Small City High School Football

I’m from a town of 2,000 an hour away fron Abilene, we drove to Abilene to eat at chain restaurants, shop at the mall, or even to see a freaking movie. They’re stinkin’ 5A. I DREAMED of growing up and living in a town the size of Abilene. I remember thinking, those people can just go to the mall when ever they want, see a movie whenever they want, WOW. just drive 5 minutes to ANYTHING! Now I live in a metro area of 6.5 MILLION and aside from eating out nightly, I don’t take advantage of anything a city offers (except paying clients).

Abilene despite a pop. of just over 100,000 still has the community feel that a small town has.
It is kind of hard to explain but when you travel to Lubbock from Abilene you know that you are in a City. Here is an example. Last night HEB put on its Feast of Sharing (a free ham dinner to every one who comes) in the other cities HEB does this it is hard to get enough volunteers to make it happen. In Abilene we have to put a limit on volunteers (600) and will have them months before the event.

Wylie wanted to play in Waco but Gilmer would not have it, because they knew the AHS fans would come to the game also. Figure at least 10,000 totally rabid fans along with several thousand more t-shirt fans.

The Sims are both Jr.s Herschel has the look of a TT running back, it will be interesting to see how he develops over the next year. Safety Karsten Goodman has potential (6-2 200lb) and several of the defense guys are Steven F. Austin sized school prospects.
For You displaced Abilene Cooper guys the story is the same, David Damian, OL, 6-5, 290 should get some looks from D-I schools, while QB Ryan Heslep, 6-foot-1 190-pound has the drive (fire and passion) to play D-I but is most likely a D-II or D-III guy.

Wylie has plenty of D-II and D-III guys, and some kids that might make it as a walk on in D-I.

Cooper grad. I hate Abilene High! Well, I used to back about 15 years ago. Now I pull for both schools. Hope they win this weekend. Somehow the hate has faded. :-)

about 25 funerals would really improve the place.

A couple of us were talking about that the other day, except we were comparing today’s to the teams of the 60’s and 70’s. Most of the squad was under 200 lbs back then, linemen included.

Totally agree – living with it in my own home – I was about 5’2", 130 or so in 8th grade – my son (the next Wes Welker for Tech – arrives on campus 2014) is 5’ 10" – 155 or so and is almost as strong as I am. The crazy thing is he’s not the tallest, fastest, or biggest player on his team! I also played lineman at that size – he plays slot receiver – go figure!!

We played Jim Ned, which is Tuscola just outside Abilene. We ate at the same steakhouse after the game as the mighty Permian team that night and as they walked in, I couldn’t believe that I was darn near bigger than anyone on their team. (Me at 17 equalled 6’ 2", 190) I could have been a guard for their team and I was a TE/OLB for my little 2A, now 1A team. I, at the time thought that those 5A teams must have had montsers, but turns out mostly they just have more kids to chose from. When I taught at 3A Commerce, we were a state power and I finally learned that it’s tradition, scheme, quickness that wins in Texas HS ball. aside from one DE that ended up playing 3 years for Dallas Cowboys, I was bigger than anyone on that team. What I truly love about HS ball it that a quick, fast little 5’9" QB can terrorize the best of defenses. The Wes Welker type ankle breaker dude can look like a man among boys out there cause there aint no Champ Baily on Defense that can shut him down running off the corner. Love HS ball.

watch out.

That’s what Cedar Park said, too.

For a few years recently, I was an amateur ‘sports photographer’, i.e. stringer, at football games for a couple of local papers. No experience, just a really good camera and a fondness for HS football. Many of my games were in the Dallas area and the crowds and atmosphere in the big city are nothing compared to the ‘small towns’, especially those in West Texas where I’m from. I can’t imagine a Dallas TV station pre-empting a MLB pennant game for a HS football game like they did in Midland for a Lee-Permian game a few years back. And that was a regular season game.

Man, I’d sure like to take pictures at Tech games. I’d give away the pictures and even buy my own tickets.

+1