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Thank you for doing this. I logged in for the first time in a while today with the intentions of creating the thread and here it is. Good job and well said. As a dad with a senior my heart has been shattered. And not just any senior, but one who has dreamed his whole life of playing for the Alto Yellowjackets. He was practically born with a football (any ball really) in his hand. He’s that kid; you know the kind. The one who has been to every Friday ballgame (and most Thursdays) since he was born. He has cried when the Jackets lost (just about inconsolable when the 28-game win steak came to an end the first week at San Augustine…and he was 3). He learned to count by 7s if that tells you anything. If the boys were playing ball, he wanted to be in the middle of it. And most of the time it was older cousins and their friends or kids who would meet him in the halls of AHS that he would juke and pretend to be running for touchdowns. He played peewee ball in Lufkin with his Alto buddies and dreamed of the day when he got to play for his school. We have had to readjust our thinking and make the best out of a horrible situation that is out of our control. That has been hard because of the hopes and dreams of a lifetime and the realization that those have been taken away. The night of August 2nd helped me to put things in perspective. Close to 100 folks showed up at practice to support the boys. I sat in silence and didn’t really talk to anyone; I didn’t want to. But people showed up and it was comforting. Kind of like grieving and mourning a death, I sat and watched as my boy and his teammates had a better practice than the day before. I was pretty amazed at how upbeat everyone was. I couldn’t imagine what the coaches had said to the boys to have them so motivated and focused. Then I remembered that’s who these kids are. That’s what life has taught them….to take what you have been given and make the best of it. Tornadoes, portable buildings, pandemic, a 2-8 season as sophomores when they were district champs in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades….and the absolutely devastating loss of a teammate and friend on a basketball court just this February. The hardest of them all. Earth shattering and life changing. The season and the playoff run was to be dedicated to Vonte. And all these boys wanted to do was to go and make a run for Vonte, #9 running back and newcomer of the year last season. As practice continued I turned and heard a familiar voice. It was Meka, Vonte’s mom. She and her family had come up to encourage the kids. Here is this lady who will not get to watch her baby on that football field this season ENCOURAGING US. I went over and hugged her and she spoke some wonderful words to me. And that, my friends, puts things in perspective. I get to watch my son play the game that fills his heart with joy. 2 scrimmages and 10 games; it’s not what we hoped or dreamed of but I know Meka would give anything just to be able to see her boy again. She said she would be at every single game cheering our boys and to just keep on playing. And that’s what we are doing and what we will do, just as the 94 Yellowjacket teams who have come before this 95th version have done through the years…play ball. We will play for Vonte, his family, our brothers on the field, coaches, our school, and our town. Our LOVE of the game. We will gather every Friday night under the lights and celebrate the team we love and the game that brings us together. We will remember this time and give thanks for the blessing of another day watching our boys, cheerleaders, and band give it all they got. And I will cherish every second. This guy of mine, #21 of the Alto Yellowjackets, (and his teammates) deserve nothing less. He has worked his tail off for years and I know that he will fight every week and leave it all on the field. He does every single time and I couldn’t be more proud. Go Jackets!

Carthage Freshman 44 Kilgore Freshman 0 Halftime

By my count Surratt is 6-4 against Kilgore since coming to Carthage. The big win was obviously the state game, but Carthage has won the last four I believe. The games are usually close and entertaining though. I expect this to be the same. Hard to predict the first game of the season with all the unknowns. I think it will be a very good game and come down to the fourth quarter. Picking the Carthage Dawgs at home.

Thanks to the good folks who made this happen yesterday! #grassisgoodbutitainteasy lol

Hope y'all don't mind me bringing the elephant in the room outside for some sun, but we owe it to the kids of Alto to treat this season and next as any other out here on Smoaky. I looked for "this thread" before posting but don't see anything out here. Under normal circumstances we'd be on page five by now. We can ignore the elephant or we can do the team proud and treat them and their opponents with respect week in and week out, and that means discussing the week's match-up here on Smoaky as we have for years. Keep it on the field and out of the administration building. Thnx. Who ya got??

Never pick against the Jackets. I’ll be there supporting the boys tomorrow night no matter what is going on.

Yep, and he got injured against Lake Highlands early on that year so specific date was 09/10/2004.

Area Football Previews: By Jay Neal [email protected] Shelbyville Dragons (0-0) at Alto (0-0) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cam'Ron Matthews Field at Jacket Stadium in Alto Head coaches: Jerrod Wallace, Shelbyville; Brock Grigsby, Alto Game notes: Shelbyville returns 11 starters off of last season's Area finalist squad and should give the Mean Sting a real test ... The Dragons are adept in running the ball, with Zay Cartwright to one to look out for ... The Yellowjackets ran up some big numbers, both with the run and the pass in a scrimmage against Troup last week ...Alto's OL, the "Boss Hogs", could give the Jackets an edge offensively ... Many expect this game to be a close one and worth the price of admission. https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/sports/area-football-previews-troup-brook-hill-alto-to-play-at-home-in-week-1/article_77668f4c-23cf-11ed-956b-6f72d6ce4540.html

I just watched the show and Greg actually picks CH to win for a couple of reasons. 1. The CH offense returns a lot. 2. Says Gilmer’s QB situation isn’t settled yet. Will they find a replacement for B Tennison? Well, Gilmer’s QB situation IS settled and has been for years! C Tennison, Brandon’s brother will be starting QB. He’s been groomed since Jr High for this moment. He’s a Soph, so will he be ready? I don’t know. He played Varsity as a Freshman primarily on defense, but he did play a little QB in the 4th qtrs. and was 2-3 60 yds 1 td. while rushing for 307 yds (9.3 ypc). He can definitely step into the starting role as he’s had both Stump Godfrey and his brother working with him for years. My question is still, can the OL work together and give him time? If so, he will put on a show. I bet the playbook will be very conservative this first game. Let’s not forget, Gilmer returns several running backs, including all state Haynes. Look for them to establish that run early and then let Tennison do his thing. I believe Gilmer’s defense overall is better than CH at this point. Hopefully CH challenges the Gilmer secondary as they return 2 all state players. Just looking for an exciting game with no injuries. Regardless of the outcome, both teams will be better because of this game!

Wasn't your typical NM team though. Had Joe Bergeron in the backfield, opportunistic defense. So, if the A game wasn't brought, much like ours wasn't, anything could happen. That was a wake up call though. The team jumped into another dimension after that. Could have and should have won state. But that's the beauty of King coached teams. Longview definitely gets better as the season progresses. The only year that we didn't was 2019, but that was only because he couldn't get out of his own way.

Tough to win a game with that many penalties, dang. Good effort Tigers.

Based on what I've seen tonight, the coach is delusional.

Tyler 9th B dominated in their win. The A game was very competitive until the final score with less than a min to go. Looks like Tyler JV dominated. ———— 9th grade teams have some talent for the Mavs. But we were outsized by Tyler in just about every position. Congrats to the Lions. Safe travels Friday night

Carlisle jv beat Harleton 15-14..them youngsters are hungry

Like Aaron Donald swing 2 helmets mad

Longview JV 36 (or 35) McKinney Boyd 0 Longview Freshmen B 36 McKinney Boyd 6 Longview Freshmen A 26 McKinney Boyd 7 (I left half way into 4th so could’ve changed a bit)

Df 22 GW 22 Final

There is always one in every crowd.

@MattStepp it’s not too late to head to Longview! SH 28 vs Sabine 20 w/ 1:03 left before half.

This one is over. Already evident that Beckville is a few levels below Timpson.

They introduced Timpson’s starting defense. One senior. That’s scary.

Think the bear just surrendered.

Carthage Freshman 51 Kilgore Freshman 0 FINAL

Gladewater folk ain't ever seen that movie man, they don't know that quote. They be watching stuff like Deliverance, Breaking Bad, 10 Things I Hate About You, Netflix Drug Documentaries

https://t.co/8uBaJvy5Md

Guys, …….. it all starts back up tomorrow…… ITS BACK!

No way, this ain't no Dave Campo led team with Quincy Carter at QB.

It’s all in fun men. Trash talkin makes it more fun.

It was buying votes.

Def pray no injuries! By the way I just booked my room in Arlington. Also I think coach is trying to get something set up with Duncanville or Southlake. Just so CH can show them how real football is played. I will start getting ring sizes tomorrow before Gilmer game. I hope Lindale comes out strong against Kaufman. I have several buddies who’s kids play for Lindale. Want nothing but the best for that program!

Man you cant look into what this dude has to say. he clearly has a axe to grind with CH. Which I dont understand since Lindale has beat CH the last 3 times including playoffs. Kind of a weird obsession. He makes these huge statements about CH fans booking hotels in Arlington and that us fans are saying we can beat Duncanville, Southlake etc. No CH fan that i know of are saying anything like that. I think he follows the CH threads more than his own Eagles. He went on a crazy rant about me and my post simply because IMO the eagles miss the playoffs this season. Its all there to go back and read. His opinion is nothing due to the fact he runs his mouth about stuff that is not true or has never been said. If you show any kind of confidence for CH then Clearly we’re booking hotel rooms. Bla bla bla. Dude is on another level. I do think Ch can compete with anyone in 4AD1 or 2 this season. I also think CH is fully capable of making a state run this year. But have to get through our tough district first. Which will not be easy at all. There are several key sophomores that will step up on defense. I say the defensive unit will be as good or better than last season.

CH Fans are hungry… and rightfully so. They have a lot of young talent. But they play in a VERY tough District, and a 4A Div 1 Bracket that is NAILS in December. They are believing they can, and that is 1/2 the battle. The other half is on the field, where they have to conquer their opponents and themselves. Gotta play the season a week at a time! And tomorrow doesn’t really count for any team anywhere, except for in their own minds and locker rooms. I watched the CH run last year… and they had a lot of things fall just right for them (as ALL TXHS teams do that make runs into December). You have to be good, but you also have to be lucky and catch the matchups just right. And IDK if Gilmer is a place to start? For one, Gilmer is Gilmer. Once the lights come on, ain’t nobody wearing that G on their helmet thinks they are EVER going to have a quiet bus ride home. Like CH, this Soph class is loaded with talent, speed, size, and are used to 15 game seasons. For two, Gilmer walks into CH as an underdog with nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t think CH sees things that way. CH comes in thinking “we need to WIN!” Gilmer gets off the bus thinking “Bring it.” And for three, CH is going to see an offense that is as good or better than their defense sees in practice every day. (You think CH has any 10.4-100m Sophs over there??? Uh, no.) Fundamentally, CH’s advantages of offensive speed and athletes on offense is matched or bettered at the skill positions. The battle will be won or lost up front and between the ears on both sides. The team that doesn’t make mistakes, tackles well and protects the ball will win…. All in an over-hyped Week 1 matchup that features a pair of 16 year old Soph QBs. Translation? Anything can happen… This, CH Coach scheduling this young Gilmer team in week 1 is a roll of the dice and shows a lot of confidence! Their objective is to “set the stage” for the season by handing the Buckeyes a LOSS to open the season and then riding the momentum they established last year to December again. Makes sense! But the Buckeyes are thinking the same thing. Heck, Gilmer’s motto this year is #WarReady. Have you seen Gilmer’s pre-district schedule? Kilgore, Paris and Lindale? Not exactly trying to move down in weight class… They are being thrown straight into the fire with more than just this season in mind. Don’t forget, that other “Bulldog” team a little further south with a “C” on their helmet will be the real test of #WarReady for the Buckeyes for the next 2 seasons at least. And THAT is what Coach Metzel is preparing for. I think Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody has a gameplan until they get punched in the mouth.” Well, a lot of hay-makers are gonna fly from the opening bell tomorrow night. CH may be making plans for a State Title, but it seems like all of these teams ain’t scared of being tested WAY before it matters. Gilmer will be as much of a test for CH as CH will be for Gilmer. Answering questions… that’s the only reason for that strategy. Get your popcorn ready and enjoy the answers!

He asked....I gaveth.

Excellent post!! Thnx for a different look at a personal level. Go Jackets!!

He should do great there

I'm ready for this game. I honestly believe alot of people are sleeping on Kilgore. I've been going to practices last few years, and I'll say this. Coach Fuller brings something different to the program, hadn't quite put my finger on yet. And, I hate to compare him to Coach Surratt. But I'd imagine it's the same feeling Carthage fans had when he was hired. You can just feel there's something different. Best of luck to both teams. Of course I'm pulling for my Dogs of Kilgore.

Best of luck to the Jackets this year!

No, we wouldn't. Because it's not that deep. Sark said he "had a pretty good idea" with who he was going to go with, but wanted to see a little more competition. Card went on to throw multiple picks in practice while Quinn went perfect. There's no conspiracy here. And it's baffling to me that many people on this site who actually follow this program in depth have explained this to you yet you still talk like you have a tinfoil hat on.

This thread is about as exciting as Centers playoff history.

Ahh, says the stream can be found on Beckville ISD's website homepage.....

Is the game being streamed? If so, can someone share a link? Wanting to watch some high caliber 2A football, but stuck in Central Texas.

I hear ya my friend. Jasper has a new identity nowadays, more so offensively. Jasper fans(including myself) are so excited about the direction of the program.

That was a good one.....I gotta give ya that. I guess we coulda pulled a page outta yalls book and hired one without a DL so he couldn't drive away and leave.

Probably back on the coach carousel

Good test right out the gates.. Yall had a receiver last year that was legit against Kilgore and LBJ, I want to say it was #1 but might be wrong.... good athlete