The Thursday Nights Lights broadcasters this year are going to Don Harris from WOAI and Chuck Miketinac from KABB.
Yeah, I am gonna miss working with Ernie Zuniga; we spoke last week and have a mutual respect for each other. Dave Ostmo, the producer of the TNL games got a promotion at the station so the new producer is going to be Chris Kotfas (he has been with TNL since we started in 2010). Our camera-man, Ralph Lopez won’t be back either. Man, I am the only who survived…wow!!! All of the changes won’t affect me at all…I just gotta show Don and Chuck how to read my stat board and dry erase board.
When I was at Clark High school from 1991-1995, I would often hear a coach named Tom Foolery on the radio…well, the voice behind the coach was Don Harris! I may have to bring that up when I meet him.
Don has been at WOAI for 23 years. Chuck has been with KABB for 18 years. I got 17 years of stat experience. Let me practice my math and OK, I got it…that adds up to 58 years years of experience.
I am really looking forward to working with Chuck and Don and maybe this will be a way in for me with the sports departments at the television stations.
I love to write and this will be my 3rd year where I will write about each game I work. I will be armed with a little composition notebook so I can jot ideas down during games.
I really enjoy providing my thoughts on all the games I work and sharing it with my fellow High School football junkies. Nothing is off limits for me!! So, be prepared cause we are gonna have a lot of fun!!! Pictures will always be included at no extra charge. Each article I magically construct will appear on Saturday’s and Sunday’s throughout the football season.
I will also be providing High School Football photos for Texashsfootball.com and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. And, each Wednesday throughout the season, I will select the stat of the week from the games I work.
When everything gets rolling, I am gonna be busy. But, I don’t mind cause I LOVE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL! I will have to get my list of priorities straightened out…full time job at the bank comes first, then comes Thursday, Friday, and Saturday High School football games, third will be writing, and last will be the photos. I will be in a very pleasant euphoric zone once the season starts and will come out of in mid-December; only a few privileged people get to come in!!
I have no clue where I will find time to pack and move since we accepted on offer on our house (if everything goes thru on the buyers end, they want to close on September 20th….I may end up taking that Friday night off at East Central). We also gotta find a place to live (hello Mom and Dad, can we crash at your house?)!!
A great source of football information that I always carry with me are Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and the High School Football preview section from the San Antonio Express News (this will be available Sunday, August 25th).
I am all about self promotion so I ordered business cards to hand out. I will give them to the folks in the press-box and fans that I interact with.
I got new black dry erase markers and cheap pens. Other than those supplies, there is nothing else I need to purchase as I will be using what I have used in the past. I did put new batteries in my cheapy old fashioned radio and threw away my binoculars.
I am really HOPING for a new TSRN polo shirt this year. If not, I will make my own with the TSRN logo in the front and mdlblog.com on the back (business expense for me)!!! I do get a new CW35 t-shirt every year and that is very nice.
My wife suggested in 2011 that I should keep track of all my business expenses (supplies, food, and mileage are the primary expenses) and that will help us a bit on our taxes. Thanks Nina…I got a smart wife who makes soap!!
COACHES
Boy, it sure is gonna be weird not seeing Mike Jinks on the Steele Knight side-line as the head coach. Jinks had been the with team since it’s inception in 2005. I have worked a lot of Steele games (2 state championship games) and Mike probably doesn’t know who I am, but he always shakes my hand when I am on the field. Mike is now the running backs coach at Texas Tech University and I wish him great success. I am telling you now, he will be a college head coach soon and I will be proud to say that I knew him when he coached at Steele High School.
I don’t think the Steele Knights will have any issues with the new head coach, Scott Lehnoff. Lehnoff was the offensive coordinator for the Knights, he also started with Jinks in 2005, and coaching is in his pedigree (his father is Robert Lehhnoff, former Athletic Director at the same district and former head coach at Clemens High School). They will be in good hands.
Although I never got the opportunity to meet Lee Bridges, the former head coach of the Stevens falcons, I have heard a lot of great things about him. Prior to Stevens, he was the head coach for the Taft Raiders for 5 years. Bridges is now the head coach at Leander.
One more coach that I want to mention is former Wagner Thunderbird head coach, Pete Gibbens. After 23 years of coaching and the only coach in Wagner history, Gibbens retired.
Mike Jinks was a player and an assistant coach at Judson High school while Pete Gibbens was a longtime assistant coach at Judson before going to Wagner.
PLAYERS
I am really looking forward to seeing Steele Knight running back, Justin Stockton. I saw him debut as a Freshmen in 2010 on Thursday Night Lights. He will be the best player in San Antonio this year and has already committed to play at Texas Tech University (thanks to Mike Jinks).
Look at these amazing numbers from Stockton…
2010
54 carries/607 yards/6 touchdowns. He was Malcolm Brown’s back-up in 2010 and Steele won the state championship! Malcolm is competing to be the starting running back for the Texas Longhorns. When all is done, I think Justin will be a better collegiate player than Malcolm.
2011
165 carries/1499 yards/13 touchdowns. Justin was the starter and Steele lost the 2011 state championship!
2012
200 carries/2044 yards/30 touchdowns. Justin is still the starter and Steele came within one game of playing in 3 consecutive state championships! WOW!!!
So along with Justin Stockton, I am also looking forward to seeing the Steele Knights team play and I will get to work at least 2 Steele games this year (one on TV and the other on TSRN). I mean, for the past 3 years, Steele has been THE best team in San Antonio.
I am totally biased for the Judson Rockets and all the players…they are my home team and I will be working all 10 games this season. There is just something magical about seeing the Rockets play and that should be included in everyone’s bucket list. I am gonna try and get and my Dad to come to a Rocket football game this season…maybe when they play Steele in Week 1. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football has LB Justin Johnson from Judson as the pre-season defensive MVP.
OK, so there are several other players that I am looking forward to seeing this season and I know I won’t be able to name them all, but I will attempt to name most of them…
Churchill Chargers – RB Nico Smisek and QB Nate Pearson
Nico’s dad is Kevin Smisek, the head basketball coach at St. Anthony. Last year, I was invited by Coach Smisek and attended several St. Anthony basketball games and wrote about em. I had a blast and am planning on doing it again after the football season ends.
Madison Mavericks – WR Byron Daniels and QB Cody Ennis
Reagan Rattlers – QB Ty Summers
O’Connor Panthers – QB Zach Galindo, FB Billy Craft, and WR Nate Phillips
Wagner Thunderbirds – QB Tekoa Bryant-McKinnies
East Central Hornets – QB Jeremy Jones, RB Javion Polk, RB Jonathan Jackson, and DB Caid Francowiak
Southwest Dragons – RB Erin Mack
Brennan Bears – QB Dashawn Key, RB Makai Green, and RB Nathaniel Wells
Brackenridge Eagles – QB Ramon Richards and RB Trey Mathis
Boerne Greyhounds- QB Quinten Dormady
Remember these names cause they will be all over the TV, radio, and newspaper with amazing plays and stats. Yeah baby, I said stats!!! Hey, I am a numbers dude!!
I do know that their will be an unknown player this season who will have a breakthrough season and everyone will be surprised; who will it be?
TEAMS
On June 26th, I published Mark’s TOP 10 High School Football PRE-SEASON RANKINGS and two weeks later, the San Antonio Express News started their Top 10 Pre-season rankings. So, let’s compare…
10. CHURCHILL CHARGERS (26-5A) (3-7, 2-4) - Lost to the Judson Rockets in the first round of the 2012 5A Division 1 Playoffs
The Express News has the Kerrville Tivy Antlers ranked number 10
9. REAGAN RATTLERS (26-5A) (6-4, 2-3) - Lost to the Smithson Valley Rangers in the first round of the 2012 5A Division 2 Playoffs
The Express News also has the Reagan Rattlers ranked number 9
8. SMITHSON VALLEY RANGERS (25-5A) (11-1, 5-0) – Lost to the Brandeis Broncos in the area 2012 5A Division 2 Playoffs
The Express News has the East Central Hornets ranked number 8
7. EAST CENTRAL HORNETS (28-5A) (8-4, 4-2) – Lost to the Madison Mavericks in the area 2012 5A Division 1 Playoffs
The Express News has the Smithson Valley Rangers ranked number 7
6. JUDSON ROCKETS (25-5A) (8-4, 4-1) – Lost to the O’Connor Panthers in the area 2012 5A Division 1 Playoffs
The Express News has the Brandeis Broncos ranked number 6
5. BRANDEIS BRONCOS (27-5A) (11-2, 8-0) - Lost to the Steele Knights in the quarterfinals of the 2012 5A Division 2 Playoffs
The Express News has the Judson Rockets ranked number 5
4 . MADISON MAVERICKS (26-5A) (10-3, 5-0) - Lost to the O’Connor Panthers in the quarterfinals of the 2012 5A Division 1 Playoffs
The Express News also has the Madison Mavericks ranked number 4
3. BRENNAN BEARS (28-4A) (13-1, 7-0) - Lost to the Cedar Park Timberwolves in the 2012 4A Division 2 Playoffs
The Express News also has the O’Connor Panthers ranked number 3
2. STEELE KNIGHTS (28-5A) (14-1, 5-0)- Lost to the Katy Tigers in the semifinals of the 2012 5A Division 2 Playoffs
The Express News has the Brennan Bears ranked number 2
1 . O’CONNOR PANTHERS (27-5A) (12-3, 8-1) - Lost to the Houston Lamar Redskins in the semifinals of the 2012 5A Division 1 Playoffs
It is safe to assume the Steele Knights will be ranked number 1 by the Express News
Hey, I did pretty darn good!!! I would’ve had Steele number 1, but I worked more O’Connor games than Steele and that is why I gave the Panthers number 1. To be honest, pre-season rankings mean absolutely nothing; the only thing that matters is how you finish. And, all these teams want to be the last team standing and preferably with a win at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (aka Dallas Cowboys stadium). I was at that stadium for the state championships in 2010 and 2011 with the Steele Knights.
GAMES
Some of the games I am excited about seeing this season are:
Week 0
Friday, August 30th @ Lake Travis stadium – Judson VS Lake Travis TSRNsports.com
Week 1
Friday, September 6th @ DW Rutledge stadium – Judson VS Steele TSRNsports.com
Week 2
Thursday, September 12th @ Lehnoff stadium – Kerrvile Tivy VS Steele KMYS.TV/TNL
Week 3
Thursday, September 19th @ Comalander stadium – Smithson Valley VS Madison KMYS.TV/TNL
Week 6
Friday, October 11th @ DW Rutledge stadium – Judson VS Wagner TSRNsports.com
Week 7
Friday, October 18th @ Ranger stadium – Judson VS Smithson Valley TSRNsports.com
Week 8
Thursday, October 24th @ Memorial stadium – Harlandale VS Southside
KMYS.TV/TNL
WEEK 0 SCHEDULE FOR MARK
On Tuesday, August 27th, I will be getting new photos of the Alamo stadium renovation and will publish them on Labor Day.
On Thursday, August 29th, I will be at Gustafson stadium for Roosevelt VS Stevens
(KMYS.TV/TNL).
On Friday, August 30th, I will be at Lake Travis stadium for Judson VS Lake Travis
(TSRNsports.com).
On Saturday, August 31st, I will be at Gustafson stadium again for MacArthur VS Warren.
(TSRNsports.com).
