Howdy Mule Fans!
Your roving Mule Fan reporter here, Erik Andersen, with a July update.
2007 7-on-7 Season Complete:
Well, lets make some 7-on-7 season lemonade out of what might be perceived lemons!
1) Lemonade Glass Number One - Our beloved Mules finished their Tuesday evening local league play a PERFECT 8-0 on Tuesday, 26 June, by beating our final two opponents. The close-out game included a down-to-the-wire defeat of Churchill H.S. for a second time during the local play season! For those not aware of the significance of this feat, Churchill H.S. is a 5A school with a long tradition of delivering excellence on the gridiron, having most recently produced QB Nick Fanuzzi who is heading to the University of Alabama as an inbound Freshman and heralded football recruit.
It should be noted that our Mules defeated Clark H.S. earlier in the local-play season during our Tuesday meetings, and that Clark qualified for the State 7-on-7 Tournament. This fact adds additional laurels to our 7-on-7'ers accomplishments this season as to the quality of play our gang is capable of delivering! One can BET that when the fall season unfolds there will be a bunch of riled-up Cougars targeting payback for this humbling loss, as well as that more significant blow to their pride from the loss last fall... BE READY MULES!!!!
2) Lemonade Glass Number Two - Our 7-on-7'er Team went down to Corpus Christi State Qualifying Tournament (SQT) on Saturday, June 30th, with the conviction to qualify for the State 7-0n-7 Tournament, having missed qualifying at the Houston Tournament and our own SQT at Alamo Heights High School earlier during the month of June.
The table was set in the morning play by our gang winning all three of their games in the pool we were assigned. The list of victims included our Mules defeating a very good team from Beeville H.S. that was QB'ed by Eric Soza, the son of the Beeville H.S. coach and a three-year starter at his position. During morning play our offense and defensive units were functioning like a well oiled machine playing with confidence and obvious football skills. Thus, we moved onward into the afternoon semi-final game against Mercedes H.S. from the Rio Grande Valley needing to win this game to qualify for the State 7-on-7 Tournament, and an opportunity to play in the Championship Game at the Corpus SQT.
But, on this day the stars did not align for our beloved Mules...
Our Mules found themselves facing an opponent that operated via a "non-traditional" football offense. Mercedes regularly lined up in a "scrum" of tightly grouped receivers that broke in all directions at the hike of the ball in mildly unplanned fashion trying to find a seem between defenders, making it difficult for our defensive unit to guard. While this tactic can produce excellent results in 7-on-7 play, it has little carry over to the fall season of 11-man football.
On the other side of the ball, our offense that had operated at such a skillful level during the morning games, just could not "uncork the same magic genie from the bottle" during afternoon play. Thus, our offensive unit found itself down to Mercedes 28-20 with time running out, and simply ran out of time trying to move in for a score and 2-point extra attempt to tie the game and take it into overtime. Thus, our 7-on-7 season came to an unanticipated abrupt end on what was a wind swept plain during that event.
The "lemonade" here was the caliber of our morning play. During the AM our Mules demonstrated over-and-over to the faithful fans in attendance that THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY FINE FALL FOOTBALL TEAM COME FALL!!!!!! GO MULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There should be no worries, none, zippo, nada that we are going to continue the winning tradition of Mules Football. "Rebuilding Year?" I SAY BAHHHHHH! Get ready for another humdinger of a fall season!
3) Lemonade Glass Number Three - Here is a quotable quote from Coach Byrd, who turned up in Corpus Christi to watch our gang from "over the hedges," as relayed to me by Bob Broadnax from a cell phone conversation with our wonderful Head Coach during his drive home to San Antonio from Corpus.
When asked by Bob Broadnax, "Coach how do you feel about this 7-on-7 season?" Coach Byrd reportedly replied:
"I think our kids that played 7-on-7 came just as far as we could have hoped that they would skill-improvement-wise without having our fall season coaching staff along to impart additional helpful instruction, AND, our not qualifying for the State 7-on-7 Tournament will let our young men get a MUCH NEEDED break!... I mean, these young men HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOOTBALL FOR 11-MONTHS since we played into December this past season!... I saw SO MANY PROMISING THINGS during this 7-on-7 season. Tell our guys to TAKE A BREAK from touching any football until we start up on August 6th. I am proud of their accomplishments."
I think the above says it nicely... summarizing for our players... you did well during 7-on-7, take a much needed break, and we ARE PROUD OF YOU MULES!
Other Items to Report:
Item #1: Here are a few small quizzes for you...
Question: Guess what team won the State 7-on-7 Tournament?
Question: Guess what team was the ONLY team last year to beat our Mules?
Question: Guess what team will be our 1st regular season opponent this coming fall season?
Answer to all the above: Georgetown H.S.
We will be playing this foe AT Georgetown on Friday, August 31st. Does anyone have any doubt that this will be a BIG game?... I thought not. FYI, Georgetown H.S. QB Morgan Mickan threw 5 TD passes in beating Houston Stratford in the State 7-on-7 final game at Kyle Field, Texas A&M University, Saturday, 15 July. Messier Mickan and his compatriots defeated QB Andrew Luck, a highly recruited QB from Stratford, and his team 41-24.
Item #2:
Alamo Heights High School (AHHS) football product, Chase Clement of the AHHS Class of 2003, the son of Craig and Jayne Clement who is presently the starting Quarterback for The Owls of Rice University, Houston, TX, recently received some well deserved press from the Austin Statesman newspaper as to being "... one of the most underrated players in Division I College Football." Please see link below:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/07/12/0712sptcol.html
Way to go Chase!
Item #3:
It is with great pleasure that we pass along our thanks to 7-on-7 Head Coach Rip Lowe for the attention that he lavished on our AHHS Football Players that participated in 7-on-7 this past season. Coach Rip, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU from all the Mule Football Faithful for all of your efforts. Many Blessings to you and your family.
GO MULES!!!!!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hello Mule Fans!
The hand-off to keep the Mule Fan website up-to-date for the 2007 Alamo Heights High School (AHHS) football season has been made from Chuck Bridgman to yours truly. Erik Andersen here now serving as your roving Mule Fan football reporter.
Speaking for all habitual Mule-loving visitors to this site, it is with great thanks that we salute Chuck and his family for undertaking care of the Mule Fan website during last year's football season. A marathon it was too! Chuck began at the start of 7-on-7 Football in late May 2006 and took us all with our beloved Mules through the team's run to the 4A Texas High School Division I Football State Championship in mid-December. A job well done Chuck!
First, some former Mule high school to college football transitions to report on...
I got an update from proud papa, Brad Dibrell, that two of last year's star Offensive Unit players have already begun their college Division I careers. Last season's starting Quarterback, Giovanni Vizza, and favorite Wide Receiver passing target, Sam Dibrell, are already in place at University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton to begin their college careers with the "Mean Green." Word from UNT player, Sam Dibrell, through the grapevine is that he and Gio are going through conditioning work-outs "that are very hard." New UNT Head Football Coach, Todd Dodge, is bringing his pass-oriented spread offense from his former tenure at three-time 5A Texas High School Football Division I State Champion, Southlake Carroll High School, which is located in the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Area, to the university to replace the run-oriented program of his predecessor. As y'all are probably aware, AHHS Head Football Coach, Don Byrd, runs a passing-oriented spread offense, which Gio and Sam executed to regular perfection last season. Todd Dodge's program should be an EXCELLENT fit for Gio and Sam to make full use of their Mule football skills!
As this reporter understands it, former Mule star Running Back and speedster, Colton Haverda, will similarly begin summer conditioning workouts with Texas A&M University in the first week of July. For those who missed it, Colton concluded his Alamo Heights High School Varsity Track career by achieving his personal goal to run the 100 Meter Dash in the sub-11.0 second range… Colton hit 10.9 seconds in the UIL Texas High School Regional Meet! Congratulations Colton, and we wish you well heading into your Aggie collegiate efforts!
In addition, a couple of former Mule Defensive Unit stars are heading to the college gridiron in Tennessee. Outstanding former Mule Defensive End, Adam Duncan, and our superb "hard hitting" Linebacker, Charles Thaddeus, will be heading to begin their college football careers at Division III Sewanee - The University of the South. To Adam and Charles, we say, "May you place the same smack-down tackling fear into the hearts of your Sewanee 'Tiger' opponents that you injected into the hearts of Mule challengers!" Good luck you guys!
Onward and forward into the Mules' 2007 season… so, here we go!
Have y'all seen Dave Campbell's Texas Football website recently? If not, I recommend stopping by for a visit to check on the 4A Coaches Top 20 Pre-Season Rankings. The Mules have achieved their highest pre-season ranking ever in this poll!
See: http://texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=1249.
Now, you may recall that last-season's Mules were a pretty darn good high school football team… uuuhum… uuuhum, perhaps a mild understatement with a State Championship in tow and all. So, as you can imagine, the football dad's quiet discussions amongst themselves over the spring into the early summer has predominately centered on this key issue… "How good are we going to be this year after losing so many incredibly talented senior players?" Let me recount a few key historical indicators for you to illuminate:
- All District Second Team Running Back Sergio Acosta;
THE 7-ON-7 CLUB FOOTBALL REPORT…
O.K., with that said here are some other early fall season performance indicators from this summer's 7-on-7 Football Club. Under the tutelage of Alamo Heights 7-on-7 Head Coach Rip Lowe, our young men are off to a smashing good start!
Report on Houston Texans 7-on-7 Tournament - Saturday, 2 June
The 7-on-7 season started with an enjoyable and successful trip to Houston on Saturday, 2 June, to play in the 7-on-7 Houston Texans Tournament hosted by Baytown Lee in the shadow of Reliant Stadium (see team photo below).
The way a 7-on-7 tournament works is that sixteen (16) teams are broken down into four pools of four teams each. Within that pool of four teams, all the teams play each other over three games in the morning. The winner of all three games from each pool qualifies to play in the two afternoon semi-final championship games. If there are two teams that achieve two wins and one loss during the AM pool round, then the team that beats its competition by the most points qualifies for the PM championship games. The 1st and 2nd place teams from each sanctioned 7-on-7 tournament qualify for the State Tournament held at Texas A&M over 13 and 14 July.
Hence, the Mules began morning play in Houston with three games in succession. The first game was a tough competitive loss to Baytown Lee by 12 points. A past two-time 7-on-7 State Champion program, and once again an obviously good 5A 7-on-7 football program this year, Baytown Lee qualified for the 7-on-7 State Tournament two weeks prior at another 7-on-7 tournament. As such, Baytown Lee was not eligible to play in the two afternoon championship games be
cause 7-on-7 rules stipulate that those teams that have previously qualified for the State Tournament are to leave afternoon championship game slots open for other teams that have not yet qualified for the State Tournament. So, even with this loss, our Alamo Heights 7-on-7'ers recognized the door was still open to move forward to the championship round by winning their next two games… and our Mules took advantage of it.
Kneeling Middle Row from L to R: Sergio Acosta, Jake Carr, Victor Givens, Gregory Rubiola, Beau Wilson.
Sitting Front Row from L to R: Craig Thompson, Jonathan Schneider.
In the second and third games of the morning, we won going away against 5A Houston Bellaire by over 20 points and then went on to defeat 5A Houston Chavez by 10 points, qualifying our beloved Mules for the afternoon championship games.
In summary of the Houston Texans Tournament, our 7-on-7'ers equaled the achievements of last years 7-on-7 team (that ultimately went on to win the State Championship in the Fall) by placing 3rd at this event. A wonderful job by the players that saw steadily improving performance across this event. Playing five games within a six-hour time span, I personally witnessed "a host of Mules" sleeping during their three-hour car rides home to Alamo Heights. I think we left this tournament having proved to ourselves that we should not be afraid of anyone… a solid confidence-building event.
Report on 7-on-7 Local League Play – Tuesday, 5 June, Tuesday, 12 June and Tuesday, 19 June
That Houston Texan 7-on-7 Tournament confidence has most recently translated into strong performances during our 7-on-7 local league play, which occurs each Tuesday evening at Orem Stadium during the month of June. Each team attending plays two games (roughly one-hour each) at each Tuesday meeting. Play starts at 6:00 PM each week and finishes around 8:00 PM, so come on out and enjoy some summer touch football with our Mules!
On Tuesday, 12 June, our 7-on-7'ers began by beating 5A Madison by over 20 points. The highlight of the game was an interception by Linebacker Beau Wilson that was returned roughly 35 yards for a touchdown. Beau "out-jinked" two Madison players to return his interception for the TD, showing nice agility and the same speed that Beau used to run the 300 Meter Hurdles during Varsity Track this past spring.
During the second game of 12 June our Mules then found themselves in a tough battle against the 4A Unicorns of New Braunfels. As y'all might remember, our team met the Unicorns in the State Football Playoff Region IV Semi-Finals game last fall. This is a good team with an outstanding returning All State Quarterback in the form of Ryan Perez.
So here was the situation… with time running out, our Mules found themselves down by 5 points and 45-yards to go for a score. Quarterback Cody Courtney connected on a 42-yard bomb to Bobby Broadnax that brought us to the 3-yard-line. Our gang sprinted down the field, quickly set themselves (it is a running clock for 7-on-7 games) and got off the play… Cody Courtney then found Bobby Broadnax once again on a short L-route onto the flats of the end zone, with our Mules taking a 2-point come-from-behind lead onto the win!
Sean O'Brien played DB throughout the day like a man possessed! So much so, that his father, Scott O'Brien refused to move from his "lucky spot" at the back corner of the end-zone so as to not effect his son's playing "chi"… I think we are going to have to dress Proud Papa Scott in some kind of AH Mascot outfit so he can keep that position throughout the Mules' football season!
CLOSING THOUGHTS….
The hand-off to keep the Mule Fan website up-to-date for the 2007 Alamo Heights High School (AHHS) football season has been made from Chuck Bridgman to yours truly. Erik Andersen here now serving as your roving Mule Fan football reporter.
Speaking for all habitual Mule-loving visitors to this site, it is with great thanks that we salute Chuck and his family for undertaking care of the Mule Fan website during last year's football season. A marathon it was too! Chuck began at the start of 7-on-7 Football in late May 2006 and took us all with our beloved Mules through the team's run to the 4A Texas High School Division I Football State Championship in mid-December. A job well done Chuck!
First, some former Mule high school to college football transitions to report on...
I got an update from proud papa, Brad Dibrell, that two of last year's star Offensive Unit players have already begun their college Division I careers. Last season's starting Quarterback, Giovanni Vizza, and favorite Wide Receiver passing target, Sam Dibrell, are already in place at University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton to begin their college careers with the "Mean Green." Word from UNT player, Sam Dibrell, through the grapevine is that he and Gio are going through conditioning work-outs "that are very hard." New UNT Head Football Coach, Todd Dodge, is bringing his pass-oriented spread offense from his former tenure at three-time 5A Texas High School Football Division I State Champion, Southlake Carroll High School, which is located in the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Area, to the university to replace the run-oriented program of his predecessor. As y'all are probably aware, AHHS Head Football Coach, Don Byrd, runs a passing-oriented spread offense, which Gio and Sam executed to regular perfection last season. Todd Dodge's program should be an EXCELLENT fit for Gio and Sam to make full use of their Mule football skills!
As this reporter understands it, former Mule star Running Back and speedster, Colton Haverda, will similarly begin summer conditioning workouts with Texas A&M University in the first week of July. For those who missed it, Colton concluded his Alamo Heights High School Varsity Track career by achieving his personal goal to run the 100 Meter Dash in the sub-11.0 second range… Colton hit 10.9 seconds in the UIL Texas High School Regional Meet! Congratulations Colton, and we wish you well heading into your Aggie collegiate efforts!
In addition, a couple of former Mule Defensive Unit stars are heading to the college gridiron in Tennessee. Outstanding former Mule Defensive End, Adam Duncan, and our superb "hard hitting" Linebacker, Charles Thaddeus, will be heading to begin their college football careers at Division III Sewanee - The University of the South. To Adam and Charles, we say, "May you place the same smack-down tackling fear into the hearts of your Sewanee 'Tiger' opponents that you injected into the hearts of Mule challengers!" Good luck you guys!
Onward and forward into the Mules' 2007 season… so, here we go!
Have y'all seen Dave Campbell's Texas Football website recently? If not, I recommend stopping by for a visit to check on the 4A Coaches Top 20 Pre-Season Rankings. The Mules have achieved their highest pre-season ranking ever in this poll!
See: http://texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=1249.
Now, you may recall that last-season's Mules were a pretty darn good high school football team… uuuhum… uuuhum, perhaps a mild understatement with a State Championship in tow and all. So, as you can imagine, the football dad's quiet discussions amongst themselves over the spring into the early summer has predominately centered on this key issue… "How good are we going to be this year after losing so many incredibly talented senior players?" Let me recount a few key historical indicators for you to illuminate:
- The Rising Senior Class was District Champions of 9th and 10th Grade, as well as State Champions during their 11th Grade years of football play;
- The Rising Senior Class has only lost three (3) games during the last three-years of high school play, twice to Fredericksburg and once to Georgetown, accumulating an enviable 32 wins and 3 loss record to date;
- The Rising Senior Class is returning fourteen (14) Varsity Letter winners from last year:
- All Region IV First Team & All District First Team Wide Receiver Bobby Broadnax;
- All District First Team & Academic All District Kicker/Wide Receiver Ben Pilgrim;
- All District First Team & Academic All District Defensive Lineman Chris Layne;
- All District Second Team & Academic All District Defensive Back Craig Thompson;
- All District Second Team Wide Receiver and Quarterback Cody Courtney;
- All District Honorable Mention Outside Backer Jacob Aguirre;
- Academic All District Defensive Back Sean O'Brien;
- Academic All District Offensive Lineman Dennis Stanley;
- Academic All District Defensive Lineman Colin Campbell;
- Academic All District Offensive Lineman Dylan Sharp;
- Academic All District Outside Backer Trent Kingman;
- Wide Receiver Thomas King;
- Wide Receiver Stephen West; and,
- Defensive Back Nico Romo.
- The Rising Junior Class was the first ever back-to-back Alamo Heights Junior School District Champions of 7thand 8th Grades, and were 9th Grade Co-District Champions;
5. The Rising Junior Class has seven (7) then Sophomores who earned their Varsity Letters during last year's State Championship season:
- All District Second Team Running Back Sergio Acosta;
- All District Honorable Mention & Academic All District Defensive Back Colin Bibb;
- Academic All District Defensive Back Terry Andersen;
- Academic All District Quarterback Drew Allen;
- Academic All District Tight End Austin Amaro;
- Academic All District Outside Backer Ryan Murphy; and,
- Line Backer Beau Wilson;
- Offensively, we have four (4) returning players who started last year:
- Quarterback and "Circus Catch" Wide Receiver Cody Courtney;
- "One-Hand-Catch Specialist & Speedster" Wide Receiver Bobby Broadnax;
- "Powerhouse" Offensive Lineman Dylan Sharp; and,
- Wide Receiver and "Up-Right-Splitting" Kicker Ben Pilgrim.
- Defensively, we have three (3) returning players who started last year:
- "Mr. Fearless" Defensive Back Craig Thompson;
- "The Professor" Defensive Back Colin Bibb; and,
- "Big Stick" Defensive Lineman Chris Layne.
Taking into account the impressive performance resume above, I believe there is every indication that the upcoming 2007 football season should include another deep run into the 4A Football State Playoffs! Our players are SMART (just look at all those Academic All District players), TALENTED (a host of returning Mules on last season's All District First, Second and Honorable Mention rosters), and KNOW HOW TO WIN (see litany of championship seasons)! GO MULES!
THE 7-ON-7 CLUB FOOTBALL REPORT…
O.K., with that said here are some other early fall season performance indicators from this summer's 7-on-7 Football Club. Under the tutelage of Alamo Heights 7-on-7 Head Coach Rip Lowe, our young men are off to a smashing good start!
Report on Houston Texans 7-on-7 Tournament - Saturday, 2 June
The 7-on-7 season started with an enjoyable and successful trip to Houston on Saturday, 2 June, to play in the 7-on-7 Houston Texans Tournament hosted by Baytown Lee in the shadow of Reliant Stadium (see team photo below).
The way a 7-on-7 tournament works is that sixteen (16) teams are broken down into four pools of four teams each. Within that pool of four teams, all the teams play each other over three games in the morning. The winner of all three games from each pool qualifies to play in the two afternoon semi-final championship games. If there are two teams that achieve two wins and one loss during the AM pool round, then the team that beats its competition by the most points qualifies for the PM championship games. The 1st and 2nd place teams from each sanctioned 7-on-7 tournament qualify for the State Tournament held at Texas A&M over 13 and 14 July.
Hence, the Mules began morning play in Houston with three games in succession. The first game was a tough competitive loss to Baytown Lee by 12 points. A past two-time 7-on-7 State Champion program, and once again an obviously good 5A 7-on-7 football program this year, Baytown Lee qualified for the 7-on-7 State Tournament two weeks prior at another 7-on-7 tournament. As such, Baytown Lee was not eligible to play in the two afternoon championship games be
cause 7-on-7 rules stipulate that those teams that have previously qualified for the State Tournament are to leave afternoon championship game slots open for other teams that have not yet qualified for the State Tournament. So, even with this loss, our Alamo Heights 7-on-7'ers recognized the door was still open to move forward to the championship round by winning their next two games… and our Mules took advantage of it.
Photo Courtesy of Randy West
Standing Back Row from L to R: John Cabell, Jorge Acosta, Austin Amaro, Harrison Park, Rust Oliver, Drew Allen, Thomas King, Stephen West, Cody Courtney, Trevor Lovelady, Colin Bibb, Sean O'Brien, Terry Andersen.
Kneeling Middle Row from L to R: Sergio Acosta, Jake Carr, Victor Givens, Gregory Rubiola, Beau Wilson.
Sitting Front Row from L to R: Craig Thompson, Jonathan Schneider.
In the second and third games of the morning, we won going away against 5A Houston Bellaire by over 20 points and then went on to defeat 5A Houston Chavez by 10 points, qualifying our beloved Mules for the afternoon championship games.
During our first championship game of the afternoon, our Mules lost to the eventual 1st place winner of the tournament, 5A Houston Channelview. Channelview had an incredibly athletic team that we should all be sure to watch for during the fall season of high school football. Note, during a side visit to Rice University later in the month, one of the Rice coaches reported to yours truly that they "have their eyes on" two Wide Receiver prospects at Houston Channelview. After watching that team play I certainly believe it.
In summary of the Houston Texans Tournament, our 7-on-7'ers equaled the achievements of last years 7-on-7 team (that ultimately went on to win the State Championship in the Fall) by placing 3rd at this event. A wonderful job by the players that saw steadily improving performance across this event. Playing five games within a six-hour time span, I personally witnessed "a host of Mules" sleeping during their three-hour car rides home to Alamo Heights. I think we left this tournament having proved to ourselves that we should not be afraid of anyone… a solid confidence-building event.
Report on 7-on-7 Local League Play – Tuesday, 5 June, Tuesday, 12 June and Tuesday, 19 June
That Houston Texan 7-on-7 Tournament confidence has most recently translated into strong performances during our 7-on-7 local league play, which occurs each Tuesday evening at Orem Stadium during the month of June. Each team attending plays two games (roughly one-hour each) at each Tuesday meeting. Play starts at 6:00 PM each week and finishes around 8:00 PM, so come on out and enjoy some summer touch football with our Mules!
On Tuesday, 12 June, our 7-on-7'ers began by beating 5A Madison by over 20 points. The highlight of the game was an interception by Linebacker Beau Wilson that was returned roughly 35 yards for a touchdown. Beau "out-jinked" two Madison players to return his interception for the TD, showing nice agility and the same speed that Beau used to run the 300 Meter Hurdles during Varsity Track this past spring.
During the second game of 12 June our Mules then found themselves in a tough battle against the 4A Unicorns of New Braunfels. As y'all might remember, our team met the Unicorns in the State Football Playoff Region IV Semi-Finals game last fall. This is a good team with an outstanding returning All State Quarterback in the form of Ryan Perez.
So here was the situation… with time running out, our Mules found themselves down by 5 points and 45-yards to go for a score. Quarterback Cody Courtney connected on a 42-yard bomb to Bobby Broadnax that brought us to the 3-yard-line. Our gang sprinted down the field, quickly set themselves (it is a running clock for 7-on-7 games) and got off the play… Cody Courtney then found Bobby Broadnax once again on a short L-route onto the flats of the end zone, with our Mules taking a 2-point come-from-behind lead onto the win!
On Tuesday June 19th, the Team A Mules played the Team B Mules with the Team A Mules winning 35-6. The second game saw our Team A Mules defeat a very good Clemens 7-0n-7 Team by a couple of touchdowns. SIGNIFICANTLY, our Team B Mules BEAT the Varsity Marshall High School 7-on-7 Team during their second game, with Jake Everhart and Cullen Mills leading the way on the offense at Quarterback.
Thus far in 7-on-7 local league play our Team is a perfect 6-0.
Report on Alamo Heights 7-on-7 Tournament - Saturday, 16 June
Our Mules woke up on the morning of Saturday, 16 June, to near perfect football playing weather, despite the forecast of rain showers throughout the day. An early morning rain shower led to morning play overcast skies in the mid- to upper-70 degrees… darn near perfect for mid-June in South Texas. "The Plan" was for our Mules to qualify for the State 7-on-7 Tournament at their own AH Tournament (as they did last year)… However, "The Plan" did not unfold exactly according to "The Plan."
A factor that this year's Mules must factor-in to their on-field play is we are NOT going to sneak up on anyone this year! Last year's successes have left a sizeable target on this year's football squad.
Game 1 - Mules versus Temple
Thus, the Mules' first game opponent, 5A Temple, came psyched-up and ready to play from the 1st down of competition against our reigning 4A Division I State Champs. The young men of Temple, who predominately come from military families serving at Fort Hood, played from the start KNOWING their Mule Team opponent was going to be tough to beat, and being from military families, have been grown with attitude to never give in (one might remember a certain Copperas Cove team also stocked full of military family boys that our Mules met in the State Championship game that similarly "never gave up," and took us down to the wire in that game).
So, by the time our players woke-up during the 1st half of play, they found themselves in a serious and unexpected "Tussle with Temple." The Mules' highlight of the first half was an outstanding perfectly timed run-in-front of the receiver interception by Colin Bibb on the first play of the game. Thereafter, during the 1st half the scoring went back-and-forth, ultimately taking us into halftime trailing, with AH 20 points and Temple 21 points.
The second half saw two key interceptions to keep our Mules in the game, one by Sean O'Brien (his first of three during the day) and one by Jake Carr (his first of two on the day).
Sean O'Brien played DB throughout the day like a man possessed! So much so, that his father, Scott O'Brien refused to move from his "lucky spot" at the back corner of the end-zone so as to not effect his son's playing "chi"… I think we are going to have to dress Proud Papa Scott in some kind of AH Mascot outfit so he can keep that position throughout the Mules' football season!
Again, offensively, the second-half saw the scoring going back-and-forth as to who held the lead.
The offensive play of this game came on a late-in-the-game TD score via a beautifully executed out-and-up streak route run by Wide Receiver Thomas King, bringing the score to AH 39 and Temple 38 with roughly 3 minutes remaining in the game.
Temple was not to be cowed by the Mules' offensive fireworks through. They promptly marched down the field to score and make the extra point, bringing the score to Temple 45 and AH 39 with 30-seconds remaining (remember that 7-on-7 uses a running clock).
So, with time running out, out Mules needed a quick score. Quarterback Cody Courtney found Wide Receiver Bobby Broadnax for a 42-yard bomb to the 3-yard line. After which, Bobby quickly sprang up with the ball and ran with the rest of the offensive unit to set up for one last play from the 3-yard line with the clock ticking down through 10-seconds left! Quarterback Cody Courtney then gave it his all with a quick out pass attempt back to Bobby Broadnax in the corner of the end-zone…. But, the Mules' luck had run out…. as Cody's pass was intercepted in the end-zone by #38 of Temple. Game over. A heartbreaking loss for our wonderful Mules. Here is Mule Dad, Scott Courtney, holding the final score for Game 1.
Game 2 - Mules versus Corpus Christi Calallen
The second game of the morning saw the Mules take on perennial Corpus Christi powerhouse 4A Calallen, a program that finished its 31-4A District and non-district play last fall at a perfect 10-0. This fine football team lived up to its reputation by giving Alamo Heights an admirable foe to challenge on the gridiron with our Mules nursing a halftime lead of 7 points, with the score AH 21 and Calallen 12 points. However, the second half saw our Mules pull away to a 40-26 win.
Game 3 - Mules versus Laredo Alexander
Our Mules then took on 5A Laredo Alexander, a team that finished its District 29-5A schedule last fall at 6 wins and 2 losses. The first half included two scoring drives for our Mules. The first was a TD pass from Quarterback Drew Allen to Ben Pilgrim. Reminiscent of the closing plays against Temple, the second TD drive benefited from a long Allen pass to Bobby Broadnax down to the 3-yard line, shown below, that brought our team into halftime trailing, Alexander 14 points to AH 13 points.
During the second half, the Mules defense was the first to take the field and began the first series of play by keeping Alexander out of the end-zone. After our defense stopped Alexander our Mules offensive unit took to the field and exploded into numerous scoring blitzes. Under the mantle of our energized second-half offense and robust defense our Mules beat Laredo Alexander 47-32.
Although our Mules won their final two games of the morning, so did Temple. Thus, Temple advanced to the championship round of the afternoon to go on to win the Alamo Heights 7-on-7 Tournament by handily beating 5A Seguin in its first game and 5A Mac Arthur during the Championship game.
In summary, our Mules woke up to an unexpected buzz saw in the form of Temple, almost coming from behind to beat them once we figured out we were in a serious tussle… but "almost" means that our Mules are still seeking to qualify for the State Tournament. We hope they will do so at their final regular season 7-on-7 Tournament of the year in Corpus Christi on 30 June. Good luck to our Mules in Corpus!!!!
CLOSING THOUGHTS….
Note, for those that were in the local Alamo Heights area, on Saturday, 16 June, Texas Football icon Dave Campbell was at Orem Stadium during the morning of the AHHS 7-on-7 Football Tournament during the morning hours autograph the first 2007 season issue of Texas Football Magazine. The magazine includes coverage of AHHS football and individual coverage of Mule football players listed as "Players to Watch." Dave is a gentle humble grandfatherly man whom that has a PASSION for Texas Football that we all enjoyed meeting!
Note, this Mule Fan reporter is pleased to report the return of "Mule Dad" Jim Hamilton to the sidelines of Alamo Heights Football.
If you get a chance to be in the close-orbit of Alamo Heights 7-on-7 Head Coach Rip Lowe, please be sure to thank him for his service to our young men… he is a volunteer, and does this out of Love for your Mule-players.
Until our next report… GO MULES!!!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Hello Mulefans, it has been sometime and the team continues to receive quite a bit of attention. First, many of you have asked about Game Tapes. We have good news and three different DVD's are available:
1. State Championship Game DVD vs Copperas Cove with announcers. Excellent DVD of just the game with the radio announcers. $25.00 available at the Varsity Athletic office. Must preorder and need to call 210-820-8855 ext 0.
2. Highlights of the season DVD. Another excellent DVD. This is available in the athletic office and cost $30.00.
3. State Championship Highlight DVD with the pep rally, send off, fans, game and celebration. Very exciting with lots of emotion. Available through the Alamo Heights Foundation. Call 210-832-5957. Cost is $25.00
1. State Championship Game DVD vs Copperas Cove with announcers. Excellent DVD of just the game with the radio announcers. $25.00 available at the Varsity Athletic office. Must preorder and need to call 210-820-8855 ext 0.
2. Highlights of the season DVD. Another excellent DVD. This is available in the athletic office and cost $30.00.
3. State Championship Highlight DVD with the pep rally, send off, fans, game and celebration. Very exciting with lots of emotion. Available through the Alamo Heights Foundation. Call 210-832-5957. Cost is $25.00
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Mulefans, another great recognition for several Varsity players of the Alamo Heights Football team. Just announced the Academic All-State 2007 4A awards:
Elite - Top 20 student/athletes in Texas:
Adam Bridgman
Tyler Dan
John (Addision) McCaleb
1st Team:
Timothy (Brent) Blonkvist
James Bailey
Sam Hamilton
This speaks very highly of the school, administration, teachers, coaches and the athletic program.
Elite - Top 20 student/athletes in Texas:
Adam Bridgman
Tyler Dan
John (Addision) McCaleb
1st Team:
Timothy (Brent) Blonkvist
James Bailey
Sam Hamilton
This speaks very highly of the school, administration, teachers, coaches and the athletic program.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
1/2/07. Welcome back Mulefans. Alamo Heights continues to receive great recognition since winning their first state football championship in 4A – Division 1.
This last Sunday December 31, 2006, the San Antonio Express News highlighted the area’s finest in several sports including football:
Highlights as follows for 5A and Sub 5A:
Final Rankings (Sub5A): Alamo Heights #1 Record of 14-1, State Champion.
Passing Offense: #3 with 197.3 yards average per game.
Scoring Offense: #3 with 37.1 points average per game.
Rushing Defense: #1 with 103.9 yards average per game.
Passing Yards: #3, Giovanni Vizza with 2,283 yards.
Receiving Yards: #1 Sam Dibrell with 1,151 yards.
Receptions: #1 Sam Dibrell with 65.
Players of the Week: Giovanni Vizza at week 6 and Sam Dibrell at week 7.
Coach of the Year: Alamo Heights - Don Byrd.
First Team All Area – Sub 5A
Giovanni Vizza, Quarterback, Unanimous All-District First Team
Abel Garcia, Defensive Lineman, Unanimous All-District First Team.
Adam Bridgman, Defensive Back, Unanimous All-District First Team.
Sam Dibrell, Receiver, Unanimous All-District First Team.
Kyle Pipkin, Offensive Lineman, All District First Team.
Second Team All Area – Sub 5A
Colton Haverda, Running Back
Conner Cook, Offensive Lineman
Brent Blonkvist, Punter
Come back this week to review final statistics of the State Championship Game - AHHS vs Copperas Cove.
This last Sunday December 31, 2006, the San Antonio Express News highlighted the area’s finest in several sports including football:
Highlights as follows for 5A and Sub 5A:
Final Rankings (Sub5A): Alamo Heights #1 Record of 14-1, State Champion.
Passing Offense: #3 with 197.3 yards average per game.
Scoring Offense: #3 with 37.1 points average per game.
Rushing Defense: #1 with 103.9 yards average per game.
Passing Yards: #3, Giovanni Vizza with 2,283 yards.
Receiving Yards: #1 Sam Dibrell with 1,151 yards.
Receptions: #1 Sam Dibrell with 65.
Players of the Week: Giovanni Vizza at week 6 and Sam Dibrell at week 7.
Coach of the Year: Alamo Heights - Don Byrd.
First Team All Area – Sub 5A
Giovanni Vizza, Quarterback, Unanimous All-District First Team
Abel Garcia, Defensive Lineman, Unanimous All-District First Team.
Adam Bridgman, Defensive Back, Unanimous All-District First Team.
Sam Dibrell, Receiver, Unanimous All-District First Team.
Kyle Pipkin, Offensive Lineman, All District First Team.
Second Team All Area – Sub 5A
Colton Haverda, Running Back
Conner Cook, Offensive Lineman
Brent Blonkvist, Punter
Come back this week to review final statistics of the State Championship Game - AHHS vs Copperas Cove.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Mulefans, welcome back.... The players, parents, coaches, teachers and the Alamo Heights community continue to bask in the glory of the first State Championship for the AHHS. What excitement and what a thrill for all. If you all get a chance, make a special effort to thank Coach Byrd and all the coaches for their tireless work which really began a year ago. The commitment and time they make to the team is incredible. It takes a special group of men to make this happen.
State Championship merchandise sales will be 3:00p.m.-6:00p.m. this Friday and Saturday morning 9:00-noon in the visiting dressing room at the football stadium. We will also have a sign-up sheet for the championship DVD which includes the famous Friday night pep rally, send off, game and celebration.
Great News:
All District 27-4A team has been announced:
First Team Offense:
Giovanni Vizza, Quarterback - Unanimous
Colton Haverda, Running Back - Unanimous
Sam Hamilton, Tight End
Sam Dibrell, Wide Receiver - Unanimous
Bobby Broadnax, Wide Receiver
Kyle Pipkin, Lineman
Conner Cook, Lineman
Ben Pilgrim, Kicker
Brent Blonkvist, Punter
First Team Defense:
Abel Garcia, Lineman - Unanimous
Chris Layne, Lineman
Ben Shaver, Defensive End
James Bailey, Linebacker - Unanimous
Adam Bridgman, Defensive Back - Unanimous
Grant Grotte, Defensive Back
Second Team Offense:
Sergio Acosta, Running Back
Cody Courtney, Wide Receiver
Cameron Foote, Lineman
Patrick Mowrey, Lineman
Second Team Defense:
Colin Campbell, Lineman
Charles Thaddeus, Linebacker
Tyler Dan, Defensive Back
Craig Thompson, Defensive Back
Honorable Mention Offense:
Brent Blonkvist, Receiver
R.H. Lepere, Lineman
Honorable Mention Defense:
Thomas Tatum, Lineman
Jacob Aguirre, Defensive End
Adam Duncan, Defensive End
Colin Bibb, Defensive Back
Great congratulations to all of those above. Check back soon... We will give a full description of the championship game.
State Championship merchandise sales will be 3:00p.m.-6:00p.m. this Friday and Saturday morning 9:00-noon in the visiting dressing room at the football stadium. We will also have a sign-up sheet for the championship DVD which includes the famous Friday night pep rally, send off, game and celebration.
Great News:
All District 27-4A team has been announced:
First Team Offense:
Giovanni Vizza, Quarterback - Unanimous
Colton Haverda, Running Back - Unanimous
Sam Hamilton, Tight End
Sam Dibrell, Wide Receiver - Unanimous
Bobby Broadnax, Wide Receiver
Kyle Pipkin, Lineman
Conner Cook, Lineman
Ben Pilgrim, Kicker
Brent Blonkvist, Punter
First Team Defense:
Abel Garcia, Lineman - Unanimous
Chris Layne, Lineman
Ben Shaver, Defensive End
James Bailey, Linebacker - Unanimous
Adam Bridgman, Defensive Back - Unanimous
Grant Grotte, Defensive Back
Second Team Offense:
Sergio Acosta, Running Back
Cody Courtney, Wide Receiver
Cameron Foote, Lineman
Patrick Mowrey, Lineman
Second Team Defense:
Colin Campbell, Lineman
Charles Thaddeus, Linebacker
Tyler Dan, Defensive Back
Craig Thompson, Defensive Back
Honorable Mention Offense:
Brent Blonkvist, Receiver
R.H. Lepere, Lineman
Honorable Mention Defense:
Thomas Tatum, Lineman
Jacob Aguirre, Defensive End
Adam Duncan, Defensive End
Colin Bibb, Defensive Back
Great congratulations to all of those above. Check back soon... We will give a full description of the championship game.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
VARSITY FOOTBALL 4A-DIVISION 1 STATE CHAMPIONS!!
Vizza scorches Copperas Cove with 347 passing yards and 141 rushing to lead the Mules in a 40 -28 victory over heavily favored Copperas Cove. Vizza, in one of his best performances to date, was 26-42 with a total of 347 passing yards. Total rushing yards was 171 yards. Defense also played extremely well limiting Copperas Cove to 88 yards rushing and 159 yards passing and making key stops throughout the game. AHHS out-played and out-coached Copperas Cove.
This represents AHHS first state championship. What a great turnout. Alamo Heights fans packed the dome and provided great support for the team. The celebration along Broadway was incredible. Fans packed both sides of the street as the players came home. Fans and players celebrated all night . More details to come. Pull www.mysa.com for more details on the game.
Check back soon.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Mulefans, today is the big day. Mules will be playing for their first State Championship. The Pep rally last night was huge, stands were packed, and school spirit was at a fever pitch. Every TV station came and the Spurs Coyote fired up the fans. I think all of Alamo Heights came. There was music, dancing, great speakers , film and a great fire display.
Send off for the players is today at 3:15 at the School. Come and cheer them on.
Game time is 6:00. Over 8,000 tickets sold from the school office. Bring your friends and family and give them the best Alamo Heights cheer they have ever seen.
Send off for the players is today at 3:15 at the School. Come and cheer them on.
Game time is 6:00. Over 8,000 tickets sold from the school office. Bring your friends and family and give them the best Alamo Heights cheer they have ever seen.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Mulefans, this Saturday your AHHS Varsity Football is playing for a State Championship!
Game time is 6:00 Saturday at the Alamodome. You can still buy tickets in the athletic office. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for kids. Over 2500 tickets sold to date. We have bus loads of fans coming in from all over the state.
Schedule of Events:
1. Pep Rally: 6:00 Friday at the Varsity Football Field. Open to everyone. Come and get fired up with the players, cheerleaders, band, spurs, posse, and school administration.
2. Send Off: 2:30 Saturday. Come cheer on the players as they load the buses to the Alamodome. Line Broadway across from the high school.
3. Pre-game Tail-gate Party: 3:00 Saturday. Come to Alamo Heights Pool and join in the excitement. Food, refreshments, and great camaraderie.
4. Game Time: 6:00 Saturday at the Alamodome. Come early and get a good seat. Will be crowded.
5. Post Game: Party time to be determined… but for sure come to La Fonda at Sunset Ridge.
This game is huge and represents the first time in history that AHHS has achieved this great distinction. The team is fired up and ready to take on Copperas Cove. Be expecting a great game. CC has done well this season and boasts some of the states top ranked athletes. They are well balanced on both defense and offense. Be expecting a hard hitting and intense game. They like to run and throw and they are very quick. Many similarities to AHHS.
The Mules have had a great season with everyone contributing to the success to date. Detailed below is our record from games starting on September 1st.
Alamo Heights (13-1)
· Sept. 1 lost to Georgetown 27-19
· Sept. 8 def. Clark 19-17
· Sept. 15 def. East Central 38-14
· Sept. 22 def. Victoria Memorial 35-21
· Sept. 29 def. Taylor 29-6
· Oct. 13 def. Fredericksburg 54-20
· Oct. 20 def. Boerne 41-14
· Oct. 27 def. Memorial 40-0
· Nov. 3 def. Kennedy 61-0
· Nov. 10 def. Kerrville Tivy 40-7 District Champion
· x-Nov. 17 def. Fox Tech 46-0 Bi-District Champion
· x-Nov. 25 def. New Braunfels 31-21 Area Champion
· x-Dec. 2 def. C.C. Flour Bluff 42-8 Regional Champion
· x-Dec. 9 def. Lamar Consol. 42-14 State Semi-Finalist Champion
See you all Saturday and get ready to cheer on your Mules! Check back periodically for time changes. Pass this website to all of your friends and family. This is a weekend event you do not want to miss.
Game time is 6:00 Saturday at the Alamodome. You can still buy tickets in the athletic office. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for kids. Over 2500 tickets sold to date. We have bus loads of fans coming in from all over the state.
Schedule of Events:
1. Pep Rally: 6:00 Friday at the Varsity Football Field. Open to everyone. Come and get fired up with the players, cheerleaders, band, spurs, posse, and school administration.
2. Send Off: 2:30 Saturday. Come cheer on the players as they load the buses to the Alamodome. Line Broadway across from the high school.
3. Pre-game Tail-gate Party: 3:00 Saturday. Come to Alamo Heights Pool and join in the excitement. Food, refreshments, and great camaraderie.
4. Game Time: 6:00 Saturday at the Alamodome. Come early and get a good seat. Will be crowded.
5. Post Game: Party time to be determined… but for sure come to La Fonda at Sunset Ridge.
This game is huge and represents the first time in history that AHHS has achieved this great distinction. The team is fired up and ready to take on Copperas Cove. Be expecting a great game. CC has done well this season and boasts some of the states top ranked athletes. They are well balanced on both defense and offense. Be expecting a hard hitting and intense game. They like to run and throw and they are very quick. Many similarities to AHHS.
The Mules have had a great season with everyone contributing to the success to date. Detailed below is our record from games starting on September 1st.
Alamo Heights (13-1)
· Sept. 1 lost to Georgetown 27-19
· Sept. 8 def. Clark 19-17
· Sept. 15 def. East Central 38-14
· Sept. 22 def. Victoria Memorial 35-21
· Sept. 29 def. Taylor 29-6
· Oct. 13 def. Fredericksburg 54-20
· Oct. 20 def. Boerne 41-14
· Oct. 27 def. Memorial 40-0
· Nov. 3 def. Kennedy 61-0
· Nov. 10 def. Kerrville Tivy 40-7 District Champion
· x-Nov. 17 def. Fox Tech 46-0 Bi-District Champion
· x-Nov. 25 def. New Braunfels 31-21 Area Champion
· x-Dec. 2 def. C.C. Flour Bluff 42-8 Regional Champion
· x-Dec. 9 def. Lamar Consol. 42-14 State Semi-Finalist Champion
See you all Saturday and get ready to cheer on your Mules! Check back periodically for time changes. Pass this website to all of your friends and family. This is a weekend event you do not want to miss.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Mules heading to 4A Division 1 State Finals!
First time in AHHS Football History to reach State Finals, the Mules shocked #4 ranked Lamar Consolidated in the State Semi-Finals game this last Saturday (12/9/06) night in Round Rock Stadium by a score of 42-14.
No one had predicted the Mules to win this match-up because of LC’s running back and their significant size. In fact, they have 5 or 6 linemen who have verbally committed to a D1 school. What they did not realize is that the Mules are one of the best if not the best 4A team in the State boasting one of the top defenses and an offense led by senior quarterback Giovanni Vizza with multiple weapons that can score quickly on the ground or in the air.
The Mules beat and out coached LC soundly in almost every aspect of the game. The Mules were well prepared for a strong running game of Jacquizz Rogers. He was ultimately limited to 110 yards on 28 carries. His brother James, another very good receiver, was limited to 110 yards. LC posted 230 yards and two touchdowns, lowest stats for them this season. Final record for LC was 13 and 1.
It was a great football night in Round Rock. Little breeze and a temperature in the high 40’s – low 50’s. Both Alamo Heights and LC had a large contingent from the home towns. School spirit was at a high for both teams.
LC won the toss and elected to receive. On the opening kickoff, Bridgman made the tackle and LC started of at the 40 yard line. They drove the field to the 25 yard line and were finally stopped with fourth and three. Nearly every Mule was involved in stopping Rogers with good hits by Bailey, Duncan, Grotte, Bridgman and Shaver in the first series. Going for the fourth down, Bridgman recorded his first interception and was tackled on the 13 yard line. Vizza took over and on the first play hit Dibrell on a 28 yard pass. Gio then hit Broadnax for two passes, a good run by Haverda before Vizza scrambled in on a powerful 21 yard TD run with 6:54 left in the game. (Vizza's run was on Channel 13 as one of the plays of the week). Scoring time was less then two minutes.
Mules stopped LC’s second procession with big hits from Grotte, Thaddeus, Garcia, Layne and Tatum. In fact, the defensive line and ends did a great job on working a very large and aggressive LC offensive line. Mules took over on downs and starting at the 29, Gio orchestrated a drive involving Broadnax, and Haverda, and ultimately hit Sam Hamilton on a five yard pass with 2:02 left in the quarter. Score at the end of the first quarter was 14 – 0.
Mule’s kickoff went into the end zone and LC took over at the 20. After getting a first down, the Mules held LC. In fact, Craig Thompson nearly recorded an interception that would have been run back for a touchdown but he did knock the ball away from James Rogers. After a long kick, Mules started off at the 10 yard line and drove 64 yards but could not convert a fourth down. LC took over and made one first down before being stopped. Punted into the end zone. Mules took over on the 20. Vizza hit Broadnax before recording an interception in LC’s territory. On the following play, Bridgman recorded his second interception. The mules took over on the 10 yard line and began a drive. Great execution by the front offensive line specifically by Cook, Pipkin, Mowrey, Foote and LePere. It was on this drive that Cody Courtney caught a beautiful 30 yard over the shoulder key third down pass to keep the drive alive. After a series of first downs, Vizza was intercepted. Mules took over but with great stops by Thaddeus and Grotte, LC was forced to punt. On the punt, sophomore Terry Anderson broke through the line and blocked the punt. This was one of the key plays of the game and on the very next play, Vizza hit Dibrell on an 8 yard TD pass. Quarter ended with a score of 21 -0.
Second half, Haverda received the kickoff on the 2 yard line and ran to the 20. Vizza hit both Dibrell and Broadnax before being forced to punt. LC took over on the 19 and drove the field on a time consuming 11 play drive and scored with 5:45 left in the third. Score 21 – 7. Haverda returned the ball to the 10 on the kickoff and on the first possession, Vizza recorded an interception as a result of a miss-communication. LC took over on the five yard line and scored on the first possession. Score with 4:00 left in the third was 21- 14. It seemed that the momentum had changed to LC but not for long.
LC kickoff to Broadnax who ran it to the 32. Vizza hit Hamilton on a nice pass and then on a key third down hit Broadnax streaking down field for an apparent touchdown but was called out at the 45 yard line but enough for a first down. After several more first downs, Vizza hit Broadnax on a 20 yard single handed catch. Vizza then hit Dibrell on a perfect strike 17 yard TD pass. Dibrell second touchdown for the night. That drive nearly chewed up 4:00 minutes and quarter ended with a lead of 28 – 14.
On the following kickoff, Mules held LC to three and out and after a punt, Vizza immediately hit Dibrell on a 27 yard pass for his third and final touchdown with 8:17 left in the quarter.
Mules continued to hold LC and on the final drive Vizza hit Blonvist on a 44 yard TD pass. LC’s final pass was intercepted by Tyler (Lieutenant) Dan for a final score of 42 – 14.
Key Stats: Vizza was 26 for 38 for 397 yards and personally rushed for 44 yards and one touchdown. Vizza threw five touchdowns. Dibrell 7 – 106 yardsand three touchdowns, Broadnax 9-139 yards, Courtney 5-61, Blonkvist 2-53 and one touchdown, and Hamilton 2-34 and one touchdown . Haverda rushed 17-87 yards. Bridgman- 2 interceptions, Dan 1 interception and Terry Anderson – blocked punt.
AHHS total yards was 528 vs Lamar at 230.
Great win and now to State. AHHS will face Copperas Cove this next Saturday at the Alamodome for the State 4A Division 1 Finals. Game time is 7:00. Make plans to come and watch AHHS win its first State Title.
First time in AHHS Football History to reach State Finals, the Mules shocked #4 ranked Lamar Consolidated in the State Semi-Finals game this last Saturday (12/9/06) night in Round Rock Stadium by a score of 42-14.
No one had predicted the Mules to win this match-up because of LC’s running back and their significant size. In fact, they have 5 or 6 linemen who have verbally committed to a D1 school. What they did not realize is that the Mules are one of the best if not the best 4A team in the State boasting one of the top defenses and an offense led by senior quarterback Giovanni Vizza with multiple weapons that can score quickly on the ground or in the air.
The Mules beat and out coached LC soundly in almost every aspect of the game. The Mules were well prepared for a strong running game of Jacquizz Rogers. He was ultimately limited to 110 yards on 28 carries. His brother James, another very good receiver, was limited to 110 yards. LC posted 230 yards and two touchdowns, lowest stats for them this season. Final record for LC was 13 and 1.
It was a great football night in Round Rock. Little breeze and a temperature in the high 40’s – low 50’s. Both Alamo Heights and LC had a large contingent from the home towns. School spirit was at a high for both teams.
LC won the toss and elected to receive. On the opening kickoff, Bridgman made the tackle and LC started of at the 40 yard line. They drove the field to the 25 yard line and were finally stopped with fourth and three. Nearly every Mule was involved in stopping Rogers with good hits by Bailey, Duncan, Grotte, Bridgman and Shaver in the first series. Going for the fourth down, Bridgman recorded his first interception and was tackled on the 13 yard line. Vizza took over and on the first play hit Dibrell on a 28 yard pass. Gio then hit Broadnax for two passes, a good run by Haverda before Vizza scrambled in on a powerful 21 yard TD run with 6:54 left in the game. (Vizza's run was on Channel 13 as one of the plays of the week). Scoring time was less then two minutes.
Mules stopped LC’s second procession with big hits from Grotte, Thaddeus, Garcia, Layne and Tatum. In fact, the defensive line and ends did a great job on working a very large and aggressive LC offensive line. Mules took over on downs and starting at the 29, Gio orchestrated a drive involving Broadnax, and Haverda, and ultimately hit Sam Hamilton on a five yard pass with 2:02 left in the quarter. Score at the end of the first quarter was 14 – 0.
Mule’s kickoff went into the end zone and LC took over at the 20. After getting a first down, the Mules held LC. In fact, Craig Thompson nearly recorded an interception that would have been run back for a touchdown but he did knock the ball away from James Rogers. After a long kick, Mules started off at the 10 yard line and drove 64 yards but could not convert a fourth down. LC took over and made one first down before being stopped. Punted into the end zone. Mules took over on the 20. Vizza hit Broadnax before recording an interception in LC’s territory. On the following play, Bridgman recorded his second interception. The mules took over on the 10 yard line and began a drive. Great execution by the front offensive line specifically by Cook, Pipkin, Mowrey, Foote and LePere. It was on this drive that Cody Courtney caught a beautiful 30 yard over the shoulder key third down pass to keep the drive alive. After a series of first downs, Vizza was intercepted. Mules took over but with great stops by Thaddeus and Grotte, LC was forced to punt. On the punt, sophomore Terry Anderson broke through the line and blocked the punt. This was one of the key plays of the game and on the very next play, Vizza hit Dibrell on an 8 yard TD pass. Quarter ended with a score of 21 -0.
Second half, Haverda received the kickoff on the 2 yard line and ran to the 20. Vizza hit both Dibrell and Broadnax before being forced to punt. LC took over on the 19 and drove the field on a time consuming 11 play drive and scored with 5:45 left in the third. Score 21 – 7. Haverda returned the ball to the 10 on the kickoff and on the first possession, Vizza recorded an interception as a result of a miss-communication. LC took over on the five yard line and scored on the first possession. Score with 4:00 left in the third was 21- 14. It seemed that the momentum had changed to LC but not for long.
LC kickoff to Broadnax who ran it to the 32. Vizza hit Hamilton on a nice pass and then on a key third down hit Broadnax streaking down field for an apparent touchdown but was called out at the 45 yard line but enough for a first down. After several more first downs, Vizza hit Broadnax on a 20 yard single handed catch. Vizza then hit Dibrell on a perfect strike 17 yard TD pass. Dibrell second touchdown for the night. That drive nearly chewed up 4:00 minutes and quarter ended with a lead of 28 – 14.
On the following kickoff, Mules held LC to three and out and after a punt, Vizza immediately hit Dibrell on a 27 yard pass for his third and final touchdown with 8:17 left in the quarter.
Mules continued to hold LC and on the final drive Vizza hit Blonvist on a 44 yard TD pass. LC’s final pass was intercepted by Tyler (Lieutenant) Dan for a final score of 42 – 14.
Key Stats: Vizza was 26 for 38 for 397 yards and personally rushed for 44 yards and one touchdown. Vizza threw five touchdowns. Dibrell 7 – 106 yardsand three touchdowns, Broadnax 9-139 yards, Courtney 5-61, Blonkvist 2-53 and one touchdown, and Hamilton 2-34 and one touchdown . Haverda rushed 17-87 yards. Bridgman- 2 interceptions, Dan 1 interception and Terry Anderson – blocked punt.
AHHS total yards was 528 vs Lamar at 230.
Great win and now to State. AHHS will face Copperas Cove this next Saturday at the Alamodome for the State 4A Division 1 Finals. Game time is 7:00. Make plans to come and watch AHHS win its first State Title.
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