Atari2000

Matt - I'm really enjoying looking through these old alignments. I attended a class B school (later class A) that didn't play football and I would love to see the basketball district alignments for class B/A if you have them. I'm really only interested in the period from about 1968 to 1988. Please let us know if you're able to add/post them. Thanks!

Anything interesting or noteworthy?

Realignment is never kind to the Tree. Longview will most likely be in their district and the new district COULD include T-high, John Tyler, Whitehouse, and/or Lufkin. Probably not all of these, but with the UIL it's possible. Good luck!

Haven't heard much from my folks in Canton, other than a slow start with a couple of recent wins in district. What are Canton's prospects for next year? Who are they losing? Who is coming back? How are the JV/9th teams doing this year?

So why can't the tree seem to get it going? I've heard that they have some pretty good younger players, but I've been hearing that for several years. How are they so far behind Hallsville that neither Thursday game was even close? Can someone who knows the program's history or the community give us some insight? Is it discipline, coaching, apathy in the community, lack of effort, board/administrative roadblocks, or something else? Most losing programs I've seen could trace their problems back to one of those things. I've heard the lack of talent excuse, but good coaching can often make a good football player out of an average athlete. Does PT just not have many good football players? If not, then why?

Mexia's visitor side stands look like the typical home side with a press box. The home side stands are covered, with a separate section big enough for the band that has it's own cover. Not sure if the band still uses this section - I haven't seen a game there since the mid 90s. I noticed back then that, since the press box was on the visitor side, the chain crew worked the home sideline. Also, to relate this to another thread, I think Mexia's field runs east/west.

Pine Tree Freshmen 32 - Mount Pleasant 30. PT finishes at 7-2-1, pretty nice season! I got to see most of their games and they have a few good players coming up in the program. Both RB's, #1 and #2 had several good runs last night and each scored once. The QB #12 had two nice TD runs - broke several tackles and ankles - and had a TD pass as well. Future looks good for the Pirates!

My friend's son plays for the Pine Tree freshmen and I've seen them play 4 or 5 times. They have only lost one game all season and that was to Texas High. I agree with all posters that T-High's freshman team is the strongest I've seen. Their skill kids are good, but the O line and D line were the difference against PT. The T-High kids mentioned in previous posts were all good when I saw them, but #81 (defensive end) was the best player on the field that night. PT moved the ball well a few times, but stalled inside the 20 - a sign of good 'bend but don't break' defense. As for Pine Tree's freshmen, their are a few good looking kids that could help them down the road as they grow. Two good looking halfbacks #1 and #2, and #23 is a very fast receiver for them who also plays HB at times. #7 is a good DB. The linemen are small, but well-coached. They run a lot of read plays and I've seen their QB #12 run wild over Nacogdoches and Hallsville - friend said over 200 yards rushing in those games. The QB is about 6 ft tall and will outrun most team's DBs in the open field - serious speed. He also has a decent arm, too, but they don't pass much when the running game is clicking. IMHO, this group of PT kids will win some varsity games, but only if they are kept together on JV next year. They didn't win much in JH, so this winning thing is new to them. If they stay together in JV, they might win 8 or 9 games and enter their Jr year on a roll. Just one opinion... PT plays SS this week and MP next week. Does anyone have any info or records on them?

Sorry, Mavchamp - PT won the Freshman game 46-22. Marshall came out with a good gameplan - recovered a couple of onsides kicks and took a very quick 14-0 lead. PT came back strong, scoring 46 unanswered points, and were playing with only backups for the whole 4th quarter. Marshall stopped PT's bread and butter inside veer, but could not contain the halfbacks on the edges and the deep passing game hurt them, too. PT's QB has had a couple of 200+ yard rushing games, but not this time. He did beat them through the air a few times. For the most part, it was toss right, toss left - not rocket science. This group of PT kids never won much in Jr. High, but they are 5-1-1 this season. This group of Marshall freshman was always among the toughest Jr. High teams PT has faced the past two years. Do you know if they've lost some kids or moved some to JV? Also, does anyone have any info on the Sulphur Springs or Mt. Pleasant freshman teams?

Pine Tree Freshmen 52 Nacogdoches Freshmen 14 PT still undefeated at 3-0-1 PT QB ran for 4 touchdowns - Pirates looked fast!

Good post JBizzle. If the schools needed new computers, lab equimpment, or more classrooms, would we all say "No, because their test scores are too low and they don't DESERVE it"? Most communities would gladly pass a bond for those items to HELP students raise their scores. Why then should a football program have to EARN a new stadium? Maybe the new one will give them more pride and a better chance for success. You are right on the money by saying that the PT kids deserve as nice a stadium as anyone else's kids. I know this is the real world, but don't ALL kids deserve nice facilities, whether they get them or not?

I've been sort of watching this situation for a while now and I think PT's last two bond elections speak volumes about what the REAL issue is over on that side of town. Last year's bond saw over 2,000 voters turn out and the difference was only 12 votes. This year, over 2,700 voters turned out and the difference was less than a hundred votes. The issue is that PT is clearly a divided community with divided interests. I could put it more clearly by saying that there seems to not be a strong sense of community in PT. Think about it - PT is not it's own town, but is a slice of a much larger town. Parents and kids move in and out of PT's low income housing and never really get to know their neighbors or the kids their kids go to school with. Some PT folks have lived there for generations, but probably don't have much incentive to reach out to the new, more migrant neighbors. This means that PT will never have the built-in advantage of most 3A or 4A towns - the advantage of being the only school district in town. The teachers I know in PT tell me that the administration is really trying to promote pride and community unity. I think they are on the right track and have clearly figured out what the main problem is. It has less to do with football, although football seems to be the weakest link that PT people care the least about. It has everything to do with having community and school pride. Those who have lived in areas with great community and school pride will tell you that it is far different from just having pride in the band or pride in the football team. There is obviously much support from many PT folks for certain programs, but to us on the outside, there appears to be far less overall community and school pride. The close vote on the bond says it all. Everything PTISD put out in the media to try to raise support for the bond actually looked like they were trying to downplay the importance of the stadium. How many Texas communities are so football-poor that they have to try to pass a new stadium bond by talking about all the other things in the bond while downplaying the stadium? To PT admins I say keep up the good work and stick to your guns. To the community I would say keep working toward that unity and positive spirit. To the new AD, stay strong, be patient, and good luck!

Most people will say the moment of this game that "sealed the deal" was the long TD run by Kelly that put Yoe up 28-14. I say the defining moment was not the play itself, but something that happened DURING that play. #68 from Cameron (guard or tackle - don't remember) got down the field ahead of the RB. About 25-30 yards downfield, he ran full speed into a couple of Tatum players and pushed them into a third Eagle. All three hit the ground hard like a bunch of bowling pins. Kelly, the RB, stepped over the pile and had an easy sprint to the end zone - game over! The spread passing team won it with old fashioned power football. Game ball to Kelley - big helmet sticker to #68. That kid was pumped and his team knew he made that TD happen.

Great description, BaseballUmp. I have friends in Cameron and I've never seen such strong school pride from an entire town. You could find the two worst enemies in Cameron and they would band together like brothers if you disrespected their town or school. One thing you didn't mention: In Cameron, the Yoemen are not farmers, they are archers. I remember a painting of a Robin Hood-like man with a big bow and arrow on the gym wall. I would place this among the best names and NOT in a worst names thread!

My cousin says you make a great point rednblack! LOL!!!

A guy I know over in PT says the new coach who just retired got quite a "welcome" from the baseball experts...that is, dads....in the baseball booster club. When I heard the coach was leaving, I wondered if this had something to do with his decision. PT's new coach better be ready to let the booster club manage his team, or be ready to put the booster club in its rightful place and get down to the business of coaching. My cousin says there are about 20 future Derek Jeters in PT from 7th to 12th grade. And if you don't believe it, just ask their dads!

Henderson 44-20. When the dust settles, the Lions will win (or share) the district title.

Not a fan of either team - neutral. But......I was there, so here's my take on the fracus in the 3rd quarter: Hard to tell how it started - probably lots of talking on both sides. Two or three kids got a little chippy, started shoving, a couple more jumped in and it was ON! The street mentality kicked in as both benches cleared and several separate fights broke out at various times. To the coaches' credit, both staffs did a heckuva job trying to break it up. Looked like 10 or 12 police/security personnel stormed the field to help too. I saw one civilian enter the fray from the Marshall side. He was wearing a Texas Longhorn t-shirt (go figure) and it looked like several police were preventing a Lobo coach from cleaning this guy's clock. My guess: might have been the dad of a Marshall player who was physically pulled from the fight by a Longview coach - "yew keep yore hans awf mah boyee" - anyway, I could imagine him saying something like that. My observations: The kids finally separated and managed to put the fight behind them and play hard the rest of the way. Boys will be boys and I really think they all just wanted to get on with the game. The officials did an amazing job restoring order, keeping things even (ejected two from each team), and allowing the game to continue. I've seen games suspended for less than this. The coaches and police should get hazard pay for jumping into harm's way (flying helmets) to break it up. As for the Marshall band having to move, I sat near them and there was never a problem between them and Lobo fans that I could see/hear. Admittedly, I left my seat early in the 4th quarter. As for which side/team showed a lack of class, well I have to be honest: Across the field, I could see at least half of the Marshall crowd going hog wild crazy in the stands during the fight. They were eating it up and egging it on! AND........sitting on the Longview side, I can tell you that everyone in my line of sight - sinners & saints, whiskey drinkers & milk drinkers, from the penthouse to the ghetto, the baptists & the backsliders - all were having a full blown fit during the fight and were egging it on just as much, if not more than the Marshall crowd. In fact, it was like the whole visitors side had been asleep all night and then suddenly woke up! Their team was the same way - sluggishly average until the last 15 minutes of the game. Guess a good fight was all it took to get the juices flowing. I don't post often - sorry so long. But, I was there, so I thought I could offer some impartial insight since I am neutral and just came to enjoy a great rivalry..........and this 100th meeting WAS one to remember!

Congratulations, Smoaky! Waco and CenTex will love you, just as East Texas has for many years. You have a true gift for radio and I'm glad to hear that you will again be using it. I've often wondered exactly why you stepped away from radio, but I respect your reasons and your privacy. I'm very glad to hear that Smoaky.com will remain intact and will now include some of my old Central Texas friends. I know I speak for many when I say that I can't wait to hear your voice again!

I certainly have no stake in this situation, but I have one fact and one question. Fact: I knew supt. Dees when he was Coach Dees, a long-time high school football coach. Question: Isn't it illegal for an employee to be related to a board member (nepotism)?

My PT contacts confirm that he is one and the same. My info is 2nd or 3rd hand, but supposedly this guy lives in WO, but owns commercial property in PT so his kids can go to PT schools. It gets better! He apparently attends every PT board meeting and flaunts his "standing" in the community to the board. My PT buddies are TICKED that someone from somewhere else had such a heavy influence on this election. Consider this: If all of this info is true, PT's bond was sunk by their own attendance policy. If the policy was different, his kids would have gone to WO schools and he could be a thorn in THEIR side instead. Also consider that over 1,000 PT residents voted against the bond and many were greatly influenced to do so by a WITE OAK RESIDENT! Unbelievable! I think the folks in PT deserve exactly what they get from here on. They are quickly becoming a laughingstock. Maybe some of the better kids who migrate out of PT will settle over here and help us win a few games!!!

My PT peeps just told me that some folks over there think the football program has not "earned" a new stadium. If this reflects the community's attitude, it's no wonder the team struggles year after year. I wonder if Tatum or Gilmer or Longview would have as many good kids interested in football if those places didn't make the commitment to facilities. Would Longview kids dream of playing great football for the lobos if they were using old Judson stadium? Have Gilmer's fieldhouse/weightroom and Tatum's nice facilities not increased interest while making a huge statement to kids? Could be a coincidence, but the middle class migration out of Longview (including PT) to Hallsville really picked up when Hallsville built, you guessed it, a new stadium. Maybe PT's football program would turn a corner if kids could see the commitment to facilities. Kids don't understand the economics and politics of the situation. All my PT friends' kids can see is a nice baseball field with recent upgrades, a nice softball facility, new tennis courts, a state-of-the-art gym..........right beside an old field house on campus, and a stadium that is a dump compared to most in the area. Have already heard from one parent up in PT this morning whose two kids (very athletic jr. high kids) will not be wearing the blue and gold next year. This bond failure will probably have this effect on several families. Academics are so important, but schools can try to be good in all that they offer......can't they??? It won't happen if the community doesn't demand it.

I, too am a fiscal conservative and against wasteful spending. Believe me, I see every day what my old school district has spent on sports facilities and wonder if it's a little excessive. I'm assuming you're a PT resident, so just to try to understand that community's mindset, can you tell us just what you think the kids at PT do need with regards to a football stadium? You mentioned that a three story pressbox is not needed, especially at PT, but do PT folks feel that the old stadium is just fine for their kids? Not picking on you - just curious. I sort of criticized the bond failure early in this thread, but maybe you can shed some light on why this bond was not a good thing. Other than a big pressbox, what specifically was wasteful about it?

So........will PT come back with another bond that the voters will pass, or did we just learn what we kind of already knew about the community's commitment to football? Heard other things were included in this bond, but a stadium bond usually comes down to the voters' willingness to support the football program. Too bad for the kids!

I agree with you on all counts Panther, but my PT friends tell me the new stadium will be built right where the old one sits. The district apparently doesn't own any additional land and was not able to buy more.