The Mule Fan

2011-12-08T09:55:00.012-06:00

Mules Season Ends In Overtime 10-3

Well, the Mule Fan has finally emerged from mourning the season ending loss to Dripping Springs and decided to post the final Mule Fan blog for the 2011 season. For the second time this season, the Mules came away from overtime on the losing end. They say that timing is everything and the timing of the Mules offensive miscues was the difference in the game. Time after time, a drive killing penalty or quarterback sack kept the Mules offense from reaching the goal line. Add to that a very questionable offensive interference call that negated a Mules touchdown, and it made you wonder if a Mules win was possibly just not meant to be. The Mules defense played one of their best games of the season and held the Tigers to 126 total yards and only 9 first downs. At the end of regulation the score was 3-3 as the Mules and Tigers traded 40 yard field goals. But the Tigers were able to score in overtime and the game ended 10-3, stunning the Mules who were favored to advance in the playoffs.

Click Here to See Video of Controversial Penalty

But now that we have had some time to mourn our loss and look back, it really was a great season. The Mules finished the year 8-4 and were tri-district champions with a 5-1 record. The tough part about losing is the finality of it for our seniors. Our boys have been putting on the pads since 4th grade, and after nine years of blood, sweat and hard work, it's over in a flash. It's always over too soon. And the tears of disappointment outside the locker room were emotional for both player and parent. I think you have to be a player, or at least remember when you played high school football, to understand the bond of friendship and team unity that comes from playing football. It's all of the years of pain and hard work; weight room and trainer's room; victory and disappointment. I'm not sure any other sport can equal it.

But seniors, we are so very proud of you and what you have accomplished this season. You were a great example to the younger class that will emerge to take the reins next year. You set a high bar and inspired your school and community. We will miss you!

No.			No.
4	Zander Komet	K	53	Greyson Kale	DL
5	Wes Yancy	QB	57	Jack Berger	LB
7	Luke Donnelly	K	61	Warren Monnich	DL
9	John Geibel	TE	62	Zach Harris	OL
11	Dub Yarborough	QB	63	Nick Vargas	OL
12	Garrett Voss	DB	64	Jesus Almanza	OL
15	Jesus Cerda	DB	66	Chase Stockton	DL
20	Robert Low	RB	68	Sam Noe	OL
22	Coby Bailey	RB/DB	71	Alex Johnston	DL
24	Andy Brooks	RB	74	Frankie Alvarez	DL
32	Alex Cisneros	DB	75	David Birkey	DL
33	Lucciano Vizza	LB	76	Jake Molak	OL
34	John Durbin	TE	77	Derrick Vasaldua	DL
35	Bond Foster	WR	79	Carl Stephens	OL/DL
37	John Rascoe	DL	80	George Mixon	WR
42	Garrett Iverson	WR	81	Patrick Galvan	TE
46	Keith Ochoa	DB	82	Truman Biggs	WR
48	Tha Yu Htoo	DB	83	Crockett Speer	WR
51	Jimmy Russell	LB	88	Alex Bathie	WR
52	Sam Peacock	C	90	Skylar Nelson	LB

Thanks Mules Fans!

The Mule Fan would like to thank everyone who dedicated themselves and their time to make the Mules Football program the success that it is. Thanks to Gene Phillips (and his clever emails) and Patty Juarez in the Athletic Office for being the grease in this well-oiled machine.

Thank you to all of the coaches: Don Byrd, Mike Norment, Craig Westmoreland, Bobby Newton, Randy Osborne, Ron Harris, Chris Troilo, Luke Moody, Dean Herbort and Terroll Dillon. Our coaches are some of the most talented groups of high school coaches anywhere. Not only do they teach our sons the game of football, they teach them the principles of hard work, dedication, respect and teamwork. They love our kids, and it's what drives them to spend long, long hours each week to prepare our boys to be the best that they can be. I would especially like to thank Coach Byrd who shared his insights every week with the Mule Fan on "Chirps From The Byrd".

Thanks to Mike Post and Adriana Moody and to all the trainers for all the long hours keeping the boys healed-up and ready to play. Thanks to the Cheerleaders, the Spurs, the Band, and the JROTC for all of your dedication and hard work. Every time I drive by the field at 7:00 am and see you practicing, I realize how much hard you work you put in and what a great job you do. You guys turn a football game into a real exciting event that brings school spirit to our team, the fans, and the community.

Thanks to all the parents that volunteer to make signs, prepare and serve meals, and have volunteered to work in the concession stands. Thanks to Mary Candee for being at every game taking great photos, and thanks Mary for supplying The Mule Fan with great action shots all year long. Thanks to the Mule Team and Mule Pushers and to everyone who contributes their time and money to supporting all of our sports programs at Alamo Heights.

Thanks to Rick Shaw announcing in the booth and to his spotters. It just wouldn't be a home game without you! Thanks to Dave Parker and Ed Suarez for broadcasting all the Mules games on radio. And to anyone I have left out....a big thank you as well!

Now it's time to get ready for 2012! Offseason starts now with boot camp, spring practice, the spring game, Steue Quest, 7-on-7 and summer workouts. Before we know it, it will be time for football again!

Go Mules!

Adios Amigos!

As I have threatened for the past few weeks, this is the final post for this Mule Fan and I would like to say what a privilege it has been to blog about our Mules football team for the past two years. Thanks to each and every one of you for your support and encouragement of my efforts on the blog. It has been a lot of fun and I sincerely hope that the Mule Fan blog will continue for years to come. But the time has come for me to pass the torch to another set of Mule Dads. So far, my recruitment efforts haven't brought forth anyone to take the reins, but I have faith. Contact me if you are interested. Don't forget that training is complimentary!

I look forward to seeing you in the stands next year with a clapper instead of a tape recorder!

Go Mules!

Jeff

2011-11-15T14:37:00.025-06:00

Looking Back

AH Mules vs. Boerne Champion Chargers

"Too Close For Comfort!"

The Mules pulled out a nail-biter in game one of the Division II 4A State playoffs last Friday night by beating the Boerne Champion Chargers 21-20 before a big Mules crowd at New Braunfels High Stadium. The Mules led 14-0 before Boerne Champion scored 20 points in the 4th quarter to almost pull out an upset. Although Boerne Champion put up better stats than the Mules, the difference in the game was turnovers. The Mules intercepted two Champion passes, blocked a punt, and blocked the game tying extra point to win the ball game and advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Champion received the opening kickoff and consumed a big chunk of the first quarter clock on a 14 play offensive drive behind the ground game of running back David Rogers and quarterback Kyle Poeske. But on 4th and six from the Mules 28 yard line, Poeske’s pass was intercepted by Mules cornerback Garrett Voss, stopping the Charger’s drive and giving the Mules offense the ball at the 32-yard line. The Mules offense had early success moving the ball as Andy Brooks and his crazy feet had a big run of 21 Yards and QB Wes Yancy scrambled for good yardage. But the Mules drive stalled at the 32-yard line due to an illegal procedure penalty, which forced the Mules to punt. But the punt was a good one, and the Chargers found themselves pinned at their own 2-yard line.

The Mules defense sensed an opportunity and held the Chargers to only 4 yards and Boerne found themselves punting as well, from deep in their own end zone. As the ball was snapped, Alex Cisneros came around the left side and blocked the punt into the waiting arms of Mules linebacker Skylar Nelson who gave the Mules offense the ball at the Charger 2-yard line. But two consecutive penalties by the Mules pushed the ball back to the 12 yard line and kept the offense from getting into the end zone. The Mules were forced to attempt a field goal but the kick was off the mark and the Mules walked away empty handed from a missed opportunity. Having a first down on the 2 yard line and letting mistakes keep you from scoring was a tough moment for the Mules. The Chargers offense took the field and again they chewed up the clock with another 14 play series that took the Chargers down to the Mules 17 yard line. But just when it looked like Champion might put the first points on the scoreboard, the Boerne drive was interrupted by Mules cornerback Kevin Kujawa who intercepted Poeske's pass at the 10 yard line. Now the offense was fired up and they weren’t about to make the same mistakes. Behind QB Wes Yancy, the Mules marched down the field as Yancy hit Garrett Iverson on two tough catches and Andy Brooks filled in the gaps with great running to advance the ball down to the 13 yard line. But making plays got tough inside the red zone and the Mules found themselves with a 4th down and 7 at the 13-yard line. On 4^th down, Yancy coolly dropped back and hit a wide-open Truman Biggs across the middle for the first score of the night and the Mules took it to halftime with 7-0 lead.

The halftime speech must have been a good one as the Mules started with the ball, and on their first play of the 2nd half, Yancy hit Truman Biggs, who out-jumped the defender to make the 25 yard catch and then sprinted the remaining 48 yards to the endzone. Suddenly the Mules had a 14-0 lead and it appeared that the Mules had the game under control. Our defense was stuffing the Chargers and we had just put up touchdowns on the last two offensive drives. But things were about to change. After the Mules defense once again held the Chargers to a quick 3 and out, Yancy came back in to continue his leadership of the offense. On 1^st down, as Yancy scrambled to his right, he was horse-collared with his left leg in an awkward position near Mules sidelines, causing him to dislocate his hip. This was an emotional blow to the Mules. It was also when Boerne Champion decided to throw the ball vs. run the ball. Up to that point the Chargers had had limited success running against the Mules defense. The 3^rd quarter came to an end with the score still 14-0 Mules. The Chargers came out passing to begin the 4^th quarter and quickly found an open receiver in the endzone and the Mules lead was cut to 14-7. Boerne was then able to quickly capitalize on a Mules fumble and the Chargers again went to the air, scoring on a 28 yard pass to tie the score 14-14 early in the 4^th quarter.

But there is no quit in our Mules!

With time running in the 4^th quarter the Mules defense stepped up once again and held the Chargers on a critical 4^th and 1. Kevin Kujawa, helped out by Skylar Nelson, held the Charger running back to no gain, giving the Mules offense the ball on the Boerne 41 yard line. QB Dub Yarborough then led the Mules down field on six consecutive runs by Coby Bailey who punched it in from four yards out to give the Mules the lead again with only 3:00 minutes left on the clock. That should have taken the wind out of Boerne’s sails, but this is the playoffs and Boerne wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. After receiving the kickoff, the Chargers proceeded to drive the ball downfield behind the running and passing of Boerne QB, Kyle Poeske. Twice the Chargers converted on 4^th down to keep the drive alive. With 54 seconds left on the clock, Poeske found an open receiver in the endzone to take the score to 21-20 Mules. Would Boerne go for the win on a two-point conversion attempt or would they kick the extra point and take their chances in overtime? The fans on both sides of the stadium waited in nervous anticipation. Boerne elected to kick the extra point. And as fate would have it, a seam opened in the line of scrimmage, which allowed Skylar Nelson to burst through the middle practically untouched. Nelson blocked the extra point! All the Mules had to do was take a knee and run out the clock. But the referees were determined to confuse the situation and stopped the clock after the Mules downed the ball on 2nd and 3rd down. So when all the Mules had to do to end the game was take a knee, they now found themselves punting the ball on 4th down because of the clock confusion. But again, fate was with the Mules, and Boerne Champion ran into Mules punter Zander Komet, drawing a roughing the kicker call which gave the Mules an automatic first down and one more play to end the game and take home the victory 21-20.

Check Back Tomorrow for Chirps from the Byrd – an interview with Head Coach Byrd about his take on last Friday’s victory over Boerne Champion, and what we can expect of the Mules next opponent, Dripping Springs. The Mules play Dripping Springs this Friday night at Vandegrift Stadium in Austin for the Area Championship in round two of the 4A Division II State Playoffs!

Go Mules!

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

Mule Fan: Congratulations on last Friday’s win against Boerne Champion! That was a close one!

Coach Byrd: Yeah a little closer than I wanted it, but I wouldn't change a thing right now. I was real proud of the boys effort. Boerne always brings a lot of excitement when we play them. We used to be in the same district with Boerne before they split into two high schools. It's Boerne Champion now, but it's still the same community. They are a good team. They were 5-5, but they lost a lot of games when their quarterback was hurt. Defensively, they probably played their best game in a lot of ways. We weren't hitting on all cylinders and then when Yancy got hurt it threw us off for awhile. We knew we could run the ball the 2nd half but then we got a holding call that threw us off, and then we fumbled. That killed two of our drives in the 2^nd half when we really needed those things to go. In the first half, we got a good turnover when we blocked the punt and Skylar caught it at the two. Then we made the two offsides and we couldn't get into the end zone. So we had some situations where we just didn't execute. But hey, we're still playing and that's a great thing. But it was a crazy game. And what a great finish when Skylar came in and did a great job blocking that kick at the end. It was a great overall effort. Kevin had a good game. Frankie Alvarez had a good game. I thought our offensive line all in all did a pretty nice job. It's kind of funny because especially on offense the week leading up to the game, we didn't have as good of a week as I wanted practice-wise. I think after the Boerne game they now see that it's for real. It’s like I told them yesterday; before the playoffs, half of the state has already put up their pads and then now half of the teams that are left have already put theirs up. At this point in the season you're not going to run into any bad teams. So if you don't want to practice hard, then you will also be putting away your pads as well. And this week we've had two good days of work. Dub hasn’t said much about it, but against Canyon he got his elbow hit pretty hard, and since then you can see that sometimes he's throwing the ball well and sometimes it takes off on him. It’s just been hard to rotate his arm. But he's through with that now and he's had two good days of throwing the ball this week. I'm proud of Dub. He's had a great year. And we're going to win with Dub. And I’m glad we’ve got a guy with experience. Yancys injury - boy I hated to see it. But what a great kid. What an outstanding kid. I'm so proud of where he has come since his freshman year to where he is this season. I’m so proud of him. There wasn't anything illegal about the tackle. The guys spun him around and kind of grabbed him by the neck, which some people say is a horse collar. But it wasn't that. He just got his foot caught funny when he got pulled around.

Mule Fan: What happened with the referees and the clock at the end of the Boerne game?

Coach Byrd: Well I got a page email from the timer up in the pressbox and he said a couple of times the box stuck and that they had some problems getting the clock to start. But I told the official that hey, that’s not our problem. And then that last call that the ref made I have never seen called before. The official said that after we downed the ball that our guys were getting up slow. Usually the official will momentarily stop the clock and wait for everyone to get up off the ground and then he will start the clock again. But the referee called an official timeout and wouldn’t start the clock again. That could have been a game changer. I kind of think personally that he was mad and he thought that the next play was third down. And so he called the timeout to show us he was boss and then when he realized it was 4^th down, not third down, he looked pretty nervous out there. I have never seen that call before and I wasn’t happy about it. And I have since talked to other coaches and none have seen the official stop the clock and not restart it because of players getting up slow. But we got the roughing the kicker call on the next play, which I thought was his other bad call, because our kicker took a couple of extra steps which would have established him as a runner vs. a kicker. I think it was a makeup call. So we came out even (laugh).

Mule Fan: Do the guys seem confident this week?

Coach Byrd: I think so I really do. I think they see now that they could have done a lot better against Boerne if they had had better practices. And this week we've had two great days of practices. I think they got a good enough scare that they're going to practice harder, take the little things more seriously, play with more intensity realizing that their is no more safety net. If you get called for penalties and you give up some passes and give up some third and fourth downs and you don't punt the ball well, then they’re going to be putting their equipment up. But if they do those things right then they can continue to keep playing. I think the close game was good, I really do. I'm glad they got scared a little bit. I wouldn't say that they are scared, but I think they are now thinking that I’ve got to start taking care of all the details and I better realize all the little things. I’ve noticed this week that if they drop a ball in practice, they are a little harder on themselves. They are getting on the scout team to give them a better picture. You hear people say that when you get to the playoffs you got to take it to a higher level. You, the parents and fans see it on Friday night, but I see it on Monday and Tuesday's practices. I saw it this week. I saw a sense of urgency but with confidence. The kids have embraced Dub well, knowing that he's the guy and were going to win with him. And Dub has worked his rear off and he's a good quarterback. People have to make plays now. You can't go along playing steady football and continue to win games. Somebody has got to step up and make an interception or cause a fumble or block a kick. These games from here on out will probably be left up to four or five plays. You don't when those plays are going to occur and you don't know who's going to be in position to make them. So you gotta play with the mindset that some opportunity going to be in front of me and I need to take advantage of it. And the the boys are seeing that now. They are doing everything they can to play their best game on Friday.

Mule Fan: Tell us about this week’s opponent – Dripping Springs.

Coach Byrd: Dripping Springs is not very big but they're very quick. By contrast, Boerne Champion’s line was huge. I've learned over the years that you can’t really worry about the other team’s size. There is nothing we can do about it so you don't dwell on it. You just tell your guys that they have to play with more intensity and be quicker than them. Dripping Springs is a well-coached team. They play with a lot of intensity. They have a receiver, #3, that makes plays every game. He ran back a kick against Lake Travis. I saw him play against Cedar Park and he made some huge plays against them. He's a complete ball player. Their quarterback gets it done. He's not like the Boerne kid and he’s not going to make huge plays to beat you. But he’s going to get the ball in the right guys hands. Their offensive line blocks well, but they’re not real big and they’re not real physical. They’re not going to blow us off the line. Their defense is very quick. I mean they're very quick. Their two defensive ends, #43 and 30, are very athletic. They make a lot of plays. #25 in their defensive secondary, he's a safety, he's had seven interceptions. Their defense already has 19 interceptions in11 games. They are very athletic. They can really go up for the ball. We’ve got to make sure we don't throw the ball up for grabs, because these guys can come down with it. Their kicking game looks very adequate. They are probably not going to beat themselves; Alamo Heights is going to have to come out and execute better than they do. We can’t have turnovers and we’ve got to have guys that step up and make a play when the opportunity is there.

Mule Fan: How did we end up playing this week at Vandegrift Stadium, which is even north of Dripping Springs?

Coach Byrd: I didn’t want to play in Dripping Springs. We played Killen there a few years ago and you have to go through a parking lot to get to their dressing room facilities. And we were the home team and the facilities weren’t very good, so I can imagine what the visitor’s locker room is like. So we started looking for sites and I was pulling for Ferris Stadium here. I would have loved to play there. There is nothing good south of Austin. There are a couple of the inner city fields. They’re nice but their turf has some sand in the base of it and it’s harder than most fields and I didn’t want play on that. So the Dripping Springs coach offered Vandegrift. It’s a brand new stadium and it’s only 12 miles farther than Dripping Springs. So I agreed to Vandegrift and he agreed to Ferris and I lost the flip so were on the road again. The boys were bummed that we weren’t getting to play closer to home, but I said hey, you get to play in cool stadium and you get out of class earlier! So now they are all excited about that! So I’m back to being the hero I think on that one! It’s nice to play in nice stadiums.

Mule Fan: Thanks so much Coach and have a great game on Friday Night! Go beat Dripping Springs!

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. Dripping Springs Tigers

Round 2 - Area Championships, Division II - 4A State Playoffs

Friday, November 18th - 7:30 PM

Vandegrift Stadium, Northwest Austin

Click here for map of stadium

Woa! Hold the phone! Don't make plans to leave town just yet for the Thanksgiving holidays. Our Mules are playing this Friday night at Vandegrift Stadium in northwest Austin against the Tigers of Dripping Springs in the Division II - 4A Area Championships! After an exciting win last week against Boerne Champion the Mules have had a great week of practice and are ready to tame the Tigers to keep advancing in the state playoffs. Dripping Springs comes from District 25-4A which includes the powerhouse teams of Lake Travis and Cedar Park. Vista Ridge, who the Mules played in Round Two of the playoffs last year is also from District 25-4A. So the Tigers are used to playing tough football, just like our Mules. They also have a matching season record of 8-3 (4-2 in district with their two losses coming from Lake Travis and Cedar Park). Last Friday, Dripping Springs beat Austin Lanier 48-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Offensive players to watch are #17, QB Kyle Johnson who leads the team in total yardage and receivers #7, Lane Kelley, and #3, Joey Herrick, a big-play receiver who is averaging 26 yards per reception. The Tigers also rely on running backs Derek McLemore #45 and Omar Pereyra #22, who have rushed for 542 yards and 521 yards respectively.

Dripping Springs runs a spread offense and they like to run a balanced attack of both running and passing. To date they have rushed for 1,571 yards and passed for 1,678 yards. That compares with 1,637 yards rushing and 2,093 yards passing for the Mules. Defensively, the Tigers are a very quick team that gets to the ball in a hurry. They have two very talented defensive ends and a strong secondary that has a nose for picking off passes.

It's Round 2 and every team at this point deserves to be in the playoffs. Fan support is a key and we encourage you to make the roadtrip to Austin to cheer on our Mules. We had a great turnout last week against Boerne Champion and we are looking for even greater fan support this week. We will see you there!

Go Mules! - Beat Dripping Springs!

Announcement:

Last week no one seemed to take my retirement announcement seriously as, so far, the Mule Fan has not received any suggestions for replacement volunteers. So if you Dads think that ignoring me will force me into staying on another year, that would be incorrect! This Mule Fan needs to hang up his cleats and hand the ball to someone with new and improved bull. So come on Dads - let us hear your voice! What a great opportunity to serve your school and become a rock star in your community. If you can't volunteer yourself, then at least secretly volunteer your friends! Send all suggestions to the Mule Fan at jeff@baileycommercial.com

Go Mules!

2011-11-10T10:25:00.010-06:00

Looking Back:

AH Mules vs. Samuel Clemens:

Mules Beat Up on Buffaloes 34-17

The regular season is over and the Mules are 27-4A co-district champs! In case you missed the news, Buda Hays beat Smithson Valley in overtime last Friday to rob the Rangers of the district title, putting the Mules in a three-way tie for first place with Buda Hays and Smithson Valley. The Mules now advance to the state playoffs after last Friday’s convincing 34-17 win over the Buffaloes of Samuel Clemens. The Mules finished the regular season at 7-3 and 5-1 in district 27-4A. Of the three Mules losses this year, two were to 5-A schools. Heights fell short against O’Connor in the season opener in double overtime and then the loss to Reagan was a 4^th quarter heartbreaker. Then there was the loss to Smithson Valley, who happened to play their best game of the season against the Mules. But all of that is behind us now and after finishing-off district play against Samuel Clemens, the Mules can look forward to post season play.

After a two-week break, the Mules had some trouble shaking off the cobwebs as both the offense and defense looked a little rusty in the 1^st quarter. When the teams switched ends of the field for the start of the 2^nd quarter, the Mules surprisingly found themselves down 7-0. But the Mules woke up in the 2^nd quarter with the return of quarterback Wes Yancy, who was back after only a 3-week delay due to knee surgery. Yancy came in to start the 2^nd quarter and proceeded to put together two impressive drives for touchdowns. The first Mules score came after a 28 yard run by Andy Brooks down to the Clemens 3-yard line. On the next play Yancy would run it in from three yards out to close the scoring gap to 7-6 Clemens. On Yancy’s next series, he moved the Mules downfield with a series of passes to John Durbin, John Geibel, Truman Biggs and finally an 11 yard TD strike to Garrett Iverson. After the two-point conversion was good, the Mules led 14-7. But that would not be all the scoring for the Mules in the 2^nd quarter. With time running low and with nowhere to run, Andy Brooks somehow found a sliver of daylight and ran 55 yards for the 3rd Mules touchdown of the 2^nd quarter. The Buffaloes were able to get a field goal to end the first half with the score 20-10, Mules.

The Mules would send the Buffaloes a message as the 2^nd half began. On the opening play of the 2^nd half, Andy Brooks caught a short pass from Yancy, and after shaking off two tacklers, sprinted 82 yards to score - giving the Mules a quick 27-14 lead. The Mules final score would come in the 4^th quarter on yet another Yancy pass, as he hit Truman Biggs on a fade route in the corner of the endzone to win the game 34-17.

Heights ended the game with 497 total yards. Yancy had a big game on his return from knee surgery to go 11 of 13 for 204 yards with 3 passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Yarborough also had a good night at QB with 93 yards rushing. But the big highlight of the evening was the running of Andy Brooks. Andy wowed the Mules crowd with 186 total yards on 104 yards rushing and 82 yards receiving. Defensively, the Mules had a great game holding the Buffaloes to only 69 yards passing and 352 total yards. The majority of the Buffalo offense came from Clemens running back Anthony Matthews, who ran for 168 yards on 22 carries. Now it’s on to the playoffs where the Mules take on the Boerne Champion Chargers in round one of the 4-A Division II state playoffs! This is how we roll!

JV Beats Buffs 21-6

The defense wasted no time in setting the tone against the Clemens Buffaloes. On the first play of the game Juan Alvarez's big hit told the Buffaloes they were in for a long day. It was three and out for the Buffs when Tommy Tyng broke up a pass on third down. Robert Weigel had a great effort on the punt return breaking 4 tackles along the way.

The Mules offense had trouble getting going in the first half but the defense kept them in the game until the offense got rolling. A big hit by Robert Durbin forced another three and out by the Buffs. The punt was blocked and a beautiful scoop and score by Adam Luna gave the Mules the lead.

The Buffs drove the length of the field on the next drive, but the Mules forced a fumble on their own 6-yard line. Another three and out by the Mules and the Buffs were on the move. Deep in Mules territory, Robert Durbin made a touchdown saving tackle and then broke up a pass on fourth down. The Buffs did score on their next drive, but Tommy Tyng broke up two-point conversion.

In the second half the offense started clicking. Uhl to Dubrof for 30 yards, Uhl to Weigel on a very nice back shoulder pass to the two, and Uhl to Lalinde for a touch down. 14-6 Mules.

The defense continued to dominate and forced a fumble at the Buffs 21 yard line. Two plays later it was Wasson up the gut for a two-yard TD plunge. The defense held the Buffs scoreless in the 2nd half and finished the game off with a Josh Arnold interception.

Looking Ahead:

State Playoffs – Round One Bi-District

AH Mules vs. Boerne Champion Chargers

Friday, Eleven, Eleven, Eleven – 7:30 PM

New Braunfels High Stadium – 2593 Texas Loop 37 (Ruekel Road)

Click Here for Map to New Braunfels Stadium

Click Here for the 4-a Division II Playoff Bracket

OK Mules Fans, it’s playoffs time! This is what your Mules have worked for all season. From this point on, it’s Win or Go Home! Each week you get one shot. There are no do-overs!

This Friday the Mules face the Division II runner-up from District 28-4A, Boerne Champion Chargers. The Chargers came into last week’s final game of the season with a 4-5 record and needed a win over Uvalde to make the playoffs. And the Chargers earned their spot in the post season by soundly defeating Uvalde 56-14. Don’t let Boerne Champion’s record fool you. Although the Chargers ended the regular season with a 5-5 overall record and 3-3 in district play, their season was crippled early when starting quarterback Kyle Poeske broke his arm in their third game. Poeske, who is a dual threat as both a passer and a runner, returned to the starting lineup last week against Uvalde and passed for 2 touchdowns. Another Charger threat is running back David Rogers who has rushed for 1,389 yards and 24 touchdowns so far this season. Last week against Uvalde, Rogers rushed for 201 yards on 13 carries and 4 TDs. Much of Rogers’ running success can be attributed to a big Charger offensive line that averages over 250 pounds. The Chargers have scored over 50 points in 3 different games this season so this is not a team to take lightly and the Mules defense will have to be on top of their game this Friday.

Mules Fans; we will need big fan support this Friday so make the drive out to New Braunfels High School for round-one of the playoffs. Don’t be square – be there!

Go Mules! Beat Boerne Champion!

Announcements:

The Mule Fan is looking for replacements! Yes, it's time for me to throw in the towel, which I'm sure will be a relief to you Mules Fans that are looking forward to a refreshing change of pace. I've been at this gig for two years now and it's time for some fresh meat to step up and take the reins. Don't get me wrong, writing the Mule Fan Blog has been a fantastic experience, and the pay and perks are awesome. Who doesn't love the power of getting a complimentary sausage wrap when you flash your blogger badge at the concession stand? But, it's time for the younger generation to take over. Nominations will be accepted and tryouts will be held for all Dads with current sophomore and junior sons. Is there training? Yes! Do you have to do it my way? No! The blogging world is your oyster, whatever that means. Here's your chance to publicly gush over your son's football accomplishments and make him into the star you've always wanted him to be! Should the nomination process fail to bring forth the type of literary talent that this job requires (cursive is a plus) then we run the risk of a Mom trying to elbow her way in. That would be fine if you want to read about how cute the boys look in their uniforms or how unfair it was because "that boy was mean to my son!", or who had what purse and shoes in the stands during last week's game. (It's a joke Moms, it's a joke!) Please forward all nominations to the selection committee at jeff@baileycommercial.com. The Mule Fan must survive!

2011-10-18T15:15:00.031-05:00

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!

2011-10-13T17:51:00.017-05:00

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!

2011-10-06T18:17:00.021-05:00

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!

2011-09-28T21:42:00.040-05:00

Looking Back:

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 1^st down back at the 28-yard line. After some good defensive stops by the Lions, the gutsy Mules converted a 4^th 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 2^nd quarter and the Mules headed to the locker room, relinquishing the field to the “Friday Night Heights” Homecoming Royalty.

The Mules opened the 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 4^th quarter would be all Mules as the defense kept the Lions caged the entire period. Skylar Nelson picked off a Lion pass on 4^th 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

		Won	Lost
1	Alamo Heights Mules	1	0
2	Smithson Valley Rangers	1	0
3	Buda Hays Rebels	1	0
6	Clemens Buffaloes (Bye)	0	0
4	NB Canyon Cougars	0	1
5	Lockhart Lions	0	1
7	Kyle Lehman Lobos	0	1

Friday's District Results
	Alamo Heights 34, Lockhart 6
	Smithson Valley 30, NB Canyon 3
	Buda Hays 28, Kyle Lehman 27

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!!

JV Squeaks Out Win 26-22

The JV team traveled to Lockhart to take on the Lions in the alleged BBQ capital of Texas. From the first half performance it looked like the boys were thinking about pork ribs but not the pig skin. The Lions opened the game with a relatively easy touchdown drive to take he lead 6-0. Tommy Tyng had a crushing hit to prevent the two point conversion.

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

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. Buda Hays Rebels

Bob Shelton Stadium – Buda, TX 7:30 PM

map link to stadium

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 2^nd 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

As most Mules Fans know, this past Friday was Homecoming and by now all have seen and heard about the wonderful gesture our Alamo Heights student body did by electing Drew Boynton as Homecoming King. It was a tremendous display of love and affection by our high school students and by our community. There couldn't have been a better King and no one would have appreciated the honor more than Drew. The Mule Fan is so proud to be a part of Alamo Heights! Congratulations Drew! YOU DID IT! You touched all of our hearts with your joy, and you reminded us that "Three things will last forever - Faith, Hope, and Love - and the greatest of these is Love" 1 Cor. 13:13

Announcements:

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 15^th, 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 15^th and 16^th! On Saturday the 15^th, the varsity football team will be hosting their annual car wash to raise support for the team. Then on Saturday, the 16^th, 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.

2011-09-22T14:57:00.036-05:00

Looking Back:

AH Mules vs. Reagan Rattlers

“What Just Happened”

After trailing the Mules for most of the game, the Reagan Rattlers had just driven downfield and scored the go-ahead touchdown on an acrobatic catch in the corner of the endzone to take the lead 21-17. With 5:19 left on the clock, the Mules, under quarterback Dub Yarborough, started their drive downfield to take back the victory from Reagan. They would have to march 80 yards. A field goal wouldn’t be enough. After picking up three first downs, the Mules had a second down and eight on the Reagan 16 yard line with 2:00 left in the game – plenty of time to score and win the ballgame. It was the perfect time to throw the middle screen - a play that had worked all season long for big yardage. As the ball was snapped, wide receiver Robert Schuler took one step forward and cut hard to his left and ran down the line of scrimmage to receive the pass. Yarborough dropped back and the offensive line released to set up downfield blocks. But Reagan read the play, and their defensive end wiped-out Schuler before the ball reached him, instantly drawing a flag from the nearby line judge, signaling pass interference.

It turned out that Yarborough’s pass was also intercepted, but no one really even noticed, as all eyes were focused on the clear interference against Schuler. The Heights crowd roared as the penalty would move the ball down inside the 10-yard line with an automatic first down. But wait! There was a long pause as the officials conferred, and suddenly the referee picked up the yellow flag and waved it above his head to indicate that there was no penalty on the play. ARE YOU KIDDING? How can that be? What was the call? It was obviously pass interference! Schuler still lay on the ground dazed by the shot to the side of his helmet as the angry Mules crowd voiced their disbelief and clear disapproval of the referee’s call. As Schuler wobbled off the field with a minor concussion, the Reagan offense took the field to run down the clock and take home the win. The official call was that Schuler was behind the line of scrimmage when he was brought down, and therefore no interference. It was a heartbreaker for our Mules who fought so hard all night long and who came so close to victory and redemption of last year’s disappointing loss to Reagan.

It was a beautiful fall Friday night at our own Harry B. Orem stadium. The weather was cool –around 93 degrees. The Mules came to play ball. They had played tentatively during the first half of last year’s game against Reagan and found themselves down 20-0 at halftime. But this year was different. This year the Mules planned to stand up to the big 5-A bullies.

The Mules delivered the first punch as Robert Schuler returned the opening kickoff past midfield to start Wes Yancy’s drive toward the endzone. The big play of the drive came on a 3^rd and 5 as Yancy scrambled to his right and hoisted a pass up high to Truman Biggs who fought his way down to the 7-yard line for a 36 yard gain and a big first down. Three plays later Coby Bailey would score on a one-yard option play to give the Mules a quick 7-0 lead. Wow, we came to play! Reagan looked a little bewildered.

Now it was time for the Mules defense to show they came to play, and they promptly held the Rattlers to a quick three-and-out, forcing a punt. But the Mules fumbled the punt return and gave the ball right back to the Rattlers, bringing the Mules defense back onto the field. Reagan QB Trevor Knight, who showed why he is a D-1 commit to Oklahoma, completed one of his many crucial third down passes to pick up 22 yards and a 1^st down on the Mules 32 yard line. But three consecutive penalties would kill the Rattler drive and they again were forced to punt.

The punt travelled through the endzone and as the Mules offense trotted back out, QB Dub Yarborough surveyed the field from the Mules own 20-yardline. On the first play of the drive, Yarborough, rolling to his right, showed his arm strength by throwing the ball 55 yards in the air to a sprinting Garrett Iverson who jetted the final 30 yards into the endzone to give the Mules a 14-0 lead with 3:24 left in the 1^st quarter. Complete silence in the visitor stands. Reagan looked stunned by the two quick scoring blows from the Mules. This wasn’t like last year.

But Reagan wasn’t knocked out. On the second play of their next drive, Rattler running back Elijah Ball bounced twice off a couple of Mule defenders and scampered 46 yards to give Reagan their first score and narrow the Mules lead to 14-7. Ball would be trouble for the Mules all night as he bounced his way to over 200 yards rushing. The Mules took over and once again, Wes Yancy marched the Mules downfield on a 16 play drive that unfortunately stalled when the Mules couldn’t pick up the first down on a 4^th and 4 down on the Reagan 14-yard line. In hindsight it would have been a good opportunity for Mules kicker Zander Komet to try a field goal. Komet has been gaining confidence over the past couple of games and his kicking has shown great improvement. Reagan would eventually score again to even the score 14-14 before going into halftime, reminding the Mules that they are one of the city’s best 5-A programs.

After some halftime adjustments (which could be heard through the cinderblock walls in the Men’s Room), the Mules came out and quickly forced the Rattlers to punt from their own endzone. Iverson’s return down to the Rattler 28-yard line gave the Mules a short field and a great scoring opportunity. Coby Bailey took the ball down to the 10 yard line on a great run inside, but the drive stalled at the 3-yard line and the Mules settled for a field goal on a good kick from Zander Komet to push the Mules back on top 17-14 with 7:30 left in the 3^rd quarter. Both teams would trade series through the rest of the 3^rdquarter and half of the 4^th quarter before Reagan would score again on a perfectly thrown ball from Trevor Knight to give the Rattlers the lead 21-17 going into that final drive by the Mules.

Looking back over the game, our Mules have something to be proud of. They brought a confident attitude into this game and were determined to let Reagan know that they got off easy last year. It was a game that we could have won, barring a few mistakes. In particular were two tough penalties against the Mules in the second half, one for holding and one for a block in the back, that killed two promising drives that had real scoring potential. It was a solid performance that would lead us into district play. The Mules are now 2-2 against 5-A schools in pre-district play. They could easily be 4-0. This is a team with a lot of potential, and each week it’s exciting to see our Mules improve. It’s now on to district where it counts. Our boys are ready! Bring it on!

Chirps from the Byrd – Head Coach Byrd, that is:

Mule Fan: Well coach, our Mules have played well again this year against another round of 5-A teams. How do you pick who we play in pre-district?

Coach Byrd: Right now is when we start thinking about next year’s schedule.We have to go out and find teams to play. Every two years our districts could get realigned. I find that it’s hard to schedule pre-district games against rival 4-A schools. Let's say you are able to schedule a pre-district game with Kerrville Tivy. If the districts happen to get realigned and if Kerrville ends up in our district, then you don't have that pre-district game. It’s kind of tough because we have been in the San Antonio district; we’ve been up in the district with Kerrville and Uvalde, and now were in the district with Clemens up to Hays. So if you schedule a pre-district game with someone in those districts and then later wind up in the same district with one of those teams, then you lose a pre-district game. The 5-A schools are nice because we don't have that potential problem where we schedule a pre-district game before we’re locked into a district. But it's very hard to find 4-A schools our size that want to play Alamo Heights. Also, playing the bigger 5-As allows us to play bigger, faster competition and forces us to improve the way we play as a team before going into district.

Mule Fan: That was a heartbreaking loss to Reagan last Friday night.

Coach Byrd: I hate it for the boys because they played hard enough to win, just like we did against O’Connor. But to me, the ultimate picture is where you go back and you see where we were when we started against MacArthur and where we are now. And I think we are a lot better and we've overcome a lot of obstacles. We’ve had some kids hurt, but instead of making excuses, we came out to play. We could have won the O'Connor game but instead of sitting around pouting, we set our goals and moved on. So they're doing a lot of great things. That’s the key to it - it’s to see where we’re at right now and hopefully we've done everything we can to get ready for district. So I'm excited about it.

Mule Fan: Pre-district is now over and we start district against Lockhart on Friday night. What kind of game can we expect?

Coach Byrd: Lockhart has not been playing as well as they’re capable of. They’re scary because when they think they're outmatched, they gamble. During their last game, every kickoff was an onside kick. They went for two after every touchdown. (Laughing) So don't turn around to talk to somebody during this Friday’s game - you might miss something exciting! They will pull out all the stops. Lockhart has a brand new coach and he's getting a feel for the team. They run a condensed offense so they've got a couple of backs and a tight slot, and everybody's in tight. They do all kinds of cross actions, traps, off –tackle dives, sweeps, and reverses. They run these starbursts on kickoffs where the receiver takes the kickoff and runs into a huddle where they shoot out and you don't know who has the ball. Defensively they will jump into different formations and try different things. Last week they played Dripping Springs and they thought they were outmatched, so they blitzed all the time. But nobody can blitz more than Reagan did. They gave us every blitz known to man. The defensive coordinator at Reagan coached in college for many years, and to me, he's one of the top defensive coaches in the state. Reagan gave us a lot of different looks. Hopefully, we’ve now seen it all. We will react and do the things we need to do to play well. Homecoming is this week so I hope we don't get too distracted by it. The kids sure get fired up for their dress-ups during the week at school and that's great fun, but we've got a football game to play so I hope they stay focused on that.

Mule Fan: What are the some of the things you are looking for on this team as we head into district?

Coach Byrd: It’s pretty simple. We need to get a little more consistency on offense and take away some of those third down plays on defense. We need to work on being error free; not missing assignments and cutting out the penalties. We had two penalties last week that really hurt us. We also need to keep growing the kicking game. I was real pleased with the improvement in our kicking game this past week against Reagan.

Mule Fan: Who's in and who's out this week with injuries and illnesses?

Coach Byrd: We didn’t have Frankie Alvarez last week against Reagan, but he's back this week. Cole Bailey was out sick last week but he’s back. Andy Brooks got cleared today to play with a brace, and we will be working him back in slowly. We want to keep that knee strong. Dub’s walking around pretty sore. Molak has been sick this week and so has Biedenharn. Schuler got a concusion on that last play so he's out for this week. It's been such a revolving door at receiver. We started off against MacArthur and everybody's healthy and doing well, and then we loose Biggs, so we had to move Iverson to his spot for a couple of games. Biggs was back last game but Bailey was out. Now Schuler and Biedenharn are out so we move Iverson to their spot. It's been a revolving door. Moms and Dads, we need to make sure on weekends they get a lot of rest.

Mule Fan: I saw in the paper before the Reagan game that their coach said that he was telling his team “don't you take Alamo Heights for granted - they're a really good team!” I thought was a really good compliment on our program.

Coach Byrd: They do a good job over there. I hate playing them because their defensive coordinator is a good friend and we talk football all the time. But since we have played them for two years now, I haven't really been able to talk football with him. We have to talk about the weather and stuff like that! This year against Reagan we came to play. Last year we were worried about them being so stinking good and having district coming up. This year, we’ve got a good attitude on this team. We're starting to get that edge back that we lost a little bit over the last couple of years. Our attitude is that we don’t care who's on the other side - just put a football down and let's go play and we’ll see what the outcome is. These boys have a lot of fight in them!

Mule Fan: Thanks Coach! We’re fired up for Lockhart and for district play. This is when the fun starts. Good luck on Friday!

Get To Know Your Varsity Coaches!

Meet Coach Bobby Newton

Coaching responsibilities: Co-Defensive Coordinator, Cornerbacks

Hometown: Gonzales, Texas

High School: Gonzales High College: Tyler Junior College

What sports did you play in high school or college? Football, baseball, and track

How long coaching at Alamo Heights? Oh gosh – 25 years!

Family: Wife: Shannon; Children: Jake, Kyle, Derrek, Ray, and finally got a girl – Jenna!

Hobbies: I like to ride my motorcycle and my wave runner.

Favorite College Team: UTSA – Go Runners! Pro Team: I guess the Cowboys

Prior coaching jobs before Alamo Heights: I’ve always been at Alamo Heights!

What else do you teach here at AHHS? Geography

What are your pregame rituals or superstitions? I walk the field

Most embarrassing moment in your athletic career as a player? I was disqualified in a district track meet due to a false start.

What was your first car? 1974 Buick Regal

What is your favorite restaurant? Jacala Mexican Restaurant

Favorite cereal? Raisin Bran

What’s the best thing you cook? New York Strip!

Favorite movie of all time? The Shawshank Redemption

Name three people alive or dead, that you would like to hang out with: My father, David Robinson, and all the coaching staff here at AH (as if you guys don’t hang out enough already!)

What CD would your friends be surprised that you own? Tom Petty – I’m Country all the way.

If you were doing one song in an “air guitar” concert, which one would you tear ‘em up with? That ain’t my style!

What’s your best dance move? The two-step

If you could have a super-power, what would it be? To be able to breathe underwater. (they now have scuba gear for that!)

French Fries, Onion Rings or Tater Tots? Onion Rings!

What advice would you give to your players? Enjoy the playoffs. Back in my day, only one team from each district went to playoffs. We had a great team when I was in high school, but we came in second place and missed the playoffs.

JV Falls Short Against the Rattlers

The Mules traveled north of Loops 410 and 1604 to take on the Reagan Rattlers Thursday evening. The evening started with the Mules losing the coin toss, which was not a good sign of things to come. Physically, the Rattlers were much larger than our Mules, but hands down, our uniforms looked a lot better than their uniforms did!

The first half was primarily played between the 20’s, with the exception of a blocked punt by the Rattlers, which they converted into the only score of the evening.

The defense was led by Connor Gates, Josh Arnold, Jay Hargrove and Juan Alvarez, who made key tackles (several behind the line of scrimmage) forcing the Rattlers into long yardage situations. Hargrove forced and recovered a fumble for the Mules and Elijah Williams intercepted a pass in the 3^rd quarter to stop a key drive.

The Mules offense was challenged by a stiff Rattler defense the entire game. The Rattler defense was quick to shut down the Mules running lanes and kept the quarterbacks on the run much of the evening. QB’s Scott Uhl and Kalen Brockwell were able to connect with Robert Weigel and Christian Lalinde for several key receptions throughout the game.

The final score of the game was Rattlers 7, Mules 0.

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. Lockhart Lions

It’s Homecoming!

Friday, September 23^rd- 7:30 PM

Alamo Heights Harry B. Orem Stadium

District play begins this Friday night here at our own home field as the Mules square off against the Lions of Lockhart. District play -this is when it starts to count. This is what our Mules have prepared for. District 27-4A is shaping up to be one of the toughest districts in the state with Alamo Heights, Smithson Valley and New Braunfels Canyon all ranked in the state‘s top 25. And while 2-2 Lockhart is not highly ranked, they are predicted to be unpredictable! How’s that for saying that you can’t look back at Lockhart’s prior season records and judge how they will perform under new head coach Paul Kilby. Kilby comes to Lockhart from down the road in 3A Mathis where he gained notice by winning 18 games over the past two years and averaged over 46 points per game in 2010. Lockhart runs a Slot-T offensive formation that will rely on the running strength of backs Marcos Rodriguez and Levi Mair. Also keep an eye on running back Joseph Bell who was an all-district running back last year. Lockhart doesn’t throw the ball much so the Mules will need to contain their running game, which will include some razzle-dazzle with plenty of reverses and misdirection. It’s also Homecoming here in the Bubble, so the Mules will need to put those distractions aside and focus on Lion Hunting. It’s going to be an exciting game and should provide lots of football entertainment in addition to the homecoming festivities. The Mule Fan will see you there! Go Mules!

Spirit Spotlight:

The Posse!

This week the Mule Fan would like to spotlight one of the integral organizations that support the Mules – The Posse. These are the guys that will punish their bodies to stir up school spirit and are always a crowd pleaser. What other group could run with the big flags that spell M-U-L-E-S and keep the letters in the right order? It’s a highly guarded secret as to what qualifications are required to become a member of the Posse and how they are chosen. But the Mule Fan has obtained a secret video of their tryouts, conducted at a secret off-campus location by the JROTC. This video shows that selecting these finely tuned “actorbats” is no small feat!

And here they are! Your 2011 Posse!

Collin Garwood, Taylor Monroe, Drew Gaiennie, and Jacob Gutierrez!

Announcements:

Pre-Game Get-Together:

La Fonda at Sunset Ridge is the place to be before and after all Mules home games. It's a great place to hang out with friends and get your cheese on before every Mules game. Then head up the street to enjoy Friday Night Football AH style! Also, don't forget to stop by La Fonda after the game as well. Rick Shaw plans to keep the kitchen open until 11:00 so come by and have a drink and reload the belly. See ya there! Go Mules!

Calling All Mules Fans:

Come support the Varsity Football team by eating at Josephine Street Café. 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!

Mules Photos by Mary Candee:

Many thanks 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:

Write to the Mule Fan:

Mules on the Radio:

Don’t forget that if you make the lame choice to go dove hunting instead of the football game, you can still catch all of the Mules football action on KRPT 92.5 FM. This is a change from previous weeks. Dave Parker and Ed Suarez will be broadcasting all of the Mules games and the best part is – they are unapologetically big Mules Fans!

2011-09-14T16:56:00.021-05:00

Looking Back:

AH Mules vs. Southwest Dragons

“Showcasing Our Talent”

The 1-1 Mules went out west to face yet another 5-A team steeped in football history, Southwest High School. The Dragons Stadium is the former home of High School & College All American, Heisman Trophy winner & NFL quarterback, Ty Detmer. Last year the Mules squeaked by the Dragons in overtime to win 35-28.

After a jumbo lunch stuffing at the Nelson’s home, the Mule’s received a nice sendoff to sleigh the Dragons. Immediately off the heels of a great victory over the 5-A Clark Cougars the boys may have been peeking around the corner at Reagan sensing the Dragons would be easily tamed and sent to the barn. But Southwest gave the Mules a quick jolt by taking the opening kickoff, and after a handoff reverse, returned the ball to mid-field. But Dragon euphoria wouldn’t last long as Mules linebacker Nick Uretsky showed his Russian strength when he slung the SW quarterback to the ground for a ten yard loss on the first play of the game. The Dragons would only be able to move the ball another 20 yards before attempting a 48-yard field goal that fell short, giving the Mules the ball at their own 31-yard line.

On the Mules first offensive play, QB Dub Yarborough proved that it would take more than one Dragon to bring him down as he chugged 35 yards downfield to give the Mules a short field going in. A few plays later, the Mules drew first blood as Yarborough made the cousin-to-cousin connection with a strike to his cousin Cole Bailey for a seven yard TD that gave the Mules the lead 7-0. Afterward, Luke Donnelly kicked-off to Southwest, who tried the ole reverse handoff again, but the Mules wouldn’t fall for it and Blake Klumpp and Alex Cisneros snuffed the return down on the SW 12-yard line. The Mules defense would adjust to the tight formation running game of the Dragons and deny SW a first down, forcing a punt. Props to linebacker Skylar Nelson, who made a tackle with his back, reaching around behind himself and holding onto the SW runner as he forced him to the ground. Now that’s effort!

That would end the first quarter and the Mules would take over on the Dragon 49-yard line. After a great run by Coby Bailey down the right side netted 25 yards, Mules QB Wes Yancy found Christian Biedenharn open across the middle, and Biedenharn scampered the remaining 18 yards into the endzone for another Mules touchdown. The extra point was good and the Mules had a 14-point lead. After the ensuing kickoff, the Dragons would take over on their own 24-yard line. Once again the defensive line would do its job with big stuffs inside from Danny Garza and Alex Johnston. Unfortunately a late hit call on the Mules would give the Dragons a first down and improved field position at the Mules 42-yard line. Two plays later, just as he is hammered by Blake Klumpp, the SW quarterback was somehow able to get the pass off, where it was caught for a long Dragon reception down to the 2-yard line. After two defensive holds by the Mules, SW finally found a hole and scored to make it 14-6 with 7:00 left in the 2^nd quarter.

Later in the 2^nd quarter, the “O Line” continued to dominate the Dragons and the Mules would again drive the ball downfield behind the running of Coby Bailey and Wes Yancy. Coby Bailey would pick up the first of his three touchdowns of the evening on a 4 yard blast up the middle to extend the Mules lead to 21-6. Coby would eventually rack up 150 total yards rushing on 20 carries. With only 1:42 left in the half, the Mules weren’t finished scoring and on the ensuing kickoff, SW bobbled the reception where it was recovered by Cisneros, who again gave the Mules a short field at the SW 25-yard line. Wasting no time, Dub Yarbororough would find Cole Bailey open again from 30 yards out, but Bailey was denied a score at the one-foot line. But the Bailey name would succeed, as Coby walked into the endzone on the next play. With a 27-6 lead the Mule’s went in for half time to yield the field to the Alamo Heights Band and Spurs who did a fine job performing and entertaining the fans.

The Mules would pick up where they left off in the 2^nd half as Christian Biedenharn gave the Mules great field position by returning the opening kickoff out to the 44-yard line. Three plays later, the offense noticed a spread in the Dragon’s defensive formation, which opened up a draw play to Coby Bailey who, behind a great block from John Geibel, found lots of lots of open real estate and ran 54 yards untouched for his 3^rd touchdown of the night. The extra point was good and the Mules now led 34-6 with 10:30 left in the 3^rd quarter. This kind of scoring comes in large part by an excellent job by our very talented offensive line. The Fab Five would dominate the Dragons all night long. Whether it was shoving the Dragons ten yards back on running plays, or getting downfield for screen pass blocks, Jake Molak, Daniel McCarty, Sam Peacock, Sam Noe, and Carl Stephens are the brawn behind the Mules offensive success.

As Southwest rubbed their eyes and tried to wake up from the bad dream, the reality was that the defensive line of the Mules would also dominate most of the night. Great performances by Frankie Alverez, Warren Monnich, Chase Stockton and Alex Johnston kept the Dragons searching for the big play. Southwest would eventually find a few of those big plays in the 3^rd quarter. On the same play on consecutive possessions, Southwest runner Erin Mack scored twice on big runs of 35 and 65 yards. Out of Southwest’s 215 total yards rushing, Mack accounted for 202 yards on 33 carries. The scoring by the Dragons and some encouraging words from Coach Moody (and I don’t think he was talking about Science or Biology) woke up the Mule’s defense and they stopped the peeking towards next week’s game against Reagan.

The Mules would finish their scoring binge on a real crowd pleaser as QB Wes Yancy made another beautiful pass to Robert Schuler who broke free from his pursuers at the 10-yard line and was off to the races for a 90-yard touchdown that, along with a late interception by Kevin Kujawa, would seal the win for the Mules 41-21. The Mules two quarterback system seemed to work well. Yancy was 2 of 3 for 108 yards and two TDs while Yarborough went 4 of 11 for 54 yards and one TD. Yancy and Yarborough also added another 34 and 51 yards rushing respectively. This was a big win for the Mules and an opportunity to showcase the Mules talent as we prepare for our last pre-district game against Reagan this Friday night. The boys look ready and confident to get revenge over Reagan. Go Mules!

Chirps from the Byrd - Head Coach Byrd, That Is:

Mule Fan: Exciting win against Southwest on Friday night!

Coach Byrd: I'm excited about our last game. As we have known, the Southwest offense is a lot like New Braunfels Canyon so it was nice to get some reps against a condensed offense like Canyon, who will be a tough district opponent later in the season. Defensively, Southwest liked to spread people out and it was kind of hard to throw into it because they had a lot of guys out there. We were able to run the ball, especially on the outside. Our linemen did a great job of moving their feet and getting downfield and our receivers did a great job of blocking. Our tunnel screen worked very well - they were blitzing a lot of people and we caught them so we were able to make that screen work. We were also able to spread some of their defensive linemen out at times, allowing us to run the draw and get a big play there.

Mule Fan: What are the things you are looking to improve so far?

Coach Byrd: I think as a team we are getting better and better. Of course there are still some things we can work on to become a better football team. Were learning how to practice better and were learning how to carry that over into the game. I thought our effort against Southwest was very good. We did have some letdowns and we played a lot of players, and when those substitutes came in there wasn't quite the execution. We've got to tell them that they have got to be ready to play at any time. All and all I am pleased with where we are. There are still some things we need to clean up. We still have got to work on our kicking game. We're hoping that that will come together cause that's a huge part of your football game. We've got to make sure we are confident when we are kicking extra points, field goals, punts and kickoffs.

Mule Fan: I noticed that on kickoffs, some of the time we are kicking it deep and other times we are kicking it shorter? What’s your strategy on kickoffs?

Coach Byrd: Sometimes we were calling it and other times were not getting all the kick that we need to. It's important that we place the ball where we need to. We try to kick in the air and get it down by the numbers. We want the ball to hang in the air about four seconds so we can get down there and keep them from getting an opportunity to return against us. That probably matters more than how deep we kick it. Our kickers work hard, they do a good job in practice. They just have to carry that over to the game where you have the crowd and the game excitement.

Mule Fan: What is your assessment of our next opponent, Reagan?

Coach Byrd: We have our last non district game this week against Reagan. Reagan is a very talented football team. They started out with a loss against Wagner, who's a good team, and they have played better and better each week since then. On offense, their quarterback, Trevor Knight, is a good ball player. He's a big kid. He's going to Oklahoma. He can run and throw. His twin brother is one of their receivers. They have a good running back, but I think he got a little banged up last week so I’m not sure if he's going to be in much or not. Another big player is their tight end. They do some neat things with their tight end on some routes. So we’re going to have to be aware of those guys. On defense there’s not any real big stars, they just play very hard and they're very well coached. They’re just good high school football players and they're very aggressive. Formation-wise, they give you a million looks. Their defensive coordinator has spent the majority of his career as a college coach. So we are going to have to execute and take care of the football and do the things we need to do.

Mule Fan: After last years tough loss to Reagan, how have you prepared the team for this week’s game?

Coach Byrd: One thing that I am excited about is our team’s attitude. Last year I sure did hear a lot about how good Reagan is and let’s not get anybody hurt and let's get ready for district. We didn't play well last year and I think it was that kind of attitude that hurt us. After last year one of my goals was not let that attitude continue and so far it seems like it hasn’t. We will know more after Friday night, but it doesn't matter who we are playing, we bring our best ball game. We don't back down from anybody and I'm sensing that attitude this week in practice. Last year we were too busy sizing up who the opponent was. It doesn't matter who our opponent is. What matters is Alamo Heights and the attitude we bring in. That’s all that we have control of. So I’m excited about it and I hope we have a big crowd on Friday night.

Mule Fan: Thanks Coach! Great job against Southwest and good luck against Reagan.

Get To Know Your Varsity Coaches!

Meet Coach Craig Westmoreland

Name: Craig Westmoreland “WestMo”

Coaching responsibilities: Outside Linebackers

Hometown: San Antonio

High School: Robert E. Lee

What sports did you play in high school? Football

How long coaching at Alamo Heights: 2^nd Year. I also coach JV Baseball

Family: Wife Kristen; son Clint and daughter Kyleigh

Hobbies: Spending time with my family and watching NASCAR

Favorite College Team: Texas Longhorns Pro Team: New England Patriots

Prior coaching jobs before Alamo Heights: Marshall High School

What else do you teach here at AHHS? World History

What are your pregame rituals or superstitions? I throw the football around with my son to help me relax.

Most embarrassing moment in your athletic career as a player. On punt team, I was called offside when I leaned forward and lost my balance and fell on my face.

What was your first car? 1966 Mustang (sweet ride!)

What is your favorite restaurant? M. K. Davis

Favorite junk food? Gummy Bears

What CD would your friends be surprised that you own? Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass

Do you think Big Foot is for real? No way

If you could have a super-power, what would it be? To be able to fly

French Fries, Onion Rings or Tater Tots? Tater Tots

Mountain Hideaway or Beach House? Beach House

Summer or Winter Olympics? Winter

Who is your favorite…Mo, Larry, Curly, or Shemp? Curly all the way!

What advice would you give to your players? Enjoy every moment that you have now…it will be gone before you know it!

JV-A ties the Dragons 14-14

Once again, the JV-A Mules were in for another battle with a team that was much bigger. The offense got off to a bit of a rugged start with several 3-and-outs, but the defense played extremely well and kept us in the game until the offense found it's groove. Charles Kaufman and Jay Hargrove had key stops. Hargrove stripped the ball away to hold the Dragons on 4th and short. On the next drive, Connor Gates penetrated for a stop in the backfield forcing the Dragons to punt. On the Mules next possession, we were held to another 3-and-out. The Mules had a fumble on the punt attempt that set up the Dragons first touch down.

On the kick off, Robert Weigel had a great return to the 45, but the offense was unable to move the ball. Jay Hargrove had a beautiful punt and a punishing hit by Robert Durbin pinned the Dragons at their own 11- yard line. Hargrove also contributed big-time on defense with an interception he returned to the 16-yard line. The Dragons defense held the Mules and we turned the ball back over on downs. The defense continued to hold strong with stops by Gates and Durbin. On the ensuing punt by the Dragons, the Dragon punter fielded the snap with his knee on the ground and the Mules took over at the Dragon 7. Justin Latimer took a pitch from Scott Uhl to the right and found the end zone. With the point after, the Mules went to half time tied 7-7.

In the 2^nd half, the Dragons busted a long run to take a 14-7 lead. Hard running by Latimer resulted in a long, time consuming drive that ate up a lot of the 3rd and 4th quarter. Unfortunately the Mules lost the ball on a fumble. The defense came through again with a stop on 4th and 1 at midfield. Adrian Ortega broke off a 30 yard run and Scott Uhl followed that up with a 2-yard scramble for a touch down.

That was the way this one ended with a 14-14 tie.

JV-B

The JV-B boys returned to friendly confines Thursday night to take on the Dragons of Southwest High. The JV-B game was a defensive struggle from the start. The first quarter was punctuated by a series of huge hits by Jacob Clifone. After a scoreless first quarter, the Dragons got on the board and led 7-0. Wes Sparr shifted field position with a towering punt and a punishing hit by Wes Brown. Unfortunately the Dragons scored again and led 13-0. The Mules fought back and Barrett Hardy scored on a pitch from Armando Tamez. Hardy scampered 41 yards that was opened up by a great seal block from Daniel Mays. The PAT was good from Sparr and the score was 13-7. A sack by Joshua Castillo and two passes broken up by Daniel Mays thwarted the Dragons final drive of the half and kept the score 13-7. The Dragons did the rest of the scoring in this game and ended up winning the game 26-7.

Looking Ahead:

AH Mules vs. Reagan Rattlers

Friday, September 17^th, 7:30 PM

Alamo Heights Harry B. Orem Stadium

The 2-1 Mules will take on the 2-1 Rattlers of Reagan this Friday night in a rematch of last year’s pre-district showdown. Last year the Mules came into their match with Reagan undefeated, but nevertheless worried about the size and speed of the 5-A Rattlers. That lack of confidence showed itself in the first half as the Mules found themselves down 20-0. But it was a game that caused our Mules to examine themselves and dig deep and they came out the 2^nd half with something to prove. Alamo Heights was clearly the aggressor in the second half but it wasn’t enough to take a win back to our home community.

This years Mules have a different attitude and they know that we have a solid chance to beat the Rattlers. The Reagan defense gave up 601 yards against underdog Wagner in the Rattlers first game if the year. Wagner went on to win that game 37-31. Reagan regained some defense the next week and beat O’Connor by 23 points, but hey, the Mules should have beaten O’Connor by an equal spread. Last week Reagan managed to beat Pflugerville 28-10.

But the Mules are guaranteed a dogfight and the Rattlers will have a lot of dogs in the pen. Quarterback Trevor Knight, who has started since he was a sophomore, has passed for 470 yards and 5 TDs and has rushed for an additional 2 TDs with 154 yards on 37 carries. Knight’s favorite targets are Austin Hays, Drew Kerstetter, and Knight’s twin brother Connor Knight. The Mules defensive line will need to contain Reagan running back Elijah Ball who has racked up 351 yards rushing over the past 3 games.

The Mules know they can pull off an upset this Friday night at home. But it will take an error free effort and our Mules will have to work together as a team and believe in one another. They will have to dig deep and fight, but it’s a fight our boys are looking for, and they plan to give it Reagan on Friday night. See you there! Go Mules!

Announcements:

Pre-Game Get-Together:

La Fonda at Sunset Ridge is the place to be before and after all Mules home games. Come join your fellow Mules fans at La Fonda before and after all Mules games. It's a great place to hang out with friends and get your cheese on before every Mules game. Then head up the street to enjoy Friday Night Football AH style! Also, don't forget to stop by La Fonda after the game as well. Rick Shaw plans to keep the kitchen open until 11:00 so come by and have a drink and reload the belly. See ya there! Go Mules!

Calling All Mules Fans:

Mules Photos by Mary Candee:

Mules Game DVDs – Murfman Productions:

Write to the Mule Fan:

Mules on the Radio: