Play the game the way that it’s supposed to be played. Don’t disrespect it.
Spirit Spotlight:
Homecoming King Drew Boynton
Pre-Game Tailgate:
Pat and Susie Molak generously invite all Mules fans to a pre-game tailgate at Gruene Hall before Friday night’s game against Hays. Starting at 5:00 PM the Molaks will be serving Sliders by Mozie’s, Fish Tacos by Cantina del Rio, and Chicken Caesar Salad by the Gristmill. It will be a fabulous atmosphere for Mules families to socialize and talk football before heading to Buda for the game.
Calling All Mules Fans:
Come support the Varsity Football team by eating at Josephine Street Café. Through October 15th, Josephine Street Cafe will donate 25% of all Mule sales receipts to the Mules football program. Be sure to tell them that you are a Mule Fan and put your receipt in the bucket! Click here for the Flyer
Save the Date!
Mark your calendars for the weekend of October 15th and 16th! On Saturday the 15th, the varsity football team will be hosting their annual car wash to raise support for the team. Then on Saturday, the 16th, it’s “Mule for a Day” – Punt, Pass, and Kick at the high school stadium. This is a great event for our our “Future Mules” to get to hang-out and play ball with their heros, our Varsity Mules. You won’t want to miss it!
Mules Photos by Mary Candee:
Many thank to Mary Candee for supplying the Mule Fan with great photos of the Mules in action. Her photos are available for purchase at www.dulcedesigns.photoreflect.com. The Mule Fan would like to remind all you Mules football fans that Mary works extremely hard to photograph all Alamo Heights sports, so please generously support Mary and order your photos throughout the season. No question – her photos are better than anything we mortals could take and you will be happy you have her great photos when it comes time to create that end of season scrapbook. Thanks Mary!
Mules Game DVDs – Murfman Productions:
You can still order your game DVDs of every Mules football game from the Murfman! You can get the entire season for $150 or individual games for $15.00 each. You can also order individual player highlight DVDs. $5.00 from each DVD sold will be donated back to the group of your choice: Football, Band, Cheerleaders, or Spurs. Look for the Murfman in the stands up near the pressbox. He will have a video camera set on a tripod. You can’t miss him!
Write to the Mule Fan:
The editors of the Mule Fan would like to hear your comments or story ideas. It’s tough coming up with fresh, entertaining bull week after week, so we welcome your thoughts. If you have something interesting for the blog (actually, we will be the judge of that) then let us know at jeff@baileycommercial.com
Mules on the Radio:
Don’t forget that if you can’t make the game on Friday, you can still catch all of the Mules football action this week on KKYX AM-680. The game is also available live on the internet at TSRNSports.com. You can even download the TSRN Sports App on your iPhone to listen to the game.
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