Inside the Huddle is a place for my friends to write and share their passion for High School football.
By Mark Thomas
QUESTION: How long have you been involved in broadcasting high school sporting events and how did you get started?
All together, this will be my 22nd year being involved in broadcasting high school or college sports, and my 17th season doing football broadcasts.
I first started being involved in broadcasting right after I graduated from Seguin High School in June of 1990. My first broadcasting job was at KWED-AM 1580 where I worked as an afternoon/swing-shift announcer and Sports Director. I worked as the color analyst on Seguin Matador football games and whenever the Mats either had a bye week or played on a Thursday or Saturday, I did color on Marion Bulldog or Navarro Panther games. Most of my early play-by-play experience was calling high school and college basketball games (on KWED and later on KULF-FM in Brenham).
My first experience calling play-by-play for football came in 1998 when I worked for radio stations KHER-FM and KBEN-AM and did Crystal City Javelina (regular season) and Carrizo Springs Wildcat (playoff) football games for one season while I was working in Uvalde. How that happened was a co-worker who knew my background in announcing and broadcasting recommended me to her nephew who was the stations’ Operations Manager and Program Director. I moved back to the San Antonio-area the following year, and I joined the Texas Sports Radio Network’s San Antonio chapter that August. I worked primarily with TSRN for about five years, and then I started to do freelance work for various stations and also contracted with different school districts in South Central Texas. The radio stations I had done broadcasts for included: KWED-AM (Seguin), KHER-FM (Crystal City), KBEN-AM (Carrizo Springs), and KAML-AM (Kenedy/Karnes City). At the present time, I am into my second year of broadcasting games for St. Anthony Catholic High School in San Antonio. The Yellow Jackets’ games are streamed on the Internet at www.audiosportsonline.net.
QUESTION: How many road trips have you done?
Honestly, too many to mention but if I had to do 4-corners for the farthest towns I had traveled to broadcast a football game: South (Brownsville); East (Houston), North (Killeen & Troy); West (Crystal City and Carrizo Springs).
QUESTION: How many broadcast partners have you shared a booth with to call football games (play-by-play or color analyst)?
Ken Eilert and Barry Halvorson (KWED-AM, Seguin); Bobby Stautzenberger, R.J. Curtis, Marc Hoenig, Mark Kusenberger, Dave McNally, Jeff Gandy, Richard Osborne, Barry Lacey, Dave Parker, Roland J. Ruiz, Jay Riley, Gabe Farias, Jaime Farias, Joey Farias, and Matt Scherer (TSRN); Manny Martinez , Robert Perez (KHER-FM, Crystal City and KBEN-AM, Carrizo Springs); Bobby Mendez, Manny Rodriguez (KHER-FM, Crystal City, KAML-AM, Kenedy-Karnes City); and Clyde Eckols and Ron Gray (KAML-AM, Kenedy-Karnes City).
I have also had some great guys who worked hard doing stats so I am going to recognize them as well: including: Jared Haynes, Mark Lieberman, both Bobby Mendez and Manny Rodriguez started off doing stat work before they moved behind the microphone.
QUESTION: What was your favorite game to broadcast?
I have two games that tied for favorite game to broadcast: 2001 – Central Catholic won the TAPPS 5A State Championship (Roland Jay Ruiz was handling play-by-play and I was the analyst); 2004 – Crystal City defeated arch rival Carrizo Springs to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 1953.
QUESTION: What do you do when you aren’t broadcasting or working your day job?
If I am not working my night job, I am spending time with my wife, spending time with my parents and brother back in Seguin. Sometimes I just try to catch up on sleep.
QUESTION: What keeps bringing you back to broadcasting games year in and year out?
I enjoy working in broadcasting, even if it is not a full time career, it is something I have always enjoyed doing regardless if I’m doing play-by-play or working as the analyst. You are the eyes and voices (the story teller if you will) for fans who can’t attend the game and painting the picture for the listener so they can be right there enjoying the action wherever they might be.
Check out the previous Inside the Huddle guest bloggers:
Inside the Huddle – Mark Kusenberger 8/29/2012
Inside the Huddle – Virgil Peterson 9/3/2012
Inside the Huddle – Derrick Hayes 9/5/2012
Inside the Huddle – Texas Bob 9/12/12
By Mark Thomas
QUESTION: How long have you been involved in broadcasting high school sporting events and how did you get started?
All together, this will be my 22nd year being involved in broadcasting high school or college sports, and my 17th season doing football broadcasts.
I first started being involved in broadcasting right after I graduated from Seguin High School in June of 1990. My first broadcasting job was at KWED-AM 1580 where I worked as an afternoon/swing-shift announcer and Sports Director. I worked as the color analyst on Seguin Matador football games and whenever the Mats either had a bye week or played on a Thursday or Saturday, I did color on Marion Bulldog or Navarro Panther games. Most of my early play-by-play experience was calling high school and college basketball games (on KWED and later on KULF-FM in Brenham).
My first experience calling play-by-play for football came in 1998 when I worked for radio stations KHER-FM and KBEN-AM and did Crystal City Javelina (regular season) and Carrizo Springs Wildcat (playoff) football games for one season while I was working in Uvalde. How that happened was a co-worker who knew my background in announcing and broadcasting recommended me to her nephew who was the stations’ Operations Manager and Program Director. I moved back to the San Antonio-area the following year, and I joined the Texas Sports Radio Network’s San Antonio chapter that August. I worked primarily with TSRN for about five years, and then I started to do freelance work for various stations and also contracted with different school districts in South Central Texas. The radio stations I had done broadcasts for included: KWED-AM (Seguin), KHER-FM (Crystal City), KBEN-AM (Carrizo Springs), and KAML-AM (Kenedy/Karnes City). At the present time, I am into my second year of broadcasting games for St. Anthony Catholic High School in San Antonio. The Yellow Jackets’ games are streamed on the Internet at www.audiosportsonline.net.
QUESTION: How many road trips have you done?
Honestly, too many to mention but if I had to do 4-corners for the farthest towns I had traveled to broadcast a football game: South (Brownsville); East (Houston), North (Killeen & Troy); West (Crystal City and Carrizo Springs).
QUESTION: How many broadcast partners have you shared a booth with to call football games (play-by-play or color analyst)?
Ken Eilert and Barry Halvorson (KWED-AM, Seguin); Bobby Stautzenberger, R.J. Curtis, Marc Hoenig, Mark Kusenberger, Dave McNally, Jeff Gandy, Richard Osborne, Barry Lacey, Dave Parker, Roland J. Ruiz, Jay Riley, Gabe Farias, Jaime Farias, Joey Farias, and Matt Scherer (TSRN); Manny Martinez , Robert Perez (KHER-FM, Crystal City and KBEN-AM, Carrizo Springs); Bobby Mendez, Manny Rodriguez (KHER-FM, Crystal City, KAML-AM, Kenedy-Karnes City); and Clyde Eckols and Ron Gray (KAML-AM, Kenedy-Karnes City).
I have also had some great guys who worked hard doing stats so I am going to recognize them as well: including: Jared Haynes, Mark Lieberman, both Bobby Mendez and Manny Rodriguez started off doing stat work before they moved behind the microphone.
QUESTION: What was your favorite game to broadcast?
I have two games that tied for favorite game to broadcast: 2001 – Central Catholic won the TAPPS 5A State Championship (Roland Jay Ruiz was handling play-by-play and I was the analyst); 2004 – Crystal City defeated arch rival Carrizo Springs to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 1953.
QUESTION: What do you do when you aren’t broadcasting or working your day job?
If I am not working my night job, I am spending time with my wife, spending time with my parents and brother back in Seguin. Sometimes I just try to catch up on sleep.
QUESTION: What keeps bringing you back to broadcasting games year in and year out?
I enjoy working in broadcasting, even if it is not a full time career, it is something I have always enjoyed doing regardless if I’m doing play-by-play or working as the analyst. You are the eyes and voices (the story teller if you will) for fans who can’t attend the game and painting the picture for the listener so they can be right there enjoying the action wherever they might be.
Check out the previous Inside the Huddle guest bloggers:
Inside the Huddle – Mark Kusenberger 8/29/2012
Inside the Huddle – Virgil Peterson 9/3/2012
Inside the Huddle – Derrick Hayes 9/5/2012
Inside the Huddle – Texas Bob 9/12/12
Inside the Huddle – Dave Parker 9/26/12
Tomorrow night, I got a road trip to East Central stadium as the East Central Hornets host the Southwest Dragons.
On Friday night, the Smithson Valley Rangers visit Rutledge stadium to play Judson and I will be there.
On Saturday, I got UTSA football at the Alamodome as they host San Jose State. The Spanish broadcast can be heard on Radio Formula Network’s K272EK 102.3 FM and KBRN 1500 AM and also online at radioformulasa.com.
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