Hondo#17

I like seeing you support the Roughnecks!!!

Drop-kicked a 25-30 yard field goal in a flag football game in college. My next door neighbor and I had practiced it for quite a while. Normally takes too long to get off.

What NAIA school?

Did any of our members think that in the Baylor/Michigan State game that the announcers were extremely biased toward Michigan State? I thought that initially, and then found out that one of the announcers was Brian Grise (sp?) who happened to play at Michigan. It seemed that they were practically cheering for Michigan State especially as the Spartans began their comeback. Only announcer that I could think of that is worse as a cheerleader is Brent Musberger.

I would have loved to have been the room with the radio crew. They were all going nuts. What a great comeback for those LOBOS!!!!! Really looking to hearing from John King in the post game.

I did see this one night. 2nd and 7. Defense called for offsides. Ref marks off 7 yards. I was on the chains that night. Offense is thrown for a small loss and refs consider measuring for first down. Coaches for the defense went nuts. Had reason to.

I have great respect for both coaches. They run top-notch programs. Glad to see both programs having success. Pray no one gets injured and the game is as good as its hype.

Just an observation on the refs. This was the Tyler chapter which White Oak does not use. They use the Longview chapter. Mineola uses the Tyler chapter, so I am assuming Mineola got the officiating chapter they wanted. Normally, White Oak does not fare well with Tyler officials in several sports. Friday nite, this was not the case. Mineola coaches complained most of the nite about the calls and were possibly justified. I heard one Mineola coach comment that they would look at the films and see if the officiating was as bad as they thought. One call I know that was incorrect: White Oak had seven yards to go for a first down. Mineola got an off sides penalty. The official marked off seven yards instead of five. I understand the frustration that the Jackets fans and coaches felt. At least they can say that the officiating did NOT cost them a key district game. Good luck to Mineola the rest of the season.

Congrats Yoe from WO. One thing is for sure. Winning state championships never gets old. When I saw the bracket and that we would have to go through Yoe to get to the title game, I was most concerned about them than anyone else. Of course I had respect for Newton, Grandview, and Franklin, but I knew Yoe would be our biggest challenge. You have an excellent program and have reason to be proud of another state title. Enjoy this for a long time. You have earned it.

I remember in about 1979 listening to the Gilmer radio broadcast between Gilmer and Cameron which Cameron won. There was a first or second year coach there named Steven Gaddis who coached at Longview, Hallsville, and Spring Hill here in east Texas. He was definitely familiar with the tradition there. You may remember him. Was a really good OC at Longview.

Just fyi, that 51-8 win was by a WO team in 1960 that lost in the state semis 14-6 without their all-state running back Russell Wayt. Most think if he had not been injured in the regional finals against Clifton, WO would brought home the championship trophy. Back then, Russell was a man among boys. He also held the state discus toss record for all classes for several years.

If I am not mistaken, the first time two teams qualified for the playoffs, a state champion had 4 losses. I think it was Beaumont Westbrook in 1982 and were 5A.

Coach Russell does a great job at Harmony. He is a quality guy and will get his kids to play hard Friday nite. If Harmony CAN pound the ball for four quarters, it will make for a long nite for WO. I'm not sure they can do that for an entire game. WO offense will be hard to stop. Too many quality receivers plus Lakin does a good job at running back despite his small stature. I look for WO to win, but would not be suprised if Harmony gives them all they want. Good luck to both teams, no injuries, and safe travel to all.

I think my comments were right on before the game. WO could not give up the big plays to Tatum's speed and WO could not turn the ball over. Fun game to watch. Congrats to the Eagles and Necks for a great game. Hope both teams can go a long way in the playoffs. Hope we can show others how strong our district is.

The key to WO winning is to keep Tatum from making the big plays whether on offense or defense. WO defense has not really been tested this year. There is no question that they will be tested by Tatum Friday nite. Tatum's speed will have to be kept in check. The Necks cannot turn the ball over or it will be a long nite. Good luck to both teams. Hope there are no injuries and that this game will be worthy of all the hype and build up,