Judson is my “home team” as I have been working there High School football games for several years alongside Bobby Stautzenberger and Tony Franklin. Bobby and Tony are an amazing broadcasting team and the three of us get along like we are family. Besides Bobby (he owns the local affiliate of TSRNsports.com), I have the most tenure as an employee of TRSNsports.com; 16 years!!! It is also cool that the press box officials and athletic staff know who I am; see ya soon Tom, Milton, Candy, and Mike.
Walking up and down the old wooden stands on the home side was a real workout and Bobby and I did it a lot and most of the time we carried heavy radio equipment. Hanging the banners on top of the old press box was a pain since I had to climb a submarine ladder.
When the stadium was being renovated, the press box wasn’t quite ready for occupants so me, Bobby, and Tony broadcasted several games outside. We had a table and chairs which was supplied by Bobby. It was cold for those games; but it was nice to be amongst the fans and be able to hear the game. I found myself talking to the quarterback’s Dad. When we finally got clearance to be in the press box, I was glad cause that particular evening was really windy. It was a playoff game and Judson played horribly and ended up losing to the Stevens Falcons. Stupid wind!!!
It has been an absolute privilege to see many talented running backs play for the Rockets; Kyle Fox, Chauncey Campbell, and most recently Quaylon Jones. Last year, Alvin Clark added his name to this list. He only played a few games but his numbers were impressive; 38 carries for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns. Dude, speed is his strength; I guess that is why he played track and field. And the cool thing is I get to see Clark for 2 more years; he is a Junior! Wow!! I have a feeling his total numbers will be very close to his predecessors.
Senior safety’s Tre Flowers and Jermaine Adams will be the anchors once again for the Judson defense.
One of the strongest suit for Judson is they are full of fast and athletic athletes from the Freshmen level to the Seniors. I know there will be a player who isn’t mentioned in any of the guides whom will make a huge impact on the team.
It is gonna be really strange without Jim Rackley, the former coach of Judson. His 11 year record with Judson was 101 wins and 37 losses and 1 state championship victory in 2002. His energy on the sidelines was extreme and his raspy voice was motivational; those traits are impossible to replace. I am really interested to see how Mark Smith, the new coach, adopts to the Judson mojo and what changes he plans to implement.
My most memorable Judson football game (boy, there are a lot to choose from) is the 2002 state championship game against Midland Lee. I didn’t work that game; I worked the next game between Everman and Burnet and in that particular game, Cory Fullbright, a Senior defensive back from Everman, ended up getting paralyzed on a play. That was a tough and really sad sight to see. I have seen many injuries but none like Cory’s.
One that kinda comes close was Devin Thomas, a running back from Madison. There was something special about Devin and every time he touched the ball, you could feel the energy as you knew something amazing was about to happen. On October 6th, 2006 versus the Reagan Rattlers he rushed for 483 yards!! Wow!!!
One year later again versus the Reagan Rattlers and a game that I worked (we were broadcasting the game from the visitors side press box), Devin had 29 carries for over 300 yards; Madison was ahead by 21 points late in the 4th quarter. Well, on carry number 30, Devin got horse collared and suffered a broken ankle; out for the season. You could hear a pin drop; everybody was shocked and couldn’t believe what had just transpired. I mean Devin, at that point was considered to be one of the top running backs ever for the city of San Antonio and the state of Texas. Despite that injury, Madison made quite a playoff run before losing to the Katy Tigers. Devin Thomas suited up for a few playoff games but didn’t play a single down. Had Devon not gotten injured, he probably would’ve had a much better college career and may be playing in the NFL. Just makes you think about what if?
So, back to the Judson and Midland Lee state championship game. Judson trailed by 5 points with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game and they needed to go 76 yards to score. The Midland Lee fans and players were cheering as they were ready to erupt in a celebration. The Judson quarterback, Dustin Quinney, who primarily handed the ball to his running backs, threw a pass. I saw a receiver for Judson wide open running down the field; the football was still in the air angling toward him. Andre Williams, the Judson receiver, caught it in stride and scored a touchdown for; pandemonium in the Alamodome and lots of Oh My God’s!!!!!! Bobby and Tony’s call was epic and I really wish someone had a copy of it. Now, the Midland Lee fans were crying and wondering what the fuck just happened? On the opposite sideline, the Judson fans and players were cheering as they now had the lead and ultimately won that game 33-32. Wow!!!
The call and the play itself were featured on all the local television stations and I think ESPN as well. On one of the local sports shows the next evening, I remember they had Dustin and Andre replay that pass on the street outside the television station. Pretty cool!!!
Just writing about this game, I got goose bumps!! I just found a YouTube video of the last few minutes; more goose bumps. Hey, Andre celebrated his touchdown right in front of our TSRNsports banner; we got lots of free publicity!! Fast forward the video to the 2:40 mark to see the touchdown.
Mark Friday, August 31st in your calendars and come to Rutledge stadium in Converse for the first Judson Rockets football game. The opponent is: the 5 –time defending state champions from 4A (they moved to 5A this year)…..THE LAKE TRAVIS CAVALIERS!!!!! I will be there and can’t wait to hear the “whoop whoop” from the Judson fans.
Dave Campbell’s 2012 Texas Football magazine is predicting Lake Travis to win the state championship over Cibolo Steele! That would be 6 in a row for Lake Travis and 3 consecutive appearances for Steele (they won in 2010 and lost in 2011). This magazine is a great read as it provides in depth information, key players lost and returning, stats, and predictions for all Texas High School football teams and classifications. The Express News will have a section similar to this magazine, but it will feature only San Antonio High School football teams. It usually comes out right before the football season starts.
Both publications are must have’s if you are as passionate about High School football as I am. No, I am not looking for them to become sponsors in my High School football blog, but if that happens, I would accept whatever they offered me; even it happens to be a used jock strap! I would much rather prefer a helmet with a big M on it (not B M, only M); I could wear it when I drive, when I do lawn work, when I write, when I work, and when I shower!!!! I don’t think Nina would want me to sleep in it!!!
As part of my High School football blog, I am going to write about each game I work and about 1/3 of those will be about Judson!!!
Stay tuned for the number 7 team next week.
