Mules Convincing in Important District Road Win at Seguin
-Defense Sticks its Chest Out to
Help Preserve Win
By Bob Cohen, Senior Editor, Sayer
of Things
(Seguin)—One
of our jobs here at the Mule Fan is to articulate what is likely in the minds
of Mule Nation. So here is this
week’s blinding glimpse of the obvious.
With that unexpected wet burp the Mules suffered against Lockhart, every
game carries a lot more weight now.
And with that in mind, the Mules (4-3, 3-2) have paired together a
couple of needed wins including Friday’s win on the road against the Seguin
Matadors, which they won convincingly 42-7.
One
nice new wrinkle was that in this game, it was the defense that put its
collective hoof on the neck of the Matadors right out of the chute. The intensity has been there on that
side of the ball for weeks but the football gods have been frowning and
dropping one in the Mules mess kit at seemingly each and every
opportunity. Not Friday as the
Mules nearly pitched a shutout.
Alamo Heights got the ball first against the Matadors and confidently
pushed the ball to the deepest edge of Matador territory but Seguin managed to
say “we don’t want any” and kept the Mules out of the end zone when it appeared
it was going to be an automatic six points. So a fired up Seguin offense took the ball back deep in
their own territory relieved to be still tied. With that opportunity, the Matadors were on the receiving
end of three defensive highlights for the Mules. The first was slobber-spraying sideline pasting from
freshman linebacker Maki Carabin on a scrambling quarterback Marc Garcia. That
was followed by a high snap over a wildcat set, retrieved by running back Dora
who was tracked down by Trem Carr as he desperately sought the line of
scrimmage. With fourth down and 10
from their own 23, Seguin attempted the rugby punt. Junior defensive lineman Brandon Peterson blew through protection
to get both mitts on the punt attempt, which was snatched from the air by
Holden Daum followed by Seguin alertly punching it out of Daum’s control and
fallen on by Gabriel Cervantes in the end zone. So the combination defensive/special team effort got the
Mules on the board first.
On
the next series, the Mules defense responded again with defensive lineman Joey
Gonzalez breaking through to sack quarterback Garcia followed by another by
Gabriel Cervantes dropping Garcia 15 yards deeper and putting Seguin on its
own one yard line. Seguin was
forced to punt from within an inch of the end line in their own end zone and
launched one that, including roll, traveled about 88 real yards and eventually
into the arms of Mules uber-returner Nik Proctor. After calmly collecting the
ball, Proctor manufactured a 34 yard sawblade return, helped by a sinus
clearing block from Riley Carew on a Matador in pursuit, to get the Mules back
into Matador territory. After one
false start, Mule QB Jack Woodland spotted Antoine Cole, who had put 4 yards
between himself and the defender, down the left hash hitting him in stride with
a beautifully delivered 41-yard hoist. It took two Tucker Azar thrusts into the
line to get the ball into the end zone to stretch the Mules lead to 14-0 after
the PAT.
Before
the half, with Mules backup quarterback Will Chaney getting his first action
since being sidelined by a concussion a few weeks earlier, the Mules got two
touchdown passes into the hands of Antoine Cole, one from 13 out and one from
15. The second one came after the Mules defense came up with another turnover
on Holden Daum’s interception of a Marc Garcia pass. The Mules went to the break up 28-0.
Alamo
Heights kept the pressure on in the second half with two fourth quarter
touchdowns, one in response to Seguin’s lone touchdown of the night. The Mules answered with a pass into the
flat from Chaney to running back Deryl Reynolds who scampered 48 yards for a
score. Azar tacked on another
short touchdown plunge to cap the scoring for the night. Alamo Heights put up 312 yards in the
air. Chaney made up for lost time
with 16 completions on 22 attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Cole scored twice and nearly hit triple
digits again in receiving yards with 97 on six catches. Brendon McClinton yanked down five for
63 before going out at the half with an injury.
A
strong night in all phases of the game and a needed shot in the arm for the
defense and the Mules have two wins in a row as they look to Memorial this weekend
for Homecoming.
District 27-5A
Results
Kerrville Tivy 52, Lockhart 17
Boerne Champion 63, Kennedy 0
Floresville 14, San Marcos 34
Memorial idle
Next Week’s
Schedule
Seguin at Floresville
San Marcos at Kerrville Tivy
Lockhart at Kennedy
Memorial at Alamo Heights
Boerne Champion idle
District 27-5A
Standings
Kerrville Tivy 4-0
Boerne Champion 4-1
Lockhart 4-1
San Marcos 3-1
Alamo Heights 3-2
Seguin 1-3
Floresville 1-4
Kennedy 0-4
Memorial 0-4
“His Inside Voice”
A Weekly Conversation with
Coach Mike Norment
Mule Fan: How
did the Seguin game shape up in your eyes in terms of execution in the three
phases of the game?
Coach Norment: Defense played much better. The players have now had two weeks to
play after having moved some people around and have had the players now playing
the positions for a couple of weeks. They’re starting to learn it so they get
much better. Special teams had
some huge plays. A blocked punt
for a touchdown and some good returns.
Offense struggled at times and then clicked at times. Like I told the kids, we haven’t played
a complete game yet and one of these days hopefully soon we get a complete game
and we’re going to need to in these next few weeks of the season.
Mule Fan: It seemed that the defense got the game THEY had been
wanting for several weeks. They
got the interception. You talked about special teams getting the block. There
were timely sacks on Friday and a lot of pressure. What did they do well
specifically to get the kind of performance they had against Seguin?
Coach Norment:
The more reps you get the better and they’ve gotten more in the last
couple of weeks in new positions. We’re starting to get a few people back off
of injuries. We had a player come back and as we continue to get more of them
and they keep playing hard some things will go well for us. When things are going well, they feed
off each other and it’s just a better complete game.
Mule Fan: And it’s not just the games is it? They get the reps in practice at new
positions and the coaches can concentrate on helping them learn their positions
right?
Coach Norment: Yes that’s correct. And when you’re
struggling you lose some of your confidence and I think they’re getting their
confidence back.
Mule Fan: You had Seguin on their heels early. Offense got
in a position to knock on the door and Seguin holds. After they held, then the defense got a sack, a punt block,
hustle to the loose ball and points.
How big was that sequence?
Coach Norment: It was huge. It set the tone for the defense
and the defense played great. At the same time, it showed the offense that if
they’re clicking, they can move the ball down the field. We made some mistakes
down there in the red zone that we’re going to have to correct. But the whole
thing of how we scored with special teams and defense really fired them up and
it showed the offense that when we’re clicking we can move the ball also.
Mule Fan: The offense was clicking but it seemed at times
that one could tell you were really trying to get the tempo up from where it
was but things were getting in the way.
I’m sure you would have like to step up the pace some. What was preventing that?
Coach Norment:
There were a couple of things.
Sometimes referee crews use different mechanics. Our kids weren’t used
to not getting the ball back (quickly). If the ball went outside they were
switching balls out which slows things down and it is something that we as a
team and coaches have to recognize. And there were quite a few injuries on
Friday, which slows the tempo on both sides. We had some penalties, more than
we’ve had for a while. And all that gets you out of rhythm and we’re a tempo
and rhythm team.
Mule Fan: On
the other hand, with the exception of the first drive, when you needed to score
you were able to get the ball downfield and score even though it might not have
been the pace you wanted. Where did you feel you had the biggest edge
offensively on Friday?
Coach Norment:
We had a good scheme. They were going to outnumber us in the box and
almost force us to throw the ball. We did a good job hitting the underneath
stuff and throw deep in a timely way. We were able to throw deep a couple of
times. That really helped us out.
Mule Fan: Speaking of throwing deep in a timely way, we’d
like to talk about Antoine Cole. It
seems like when you need a deep ball, Antoine seems to get his hands on it a
lot. Almost every game he’s been
at or near triple digits in receiving yards. Antoine is a quiet guy. Did you see this coming with
Antoine? What has he done to improve his game?
Coach Norment: Right now we’re fortunate to have four good
receivers. It’s hard for them to put two guys on Antoine because of the other
three. But he had a great spring. He’s worked hard and it’s showed. He’s been
able to blossom a little bit this year as opposed to being a backup last year.
Mule Fan: It’s Memorial this week and a chance to build on a
win streak but as we’ve said, they’re all huge now. What do you think you
really need to keep that intensity level up as you get ready to try and build on
that streak and look ahead to the off week?
Coach Norment: This is going to be a tough week because it’s
Homecoming week and we have a holiday and PSAT testing so there will be a lot
of distractions. We addressed it
on Saturday morning. There are a lot of ways to make excuses if we don’t have a
good practice. I challenged the kids to be smart. Let’s not sleep until 1:00pm
on Monday and throw their bodies out of whack and not have a good practice on
Monday afternoon. Let’s get up a little earlier and get moving around so we can
get up here and have a good practice.
Same thing on Wednesday.
It’ll be really easy for the seniors not to get up early because they
don’t have to be in school until 12:55.
Unlike the teachers who have to be up here at the regular time. So we
have to just challenge them to not let the distractions get in the way. Like I tell them every week, it’s not
about the other team. It’s about
Alamo Heights. We have to get better to continue building on what we’ve got.
Mule Fan: But you’ve got to get in their heads because this
week because these are the kinds of games where you could have a letdown if you
don’t keep them completely focused.
What does each coach have to do this week?
Coach Norment:
Well we’re going to have to stay on them. It starts right away. I’ll be able to tell you from the
first 10 minutes of practice on Monday afternoon. These are the weeks that if
we’re not having a good practice we’ll have to get their attention some way.
Area Leaders
Alamo Heights moved up one spot to sixth from seventh in the
Express News Sub 6A area rankings. Kerrville Tivy and Boerne Champion are still
1-2. Kerrville is ranked seventh
in the state. Jack Woodland is
seventh in total offense and ninth in passing. Antoine Cole is 13th
in receiving yards and tied for third in total receptions. Brendon McClinton is
tied for fifth in receptions and Caleb Williams is at nine in receptions.
Next Up-Memorial
Minutemen Happy Homecoming
The Mules take on Memorial High School Friday at 7:30 at
Harry B. Orem Stadium. The Minutemen have suffered through years of losing but
picked up their first win since 2013 in this year’s opener against Carrizo
Springs. In all, Memorial has won
eight games in 12 years. In 2014 they were winless at 0-10 and 0-8 in district.
They are 1-5 this season and 0-4 in district play. Losses have come at the
hands of Seguin, Boerne Champion, San Marcos, Lockhart and Pearsall. The Minutemen average 15.2 points per
game and allow 47.5. Alamo
Heights averages 46.0 points per game and are giving up 30.9 points per
game. The Mules blanked the
Minutemen in 2014 at Edgewood Stadium 45-0.
Cliché Corner-Cuz speekin clerly abowt football reelie
empressiz the wimin.
Name the football cliché.
A.
Behind the sticks
B.
The River Styx
C.
Sticks and Stone
Answer: A. Behind the sticks – being more than 10 yards away
from a first down and being behind the 10 yard chain.
Homecoming
Festivities
There are heaps of Homecoming activities this week including
Howdy Night on Wednesday from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the high school, one of the
biggest social events of the season followed by a pep rally at the stadium and
a fiery display of our logo. A
Homecoming king and queen and duchess, dukes, jesters and squires will be named
at halftime of the game. A few classes will have reunions this weekend
including the reunion of the senior class of your editor. Not that anyone really cares but my
Alamo Heights education helps me figure out that the number is divisible by 10,
4, 2, 20, 1 and 40 to name a few. As
mentioned a few weeks ago, this class started at AHHS when Richard Nixon was
still in office. In the editor’s
senior year, the Mules were 4-6 with wins against McCollum, Marshall, Edison
and Holmes. The head coach was
Harry McBain. The biggest guys on
the team weighed about 60 pounds and were five feet tall. (I jest). There was
no Mule Fan blog of course. There
was a Hoofprint and the North San Antonio Times to go along with three daily
newspapers. We live in different times.
We take all this stuff a little more seriously now of course, the community is more involved and we have traditions
that are solid blue and gold. I
wouldn’t trade this time and the way this community and school are now for
those by any means. This is waaaay better. But that was the way things were. It
is fun to be nostalgic. We had fun on Friday nights and made lifelong
friends. FYI, lucky for the Mules,
your editor was not a football player at that point but rather a baseball guy
with root beer league abilities, a 57 mph “fastball”, a curveball that broke a
knee-buckling 4.75 inches from high atop a mound that sits about where Pei
Wei’s restrooms are now at Lincoln Heights, and a promising grasp of how to
keep a pristine scorebook. During football games, the Mule Fan senior editor
sat perched in a small press box radio booth about where Rick Shaw sits now
squeaking out something resembling play-by-play at an embarrassing octave into
a 3M tape recorder borrowed from the Spanish department and called in game
reports to local radio stations including one I later operated for many years.
The “broadcast crew” consisted of your editor and your current Texas Speaker of
the House. Your editor and the Honorable Joe would each take a half of
play-by-play and the other would provide witty and stunningly cogent color
commentary for young men of such limited experience and perception. Your editor went on to start a career yammering into a microphone in college and pro sports and eventually moved on to other media posts but definitely highlighted by a soon-to-expire editorial role
with the Mule Fan. The other announcer
now swings a mean gavel in Austin and has about 50 microphones shoved in front
of him every time he turns up somewhere as he serves the people of the Great
State of Texas. Those tapes exist
and are around somewhere deep in a box in a garage well guarded by some of San
Antonio’s largest roaches. One
doubts they are in any kind of shape that they could be heard even if you could
find a reel-to-reel tape recorder to play them. The concept is frightening.
Speaking of Radio…
Whereas your editor and his partner once may have
confidently considered themselves the “(very high) Voices of the Mules,” the
real title is arguably split between the legendary voices of Rick Shaw for
stadium throating and Dave Parker on radio today. When you can’t be at the game, follow along on KRDY
1160AM with Dave Parker and Albert Gonzales providing expert commentary. You can also listen online at www.tsrnsports.com and on the TSRN mobile
app. Please patronize the sponsors
and thank them for making it possible for the Mules to hit the airwaves.
Mules on Twitter
There’s a lot to be said about these Mules and another way
to follow Alamo Heights Football is on Twitter @ahmulesfootball. Don’t forget to follow.
Another Dine Out
Day
Eat a yummy dinner on Thursday October 15 at Freddy’s at the
Quarry from 5pm-9pm, drop your receipt in the football bucket prominently
displayed and the football program gets 20% of sales.
Food Drive at the
Stadium – Please Help
The Alamo Heights Theatre Arts department is sponsoring a
food drive on Friday night to benefit the San Antonio Food Bank. Please bring canned goods to the
stadium. Don’t dig in on the way
to the game. They won’t be able to take the food item if it is partially eaten. Please donate!
Fenley Trophy Golf
Tourney
Mark your calendars for the 12th Annual Fenley
Trophy Golf Tournament on Wednesday October 21 at 1:00pm at the Quarry Golf
Club.
This tournament is in honor of the late Gaylard Fenley who
served, taught and mentored our students and staff as our Athletic
Director1983-2002• All tournament proceeds benefit Basketball, Cheerleading,
Cross Country, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, JROTC, Soccer, Special Olympics,
Tennis, Track, Volleyball. It is
not true that it helps support the Mule Fan blog. For more information, contact bill.dehlinger@worthaminsurance.com.
He’ll get you a brochure and make sure you have all the info you need to make
an informed decision.
Canned Ham
Plenty of pork to go around to defenders this week. The Mule Fan recognizes the Mules
defense with strong performances from Maki Carabin, Trem Carr, Gabriel
Cervantes, Holden Daum, Joey Gonzalez and Justin Barsalou to name a few. Happy chomping.
Speaking of the Canned Ham award, the Mule Fan received a
“nasty gram” from the Pork Board.
We don’t shy away from these things as you know so we publish the letter
below in its entirety.
Dear Mr. Fan,
We’ve written before
to express our displeasure with your approach to our product and its use as an
award for the efforts of football players. While we like the publicity, we detect a level of sarcasm,
which has convinced us that, at its roots, your portrayal of our product is
laced with disrespect.
Your consistent
referral to our product as a canned meat product is confusing to consumers who
may believe you are referring to deviled ham, which as you know is also
delivered in a can. That product
is dramatically different from a canned ham. As you know, a deviled ham comes encased in a can and a
white paper wrapper. Our cans
stand on their own two split feet within a container that can be opened by a
key. How many other products can you identify that take security so
seriously?
And please refrain
from your slang-like reference to our product as a “pink chunk.” This
misleading reference to our “cut” of meat indicates no planning or thought was put
into the shaping, carving and careful selection from the hog as if we grabbed a
handful of meat and ripped it from the skeletal frame of any swine with our
bare hands and plopped it down into some can we found at the city dump. While this may have been the case in
the past, is is now believed that we have the problem relatively under
control.
Would you consider
taking on rabbit as the meat for your reward next year? If you don’t change your ways, we must
squeal.
Sincerely,
Sammy McSwine
Our response…
Dear Mr. McSwine,
Thank you for your
constructive suggestion, about going with rabbit as our reward meat for the
future. Our management will take it under consideration but we must tell you
that the Gerbil Council recently made a very compelling case for their
representation in our blog.
Until then, think
pink.
Warm regards,
The Mule Fan
Sorry for the Late
Post
Mule Nation, we are posting the Mule Fan later than normal
this week. Two reasons. One, since
Monday was a holiday, our management cut it a little short on the ink barrel
order expecting that we’d have some on Monday. We didn’t get our shipment until Tuesday at lunch. And two, it was mentioned above that it
is a reunion week for your editor and we were busy dying my hairs.
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