MULE FAN UPDATE 17 SEPTEMBER 2008

LOOKING BACK:

JUST L-IKE we L-IKE it……MULES 52, LAREDO UNITED LONGHORNS 30

The winds in southeast Texas and the storm surge at the coast caused by Hurricane Ike weren’t the only intensity of the week. Around here, the intensity started last Monday morning and didn’t stop until what seemed to be the longest game in high school football history ended around 10:30 Thursday night. Monday morning, your Mules and their coaches hit the locker room around 7:00 to begin an intense film session. The day continued with a tough practice and more film with the team breaking up after 7:00 p.m. Monday night. On Tuesday, the intensity in ’09 continued with more early film (thank goodness someone brought the boys and the coaches breakfast….thanks!) and another tough practice. The HEB parking lot was jammed with Mules moms who were intensely stocking the house with water, flashlights, and other vital items to survive IKE. The intensity continued Wednesday when the boys found out that one Longhorns game (UT vs. Arkansas) was postponed for two weeks while the other Longhorns game (Laredo vs. AH) was pushed up to Thursday—the third straight Thursday night outing. [By the way, hats off to everyone involved in changing a game on one day’s notice, especially you Patty!] That day as well, some Mule dads reportedly streamed down IH 37 to Rockport and Port A. to quickly and frantically pick up boats and jet skis and to board up houses (it is alleged that Brent Marshall was not so frantic and actually took his fishing pole and some bait with him, but sometimes Hollye exaggerates). The intensity on game day continued, though Dana Warren’s fall at the varsity luncheon did lighten things up. And then they took to the field….

It was Senior Night for the parents of the football team and all other organizations related to the team. After Mary Candee’s photos it was game time in 09. Heights took the kickoff but the Longhorns took the ball away on the kickoff return. Laredo United converted a 4th and 6 before Senior Roger Rueweler took it in from the 2 for a 7-0 Laredo lead with 37 seconds gone in the game. The Mules countered with a lengthy sustained drive including nice catches by John Cabell and a 3rd and 3 conversion on a pass to Andrew Richter. In the stands, Charlie Wernette (a high school and college official) informed The Mule Fan that Laredo was playing a 3 on 3 defense--as if that means anything to most of us. On a scramble from the 4 , Drew Allen provided the scare of the night as the Senior QB dove towards the goal line, was stopped short and was knocked out. After several moments, Allen walked to the sidelines, the drive stalled at the 1 and the Andrew Bailey field goal made the score 7-3. Allen would not return for a few series. After a controversial(according to Wernette-see above) safety, the Mules punted and on the next Longhorns possession, Terry Anderson picked off a pass at the 40 to end the quarter.

Starting with the second quarter, the Mules look more comfortable on their home field. Ryan Murphy recovered a fumble on the 22 and a 20 yard strike to Cabell gave the Mules the lead(10-9) that they wouldn’t give up for the night with 8:08 left in the second. On the ensuing kickoff, Rich Garza and Stewart Korte made a terrific tackle on the returner. Here is as good a place as any to say---GREAT JOB KICKOFF COVERAGE TEAM. All night long, the Mules kicked and all night long, the coverage team performed. Keeping the Longhorns on their end of the field was huge and it happened time and time again after Mules scores. More offense for the Mules—a nice catch by Nicky Helm with a great block by Victor Givens and a great catch by Kyle Flores put the Mules up 17-9. Another Laredo United muffed punt and a recovery by Terry Andersen gave the ball to the Mules at the Longhorn 29. The offensive line held up very well and Cullen Wernette’s pick up of a blitzing linebacker allowed time for Allen to find Cabell for a grab before Tyler Marshall found the end zone and a 24-7 Mules halftime lead. The crowd stretched, parents checked on their younger Mules (most of whom seemed to be loitering beneath the stands), the band played, the Spurs danced and then it was back to business.

Turning to defense for a moment, the defense played a terrific game. The statistics are misleading as most of the Longhorns offense came on a few really, really long plays. Most of the night, the Mules defense, led by the front line and backed by the linebackers and the backs contained the Longhorns offense putting them into many difficult situations. One of those Longhorn big plays, however, came on the first offensive play of the second half and with only 24 seconds gone in the second half, the sprint by Longhorn Rich Velasquez, and the 2 point conversion, made it a 24-15 game. The Mules came back and after another key pickup on 3rd and 10 caught by Richter, Tyler Marshall caught a 38 yard TD to put the Mules up 31-15. The kick team again kept the Longhorns pinned. Defensive stops by Tyler Keller and Ryan Murphy forced a 4th and 23 for the Longhorns. When the Mules got the ball back, after several key plays, a very patient Drew Allen threw a 10 yard pass to Kyle Flores for a 10 yard TD and a 38-15 lead.

Before the Mule fans could sit down after clapping to the Mule Fight Song (raise your hand if you actually know the words), the Longhorns struck for another of their long plays and with another two-pointer, it was 38-23. [Note: The Mule Fan just received the Mulepusher calendar which has the Fight Song on the back cover—more info on that in an upcoming blog posting.] The most controversial call of the game came when a forward swing pass---yes forward, thus a pass—was called a fumble giving the ball to the Longhorns. Not wanting to be critical of officiating, but what part of the play was that ref following? Obviously, not the pass. Laredo quickly scored and suddenly it was 38-30…can someone say Clark? Well fortunately, that game was a million years ago….the Mule Fan may be fired for even bringing that up. The Mules had had enough! Terry Andersen’s nice return of the kickoff to the 40 set the Mules up in good shape. Allen found Lovelady and then Kyle Flores on a beautiful catch. The quarter ended 38-30 but the Mules ball on the Longhorn 2.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Mules. Right off the bat, Sergio Acosta scored from the 2 through a hole opened up by, among others, Senior Ross Studer. After a 3 and out, the tide had turned (and so had IKE for that matter). Allen found Richter for a 48 yard catch and a 52-30 lead and final score. The game finally ended after 3 ½ hours, lengthened by 2 Laredo timeouts with exactly 7.1 and 3.7 seconds left. We’ll assume either the Laredo coach wanted to make sure all the stadium traffic was gone before the game ended or he simply wanted to work on his 2 minute drill.

ALLEN COLLECTS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Senior QB Drew Allen was named Offensive Player of the Week by the San Antonio Express News for his performance in the Mules victory over Laredo United (52-30). Allen completed 23 of 32 pass attempts for 367 yards and six touchdowns to four different receivers and no interceptions. Congratulations Drew!

LOOKING AHEAD:

CLEMENS BUFFALOES AND THE START OF DISTRICT PLAY

The Mules look to build on the home field momentum when they return to action against Clemens for homecoming on Friday, September 26, assuming the game is not changed to a Thursday night outing for some unforeseen reason. The Mules have the week off on Friday, September 19, allowing them time to heal and re-group before heading into the grueling 7 week district play.

The Mule Fan observed that Clemens looked neither good nor bad this past weekend. In fact, Clemens left no impression at all. That’s because the Buffaloes didn’t play.

Actually, this appears to be a very good match up to determine where the Mules are at this point in the season. Clemens was projected sixth in the district by Texas Football and seventh by the Express News but has steadily climbed in the City’s Sub 5A rankings to third---above Heights. Clemens is the smallest school in the district with 1350 students. Clemens returns 11 starters and Heights will key on RB Charles Ross, who at 6’ 0” and has 4.5 speed, was all-City and all-District as a Junior, averaging over 5 yards per carry. Ross has already committed to Rice University. On defense, the Buffaloes are led by linebacker Sean Porter who earned the same honors in 2007 and has committed to A&M. In its first game, Clemens beat Eagle Pass 27-0 behind Ross and junior Stanley Harris (3 carries, 115 yards). In its second game, Clemens beat Southwest 26-12 , led by QB Leal and RB Ross.

An update will follow next week, during Heights bye week, advising of Clemens upcoming September 19 game.

A Few Words with the Head Coach of the Mules – Don Byrd
September 16, 2008

The Mule Fan: The Mules cracked the win column last week by keeping the chains moving, rolling up 380 yards passing and getting some big plays. What is your view of the keys to the win over Laredo United?

Coach Byrd: We went back to the basics the week before the game. Our spacing with our receivers was not real good. Our protection at times was breaking down but not all of our protection. We went up against a couple of good teams. So we went back and got our spacing with our receivers. Then we got our linemen and we went back and worked on a lot of different blitzes that we knew we’d be seeing and that all came through. It gave Drew a little more time with people not at his feet. The receivers opened up the field and the receivers did a great job of catching the ball in traffic. So that helped us offensively. We’ve still got some work to do on the running game but there were some glimpses of it getting better. But it was a good Laredo United team and a big win and that’s what we needed to go out and do this week.

The Mule Fan: Aside from the two losses, are you where you wanted to be at this point in the season particularly in terms of knowing your team as we get ready to begin district?

Coach Byrd: The difference is that we’ve only played three games and usually we played five games before district so it’s going to hit us. We’re still in our growing pains where usually after five games you’re getting synced up and know what’s working and what’s not. So we’re not where we are normally when we hit district. But we’ve progressed each and every week. Usually about the third game you really settle in on what you’re doing and then you clean it up the fourth and fifth game. But this is the way it’s been dealt to us and we’re going to go out and make the most of it. We’ve got to get better with our specialties, receiving the ball, not giving up big plays on defense and we’ve got to get better at running the ball. We can do all this but that’s something that keeps popping up the last three games. To be a better team we’ve really got to work in those areas.

The Mule Fan: Do you “experiment” with lineups and substitution patterns differently during non-district games vs. district games?

Coach Byrd: Right. You try to change different combinations, try to see where kids are, try to take a shot at putting them in another position a little bit in the non-district schedule. But by district you need to have a pretty good plan and go from there. Some areas we’ve got a lot of depth that we’re excited about. At linebacker we’ve had several of them step up and play. Running back has been a real good position for us. Some others we don’t quite have the depth and we’re a little concerned. Hopefully we won’t have any injuries in those areas.

The Mule Fan: With all the new teams in this district, the benefit of familiarity with tendencies and styles is naturally no longer there at least for now. How will that affect your preparation throughout the district schedule?

Coach Byrd: Well we have a rule that we exchange film from every game that everybody’s played. We ought to be able to get a good feel. I know some of these programs. They’re all established programs and we know what they’re about a little bit. But it will be different because the rest of them we’ve played for such a long time. It’s been a long time since we’ve played Canyon. Boy I can’t remember playing Seguin. We used to play San Marcos but that was years ago. Clemens we’ve scrimmaged so we know a little bit about them. Steele is brand new. So it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

The Mule Fan: What do you do during this extra week since you’re off Friday plus you played a day earlier than you originally planned? How does that affect your preparation and what do you expect from Clemens?

Coach Byrd: We watched film last Friday and gave them off Monday. We try to give them two long weekends to get their feet back under them and get situated. Then we work them out real hard during the actual off week Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We get pretty good practices there because we’ve got to keep them in shape. We go back to a lot of fundamentals. We watch some film of what we’ve done and the things that we really need to correct and we highlight those. Then we slowly start working on things we want to run against Clemens.

Clemens is a very talented team especially on defense. They probably have four guys in my opinion that could play Division I ball-their two safeties and two outside linebackers. The rest of them are solid high school players. They’ve always put their better athletes on defense. Coach Ferrara does a great job with the defense over there. They’re a solid program. On offense they’re still trying to decide if they want to be a two back set like they’ve done for years or spread it out a little bit more. They bounced around and so forth. They have a very talented running back going to Rice. He’s a big play guy both running with the football and they stick him in at receiver some. They’re going to be a well-coached team. They’re going to be an aggressive team. They’ve got a great tradition there and have won a lot of games. We’re going to have to take care of business to get a win out of this one.

Get to Know the Mules Coaching Staff with AH Coach’s Corner
This week-Jeff Hooks

Name (how many years at Alamo Heights): Jeff Hooks-1st year at Heights Spouse’s Name: Shan

Children (ages): Sam (29), Andy (26)

Hometown: San Antonio College Attended: Trinity University

High School: Judson

Coaching responsibilities this season: Defensive Secondary

Career path that got you to Alamo Heights: 30 years in teaching and coaching before Alamo Heights

Hobbies: Outdoor activities

The thing you had the most fun doing this past summer: Visiting Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

High School or College Athletics you played (position): High School – Receiver/Defensive Back; College: Receiver

What was your best subject in school: Math/History

What teams do you follow as a fan: Texas Tech and Trinity

Fondest memory or the greatest moment in your athletic career: Too many to list. I have enjoyed the journeys each year.

Most well known athlete(s) you’ve competed with or against in your playing career (who, what team or game, what level, where, those kinds of details): I’m too old to remember.

Outside of Coach Byrd (of course), what coach at any level of any sport do you admire most: Bobby Knight

What is your pre-game ritual or any superstitions: none

First car: 1964 Pontiac Bonneville Favorite type of music or favorite artist(s): Rock and Roll (Tom Petty)

Musical instruments played?: none

Which song from your youth would you consider your favorite: Tie between Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison and My Little Runaway by Del Shannon

If you were doing one song in an “air guitar” concert, which one you tear ‘em up with?: What is an “air guitar?”

If you were forced to do one karaoke song, what would it have to be: “Inna Gadda Da Vida”

(Editor’s note: Coach Hooks is trying to pull a fast one on us here but we are on to him! This song from 1968 contained one verse and one chorus (about 20 words total) sung by a man with a satanic voice who had been partying a long time before the recording session. The 17 minute long psychedelic anthem from the acid rock group Iron Butterfly took up one entire album side. Students, ask your parents what that means. It also contained one of the most famous drum solos in rock history lasting about 6 minutes. Young drummer wannabes (those are the ones who used two new unsharpened number two pencils turned upside down so the erasers thumped your geography book) at school had to be able to play two solos to be taken seriously; the one from the 60’s surfing pop hit “Wipeout” and the one from “In A Gadda Davida.” So pick another one for karaoke coach and don’t cheat any more. There ain’t enough words in that one and who wants to stand around waiting 15 minutes for the chorus?)

Four people alive or dead you’d most like to have dinner with: Bill Walsh, George Patton, Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lambert

Favorite food: Free Food

Most recent book read: “Captured”

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three items would you want with you after your survival gear was covered: Radio, hammock

Favorite TV show from your youth (not a cartoon): The Fugitive

Favorite Saturday morning cartoon show from your youth: Bugs Bunny

Favorite movie ever: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

What’s the best thing that you cook: Steak

Favorite breakfast cereal from your youth (or now if it still applies): Cocoa Krispies

At what kind of trivia contest would you be invincible? Texas High School mascots

You don’t want to play me at (game/sport/board game/video game/card game, etc.): Washers

If Alamo Heights Offensive and Defensive coaches squared off in a game of flag football, who would you most fear and why? Coach Byrd – he’s our boss!

What do you like most about coaching at Alamo Heights: The positive atmosphere created by the staff and students

What advice do you have for your players at this point in their lives: Work hard, be humble and enjoy each day

Shaw Ready to Belt Out Another Season of Public Address Calls Amid Controversy
By Bob Cohen

Radio and TV sportscasters who stay in the business a while will inevitably develop a signature phrase to describe something on the field or court. It’s their trademark. “Holy Cow,” “HOOOLLLLEEE TOOOOLEEDO,” “Oh Doctor,” “He breezed him one more time,” “Turn out the lights, the party’s over,” “That ball is history,” and many others which get burned into our memory.

Public address announcers also chip in a few of their own from time to time. And so it is with Rick Shaw, the long time PA voice of the Alamo Heights Mules. How many Mules is it when a “host of mules” join in on a tackle? We all know it’s somewhere between two and 11 but that doesn’t matter so much. It’s just good to know Rick’s up there in the press box and it’s a fall evening at Harry Orem Stadium. It’s all good.

But there is one particular piece of announcing which is just this side of crucial to a home Alamo Heights football crowd. It is to a home Alamo Heights football game what free refills are to iced tea, what wax teeth are to Halloween, what the curl is to a Dairy Queen cone. When the chains move for the Mules, what must follow next is Shaw’s trademark. Do I even have to write it? “THAT’S ENOUGH FOR ANOTHER ALAMO HEIGHTS (then the required pause timed precisely long enough for dozens of Mule fans to fill their lungs and complete the statement)….. FIRST DOWN!” Ahhh, just writing it makes me happy. Simple, comforting, reassuring and OURS.

Did he plan it? Nope. The best ones are never planned. They appear like a freckle. Soon they are part of you. The origin is much more ordinary. Shaw, the ’09 restaurateur, AH Pool Czar and one-time sword-toting, plumed-hat wearing emperor of the city for 10 days, is a take charge guy whose voice can rattle windows without a microphone. And in the early days of his proprietorship of La Fonda, it was only every 10 minutes that the kitchen and wait staff heard, “That’s another…ENCHILADA PLATE.”

“We were all this close (holding thumb and forefinger two centimeters from one another) to walking if it went on much longer,” said one employee who wished to remain anonymous. “I’m not joking. It was too much. We’d alternate placing prank calls to Rick just to occupy him on the phone and give us relief. The call from Alamo Heights couldn’t have come a moment too soon.”

As beloved as it is by the majority of Mule fans, talking up first down has not been without its controversies or detractors. As recently as last season, an increasingly vocal group which calls itself “Friends of Second Down” has started to make things a little uncomfortable for Mr. Shaw.

“It takes no chops at all to be a fan of first down. The risk factor is nada,” commented Eddie Huddles, the group’s spokesperson. “With first down, you’ve got four downs to work with and virtually the entire playbook available to you. Third down? Come on we all know that in this day and age, the last thing quarterbacks and receivers need is their own down but they got one ‘cause they said they needed it.”

What about fourth down? On this subject one could conclude that Mr. Huddles is borderline mean-spirited. “You gonna try and argue fourth down is the most important down? The only people that care about it are punters, deep snappers, return men, their parents and grandparents, people who don’t punctuate text messages and the scoreboard operator who likes to punch the reset button. We don’t like to talk about this too much but we have some sketchy dudes in our organization who have considered setting fire to a stadium all because of fourth down. All the upside is in second down and its high time people came to grips with this.”

“These people are a nuisance,” commented an agitated Shaw, having to be calmed by John Thomas, his trusty spotter of many years. “They’re loonies. It’s as simple as that. I’m hesitant to even talk about them because I don’t want to give them credibility. When they come into La Fonda, the only thing they ever order is hot water. I spent 10 minutes one night trying to convince one that there was no such thing as a coffee cup for people who are left handed! And they always ask if we have square tortillas. They got in Alamo Heights pool once last summer and, well I’m not gonna say what they did but we had to drain the dang pool after it.”

While First Down is clearly something the home fans favor, it occurred to this reporter that the topic might be sensitive to one other group not normally considered irrational or anything approaching the more vocal malcontents. That group is the Defense and parents thereof. Nobody was really comfortable speaking on the record at first but I found one person who insisted on anonymity and couldn’t resist revealing a crackling cauldron of emotions bubbling under the surface.

“Well if you want to know the truth, it’s hard.” said our source. “We suffer in silence. Lookit, I don’t want to take anything away from the offense but our boys work their tails off too. Why should they be made to feel guilty to take the field?”

“Wasn’t Rick a quarterback in his playing days?” the person asked rhetorically. “And his brother Stan was a receiver at Heights wasn’t he? I’m not usually a conspiracy theorist but if you ask me it smells fishy. Why is he so quick to rub it in – every stinkin’ time?”

So sit back fans and know that there is a whole lot more to this PA gig than just down and distance and who made the tackle. Years of being perched high above Harry Orem Stadium have helped Shaw hone his craft. The atmosphere of a Mules home game wouldn’t be the same without him. You can tell he loves it too.

“Shoot I’d do this for free,” proclaimed Shaw when asked how he keeps it up year after year with all his other responsibilities. When reminded that he does do it for free, Shaw simply smiled and said, “It’s all for the blue and gold, long may it wave.”

All Alamo Heights fans appreciate it and hopefully that’s quite enough for a bunch more Alamo Heights first downs!

MULES ON THE RADIO:

The Mules radio home for the rest of the year (unless advised otherwise) is KKYX-680AM. Follow the action there with Ed Suarez and Dave Parker. Airtime will be 7:00 p.m. Don’t forget to patronize and thank the sponsors for their commitment to Alamo Heights.

MULES PHOTOS:

View all the photos from Mules games and save those memories forever with Dulce Designs(Mary Candee)
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=23252

OTHER INFO:

JV travels to Laredo and Freshman teams are at home this Friday---all games were cancelled last week due to the change in the Varsity game. The Jr School teams started their season yesterday against Jackson and will play Eisenhower next Tuesday

Don't forget---Gio vs. Chase on Sept 27 in Houston..4 p.m. kickoff. Need tickets? Contact Ron Mills.

To add your e-mail address to a weekly update advising of new postings and updates, send an e-mail to brosenthal@trpsalaw.com and you'll be added.

Bobby Rosenthal/Bob Cohen

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 8,2008


Laredo United game changed to Thursday at 7:00!!!


Be sure to scroll down for a new feature this week-A section that will allow Mules fans to get to know some of our assistant coaches on a more personal basis.




LOOKING BACK: Clark 24, Heights 17




Alamo Heights continued its rough non-district campaign with a matchup against another highly ranked 5-A opponent. Coming into the game, the Cougars were ranked 6th locally among San Antonio area 5-A teams. The site of Game 2 was Farris Stadium on 1604. Again, this is a shared field and necessitated a Thursday game. For the rest of the season, we're finally playing under Friday Night Lights.


The traditionally late-arriving '09 crowd actually was very smart this week as the visitors side faced the sun and wasn't shaded until shortly after kickoff. A nice crowd ventured out of the bubble (clearly armed with GPS systems and gently used maps) to the Thursday night game "way out there." Actually, were it not for the new upscale Shops at La Cantera (anchored by Neiman-Marcus, of course), it's very possible the many Mule moms might not have known that IH10 and Loop 1604 actually do intersect on the NW side of town. Look, that's what people around town think about the '09ers--we know its not entirely true!! Now that The Mule Fan has likely cut our readership by 50%, we'll move on to the game.


The Mules took the kickoff in the first quarter and traded possessions with Clark, neither team moving the ball extremely well--the two tough defenses battling toe-to-toe. The highlight of the quarter was a 17 yard catch by John Cabell and a missed 32 yard Cougar fied goal that appeared to have more distance towards the nightime sky than it did towards the goal post. The first quarter ended with the Mules at the Cougars 34 after a 15 yard reception by Kyle Flores.


In the second quarter, your Mules appeared to take control of the game (Oh, if they'd only ended the game at halftime). On the first drive, the offensive line gave a nice surge (pun intended) for Sergio to run it in from the 7 for a 7-0 Mules lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Carter Thurmond let the Cougars know that sophmores can play football too as he put a big hit on the Cougars kick returner. The Cougars drive continued until the Mules defense forced a fumble, recovered by #5, senior Terry Andersen. The Mules again drove, getting great protection from the o-line and following a great catch by Andrew Richter, Senior Andrew Bailey split the uprights for a 36 yard field goal with 7:12 left in the half.


On the next Cougar drive, Jr QB Hayden Greenbauer overthrew his receiver but did not overthrow the Mules Carter Thurmond who intercepted the pass and made a nice 38 yard return of the pick....boy, were Big Carter and Sharon happy! On the first play from scrimmage, Sr QB Drew Allen showed the Cougars what Bob Stoops saw as the dropped back to pass and then sprinted to the end zone for 28 yards and a Mules TD. Allen appeared to reach the end zone so quickly his receivers hadn't even finished their routes. Mules 17, Cougars 0.


Your Mule Fan writers considered stopping here and you may stop your reading of this "Looking Back" section too and , instead, skip down to the Looking Ahead, Interview and other sections. The rest of this "Looking Back" section should not be read by pregnant women , the elderly, people with back pain or arthritis or others with a weak stomach--though the authors will focus on the many positives.


After a Mitchell Dan pick (see, there are positives), the Mules drive stalled and the Mules gave the ball back to the Cougars. The turning point of the game may have been the injury to Senior Collin Bibb. Bibb's leadership on and off the field is evident and when he went down, concern spread in the stands. The Mules defense, which to a man played awesome to that point, allowed the Cougars to put together a 1:00 drive and kick a 38 yard field goal as time expired in the half, with the Mules up 17-3.


When the Mules returned to the field, Bibb's ankle was taped but everyone else appeared healthy. Clark QB Greenbauer and RB Tilghman quickly led the Cougars down the field for a score with just under 10 minutes remaining...Mules still up 7 but something doesn't feel right here. The Cougars got the ball back again and quickly drove with the same duo for another score---17-17 with only 4 minutes gone in the 3rd quarter.


That's when the Mules coaches and team huddled and talked before the ensuing kickoff. Not sure what was said but our band suddenly played very loudly at that point, presumably to muffle the "conversation" going on directly below the Mules fans. Whatever was said, the players heard, as from that point on, the Mules calmed down. For the rest of the game, AH played good offense and defense save for a few plays, Andersen picked up the kickoff return duties for the injured Bibb, the defensive line tightened, the offensive line gave Allen time, the punting game was terrific and Mike Warren reminded everyone that he plays a mean defense as his stick to end the 3rd quarter was the hit of the game.


In the fourth, after an unfortunate turnover, the Cougar QB ran it in from the 2 for his 3rd TD of the game and a 24-17 lead. However, our Mules have heart and they were not done. Taking the ball with two minutes left, the Mules seemed determined to drive the field--and almost did. With the fans on their feet (even us old folks, not just the students), the Mules converted two fourth downs, the first to John Cabell and the second to Trevor Lovelady. The Mules took several shots into the end zone but couldn't bring one down before time expired.





LOOKING AHEAD: Laredo United





Next up for our Mules are the Laredo United Longhorns. In case any of you have forgotten, there's a real nice stadium right off of Broadway that hasn't been used for high school football since last November. WELL LA FONDA GET READY---OUR MULES ARE COMING HOME! Don't forget about the road work on Castano and plan your drive accordingly. United apparently brings a fan base with them when they travel to the S.A. area. And, you know that our side of the stands will be filled up as we spread the word...it's home opener time in Alamo Heights.




Something's gonna give here as our 0-2 Mules face a very talented 0-2 Longhorn squad. Don't let records deceive you, both of these clubs had opportunities to win their second game after losing openers to talented 5-A teams. United has played two home games and let's hope that as they hit the long, lonely trail of IH35 between Laredo and San Antonio, they doze off and forget what awaits them. This should be a fun week for our boys as they prepare for the excitement of playing at home (most of them for the first time in a varsity jersey), though the coaching staff will certainly keep them focused on Mules football and working on the minor adjustments needed to move forward. Speaking of jerseys, don't be confused when you see our sidelines as the Mules will roll out the brand new blue home jerseys which supposedly are a shade of blue that Pablo Picasso didn't know even existed--we'll be the judge of that.




Laredo lost its first game to Stevens(a talented San Antonio 5-A school) by a score of 14-0 in a game delayed by lightning that showcased a tough United defense. But for 3 turnovers by Laredo, the Longhorns could've won that ballgame, which was played in the rain. This past weekend, United lost to Corpus Christi Ray 25-19. United is projected second in the pre-season 29-5A and returns 10 starters from a team that was 8-0 in their district in 2007 and DI 5A bi-district finalists. Three returning receivers accounted for 104 catches and four defenders accounted for 140 tackles.




INJURY UPDATE:




Our thoughts are with sophmore JV quarterback Steven Elder and his family as Elder sustained and injury in the JV Stony Point season opener. Elder is out for the season but this tough QB will certainly work hard in the off season as he prepares to continue the string of talented quarterbacks at Heights. Not all of you know just how important the JV boys are in preparing the varsity for upcoming games by running scout on both offense and defense. Get well soon Steven.



Out thoughts are also with Junior Clark Hudnall who was injured during the late summer practices. Hudnall has had a series of injuries but Mules fans hope he recovers during the year as it is anticipated he will be among the top receivers during his senior year. Junior Phillip Massari continues his recovery and hopes to be back for a portion of the Mules District play.



Varsity Co-Captain Collin Bibb status is described in this week's comments from Coach Byrd (read on).

A Few Words with the Head Coach of the Mules – Don Byrd
September 6, 2008

The Mule Fan: You had to be pleased with the way your team played in the first half of the Clark game. Clark seemed to make some adjustments at halftime, came back and grabbed the momentum early in the second half, particularly with their running attack. Then as they often do, the game had some big plays and some turnovers. What was the most important adjustment they made to spring their running game loose?

Coach Byrd: I’m not so sure it was their adjustment. I know we had some injuries and some personnel changes at that time both offensively and defensively and it happened to be in areas where we’re kind of thin. So when we made some changes we went from very good football players to some inexperienced ones. I’m not saying they’re bad, just inexperienced and it hurt us on both sides of the ball. Same with the kicking game. We had to go with some people that haven’t been in those situations and that’s just because it’s the early part of the season. We’re young and everybody out there is gaining experience. But then when you have an injury or something causes you to move some personnel, now you’re putting in a brand new person who hasn’t been in those situations. They grew up and learned a lot. We learned a lot about some things but that’s basically the situation to me. It wasn’t that they really ran anything that was spectacular and overloaded us. It was basically personnel changes on our part.

The Mule Fan: Of course the biggest personnel issue at the moment is the status of Collin Bibb who was injured on Thursday. And we discussed before we started our interview today (Saturday), you’ve got some encouraging news on that.

Coach Byrd: Right it looks like it’s just a sprain (in the ankle and knee). Of course sprains can be tricky. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s a lot shorter tunnel. We have to be careful with him. He sprained his ankle before the season. If we start playing him too quick, it just lingers on the whole season. We’ve got to get him well enough to play.

The Mule Fan: It’s no secret that Alamo Heights likes to throw the football and as you look over the first two games, what are the particular conditions that have kept you from having the break-out game that we know you are looking for in the passing game?

Coach Byrd: Well two things. One, we have an offensive line that didn’t take a varsity snap as an offensive line ever in their career until now. And number two, besides Victor Givens we really don’t have a receiver that really caught the ball in the main part of a game. We’re very young. And it’s tricky because we want to run the ball more than we have been. Sergio does a great job when he gets the ball in his hands but we’re not executing real well in the other areas and I don’t just mean the line. Sometimes it’s the receivers. But we’re not executing on the running game as well and it has forced us to throw the ball a little bit more. Plus we’ve gone up against two very good defenses. We’ve got to get a lot of little things ironed out. We’ve had some nagging injuries at receiver. We’ve changed positions with them and sometimes it’s looked sloppy. We’ve got to get a better plan of keeping the right guys in and not move them around from positions quite as much as we have. We’ve also got to find some backups because in both games we’ve had somebody get hurt in the offensive line and haven’t had a real good plan for that. It’s just a very young team that’s very fragile right now going against two of the better defenses in the state probably.

We’re not discouraged at all. We spent a lot of time this weekend watching film from the last two games. We’re changing some personnel a little bit. We’re changing some techniques. We’re going to simplify some things and I think we’ll settle down. Offense is tricky. It can take so long to come along because you’ve got 11 guys and they all have to be performing perfectly or the play doesn’t work. One breakdown and the play falls apart. We’re not having major breaks. We’re having minor breaks. We’re protecting well and then we don’t run the route exactly right or our spacing isn’t good with our receivers. Or we run good routes and all of a sudden our line breaks down. And we have to run the ball more. We’re just putting way too much pressure on our passing game by running passing plays as much as we are.

The Mule Fan: You talk a lot about the kids pulling together and relying on one another. It would be natural at this point for some of them perhaps to be frustrated. But it’s a long season with the most important games still ahead of us. Psychologically, what are you focused on?

Coach Byrd: When we watch the film with them on Monday we’ll go over our successes. When a play breaks down to not just get upset but lets correct the play. If this guy was to have stepped this way, if this receiver would have kept his spacing, if the quarterback would have looked this way… Then we have to come up with a good plan to run the ball to take pressure off our passing game. Hopefully we won’t be seeing defenses as tough as the last two. You can’t predict that. Against both of them we moved the ball at times. We had a few breakdowns and would have moved the ball real well and that’s against very good, experienced defenses early in the year so I’m excited about when we gel and come together. I think the kids believe it. They see what we’re talking about. They’re smart kids.

The Mule Fan: You’ve talked about two tough teams that we’ve faced and now another 5A team to face this week. Nobody said this was going to be easy this year. What are the most visible growth areas that you’ve been able to observe looking back from the MacArthur scrimmage through to the first two games that are going to help pay off for us during district?

Coach Byrd: I think defensively. Of course at Stony Point we had some breakdowns but I think the kids are getting very close. We’ve had a couple of breakdowns on containment. We had two guys in the same gap early in the third quarter. We’ve had some personnel stuff. But as we’re learning more about this team I think they’re really taking off. We had two major busts in the kicking game but we did a lot of good things. Drew (Allen) got off some good punts and kept them deep in their territory. Bailey is kicking the ball well. So we need to build on those. Offensively we get on a roll and we’re not a big play offense because we don’t have the speed we’ve had in the past and that’s what makes it tough on them. They’re going to have to be disciplined. Instead of going five plays and getting 80 yards, we’re going to have to maybe go 13, 14 or 15 plays and that means those kids are going to have to execute more plays in a row because we don’t have the speed. But they’re great kids and like I said we’re not discouraged at all. We have grown probably more than any other team at Alamo Heights in the last two weeks. Now we just need to put the whole thing together against United this week.

The Mule Fan: What can you tell us about Laredo United?

Coach Byrd: Coach Sanchez does an outstanding job. He was at Holmes. He came from the Laredo area to Holmes and won a lot of football games and now he’s back at United. He’s a one-back guy. He spreads it out and doesn’t run a tight end at all. They’ll throw the ball around a lot. He’s got an inside receiver (I don’t know the names yet) number nine that looks like he’s played very well. On defense it’s going to be similar schemes to what we’ve been seeing. The difference is that I just don’t see the speed up front that we’ve been going against. We’ve seen some pretty good players. But they play hard and play with a lot of excitement. We’ve got our heads down a little bit so we’re going to have to come up with the right frame of mind to get after them. They’re picked to come in second in a 5A district and I’ve seen them go a long way in the playoffs. It’s a good program there and we’re going to have to take care of business.

Right now in this small window everyone wants to be 2-0. But realistically we had to play two perfect games to do that. With the experience factor and some nagging injuries, that hasn’t occurred. We’re not down at all and I don’t think the kids are. We’ve just got to come out and take care of some more little things and we’re going to take off pretty soon.

Editor’s note: Beginning with this week’s post and hopefully each week of the season, we will try to feature at least one of the Alamo Heights assistant coaches so you can get to know them a little better. These men spend a lot of time with the football players and in preparing and teaching their classes. At this time of year the schedule is grueling. It's seven days per week, a lot of hours and not much free time for them to spend with their families. Not only are they at work during practice and games, but they are breaking down film, scouting opponents, meeting amongst themselves to remain organized, preparing lesson plans and GRADING PAPERS! The Mule Fan and all the supporters of Alamo Heights Football appreciate these guys and what they mean to the program.


Get to Know the Mules Coaching Staff with AH Coach’s Corner
This week-Ron Harris



Name (how many years at Alamo Heights): Ron Harris, 3rd year: Spouse’s Name: Missy
Children (ages): Amy-5 Brynn-3
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo College Attended: California Lutheran University
High School: Quartz Hill HS Quartz Hill, CA
Coaching responsibilities this season: Tight Ends
Career path that got you to Alamo Heights: 28th Year of Coaching- had coached at Texas Tech and University of Houston and had met Coach Byrd when recruiting San Antonio
Subjects you also teach at AHHS: US History
Hobbies: Movies, Music (listening), Golf
The thing you had the most fun doing this past summer: Coaching in the Texas High School Coaches Association All Star Game
High School or College Athletics you played (position): HS FB, Basketball and Baseball College: FB was a center and long snapper
What was your best subject in school: History/Government
What teams do you follow as a fan: Tech, University of Houston, Hawaii, Arizona, TCU, SMU, Baylor, Texas A&M Commerce Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots and of course the Dallas Cowboys
Fondest memory or the greatest moment in your athletic career: Being a part of the 2006 State Championship here at AHHS
Most embarrassing moment in your athletic career: getting cut from the freshman basketball team in high school (worked hard and was never cut again)
Outside of Coach Byrd :) (of course), what coach at any level of any sport do you admire most: Tony Dungy
What is your pre-game ritual or any superstitions: Listen to my mp3 player
First car: Olds F-85 with three on the tree Favorite type of music or favorite artist(s): extremely varied by mood
Musical instruments played?: piano as a boy and none now
Which song from your youth would you consider your favorite: Bad Company by Bad Company
If you were doing one song in an “air guitar” concert, which one you tear ‘em up with?: Anything by The Who
If you were forced to do one karaoke song, what would it have to be: Texas in 1880 (Radney Foster/Pat Green)
Four people alive or dead you’d most like to have dinner with: My father; Abe Lincoln; Muhammed Ali; Eleanor Roosevelt
Favorite food: Italian Most recent book read: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three items would you want with you after your survival gear was covered: my wife and two daughters?
Favorite TV show from your youth (not a cartoon): there were many: Alf; Alias Smith and Jones were a couple
Favorite Saturday morning cartoon show from your youth: Mighty Mouse
Favorite movie ever: That’s a hard one but I would probably go with Field of Dreams
What’s the best thing that you cook: French Toast
Favorite breakfast cereal from your youth (or now if it still applies): Captain Crunch
At what kind of trivia contest would you be invincible? Let's put it this way I’m not smarter than a fifth grader ...lol
If Alamo Heights Offensive and Defensive coaches squared off in a game of flag football, who would you most fear and why? Randy Osborne... still in good shape and would be a triple threat (run/throw/catch)
What do you like most about coaching at Alamo Heights: The quality of character the athletes have coupled with the passion and support of the parents
What advice do you have for your players at this point in their lives: don't be in a hurry to grow up....adulthood and real life will be here soon enough...enjoy these days and create lifelong memories and friendships you will cherish always

PICTURES:

In case you haven't heard, Mary Candee has posted pictures of the Mac Scrimmage, the Stony Point game and the Clark pictures will be posted shortly. Normally, pictures of Varsity, JVA and JVB are available. Visit Mary's site at http://dulcedesigns.photoreflect.com/

OTHER MULES FOOTBALL ACTION:

The JV takes to the road this Thursday for an A and B game at Laredo United. This should be a late night for the boys and their fans so hopefully no major exams are scheduled for this Friday. The Freshman teams line up at home against United on Thursday. Coach Mark Bond reports that the Junior School boys will split up into teams early this week, have their kickoff BBQ and practice on Tuesday and play Driscoll (7th at home, 8th away) on Wednesday.

Mules on Radio This Week

The Mules change radio homes this week to KKYX-680AM and should remain there for the rest of this season. Follow the action with Ed Suarez and Dave Parker. Airtime for tonight's game is 6.30 p.m. Don't forget to patronize and thank the sponsors for their commitment to Alamo Heights!

MULE MATCH-UP:


We continue to advertise the big match-up in Houston on Saturday, September 27th as Gio Vizza and UNT square off against Chase Clement and the Rice Owls. Ron Mills still has many tickets available in a section surely to be full of Mules fans.

GET ADDED:


If you want to be aded to the e-mail blast advising of weekly postings, simply e-mail brosenthal@trpsalaw.com and ask to be added.


GO MULES!


Bob Cohen/Bobby Rosenthal

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008
WEEK ONE ROUNDUP




Note: Obviously, everyone would have hoped for a different outcome to last week's game---certainly no group more so than the boys themselves. Your Mule Fan reporters feel that our job is to focus on the positives of Mules football for our fans---and there were many in this game. If you're looking to a critical analysis of the game or of any particular play or player's performance, you've come to the wrong location.




Speaking of our "job", you should be aware that this is a non-paying job. We were volunteered(as happens in my life quite often), not volunteers. Thus, the detail may vary every week and you may not always agree with the thoughts, but remember, we DO have day jobs AND you're reading this for free so you get what you pay for!! We're looking to grow the site with new exposure and we've had several alumni and their parents and others in the community asking to be added to the weekly e-mail blast....please spread the word. We're also looking to expand the content of the site with ideas such as Bob C's creation of a coaches corner and hopefully an area where we can get to know the assistant coaches on a more personal basis. As an aside, these men spend a tremendous amount of time with our boys...it's Saturday morning now and guess where your coaching staff is at this moment while most of us are enjoying our 3 day weekend? You got it-they are in the middle of a 4 hour practice session. These men are teaching our boys life lessons--be sure to say hello and thanks when you see them anytime/anywhere. While this may be the only A.H. sport with such a site, this thought relates to each sport or other extracurricular activity at all of the schools in the A.H.I S.D.






LAST WEEK: ROUND ROCKED




Round Rock Stony Point 58, Heights 16





The site of the Mules regular season opener was the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex. For any of you who have not been to a game at this spectacular facility, the Stadium seats over 12,000, has parking for what appears to be 112,000 and a nice, visual Jumbotron that replays every play(unfortunately). The press box looks like a College Press Box and the seats have metal backs---do the words "Robin Hood" come to mind? They did to me. However, presumably, this stadium serves as the home field for several local schools and is not located on the campus of any of the schools---which causes the Round Rock teams scheduling problems such as the need for Thursday night varsity games during the school year(I don't know know if any of this is true---I'm a lawyer, not a journalist-- but it makes for good "copy" as they say in the business). I'll take our cozy stadium on campus in '09 any time.






The last time the Mules traveled to the RRISD Stadium was November, 2006 as the Mules continued their march towards the AAAA State Championship. On that day, the field served as a neutral site, not home to the 5A Stony Point Tigers. And, on that day, the results were much better for our beloved Mules.





The Tigers were a late addition to the Mules schedule--added when the home and home Georgetown series did not materialize for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. While picked as one of the best teams in the State in 5A, Stony Point also was ranked#39 in the country by Rivals.com. And, on this night, Stony Point sure looked like a contender for the 16-5A title, as advertised.





Stony Point was led by senior QB Nyk McKissic and senior RB Glascow Martin. In the first half, the Mules simply saw too much of both McKissic and Martin. The Mules dressed in their brand new white jerseys and gold pants, took the opening kickoff and pounded out a couple of first downs. When the drive stalled, the Tigers took over and began their offensive explosion. The Tigers churned 7 minutes off the first quarter clock en route to one of their early scores. The Mules rolled a bit more including additional first downs (one coming on a key third down pass from Senior Sooner QB Drew Allen to Kyle Flores). Flores, by the way, making his varsity debut, had a terrific game and appears on his way to having a great year.

In the second quarter, McKissic found Stevens for a 50 yard strike for another score. Glascow Martin added a couple of additional 3 yard touchdown runs and before Sarah and Paul McSween could figure out which one of their sons(Rhett and Thomas) was #58 and which one was #59, the Mules were down 28-0. It must be noted that the defense actually played very well during this period, even though the statistics would reflect otherwise. The Tigers offense is a numerous set offense and the Mules likely won't encounter one like that again this year. The huge offensive line and the speed of numerous Division I College prospects were too tough for the Mules defense which showed all the signs of strengthing as the season matures.

Looking at the positives, I believe there were many from that point forward. On the ensuing kickoff, Senior Co-Captain Collin Bibb exploded through the neatly formed wedge for a 41 yard kickoff return. The kickoff team really just came together as a unit in one week so it truly was a sign of things to come as the entire crew held their blocks, allowing Bibb to bust through. In the subsequent possession, Senior Sergio Acosta pounded out 15 yards, then caught a pass for 12 yards from Allen and, after a key 3rd and 7 reception by Flores, Acosta rumbled in from the 6. Unfortunately, the extra point was blocked and returned by the Tigers for 2 points leaving the Mules slightly deflated after a nice scoring drive going into halftime down 30-6.





The third quarter was the best quarter of the game for your Mules. The main reason? The Mules came out of the locker room with the spirtit of a team determined to play tough football, despite being down by 24 points. The Mules gave up a quick touchdown to the Tigers on a short completion and a long run by Aaron Sharp who looked like he had the speed of the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in the 2008 Olympic 100 meter finals (except Sharp didn't glance at the crowd for the last 15 yards while slowing down, nor did he take a lap around the track after his 85 yard TD score with a Tigers flag draped around his shoulders). Then the Mules settled in, both offensively and defensively, for the rest of the game.





The best drive of the night came after the Tigers first punt-which came with 4:40 left in the third quarter (folks, you may not get this much detail in the future). The series reflected the offensive line at its best. Coach Byrd substituted linemen (on both sides of the ball) throughout the game, so it's difficult to give names and numbers. On this drive, however, they all held their own and allowed Allen to find Flores for 20(catch of the game), junior Trevor Lovelady for 30, and junior John Cabell for 15 before settling for a 25 yard Andrew Bailey field goal. The field goal team executed the play to perfection---again, another one of those things you want solid before the start of District.




With the Mules down 44-9, Coach Byrd elected to rest QB Allen for the remainder of the game as he inserted junior Cullen Mills, who had signifiant Varsity experience taking numerous snaps during the Mules 2007 season. On the last play of the third quarter, Justin Rosenthal (spelled with an "l"or with a "w") bounced off tackle for 27 yards on his first carry of the season. Several plays later in the drive, early in the fourth quarter, Rosenthal carried it in from the 2 yard line through a hole nicely opened by the right side of the line, making the score 44-16.





While the fourth quarter didn't produce points, it did produce 6-11 passing from Mills, tough running by A.J. Lewis and experience for all the offensive linemen. On the other side of the ball, except for a couple of big plays by the Tigers, on most downs, the defense played good solid football. Senior Jake Everhart, new to the defense this year, broke up a pass nicely and was involved in a solo tackle on the following play.






Many positives came out of the game:





1. No injuries---This is a key to "We is the Key." Brief scares when defensive standouts Terry Andersen and Forrest Hagar went down---both getting off the field on their own and then returning to action.




2. Kickoff team--the wedge and the running of Collin Bibb.





3. Both lines--though the score may not reflect this, consider the speed and size of the opponent.





4. Senior leadership--On defense, we often heard over the loudspeaker the names of our senior leaders Beau Wilson, Terry Andersen, Colin Bibb, Migual Vasquez and others and on offense, Allen's poise and Acosta tough running and great hands.





5.Two Deep--The Mules are definitely two deep in every position and, in some cases, are solidly three deep.

A Few Words with the Head Coach of the Mules – Don Byrd
September 1, 2008

The Mule Fan: It was a tough night last Thursday in Round Rock against a very talented, athletic team which one would suspect is going to have a lot of success this season. One of the things you said last week was that teams usually improve throughout a first game and that the Mules would be a better team on Friday whatever the result. As you processed the game on the sidelines that night and now with the benefit of having seen the film, what aspects of the game did you feel you could see improvement during the game?

Coach Byrd: Probably the highlight was our kickoff returns. I thought Bibb did a great job. First of all they did a great job blocking for him and he did a nice job of reading the seams and getting there so that was a highlight. On offense we made some plays we just weren’t consistent enough. The offensive line was getting a good surge early in the game and I thought we did a better job as the game went on. They were very talented. That number 5 probably will end up at Ohio State. Some of those other guys have got some pretty good offers out there too so it was a great challenge. Defensively I thought we tackled well in the open field early. We left some gaps open. We just have to go back and look at that and see where we were reading wrong keys and what we were doing wrong with that. They were a very talented team and had a great scheme. They were probably a little tougher foe than we should have opened up with but was all there was as we talked about last week.
We became a better team because of it and hopefully we’ll have a good week of practice and work hard on some things and get better.

The Mule Fan: As you prepare this week for Clark, what do you see as the “low hanging fruit,” or the simplest things to work on to correct and the most positive things which you want to build on as you prepare for Clark this week?

Coach Byrd: We did pretty good in the running game but we really had to throw the ball a lot to open up the running game so we’re going to be have to be a little more efficient early with our running game. In the passing game we had some drops. We had a couple of busted assignments on blocking. We had a couple of times when we had bad technique and we made a couple bad reads so if we get a couple of those things cleared out we’ll be alright throwing the ball. Running the ball, especially with an offensive line that hadn’t had any snaps coming back on varsity, that’s the last thing that’s going to come along so we’ll just continue to get a little bit better. On defense we saw a lot of individual efforts but we’ve got to make sure we’ve got all 11 playing well and playing together knowing where to line up and how to feel. The thing that I think really hurt our defense was having an outstanding scrimmage against Mac Arthur. I think we got a little bigger heads than we needed to and that’s going to happen. That’s part of the early part of the season. You’ve got to learn how to handle adversity and success and you have to realize that you have to put both of them behind you and keep plugging away if you’re going to be a great team.

The Mule Fan: We saw a few kids cramping on the field. What about injuries and the health of the team going into this week?

Coach Byrd: For this time of year I think we’re doing alright. Bibb’s ankle is kind of nagging him. He got hurt playing basketball right before the season and of course Massari is out. And we did have a few cramps but that’s just the early part of the season. Those will play out as it gets a little cooler and we get in better condition. But all in all we’re pretty healthy.

The Mule Fan: So Clark this week is a team you’re familiar with. We’ve played them a lot over the last few years. They graduated a lot of players this last year too. What can we expect from Clark?

Coach Byrd: Clark always keeps a lot of kids in the program. They had an outstanding freshman class three years ago and they’re working their way on up through the ranks. They beat a good Churchill team last week so they’re 1-0 which they haven’t been the last couple of years. They play hard, they play aggressive and give you a lot of different looks on defense. So we’re going to have to make sure that we realize what look they’re giving us and how to execute the play call. On offense they’re going to line up a lot with two tight ends and highlight their quarterback. Shoot he does everything. He runs, throws, protects for the punter, returns kicks so we’re going to have to make sure that we keep him in check. We have to play physical enough at the line of scrimmage where we hold our own there on the line. They have an outstanding kicker. I think he kicked a 53 yard field goal last week so we’re going to have to do things in the kicking game to win. They put pressure on you every snap. It’s a big 5A school and that’s our challenge this week.

NEXT UP:





Clark Cougars-Thursday 7:00 p.m Farris Stadium




Alamo Heights travels to Farris Stadium on the Northwest Side of San Antonio(near UTSA) for another Thursday night game, necessitated again by an opponent jointly using a district's field. At least this game is a little closer to home which will hopefully allow more Mules fans and their families to attend than made the drive to Round Rock...HINT, HINT,HINT! Even a Chevrolet Suburban-the official vehicle of the Cities of Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills and Olmos Park-can make the drive to the Northwest side on one gallon of gas.



Ticket Information: Advance tickets are on sale at the AH Athletics office on Tuesday-Thursday of this week from 8.30am-noon and 1.30pm-3.30pm daily. Prices are $6 adults, $3 students ($7 at the gate for all tickets). If you're near the high school this evening, Patty Juarez will be selling tickets at the volleyball game in the foyer of the Muledome from 4.00pm-6.30pm. Come out and support the Mules!




Clark is a pre-season #2 pick in the Class 5A, District 28 behind SanAntonio Warren. Clark, with 2700 students (again almost double the size of Heights) returns 6 offensive and 4 defensive starters from a team that was a DI 5A bi-district finalist in 2007. Clark returns 3 veteran leaders on defense an a Jr QB Hayden Greenbauer who passed for 600 yards and ran for another 884 in 2007. Another highlight for Clark is a returning punter who averaged 45.4 yards per kick in 2007.



Clark, ranked 6th in local 5A, survived a scare from Churchill, in the 28th Gucci Bowl last Thursday. Amazingly, the Cougars ran the ball 33 times for 226 yards and passed only 8 times in the come from behind victory. RB Jock Tilghman ran for 163 yards on 17 carries (including an 80 yard run) and QB Greenbauer ran for an additional 66 yards, including the game winning 29 yard run with 6:00 left in the game. Clark's running back Tilghman was quoted in the Express News as saying..."We have the best offensive line in the City.The Best." Now, without talking(let's let our playing do our talking) hopefully we can use that quote to fire up our defensive line and our own offensive line.





MULES ON THE RADIO:


If you can't make it to the game or if you want a more "complete" in-stadium experience, follow the Mules on radio all season with Ed Suarez and Dave Parker calling the action. This week the Mules are on KEDA-1540 AM. Air time is 6.30pm. Don't forget to patronize and/or thank all of the sponsors of the broadcast!

Coach Byrd at Alamo Café Talking Mules Football this Sunday

Be a part of a live audience with Dave Parker from Mules Radio and Coach Don Byrd in a radio interview this Sunday morning September 7th at 11:00 am at Alamo Café on Hwy. 281 in San Antonio. Dave’s High School Coach’s Corner will air on KLUP 930 AM Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m. He would really like to have a good crowd of the Mule faithful on hand for the chat with Coach Byrd so please come on out and support the Mules this Sunday at Alamo Cafe!

Chase Clement on ESPN

Just in case you missed it, Mule dad Craig Clement sent The Mule Fan a link to ESPN which did a great interview with the potent Rice University passing and receiving duo of former Mule great Chase Clement and fellow San Antonian and Sam Houston standout Jarrett Dillard. Its good stuff so have a look. (Hint: you may have to scroll through the playlist on the right side of the page to find the feature. The older it gets, the further back you'll have to go.)

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3564404&n8pe6c=1&categoryId=2564308


AH Season Tickets Wrapping Up

Friday, September 5 is the last day to buy season tickets in a package for the 2008 Mules home schedule. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy tickets to home games after the 5th it just means you have to buy them game-to-game. Season tickets are priced at $35 per seat. Come out and support your Mules. For more details, contact Patty Juarez, the “keeper of all things Mule” at the AH Athletic office 820-8855, ext. 5717.

SEE HERE:

Regardless of how it appears, Mary Candee isn't taking pictures of the action for her own fun. Taking professional photos is her career and we're very fortunate to have her following all Mules sports. Visit Mary's site at http://www.dulcedesigns.photoreflect.com/ . Remember, parents a few dollars for a lifetime of memories.


IN THE NEWS:


In a nationally televised ESPN game on Friday, Rice QB Chase Clement went 24 of 37 for 258 yards and threw 6 TD passes. Clement also rushed for 87 yards and led Rice over SMU 56 to 27 ruining Junes Jones SMU debut.


North Texas, dropped its opener to Kansas State 45-6. Gio Vizza was 16-29 for 100 yards, 5 of those grabs made by wideout Sam Dibrell.


Remember, Rice and UNT meet in Houston on September 27th. Anyone needing tickets, check with Ron Mills who has secured a large block of tickets.


THE MULE FAN


If you would like to be added to (or deleted from) a weekly blast advising of new Mule Fan postings, simply send an e-mail to brosenthal@trpsalaw.com and we'll get you added.


GO MULES! Bob/Bobby

Wednesday, August 27,2008

Welcome Back Mules Fans.


It's time for another year of football fun with your Alamo Heights Mules. First, thanks so much to Erik Andersen for hosting The Mule Fan the past year. It certainly will be difficult to match his enthusiasm. With Erik freed up to watch the games this year, rather than report, we're sure everyone in the stands will hear him screaming for the Mules even more so than he has in the past. Erik, stay in the stands and don't hang any banners from trees in front of the school this year---we need you with us in person! And thanks in advance to Mary Candee for her help with pictures allowing us to bring you the best of the action. Remember to buy pictures directly from her at Dulce Designs Photography--these football memories you will want to capture forever. The website is www.dulcedesigns.photoreflect.com.


Now, down to business.

THE SENIORS:

This year we have a tremendous group of returning seniors. We hope to pay tribute to the Class of '09 throughout the season. To meet this years seniors (and their moms) from picture day, go to http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ViewAlbum.aspx?a=539983 and click on the Slide Show[Sorry if we missed anyone on this slide show--First Attempt]...and Garza, you can thank us for not including all of the photos of you kissing your mom--how sweet!!! Thanks to this years Senior Class for all they've done for Mule Football throughout the years---this is one of the largest senior football classes in recent memory. Let's go out in style Seniors.

THE NEW DISTRICT:

UGH!?!?!

I suppose "Terrific, a great challenge" would have been the appropriate response when the new District 27-4A was announced on February 1st. However, my immediate response was not so positive but rather was a group of words better left unpublished in the blog. That being said, it is what it is, and everyone in the District has to play the Mules. Furthermore, any of the four(not three any more) teams coming out of the District should be poised to make a nice playoff run. Rumor across the State is that this is definitely the toughest 4A District in Texas. The District---Steele, Heights, Kerrville, N.B. Canyon, San Marcos, Boerne, Clemons and Seguin. The teams were picked by the Express News to finish in that order and Heights was picked by Texas Football to finish first. The Express News places 5 of the areas top 6 Sub-5A teams in this District. More detail on each team in our district as we prepare to face them throughout the year. Now throw the rankings out the window and pay no attention to them from this point forward. WHO CARES? The Mules must play football one game at a time and take care of our own business regardless of what the other teams do. That's where the senior leadership and the dedication of Coach Byrd and his staff will keep us focused throughout the year. With the heart and commitment of this team and its coaches--and support from all of us at home AND on the road, we'll be just fine!

NEXT UP:

2008 Regular Season Opener

Round Rock Stony Point--7:00 p.m. Thursday, August 28 in Round Rock

Tickets available in advance and are $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for students. Everything at the gate is $8 in Round Rock. Tickets are on sale at the AH Athletic office Wednesday August 27 from 8.30am-12.00pm and again from 1.30pm-3.30. They will also be on sale at the Fall Kickoff Picnic this evening at the stadium gate from 5.00pm-6.30pm. On Thursday tickets will still be available at the AH athletic office from 8.30-noon. Also, Patty Juarez informs the Mule Fan that if you've pruchased reserved season tickets, she will be handing those out tonight at the picnic as well. (The Mule Fan encourages you to wipe the barbecue sauce off your hands before you get your tickets. That way, you won't smudge up your seat locations.)

Our Mules will get a great non-district test right out of the gate. The Stony Point Tigers return 6 offensive starters and 7 defensive starters from a 2007 squad that was 6-1 in last years district and was a DII Area Finalist. Stony Point, with twice as many students as Alamo Heights, is predicted to win District 16-5A.While QB Nyk McKissic(6-1,210) is back, the Tigers are rebuilding the offensive line. Look for an aggressive Heights defense to put pressure on McKissic to keep him of balance in and out of the pocket. The Tigers strength is purportedly in its defense, so the Mules will need a solid game from the entire offensive squad. This should be a great challenge for the Mules to be able to evaluate where they stand early in the season in the first of three tough non-district games.

A Few Words with the Head Coach of the Mules – Don Byrd
August 26, 2008

The Mule Fan: It’s opening week. You’ve been at this for 2 ½ weeks now. The kids are probably tired of hitting each other and are looking forward to teeing it up against a real opponent. How do you feel about your preparation and your team going into opening week?

Coach Byrd: There are a lot of things you look at. First of all you look at your conditioning. Our kids came back in great shape. They performed well in the first scrimmage so I was happy with that. The ones that started last year of course are calmer and confident and making fewer mistakes. We have areas where we have a bunch of new faces and they’re getting better by the day but we’re going to have to be patient with them. You get better during practice but all of a sudden during that first game where there’s a big crowd against a good team they’re going to make a few mistakes. But we just need to realize that and hope that the kids with experience will carry the load for a little bit until these young ones get a little more experience, come together and we keep improving as a team.

The Mule Fan: This was the first year in many years that you had Spring ball. And of course that means you can’t start as early as you did in the past. But now that you’ve seen all of the components together, how do you feel about how that turned out and what drove that decision originally?

Coach Bryd: Several things drove it. I’ve been wanting to do that for the last few years but we’ve always had this commitment with Clemens that we’d always scrimmage them in the first scrimmage and I’ve kind of held with that. And we’ve had success doing it but in the back of my mind as the program grew number-wise that it would be nice to have three weeks at the end of the school to get to know some of the younger kids, spend a lot of time on technique and build some more foundation of the game of football. So when we figured we’d probably be in the same district as Clemens we went ahead and started Spring. Talking to the coaches and just thinking about it myself and just seeing things it seems like it has been a good move for us. We won’t know until a little later in the season but right now we’re happy with the fundamentals, the retention the kids brought back. Some of the kids saw that they weren’t as good at some positions and I think they worked harder during the summer. Some of them had success at the positions and knew that there would be some competition so they worked a little harder during the summer. There’s been a lot of plusses with it but we’ll evaluate it at the end of the season and see how we’re going to do it next year but right now it seems like its been a good move for Alamo Heights.

The Mule Fan: Of course with every new year you get a new senior class and each of those classes has its own leadership style, its own personality because they’re new to the role. But you’ve had these kids for a couple of years. What are your observations about the characteristics of the leadership style and personality of this senior class? Or is it even fair to ask that at this point of the year?

Coach Byrd: It’s a little early but so far I’ve noticed just how well every person on the team gets along and how well they pull for each other. That’s been nice to watch the camaraderie of the team. They work hard. They play well together. They do the things right now that we need them to do as a team. It’s a little easier now even though two-a-days are hard but you don't really hit any adversity until you start playing games. Some guys make big plays and can they handle it? Some people make mistakes. I’ve told them for three weeks that there isn’t anybody out there who isn’t trying and nobody is out there for Stony Point. They’re all going to be for us so they’re going to try their hardest. We as coaches are going to correct them and make them play better. Our players need to encourage each other. That’s kind of our theme for this year and so far it’s been great.

The Mule Fan: So it’s opening week with Round Rock Stony Point. You’ve always tended to schedule very tough teams in non-district and this year is no exception. And the game is in a stadium which looms large in the history of Alamo Heights football. What can we expect out of Round Rock Stony Point?

Coach Byrd: They’re a very talented team. They have a lot of team speed. It’s a big 5A school with over 3,000 students. It’s a newer school, seven or eight years old I guess and they struggled for a while. They got a new coach, Coach Cheshire and he did a phenomenal job last year going 9-3. They beat the state semi-finalist, Pflugerville in district I believe. So it’s a strong program and it’ll be a great test. It’s not one that I really went out and looked for. We had a hard time scheduling games this year across the board so they were ones that were looking for a game the first week. I hate traveling that far and I particularly hate playing on Thursday nights but that was the only game we could find. That’s fine. It’s going to be a great opponent. We’re going to be a better football team on Friday no matter what happens with the outcome. We’re going up there to win a game but we also realize that it’s a long season. We’re not going to get fired up just for the first game and get at this high level of intensity and then work real hard all year to keep it that high. We’re going to keep building like we do each year. The key is to extend our season. That’s what our goal is and that’s what we’re working for.

The Mule Fan: So what are the key things you’ll be looking for in the first game?

Coach Byrd: First games are crazy. The ball bounces funny. You’ve got kids that all of a sudden get big eyes. So those games are crazy. But it comes down to who plays with the most poise. And always in the first game you watch the first few plays and then as the game goes teams get better and the ones that figure it out a little quicker start moving at a faster and faster level. The team will improve during the first game and improve their confidence. Its just like any other time. You can’t turn the ball over and you’ve got to play smart. I watch so many offenses. They don’t give themselves a chance. They’ll jump offside or get a holding penalty or not execute a play. You only get so many plays a game and you’ve got to make the most of them. First game you do make mistakes like that so you’ve got to learn to overcome plays like that.

IN THE NEWS:

September 27th is a big Alamo Heights day in Houston as Chase Clement and Rice face off against Gio Vizza and the University of North Texas--we're checking the record books for most offensive yardage combined in a game. Game time is set for 4 p.m. allowing anyone wanting to go to Houston to leave after the Varsity Saturday morning practice and be back late that night. Anyone needing tickets, contact Ron Mills who has secured a large block of tickets.

Editor's Note: We'll do our best to keep the information on this blog topical, informative and perhaps even entertaining. If you have any news of Mules playing college ball, we'd like to include that. Please send it our way so we don't overlook it. For any news item related to Alamo Heights Football, please send either of us or both of us an e-mail at the addresses below.

Bobby Rosenthal and Bob Cohen

brosenthal@trpsalaw.com

bobcohen@sbcglobal.net

NOTE:To add your e-mail address to the blast notification advising of new posts to The Mule Fan, send an e-mail to brosenthal@trpsalaw.com and we'll add you to the blast.

GO MULES!!

SALUTATIONS MULE FANS!!!!

I have an end-of-year "Football Present" for you Mule Lovers!!! Please see the following links for a visual presentation of these games:

ALAMO HEIGHTS 51 and BRACKENRIDGE 21

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/AlbumSlideshow.aspx?a=506809

NEW BRAUNFELS 35 and ALAMO HEIGHTS 3

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/AlbumSlideshow.aspx?a=507015

Now don't you hesitate to click on the above link, because there are some WONDERFUL shots of our community proudly sending off our Mules and many thought provoking remembrances captured in digital frame.

MULE FAN BEST 2007 PICS

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ViewAlbum.aspx?a=433391

I get all misty-eyed when I look at the images in the above link... THERE ARE SOME REAL BEAUTIES. Remember, once you read the captions to these photos, click on "slide show" in the upper left to see them enlarged and auto-advance throughout the show. Be ready to smile at many memories, but also get out your hanky as you look at a fine 2007 season that was...

POST 2007 FOOTBALL SEASON ANALYSIS REPORT

Now listen up all you graduating Seniors in the Class of 2008... we got us 5-months of perspective now on this past football season. Let me and our community tell you this:

YOU DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF CONTINUING THE WINNING TRADITION OF ALAMO HEIGHTS FOOTBALL -- think about an undefeated run through District 27-4A, capped off with a come-from-behind full of character "never give up" win over #8 State Ranked Kerrville.

YOU DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF REPRESENTING OUR COMMUNITY WITH GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS -- remember in-game prayer vigil for the injured Kennedy player.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL (yes NATIONAL) VISIBILITY YOU HAVE GIVEN THIS PROGRAM -- one need only look at the steady line of college recruiters from across the country that now regularly visit our football practices -- this NEVER happened just a few short years ago.

The Graduating Seniors of 2008 did an AWESOME JOB of leading our Mules Football Team throughout the season!!!!! Nice work men, and all of us Mule Fans wish you well!!!!!!!!

OTHER NEWS

Spring practice is upon us running from May 2nd to 22nd. The "Blue-Gold" Spring Game has been moved from Friday, May 23rd, to Thursday, May 22nd, start time is To Be Determined. Our Mules have looked strong on the practice fields and are already demonstrating high levels of skill in the football trenches! This reporter highly recommends watching some practice if you want to draw some energy from those Mules GOING AT IT... WOW!

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If you see Mickey and Linda Bailey, parents of Class of 2004 Patrick Bailey, formerly of Duke University and a Linebacker with Blue Devil Football, you must say CONGRATULATIONS as their son signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers! Also congrats to Coach Byrd for having his 1st player enter the NFL. GREAT COACHING, GREAT PARENTS, GREAT YOUNG MAN.

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Also, congratulations to Mules QB Drew Allen for winning the "Golden Gun" Award for passing accuracy at the "invitation only" Elite 11 Quarterback Camp held on the campus of TCU, Friday, April 25th. Here is a link to a related Rivals.com article:

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=801644

And, a photo below of taken from the event to help you ponder how a pass-happy-Mule-team will put to work Drew's ever improving passing skill during 7-on-7 this summer! GO MULES!!!!!

Welcome to the home page of the District 27-4A Champion Football Team!

ALAMO HEIGHTS 34 and KERRVILLE TIVY 26

On Friday, November 9th, our Mules defeated the Kerrville Tivy "Antlers" in their own backyard with a thrilling come-from-behind victory. The score with 9-minutes left in the football game was the Antlers 26 and the Mules 7.... fast forward to 3-minutes left and the score was Mules 27 and the Antlers 26 (that is three TDs in 6-minutes)... and blow ahead to 30 seconds left in the game and the score was Heights 34 and Tivy 26.

Some salient points were that Kerrvilee Tivy came into the game with a 9-0 overall record and ranked #8 in the State of Texas by the Associated Press. They came to this game with a 6-3 inch, 230 lbs, LSU commitment at Linebacker, Kyle Prater. They brought a Place Kicker, Logan Vick, who had kicked two 51-yard Field Goals in the season, meaning that this team could score after just crossing mid-field... and finally they brought a bunch of big athletic country boys that know how to play as a team, and were ready to for some redemption over a team, ours, that handily beat them last year.... this was a darn good football team our boys defeated, that CONTINUES to be held in high regard following its loss to the Mules. An example being the fact that Texas High School Football Analysis Experts have picked Tivy to win the Region IV 4A Division II crown

This game was like a tapestry of important Offensive & Defensive plays, where if any one of the following "Big Plays" did not unfold (as well as many other plays), our Mules would have likely not prevailed... BUT PREVAIL THEY DID!!! And it was accomplished primarily by our gang NEVER GIVING UP even though the likilihood of winning appeared to be remote as we moved into the 4th Quarter of this game.

Our Mules easily cross two hurdles to qualify for this year's 4A State Playoffs:

ALAMO HEIGHTS 55 and MEMORIAL 0

ALAMO HEIGHTS 31 and KENNEDY 0

Helloooooooooooooo Mule Fans!!!! So glad to be back in touch with y'all again!!! GO MULES GO MULES GO MULES!!!!! YA MUN! I have been in Boston during their World Series win, Patriots over the Colts, Celtics first season wins with Kevin Garnet, Boston College's last second two TD win over the Hokies and follow-up loss to Florida State. And for all that I say to any Bostonian that will listen, "WHO CARES!!!" 'cause our Mules got two nice wins to talk about and Qualified for State!... put that in your Boston Tea Party and guzzle it!!!!

First, the Memorial game which unfolded as a "Halloween Event" on Friday, October 26th at Orem Stadium. You are going to laugh at this Reporter. Not being able to find this game on the Internet (which I figured out how to do for our Kennedy game) I listened to it by calling my daughter's cell phone and having her place the open line in front of the radio... picture yours truly hunched over my cell phone for nearly three hours. Gotta Love those Mules.

So anyway, what I heard was a thorough thrashing delivered by our Mules over top the Memorial Minutemen in every quarter of the game. I mean just look at the score... 55-0. The cool thing about this game (and the Kennedy game) was that so many Mules got into the game. The fact that we were able to continue to dominate says a lot about our boys and our INCREDIBLE Coaching Staff.

The other element that bares lifting up in Praise is coming to grips with HOW AWESOME OUR MULES FOOTBALL TEAM IS IN TERMS OF CHARACTER as exemplified when a Memorial Football Player was injured at the end of the game. The fact that our fine young men took to the Memorial Team with a Loving Embrace (literally laying their arms over the Minutemen) by crossing the field and taking a knee in Prayer with them when one of their brethren had fallen WAS SO MOVING AND AWESOME AND INCREDIBLE AND WONDERFUL. My eyes are welling just writing this... ahhh there is hope for us older generations just knowing when we release these young men into the world, which will be all to soon, that they will go off and do great things, and do it while also caring for those in need. Our Mules have Heart. They are an inspiration.

Hanky pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease... ok ok, God Love'm.

One game highlight to mention was Senior Strong Safety #9 Jake Carr's interception and TD romp into the endzone near the end of the game displaying skill (nice catch) and speed (sweet bullet run into the endzone)... this could not have happened to a more complete team player who to this reporter's knowledge, never gripes, continually lifts up others, and when called on goes about accomplishing his football responsibilities with zest.

Here is a link to the Memorial Album (no captions, so just hit "slide show" in upper left corner):
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ViewAlbum.aspx?a=460181

Now we turn to Kennedy. A little side note that the Kennedy High School was the first high school in the USA named for John F. Kennedy as the naming occurred before JFK' assassination. In fact, as some may recall, JFK had just come from San Antonio to Dallas on that fateful tragic day... part of that San Antonio trip included JFK' stopping at the construction site of Kennedy High School for a naming event that he attended. Think about that next time Kennedy comes to town... this is a school with some substantial history.

Now despite being 1-7 coming to our house on Friday, November 2nd, those Kennedy "Rockets" came to play some football... no rolling over to play dead for the reigning 4A Division I State Champs, no-sir-ree-Bob.

When you look at the game's stats, what does not come out was the fact that during the 1st Quarter when the game was still 0-0, those Rockets marched right down the field to the 4-yard line. THAT WAS WHEN our KICK-TAIL-DEFENSE flexed its muscle and reached deep into its character bucket to say to themselves, "No, you are not going to score boys, naa-uh." Our "D" then kept those Minutemen from going in, and actually pushed them BACKWARD. This had a deflating effect by NOT LETTING KENNEDY INTO THE GAME. It sounded to me that although the Rockets put up a good game after this stop, our Defense really showed them "forget even having an inkling of winning this game."

There after our Offense stepped up and began a scoring regularly throughout the game.

A really cool thing was the SWEET TD catch by Senior Wide Receiver, #85 Thomas "Doctor" King. A thing of beauty that takes years of practice catching ball to come down with a snag like that. The other was the hutspa of fellow Senior Wide Receiver, #24 Nick "The Quick" Amick, who made two very nice catch-and-run TDs during this game. During what was "Senior Night" it was super cool that these two Seniors, as well as many others, had solid games that showed off their skills one last time in Harry B. Orem Stadium.

Here is a link to the Kennedy Album:

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ViewAlbum.aspx?a=460117

Also, you may wish to return to the Boerne Game posting to look at the Boerne Album which has been added at the time of this posting.

KERRVILLE INTELLIGENCE REPORT

For those not in the close area of Alamo Heights, we are playing away at the "Antlers" of Kerrville Tivy, which is a Hill Country town that plays pretty darn good football on a regular basis each year. Presently at 9-0, this year Kerrville is ranked #8 in the State by the Associated Press going into this weeks game. Alamo Heights, 8-1, is presently ranked #17 by Texas Football/State Farm Poll. This is a TITANIC GAME for local bragging rights.

In our own District 27-4A, both Kerrville and Alamo Heights are 4-0 in District, and have qualified for the State Playoffs, so this game is FOR THE DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP.

Now Kerrville is pretty good. No denying that. But, some attenuating factors that have caused this Reporter to ponder...

1. Our Mules handily beat Boerne, 28-15... the Antlers had to go to triple overtime to beat Boerne last week.

2. Mules Defense is arguably EQUAL TO THE BEST IN THE STATE AT THIS VERY MOMENT. Now that is a bold statement... but our "D" has limited its opponents to 94 points this season... the only 4A schools with better stats in this quarter are #1 in District 20-4A Houston Yates, #2 in District 24-4A El Campo, and #3 in District 22-4A Dayton. You can verify at:

http://www.texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=1579

3. Our Offense is hitting its post-season stride with Quarterback Drew Allen having 300+ yard passing games and ALL KINDS OF MULE RECEIVERS CATCHING THAT FOOTBALL. In addition, our Offensive Line is TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH, not allowing a sack in the past few games.

Look out Kerrville the Mules are inbound with heavy ordinance!

OTHER NEWS

All I can say here is GO MULES, BEAT KERRVILLE!!!!!