Go Friday Night

We Are Finally Back Home!!

It’s HOMECOMING!!! Time for the throwbacks. I always get excited when these get pulled off the shelf. But of course being Homecoming Week, there will be a bunch of distractions. But the Eagles will be focused and will get the job done.

Denton Ryan (1-2) isn’t exactly the strongest opponent of our non-district schedule. But the Raiders still could put up a huge fight if our boys don’t pay attention. A couple of weeks ago, the team went into Mesquite not thinking anything of it and barely walked out with a victory. I am positive that Coach Warren has kept the entire team in check, and will not let them overlook Ryan at all.

Last week Denton Ryan was down 14-0 at halftime against South Oak Cliff. With some big adjustments in the locker room, the Raiders won their first game of the season 21-14. That second half effort happened thanks to the run game. Ryan basically abandoned the pass, which allowed them to control the clock and the game. Coach Warren and Company will not let Denton Ryan control the game. It will be the Warbirds deciding the outcome of this game.

Our defense has come up big for the Eagles each week. This time it will be a little different. With Abilene High finally having a home game, we will be firing on cylinders in front of a HUGE crowd. We will not need a 4th and inches stop or a fumble returned for a TD to close the deal. Yes those are exciting, but they make a guy like me stop breathing for a while. I am positive that we will have another game like we did back in Week 0. In case you don’t remember, our D only gave up 83 total yards and the O put up 419 yards in a 31-10 hanging of Westlake. I am looking forward to having nothing but smiles for the duration of this game. Let’s go out there, fly high, and knock some heads around. GO EAGLES!!!

P.S. I would also like to say congratulations to the Class of 1987 on their 20th reunion.

• David Craghead
• September 28, 2007 5:30 AM
• Comments (1)

3-5A vs. 12-5A: Round 2...

This week the Abilene High Eagles will face the Tyler Lee Red Raiders at Texas Stadium. As most of you know, last week the Raiders won against Dallas Kimball 3-2 thanks to a sac fly in the 8th inning. This week the Warbirds will have to step up to play these guys. Last week was a huge wake up call to the team. (On a side note, I gave the game ball to the goal line D that held Mesquite before halftime.) Even though Lee has been struggling offensively the past couple of weeks, we absolutely cannot walk into this game thinking it will be easy.

Tyler Lee has only 4 touchdowns so far this year. Tailback DaDa Brown has two of those scores, and fullback Jamal Mitchell claims the other two. The Raiders average just over 80 yards rushing and 100 yards passing per game. That seems kind of strange since Lee's offensive line is massive and can run you over. If I remember correctly, their biggest guy is 6-5 320 and the smallest is 6-2 295. That would certainly make some DI colleges jealous. We will have to rely on our speed to get around those guys. If the Warbird D can take away whatever offensive attack the Raiders have, we will be able to walk out of Texas Stadium with a 4-0 record. I look forward to watching the Defense stop the Raiders in their tracks. Our D has been strong and has stepped up when needed. I know that they will do the same thing this week (although I hope we won’t be in a situation like last week’s game).

The Offense will have to step up for this game. Lee’s defense has held opponents to just 54 yards passing per game (average). Since the Eagles faced a similar scheme last week, we will be more prepared to pick apart Lee this week. As long as we move the ball down the field and score on each possession, whether it takes 2 minutes or 8, we will have no problems.

I am looking forward to seeing a big crowd out there as we take on the Raiders. I know that there will be a lot of cheering coming from our side of the stadium. Let’s go out there, fly high, and knock some heads around. GO EAGLES!!!

• David Craghead
• September 21, 2007 12:36 AM

Longest Trip Of The Regular Season

Last year the Mesquite Skeeters came into our house during homecoming and dominated the second half to leave with a 35-20 win giving us our third straight loss. This year is going to be completely different. The Eagles will make the trip to Hanby Stadium, dominate the entire game, and hand the Skeeters their third straight loss.

Mesquite lost one of their anchors on offense during the game against Plano East last week. Jeremy Hernandez limped to the sideline after the first time he touched the ball with a knee injury. If Mesquite decides to stick with the run game, the most likely candidates to carry the ball will be QB Kelly Page and his backup Luke Halpin. Page was out for the last half of the season last year because of a torn ACL he received during the game against Midland Lee. Of course Coach Halpin could opt for the pass game. Only problem with that is their top receiver heading into this season has been held to just 51 yards on 5 receptions through the first 2 games. Regardless of what game plan the Skeeters have, Coach Fullen and the Eagle D will be prepared. I smell another shutout.

Last week the Skeeter defense gave up over 430 yards against Plano East. Mesquite had plenty of opportunities to stop the Panthers, but East was successful 13 out of 17 times on 3rd down. I am looking forward to see how many yards the Eagle O can put up against the Skeeters. I am sure that Coach Warren and Coach Cox have developed a plan that will pick apart Mesquite allowing us to basically score at will.

I am hoping that I will see a big crowd out there in Mesquite cheering our boys on. It’s going to be a great game as the Warbirds take a shot to go 3-0 on the season. Let’s go out there, fly high, and knock some heads around. GO EAGLES!!!

• David Craghead
• September 14, 2007 3:18 AM
• Comments (2)

A Slow But Sure W To Go 2-0 On The Season

I was hoping for a shutout against Monterey, and I was also hoping to play a full game. It’s too bad that only one of those came true.

When the Eagles were on the field they sure did shine. It all started with that outstanding run by Flye. That set the tone for the game, and dismissed any doubts of how the boys would play after such a long delay. I was very excited with the way we played. I was disappointed in the punt game. When Brandon Hill is on his mark, he is awesome. But when he falters just a little bit, it doesn’t look pretty. But the Eagle D took over after the bad punt and stopped the Plainsmen from scoring. They looked great out there stopping that Monterey offense to just 7 yards rushing. The only thing that Monterey could get going was the air attack, but nothing that the DB’s couldn’t handle.

The Offense looked good putting up two touchdowns and a field goal in their four possessions. I can’t wait to see what happens as the season progresses. The experience that the Eagles have earned last season and through these first 2 games will certainly put us at the top of the list of contenders for the State Championship. It certainly will be a great season.

Once again I will give the game ball to the entire team, but this time I would like to add the Warbird fans that stuck it out until the game was finally called after midnight. I know that it was a long drive home. It made for a very short night for those that had to be at work early in the morning.

This next game will be the longest drive of the season. We are headed to Mesquite to take on the Skeeters. Last week Mesquite lost to a good Plano East team 46-20. I am looking forward to a great show by the Warbirds and Coach Warren.

• David Craghead
• September 10, 2007 4:29 PM

Warbirds Looking To Make It 2-0

This week we will be facing a very familiar opponent once again. This time we travel to Lowrey to take on the Lubbock Monterey Plainsmen. Last year we got beat 42-16. The Eagles will be looking to get revenge on the Plainsmen.

Since Coach Warren took over the reigns in 1996, the Eagles have played Monterey 14 times. AHS has been victorious 12 of those games. The Plainsmen have been outscored 427-224 in the Warren Era. 77 of those points are part of Monterey’s 2 victories. This year I don’t see very many points added to Lubbock’s side of the board, if any. I am looking forward to a repeat of the 2004 game when the Eagles shutout the Plainsmen 56-0.

Lubbock Monterey isn’t returning very many people from last year. If I remember correctly there are only 11 or 12 people coming back. And just a handful of those guys saw playing time. But those that were on the field did some damage on the opposing team. One of the top guys coming back is Patrick McNamara. He caught 19 passes for over 300 yards and hit the endzone 4 times. One of the anchors on defense will be linebacker Chris Rivera. He finished the season last year with almost 45 tackles.

The Eagles will be facing a tough team. Although they aren’t returning many players, they still run a fast paced ballgame. I look forward to seeing thousands of screaming Warbird fans make the 2 ½ hour trip to Lubbock to cheer on our boys as they look for a second check mark in the W column. Let’s go out there, fly high, and knock some heads around. GO EAGLES!!!

• David Craghead
• September 7, 2007 5:35 AM

1-0! The Start Of A Great Season!!!

That was such a great game against Austin Westlake to start the season. The Eagle D was solid for the entire game. I believe the only reason that the Chaps had that lone touchdown was because of that good punt return. That put our backs against the wall for a short time. We came out and responded well by virtually shutting them down. The D had a great game. I know that our pass rush is outstanding, but it’s just a matter of taking down the quarterback. We did on many occasions, but there were those few times that Kobelan slipped out of our hands. But other than that, the Eagle Defense was outstanding.

Spens Lackey did a great job of leading the O during the game. He made some smart decisions and made some great plays. It was bad after that great drive at the end of the first half to come up empty handed. But there were a few adjustments made in the locker room and the Eagles came out firing on all cylinders. We are so much better than this time last year. As you remember last year on several Friday nights, the Eagles came out of the locker room flat. I was a tad bit worried that it would happen again, but those thoughts went away immediately. I was happy with the way the offense came together so quickly and was knocking on the door to the endzone after great drives and then finishing the job. I can only imagine what will happen as the season progresses.

There was one thing that I was disappointed in. And that was the special teams. The first thing would be the flags on the kickoff for being offside. That should not happen at all. I know that will be the last time that happens this season. I wasn’t too thrilled with the punt game. When the Chaps had that good return to set up their only touchdown, it seemed like nobody was in their lanes. And then the bad pursuit that happened after the return started. That will be one of the things in practice this week that they will work on. That shouldn’t happen again either.

I am going to give the game ball to the entire team. The Eagles made it a team effort for this first win. And they sure do deserve it. This will give us great momentum into the next game on the road against Lubbock Monterey. Last week the Plainsmen beat EP Americas 38-9. I can’t wait to see what Coach Warren and the Eagles have in store.

• David Craghead
• September 3, 2007 1:07 PM

We're Ready For You Westlake!

Austin Westlake may have lost some key players from last year’s squad (Nick Foles, Bron Hager, Stephen Shaffer, and Matt Nader), but they are still known as the Class 5A Division I runner ups.

The Chaps just have a few starters on offense returning, so it will be a young offense compared to last year. Coach Long will probably be relying on his defense to carry the team since his offense is somewhat depleted. Westlake’s defensive backs may not be that big, but they sure are fast. Spens Lackey will have his hands full on keeping an eye out for those guys during the passing game. Ryan Ambrose will be one of those guys to look out for in the CB position. Last year he had several interceptions. I know that Coach Warren has developed an offensive game plan that will have us soar past the Chaps.

Although Westlake’s offense is young, they are not to be taken lightly. Austin has developed young players into top DI prospects. One of the top receivers coming back is Jordan Etier who had just under 400 yards and 3 TDs last year. The Chaps also have a few other top prospects flying around the passing game. I know that Coach Fullen has kept the Eagle D in check and helped them put their heads on straight.

This will be a really fun game to wrap up the GoFridayNight.com Classic. I know that there will be several thousand Eagle fans out at Shotwell to cheer on our boys for the home opener and to get inside the heads of the Chaparrals. Let’s go out there, fly high, and knock some heads around. GO EAGLES!!!

• David Craghead
• September 1, 2007 11:19 AM