Looking Back:

AH Mules vs. Smithson Valley Rangers

Alamo Heights vs. Smithson Valley. This was The Express New game of night in the San Antonio area and the winner would go on to claim the title for District 27-4A. It was the Mules dressed in all white against the Rangers dressed in all navy. White vs. Dark. Good vs. Bad. And that’s pretty much how Mules fans felt when the final gun sounded with the Rangers taking home the win, 41-15.

When you look at the final game numbers, the score was much more lopsided than the stats. On paper the Mules offense had a pretty good game. But the Rangers played their best game of the year and took advantage of mistakes by the Mules. The big difference in the game was #21, Smithson Valley running back Lawrence Mattison, who ran for 208 yards and two TDs and caught a pass for an additional 32 yards.

But let’s not get too worked up about the loss to Smithson Valley. The Mules will likely advance to the playoffs as the top district seed in Division II and Smithson Valley will advance in Division I where they will probably face Lake Travis in the 2^nd round like they did last year. That will be a great game, but Lake Travis is the odds-on favorite to win it. Too bad, so sad, Smithson Valley.

The game started well for the Rangers with good field position at the Mules 40 yard line. Their first drive was highlighted by two big plays by Lawrence Mattison: one was a 37-yard reception, and finally a 12-yard spinning touchdown run that gave the Mules a taste of what all the Mattison hype was about. But the Mules fired right back and scored on their first offensive possession. QB Dub Yarborough, playing the entire game instead of splitting time with fellow quarterback Wes Yancy who was out with a knee injury, hit wide receiver Truman Biggs on a 46 yard pass down the right sideline. He then found Biggs again in the endzone to tie the score 7-7. That had Mules fans thinking; “OK, we can play with these guys!”

But that would be all the scoring for the Mules during the first half. One of the Ranger strengths all night was their kicking game, something that Coach Byrd had predicted would play a big part in the game. Whether it from Ranger kickoffs or punts, the Mules found themselves starting their drives deep in their own territory with a long field ahead. Conversely, Smithson Valley seemed to have good field possession most of the night. The other annoying part of the Ranger’s kicking game was that every time the Rangers kicked-off, Mules fans had to listen to their lounge act announcer tell everyone to get their guns up. Yuk! It sure made you appreciate the announcing of our own Rick Shaw (owner of La Fonda for before and after every home game…plug). Smithson Valley would capitalize on their good field position the rest of the first half, and behind the running of Mattison, the Rangers put two more touchdowns on the board and went into halftime up on the Mules 21-7.

The second half was pretty much the same as the Rangers again outscored the Mules 21-8. But things got a little ugly in the 3^rd quarter. After Garrett Iverson made a nice kickoff return to the 32-yard line (the Mules best starting field position of the night), quarterback Dub Yarborough engineered a tough and gutsy drive. Andy Brooks would spearhead the drive with 3 good runs totaling 33 yards. Andy would cap off the drive with an option pass to Christian Biedenharn in the back of the endzone. The two-point conversion was good on a pass from Yarborough to John Geibel and the score was 35-15 with time running low in the 3^rd quarter. But the real story of the drive was the Ranger assault on Yarborough. Play after play, what appeared to be late hits on Yarborough had angry Mules fans crying foul and Coach Byrd on the field, livid at the officials. Time after time, Yarborough would get to his feet in obvious pain, hanging his left arm. It smacked of unsportsmanlike play and really left Mules fans with a bad taste for the Rangers. I know this Mule Fan was anxious for revenge and thoughts of the 1974 Burt Reynolds movie, The Longest Yard, came to mind. You kind of felt like the Guards had been playing with brass knuckles, and it was time for the Mean Machine Mules to run the old “Split Right, Ball Curl” play!

The Rangers would get one more score to extend their lead to 41-15. But that wasn’t enough. With a four-touchdown lead, Ranger’s coach Larry Hill decided to go for two. Mules fans shook their heads at the two-point play call. As fate would have it, Mules linebacker Nick Uretsky blew through the line and sacked the Ranger quarterback, driving him to the ground and knocking his helmet off. And coach Hill felt it necessary to come onto the field and cry foul! It was a high-five moment for Mules fans who were still worked-up over Yarborough’s treatment on the previous series. Now, the Mule Fan isn’t advocating violence, but hey, it was a great hit by Uretsky. Just sayin!

The game ended with the final score 41-15. But this was a team-building game for the Mules as they head toward the final two games of district and then into the playoffs. Offensively, the Mules played solidly, but two interceptions cost the Mules 14 points. Yarborough was 18 of 29 passing for 287 yards. Truman Biggs and John Geibel were the two big receivers of the night, but all of the Mules receivers had catches in this game. Defensively, the Mules played tough. The defensive line of Warren Monnich, Danny Garza, Chase Stockton and Frankie Alvarez tangled with a Ranger offensive line that heavily outweighed them. Linebackers Skylar Nelson, Blake Klumpp, Lucci Vizza and Nick Uretsky, along with safeties Blake Rosenthal, Alex Cisneros and Ben Bass, worked hard to contain Ranger running back Lawrence Mattison. But Mattison had by far his best game of the season, rushing for over 200 yards. This was a big, strong Smithson Valley team that is near the end of its two-year term in 4A. Smithson Valley will likely move back to 5A next year, leaving the Mules without an opportunity to seek revenge of this year’s loss in what has quickly become a district rivalry. Next up, the Mules will take on the Lobos of Kyle Lehman at home this Friday evening. Go Mules!

District Standings - Week 4

		Won	Lost
1	Smithson Valley Rangers	3	0
2	Alamo Heights Mules	3	1
2	Buda Hays Rebels	3	1
3	NB Canyon Cougars	2	2
4	Clemens Buffaloes	1	2
5	Lockhart Lions	0	3
5	Kyle Lehman Lobos - Bye	0	3
Friday's District Results
	Smithson Valley 41, Alamo Heights 15
	Buda Hays 41, Lockhart 7
	NB Canyon 24, Clemens 14

Chirps From The Byrd - Head Coach Byrd, That Is:

Mule Fan: The loss to Smithson Valley was probably not what you expected. What were some of the contributing factors?

Coach Byrd: Smithson Valley has a great team, but they have two kids that are special: one on offense and one on defense. #21, Lawrence Mattison, has been playing decently, but that was his best game of the year. Defensive tackle #34, George Schwanenberg, has been playing great like that all year long. Tackle-to-tackle, with Schwanenberg in there, we couldn’t run it inside a whole lot. We also had to be very selective throwing the ball down the field because we knew we weren’t going to have a lot of time to throw it. And they have a good kicking game. Defensively, they got us on our heels and we couldn’t come back. Their offensive line was good and when somebody gets blown out of their position, then another player feels like he needs to start making tackles over there and that opens up his area, and it just dominoes. And then you start playing slow, where they are trying to do more than they are capable. I thought going into the game if we could get 28 points I thought we would win the game. We had 15 points and we were down there near the endzone two other times and had an interception and just couldn’t get the score. We had about 350 total yards and then we lost about 40 yards on sacks. So we could have had close to 400 total yards. I was hoping that we would have given them a better game. The kids played hard, no doubt about it, but we didn’t play the responsibilities we needed to be in a game like that.

Mule Fan: Do you think it got a little unsportsmanlike in the 3^rd quarter?

Coach Byrd: Yes, I thought so. I thought they got away with some late hits. After the game coach Hill came up and said that they really weren’t trying to hit our quarterback with anything extra. And then they went for two on that last touchdown because he missed the prior extra point. So in his mind, he’s wants to get back to 7s. When we got two on that crossing route after our last touchdown, that made him mad. And then when he went for two and we laid his quarterback out pretty good, I’m sure he was worried because he doesn’t have a backup. His backup is #19 that played in the secondary, and he hasn’t had many snaps. That could get them in trouble quickly if they lose that quarterback.

Mule Fan: Smithson Valley used to be 5A, then they dropped down to 4A. What caused that?

Coach Byrd: In October of 2009, when the UIL set the enrollment limit for 4A, the cutoff was 2040 students for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Smithson Valley said they made the cutoff by 4 students that year with an enrollment of 2036. But their enrollment grew above the limit by the time the 2010 season started, but it was already set at that point. This happens in places like Smithson Valley that are in high growth areas. Think about the number of homes that came on-line in the span from October until school starts in August. Then you have another year of residential growth during your second year in district. That is where they are now and their enrollment is up to 2180. They wanted to come down to 4A thinking they could win another a state championship. But the difference between 5A and 4A is not that much. I think the top teams in 4A can play, day-in and day-out, with the top teams in 5A. The difference is that in 4A, there are about 12 really special teams, and in 5A there are double that. There are just more teams at that top level in 5A. There’s not a whole lot of difference in the type of ball they play. I think Smithson Valley has seen that when they get to the playoffs and they have to face Lake Travis and Cedar Park. Alamo Heights enrollment is at 1509. It looks like Lake Travis will go up to 5A; Cedar Park will go up; Smithson Valley will probably go up; and Canyon has a decent shot at going up to 5A.

Mule Fan: How does the UIL figure out the districts?

Coach Byrd: Every two years the UIL will make a list of every high school starting with he greatest enrollment all the way down to the smallest one. They will say we need 228 5A schools. So they will count out 228 schools and see if there is a natural break in the list. That will then be enrollment line for the 5A schools. Then they take 228 schools for 4A and they will look for a line. And then they do the same for 3A on down.

Supposedly they used to take a state map and they would stick a pin for every high school and then they would take rubber bands and create districts based on how schools looked grouped together. Now supposedly they use some software that the telephone company uses that, based on populated areas, it determines the lines that are the most convenient for districts. In my prediction, what they do in our region is they start first with the Valley. They know the Valley is going to have two 4A districts. Corpus is probably going to need two districts. Then they move up to San Antonio. San Antonio and Edgewood make up 8 schools so they are going to be a district because they are so close together. And then they figure out how many schools are on the west side with Uvalde going up I-10 to Kerrville and Fredericksburg. Then they look up I-35 to Clemens, Canyon, Lehman and Hays. If you don’t get into either of those two districts, then you could end up south of town in Floresville, Beeville, Pleasanton - even as far as Victoria.

District realignment is coming up again this year and we should know sometime in February where we will be for the next two years. For a number of years, we were in the district with Uvalde, Kerrville, Boerne and Fredericksburg. But last realignment, for some reason they moved us with Hays, Canyon, and Lehman. We could go back to our old district out west. So if we don’t get into that west district then we are going to have be driving again. It doesn’t matter to me team-wise who we play. I just hate all the travel and fighting traffic on I-35 on a Friday.

JV Gives Rangers A Run For Their Money:

This past Thursday Smithson Valley came calling on the JV Mules. They had us out numbered and out sized but as is always the case with this bunch, The Mules did not care. I will go ahead and give it away, the outcome was not what we wanted, but this Mules team gave those boys a lot to think about. It is clear that the Rangers will not be looking past the Mules any time soon.

The Rangers held us to several 3 and outs and scored on a pretty convincing long drive to take a 7-0 lead. If you had not watched this group all year, you would have probably readied yourself for the worst. However, this group does not quit, ever. After holding the Rangers to a 3 and out, Scott Uhl got his number called and made the most of it. He scampered up the middle for 50 yard TD on a QB draw. The line opened up a great hole and Scott did the rest. The game stayed 7-7 until the very last of the first half when the Rangers punched one in to take 14-7 lead. The score would have come earlier if it were not for an incredible diving one-armed tackle by Tommy Tyng to save a touch down. Another highlight of the first half was a crushing tackle on punt coverage by Josh Arnold

In the second half, there was more great play from the Mules secondary. Daniel Mays made a beautiful solo tackle to save a sure TD by the Rangers. The Mules also stopped the Rangers on a 4th and one. Unfortunately the Rangers scored a gain on a long sustained drive. Being cocky, or just bad at math, the Rangers went for two and were denied. As usual The Mules would not lie down. Uhl to Wiegel for 20 yards and a 50-yard Sweep by Brandon Wasson led to the Mules second Touchdown of the game. 20-13 Rangers. Unfortunately the clock ran down on our boys. We did not really lose, we just ran out of time. Next up is Lehman and I am sure or boys will be ready to roll.

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. Kyle Lehman Lobos

Friday, October 21st - 7:30 PM

Alamo Heights Harry B. Orem Stadium

From Coach Byrd: "Lehman stared out a much better team. They started out winning their first 4 games and then they got into district and they have lost 3 games. But they have had some injuries. They have a very good running back that is out with a concussion. They have another good running back that has been out with some disciplinary problems. They might be back, we don’t know. They are coming off their bye week so they have had two weeks to get ready for us. But they are good team, mainly because their offensive line. On defense, they are going to either bring an all out blitz and be in our face, or they are going to drop back with two safeties high, so we’ve got be smart. On the all out blitzes, we’ve got to make plays quickly. They haven’t had as much success with their kicking game. They are real erratic so its hard for us to work on that in practice when you don’t really know where the kick is going to go. But it is going to be a good test. We haven’t had a week off. Coming off a loss like last week, it’s a little hard to get the guys back mentally. But we’ve had a couple of good practices, so hopefully we will go out and take care of business on Friday night."

Last year, the Mules beat the Lehman Lobos 63-14. But this is an improved Lehman team that started off their season strong by beating San Antonio Edison 40-0, Austin Crockett 44-0, and then San Antonio Jefferson 41-12. Against Buda Hays, the Lobos only lost that game by one point. But as Coach Byrd mentioned above, injuries have plagued them since and we won't know for sure the strength of their lineup until we face off on Friday night. This will be our last home game so don't mis the opportunity to come cheer your Mules. See you there! Go Mules!

Looking Back:

AH Mules vs. N.B. Canyon Cougars:

It was throwback night on Friday as the Canyon Cougars brought their smashmouth style of offense to Harry B. Orem Stadium to face the Mules in a district showdown that ended with Mules on top 14-10. With the win, the Mules are now 3-0 in district play and essentially a lock for the playoffs.

Behind a big offensive line, the Cougars lined up in a 3-back Power-I offensive backfield. Their strategy was to blast it up the middle, pick up first downs and chew up the clock. After going three and out on their first drive, the strategy worked on Canyon's 2^nd drive as they chewed up a majority of the 1st quarter on a 50 yard drive that took 14 plays before they scored to take a 7-0 lead.

But the Mules responded right back. After a pop fly kickoff was mishandled by the Mules, they maintain possession and started their second drive of the evening at their own 32 yard line. Behind some big runs by Andy Brooks and scrambles by QB Wes Yancy, including one for 22 yards, the Mules easily advanced the ball down to the Cougar 3-yard line. Two plays later the Mules would even the score on a 3-yard pass from Yancy to Truman Biggs. After the extra point by Luke Donnelly was good, Yancy walked off the field feeling a pain in right knee. Later, Mules fans would notice Yancy on the trainer’s table and a doctor examining his knee. He would spend the rest of the game on the sidelines cheering his teammates.

As the 2^nd quarter clock wound down, the Mules were unable to put together another offensive drive and were forced to punt from their own endzone, giving the Cougars good field position at the Mules 38 yard line. With less than a minute left in the half, Canyon decided to go sandlot, heaving two long passes toward the goal line in hopes of a lucky break. They would get that lucky break on the next play. With one second left on the clock, Canyon tried a 49-yard field goal that was missed left, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave them another try. With time expired, they kicked again from 44 yards out and this time it was good, sending the Mules to the locker room trailing 10-7 at halftime.

The Mules came out of the halftime pep talk ready to play ball. The Mules defense again held the Cougars to a quick three and out, forcing another Canyon punt. This time Canyon got the benefit of a good roll and pinned the Mules down at the 4-yard line. Quarterback Dub Yarborough didn’t let 96 yards of real estate intimidate him as he put together an impressive drive that started with a 21-yard scramble up the middle to give the Mules some breathing room at 31 yard line. Then Yarborough went to the air completing two passes to tight-end John Durbin, one an outstretched grab for 27 yards. After a 13-yard reception by John Geibel moved the ball down to the 12-yard line, Robert Schuler finished the drive with a nice run on a screen pass to move the Mules ahead 14-10 with 3:30 left in the 3^rd quarter.

Other than the 96 yard drive in the 3^rd quarter, the Mules offense would struggle through the rest of the 2^nd half. Fortunately, the Mules defense was in top form. Canyon was held to only 112 total yards and 9 first downs. The Mules defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and linebacker Skylar Nelson was chosen as the Express News Player of the week with 22 tackles, a sack and the victory-clenching interception late in the 4^th quarter. Other Mules that had had big nights were linebackers Luciano Vizza and Nick Uretsky and defensive linemen Warren Monnich and Frankie Alvarez. Offensively, the Mules need to reign in the small mental errors that lead to missed opportunities. Penalties also continue to plague the Mules. Against Canyon they had a total of 8 penalties that added up to a total of 70 yards.

Like we said last week…a win is a win! And with three district wins in a row, the Mules are on a roll. Next up is Smithson Valley.

District Standings - Week 3

		Won	Lost
1	Alamo Heights Mules	3	0
2	Smithson Valley Rangers	2	0
2	Buda Hays Rebels	2	1
3	Clemens Buffaloes	1	1
3	NB Canyon Cougars	1	2
4	Lockhart Lions - Bye	0	2
4	Kyle Lehman Lobos	0	3
Friday's District Results
	Alamo Heights 17, Buda Hays 14
	Smithson Valley 41, Kyle Lehman 0
	Buda Hays 21, Clemens 12

Chirps From The Byrd – Head Coach Byrd, That Is:

Mule Fan: What was your takeaway from Friday’s game against Canyon?

Coach Byrd: Canyon is a good team and it was an important district win for us. Canyon is a big school and they will probably be 5A next year. Our defense played a great game and they are getting better and better. Canyon was a one dimensional team and they really just tried to run it inside the tackles and that really played into our hands. Offensively, we are not where we need to be. We did not move the ball as well as we should have. We had some busts on assignments and a couple of times we got the wrong play signals. We can really take off as a football team if we can get the offense hitting on all cylinders. Canyon had a good defense. I went back and looked at the film of when they played Smithson Valley. Smithson Valley had 11 first downs and 270 total yards and we had 235 total yards against Canyon. We were behind Smithson Valley in yardage, but it shows you that Canyon has a good defense. Smithson Valley scored 30 points on them on them but they had a 77-yard touchdown pass; they blocked a punt for a touchdown; and they ran back a punt for a touchdown. So 21 points came on just 3 different plays.

Mule Fan: How is Wes Yancy’s knee?

Coach Byrd: Fortunately, it’s not his ACL, which is a good thing. And it doesn’t look like it’s a real bad tear. Tomorrow he is planning on having it scoped. He could be back in 2 to 4 weeks. If they get in there and find that it’s torn worse it will be 8-12 weeks.

Mule Fan: I know you are sad about the loss of Ben Schmidt.

Coach Byrd: Yes, Ben was neat young man. And a fine young man who proudly served our country. He played football here in 2005, the year before we won State. He was a defensive back. A neat thing happened here yesterday (Monday). I’m here at the office and Debbie Chesney brings by a young girl who is Ben’s girlfriend from California. I think they were close to getting married. She said she had heard so much about our football program and about the coaches from Ben and that she wanted to come over and meet everyone while she was here in town. It makes you feel good. You know you don’t realize as coaches what impact you have sometimes until things like that happen. They are a neat family and they are going through a terrible loss. We all pray for them. It’s been a tough year for Alamo Heights with the loss of Sam Dibrell, Eddie Moreno, and now Ben.

Mule Fan: How do you prepare for Smithson Valley?

Coach Byrd: One of the hearts of Smithson Valley is their punt and punt coverage team. They have a great kicker who can get the ball downfield. They block kicks and they have run several kicks back for touchdowns. So we are directing some of our attention to make sure we do well in that area. Offensively, they’ve got a really good running back and a good sized offensive line, with 3 kids right at 300 pounds. But I still think their quarterback is the key. He’s a junior who started last year as a sophomore. He’s the guy we’ve got to stop. He throws the ball pretty well and he has a couple of tough receivers. Defensively, they’ve always been known for their defense. If we go out and execute I think we can move the ball. It’s a great opportunity for our kids. But I think we are catching them at a good time. They haven’t played a hard game in a couple of weeks, so I kind like where we are sitting.

Mule Fan: How do our kids feel their chances are Friday night?

Coach Byrd: You never really know until the game starts, but my best sense is, yes, they are very confident in themselves. That’s three-fourths of the battle when you are going against a big team. The year we won state and the two years after, I thought we had the edge mentally. Our kids would line up and they didn’t care who they were playing. Last year we started weighing out our opponents a little bit. And that is something we have worked hard on in the off-season. I think we are just about there where we say “hey, just put a football down and lets play. I don’t care who it is - we are going to come at you and play hard.” We’ve just to execute better, but I think we are ready to go.

Spotlight on Community Spirit:

As you may have noticed, before last Friday’s game our Alamo Heights football team joined New Braunfels Canyon at midfield to pray together before the game. Upon hearing the news of the recent loss former Alamo Heights football player, Lance Corporal Ben Schmidt to enemy fire in Afghanistan, the players at New Braunfels Canyon approached Alamo Heights about bringing both teams together in prayer before the game. Canyon also recently suffered the loss of one of its former players. It was a moving moment to witness both teams, hand-in-hand, huddled together at midfield to pray and lift up the families and friends of both individuals. It was a classy act by the players at New Braunfels Canyon and the Mule Fan would like to let the Cougars know how much we appreciate and respect their invitation to pray and come together as a community. May God bless the families that have lost their sons and we pray for peace for them during this time.

JV Falls Just Short Against Coogs 14-13

The JV Mules took a trip up I-35 to New Braunfels this week. It was the first time the boys got to play on the new red turf of the Coogs. Not really sure what the boys thought, but I have not seen a bigger waste of paint since my third grade art class. In the end, it was the Coogs and not the field that got the best of our boys. The Mules opening drive stalled but not before Kalen Brockwell completed a long pass to Robert Weigel. Behind a huge offensive line, the Coogs broke a 75-yard touch down run. The Mules blocked the point after. 6-0 Coogs.

On the next drive, Scott Uhl completed long passes to both Lalinde and Weigel before Scott took it in for a 6 yard TD scamper. The PAT was good and the Mules led 7-6.

The next defensive series was marked by a monstrous hit in the backfield by Robert Durbin and a smashing block by Adam Luna on the ensuing punt return. Zach Crumley also had a big hit on that defensive series. The Coogs chewed up the entire second quarter with a long ground churning drive. If I had to watch that offense on that field all year long…….. A missed field goal by the Coogs left the score 7-6 at half.

The Mules ate up most of the 3rd quarter with a long drive of their own but we could not put points on the board. The Coogs broke off another long run and converted the 2 point try and led late in the 4rth 14-7. That was when they fumbled a pitch, the ball was picked up and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. The coaches decided to go for two, the right move since there is no use in playing for a tie in JV ball. Unfortunately we did not complete the attempt and we lost 14-13.

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. Smithson Valley Rangers

Friday, October 14th - 7:30 PM

Smithson Valley Stadium

Click here for map to stadium

It’s the district 27-4A showdown between the Alamo Heights Mules and the Smithson Valley Rangers. Friday night will be the battle for district supremacy. Smithson Valley is ranked as the number one Area-4A team and Heights is ranked 3^rd. The Rangers will be a tough opponent, but they are coming off a bye week and an easy win over Lockhart, so they haven’t been tested in a few weeks and the Mules have a good chance of catching them off their game. Leading the Rangers offensively is running back Lawrence Mattison, a likely D1 recruit who has compiled 816 yards rushing and 13 TDs so far this season. He is a big tough runner, but he has yet to face a defense as good as the Mules. At quarterback for the Rangers is Parker McKenzie, a junior and two-year starter who runs the Smithson Valley offense very well. Containing both McKenzie and Mattison will be key assignments for the Mules defense. If you haven’t made a game yet this season, this will be the one to attend. We are playing on Smithson Valley’s home turf, so the Mules will need a big crowd to let them know we believe in them for victory. See you there! Go Mules!

Looking Back:

AH Mules vs. Buda Hays Rebels.

It’s Getting the Win that Matters

It would be the furthest that Mules Fans would have to travel this season, but it was worth the drive as the Mules fought to the end and pulled out a win to beat the Buda Hays Rebels 17-14 on a very pleasant Fall evening. The Mules held a Hays team that had averaged 31 points per game to only 224 total yards and 11 first downs. Both teams put up great defensive efforts but once again, penalties by the Mules would play a part in the final score. But in the end, all that matters is getting a win and moving on to the next district opponent. The Mules are now 2-0 in district play, and getting a win over Buda Hays certainly helps our chances of advancing to post-season play.

The Mules received the kickoff and Cole Bailey returned it out to the 34-yard line where quarterback Wes Yancy took over. Yancy had a solid night, finishing 8 of 11 for 101 yards. After picking up a quick first down, an option pitch hit running back Coby Bailey in the shoulder, resulting in a fumble. Hays recovered at the Mules 27 yard line, giving them an excellent opportunity to put some points on the board. But the Mules defense did a good job of holding the Rebels, and they found themselves facing a 3^rd down and goal at the 8-yard line. The Rebels knew they had to put it in the endzone, but the pass was broken up by Mules safety Blake Rosenthal, who made a diving save to get his hand in to break up the play and force a field goal attempt on 4^th down. But the Mules made another stellar defensive effort and Alex Cisneros got around the outside and blocked the punt, denying the Rebels, and the ball turned over to the Mules at their own 20-yard line.

On the 2nd offensive series for the Mules, QB Dub Yarborough moved the ball downfield with a balanced rushing/passing attack. Yarborough would lead the Mules rushing with 45 yards on 6 carries. Running back Andy Brooks had a couple of good runs to pick up a first down at the Mules 44 yard line. Dub Yarborough would add to the rushing yardage by taking the ball up the middle for 30 yards to advance the Mules down to the Rebels 26-yard line. Yarborough would complete the drive with a short pass to John Geibel who made a nice inside spin move to find the end zone and give the Mules a 7-0 lead.

As time advanced late into the 1st quarter, the Mules defense took control of the Rebels. The Rebels running game would suffer tough times all night as their running backs were forced to face the pain of the 9021. The 9021 would be the dueling linebackers of Skylar Nelson #90 and Nick Uretsky #21. They, along with the rest of the Mules defense would hold the Rebels to only 83 total yards rushing. The first quarter would come to an end with the Mules driving behind a couple of good keepers by Wes Yancy and a 20-yard scamper by Coby Bailey. But the Mules were unable to get past 3^rd down and a Mules field goal attempt skirts wide to the left and is no good. With 3:30 left in the first half, an unfortunate roughing the passer call against the Mules gave the Rebels a first down at the Mules 10-yard line. The Rebels would score on the next play to even the score 7-7, sending both teams to the locker room to make adjustments during halftime.

The Mules kicked to Hays to start the 2nd half at their 24-yard line. After a big sack by Nick Uretsky knocked them back to the Hays 4 yard line, the Rebels were forced to punt from deep in their own endzone. Wes Yancy took over at the Hays 43 yard line. On 3^rd down, Yancy would connect with Truman Biggs for a 34-yard reception giving the Mules a 1st down at the Rebels 11 yard line. Andy Brooks would complete the drive with a 6 yard run followed by a 1 yard run to put the Mules back on top 14-7 to finish out the 3^rd quarter. As the 4^th quarter began, Matt Kelly’s punt would pin the Rebels down their own 15-yard line. The Rebels would capitalize on two passes totaling 28 yards and two runs totaling 29 yards to complete an 85 yard touchdown drive that tied the score at 14-14.

Biedenharn returned the ensuing kickoff back to the Mules 37 yard line, Wes Yancy took the helm at QB, knowing that the Mules needed a score and only having four and a half minutes left in the game to get it done. Keeping cool under pressure, Yancy hit Truman Biggs on two big receptions of 32 and 13 yards to move across midfield to the Rebels 22 yard line. The big play of the drive would come on a 3^rd down and 13, when Yancy found Garrett Iverson open at the sideline for a 13-yard pass and a Mules first down on the Rebels 12 yard line. After two runs moved the ball down to the 7-yard line, Luke Donnelly was called in to try a field goal from 24 yards out. Donnelly responded to the pressure and split the uprights to give the Mules the win 17-14.

District Standings:

		Won	Lost
1	Alamo Heights Mules	2	0
2	Smithson Valley Rangers (Bye)	1	0
2	Clemens Buffaloes	1	0
3	Buda Hays Rebels	1	1
3	NB Canyon Cougars	1	1
4	Lockhart Lions	0	2
4	Kyle Lehman Lobos	0	2
Friday's District Results
	Alamo Heights 17, Buda Hays 14
	NB Canyon 35, Kyle Lehman 21
	Clemens 34, Lockhart 20

Chirps From The Byrd – Head Coach Byrd That Is:

The Mule Fan would like to thank Joey Peacock for filling in and getting the Chirps from Coach Byrd!

Mule Fan: what was the controversial call at the end of the 2^nd Quarter?

Coach Byrd: The call was against our defense and the official said we were trying to emulate the snap count because we did not move after Monnich called "move".....when in fact "move" was a signal to our defense to change our lanes for the stunt on a blitz.

Mule Fan: What was your assessment about Friday’s game against Buda Hays?

Coach Byrd: Buda Hays is a good football team and they are getting better. Our defense played well, in spite of being put in a bind with poor field position on several occasions. We also blocked a field goal attempt by Buda. Offensively, we moved the ball well in the first half and had lots of yards at the half. The coaches made some adjustments at halftime on blocking assignments, which apparently confused the players, as we did not execute the changes well. Overall, I'm proud of our effort. The defense played well and offensively we shot ourselves in the foot with the adjustments we made at halftime, but we came away with the win over a good football team.

Mule Fan: Next up is New Braunfels Canyon. It appears that they are playing well this year.

Coach Byrd: New Braunfels Canyon is a good football team. They run a condensed offense and they come right at you. They have a big offensive line and a good quarterback, but they will be without their best running back. Defensively they are much improved and they have shut down a lot of the folks that they have played this year. They run a lot of different looks at you and are well coached. They take a lot of chances on their kicking game, on-sides kickoffs, etc. So we will have to be on our toes. We will have to get our timing down right and execute better if we want to win down the stretch with the opponents we have left to play. We have a tough stretch ahead of us with Canyon and then Smithson Valley. The focus right now is to get the players to focus on Canyon instead of looking past them at Smithson Valley in two weeks.

JV Blasts The Rebels 21-6

The Might Mules of the JV variety returned to the friendly confines to some stormy weather. No really, it was actually raining. Everybody appreciated the rain but unfortunately the delay cancelled the JV B game. In reality the JV A game seemed like there was only one half because all the action took place in the first half of the game.

Kalen Brockwell started the game at QB and led the Mules on the opening drive to pay dirt. Hard running by Brandon Wasson, and a long run by Brockwell led the way to a 1 yard TD plunge by Wasson. The Rebels followed with their own impressive drive mixing the run and the pass and scored on their opening possession. They were stopped on the 2 point conversion and The Mules led 7-6.

Jay Hargrove returned the kickoff to the 45 yard line. One play later, Scott Uhl broke a QB draw for a 65 yard touchdown. We have not seen Scott run that fast since brother James was chasing him after Scott stole his hamburger.

On the next defensive series a big hit by Charles Kauffman clearly rattled the Rebs QB. The next play Connor Gates intercepted a pass and returned it to the one yard line. Another 1 yard TD dive by Wasson and the Mules went to half time with a 21-6 lead.

That was all the excitement for this week Mules fans. 21-6 was how this one ended.

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. NB Canyon Cougars

Friday, October 6^th, 7:30 PM

Alamo Heights Harry B. Orem Stadium

With the Mules 2-0 in District play and 4-2 overall, the Mules are gaining confidence with each week. Next up is a much-improved New Braunfels Canyon team that will be a solid test for the Mules. With the Mules defense playing extremely well and the offense trying to find it’s rhythm in a two-quarterback setup, it should be a great contest. Last year was Matt Elliott's first year as head coach of the Cougars and he took them to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Coach Elliott has revamped Canyon's style of play into a running focused offense that punishes defenses and dominates the play clock. The Mules will need to play error free and penalty free in this game. The Mules offense will need to strike quickly and often as time of possession could be tougher to come by. If there is any defense that can handle the Cougars, it will be the Mules. With our solid core of linebackers this year and a tough defensive front line, Canyon will have to earn every yard it gets. It will be a great contest and defining game for the Mules as they march on through the rest of district play. Our Mules will need big fan support for this one, so please make plans to attend and cheer the Mules on to victory! See you there!