Archive : October 2006

October 30, 2006

Longhorns 29 Bluecats 26 in 2OT

Congratulations Longhorns!! What an incredible game! I'm not sure what else to say! Hooray! Hallelujah! Woo-Hoo! Wow! No more "Grieving", it's time for celebrating! We've endured the "time to mourn", now it's "time to dance"! (Well, time for us fans to dance, for the players, it's time to get ready for San Saba, and a trip to the 'graveyard', but, more on that later).

Let's recap the "Process" we went through: First: Denial - I said I'd like to deny the Bluecats the end zone. In two overtime possessions, the 'Horns kept them firmly planted in the 'litter box', aka outside the end zone. (could anyone have kept John Proud off the field at the end of the game? I don't think so!) Second: Anger - I'll admit, I did get a little angry on the opening kickoff, when the fair catch was made at the 38 and then 'advanced' to the 43. But what I saw on the field is what got me through this step. Because what I saw was focused rage/determination. Like the difference between a race horse and a rodeo bull, both have incredible power and spirit, but the race horse focuses that energy on the finish line, while the bull just goes wild. We've all seen a Longhorn go wild, what we witnessed at Coleman was a focused, determined, goal-oriented Longhorn Team.(remember Eric Skaggs scrambling for the 1st down in the 2nd OT) Third: Bargaining - We won this one hands down! At the Longhorn Tailgate party: big, thick, juicy, all beef burgers and delicious sausage wraps! But the best part - Longhorn fans, lots of them! When you see these guys, give them a great big thank you: Gordon Bearden, Junior Cooley, Dalton Cooley, Chris Cadenhead, Steve Bailey, Mark Rome, and others I'm forgetting, but still appreciating! Fourth: Depression - Let's face it, when the 'Cats had 1st and goal from the 2 and plenty of momentum, there was not much air in our collective balloons. However, about 3 plays later Evan Hall had us all pumped up and roaring. How about turning a 3 yard pass into a 65 yard TD! From across the field, where I was, you could certainly feel the energy from the Longhorn fans as it rushed across the field and the Coleman fans literally became 'blue' cats. Not only that, but how could Mitchell Bailey keep from being depressed after the first FG attempt? But he didn't let that keep him down, and about 5 minutes later he kicked that 'depression' along with the football through the uprights for 3 points and ultimately a Longhorns OT win! At that point, depression began to creep into the press box where we were like a dense fog, but Joseph and I were immune by that time, we had already moved to step 5. And Fifth: Acceptance - This is the one I like the best, acceptance. Accept Defeat, Coleman Bluecats! Coleman is a good team and I expect they'll make the playoffs, and if so, will represent our District well. As for the Longhorns, I hope the team will accept our thanks and our congratulations! That game was a real treat for fans! There is absolutely nothing more that we, the Longhorn fan base, could ask of the players and coaches, those guys absolutely sold out to win that game and left everything they had on the field. Wow! What a game!

Now, it's time for the Armadillos...Just 3 days past Halloween, we get to play in the 'graveyard'. I don't know about you, but playing in the graveyard was 'top shelf' entertainment during my formative years. This game and venue have history not unlike the Coleman game of 2 years ago. Remember, a lightning storm came during the half time show and the game was finished on Saturday. This year, I expect thunder and lightning: thunder in the form of the resurgent Longhorn Defense - Singleton is back, Mooney is back, all of these guys on defense really showed what they can do in those 2 OT periods last week and I expect to see more of the same. Lightning in the form of the Longhorn Offense - we're a little banged up, yes, but the defenses these guys are facing are more banged up after we're finished! Skaggs to Cochran, Skaggs to Hopkins, Skaggs to Neely, Skaggs to Tumlinson, Skaggs to Walls, Skaggs to Kramer, Skaggs to Hall, Skaggs to Rome, Skaggs to Singleton,Skaggs to Cadenhead,Skaggs to fen/phen/penf/fphe...uh, JP, Skaggs to Conley, Skaggs to Mooney, Skaggs to Harris, Skaggs to Jeffrey, Skaggs to _______, will the list ever end, what's next - Skaggs to Atchley?!!! (Truth is, if Eric wanted to, I think he could hit James Adams on his way to the concession stand from 60 yards out with a 20mph crossing wind!) And what about the O-Line! Those guys owned the Bluecats in the 2nd half last Friday!

Also, don't forget - there is precious little seating for visitor's fans in San Saba. The Middle School teams play in San Saba on Thursday, starting at 5pm. If you've not seen these teams, don't miss out. The 8th graders have continued on the winning way much like last year and the 7th graders are undefeated this season. In fact, the 7th grade team is averaging over 40 points per game and has allowed only 12 points against them all year! Sadly, there may be room on the 'home' side, if the Visitor's side fills up. But most importantly, get to the game even if you have to stand! I can assure you, the 'Horns aren't taking the 'Dillos lightly, and neither should we. We need to be there to do what Longhorn fans do best - GET LOUD and LEAVE PROUD!

Freshman and JV will play at home this week starting at 5pm, with the Freshman going after their 3rd straight win, and the JV going for 2 in a row.

Coach Teiman's Varsity Girls looked very good against the Brownwood Varsity Girls and the Burnet Girls this past week in basketball scrimmages, and continue to improve every day. Call the HS for upcoming scrimmage times and locations. This is going to be a very good year for the Lady Horns!

October 23, 2006

There's always next week!

We Got Whupped!
After struggling for a couple of days over whether to even mention last Friday's game or not. Then realizing that only a couple of people have mentioned that they missed this blog over the last few weeks (technical diffiulties, please stand by). I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt to talk about it, you know, it's part of the grieving process, after all.1st-Denial, 2nd-Anger, 3rd-Bargaining, 4th-Depression, 5th-Acceptance. The reality is, Wall won - 29-20. We're now 3-1 in District, 3 games to go. The District Championship is out of reach unless two of Wall's three remaining opponents can find a way to beat them, Bangs, Ballinger, or JimNed (not likely). That being said, where do we go from here? I've decided to travel down the road of the the 5 Steps of Grieving. Come along if you'd like.

Step #1 - Denial: It's hard to believe that we lost Friday night. It's hard to believe that we could play as poorly as we did. It's hard to believe that we had still more injuries to key players. It's even hard to believe that it will be months before we can eat at Mi Familias again! I would like to deny that these things can be a part of reality, but I can't, they're real. However, since "denial" is such an integral part of the Grieving Process, there are a few things I'd like to deny: (a)I'd like to deny the Coleman Bluecats the end zone this coming Friday night; (b)I'd like to deny Coleman the right to have two mascots - Buzzards/Bluecats, let's settle this on Friday night for them, when the Longhorns leave Coleman let's make sure all that's left is roadkill; (c) let's deny ourselves the temptation to cast doubt, questions, and discouraging words.

Step#2 - Anger: This one's pretty easy for me, I'm all for "focused anger"! That's right, I'm in favor of anger! Let's get mad! Let's get really mad! Why don't we get so mad that we're just dripping with anger and frustration, then let's collect that "liquified" explosive emotion and feed it to the Longhorns just before kick-off this coming Friday. Then let's climb into those 90degree angle stands in Coleman and continue feeding the players for the entire 48 minutes as they destroy the Bluecats. Gravity works, every ounce of emotional energy we produce in the stands will flow into the players on the field, especially in Coleman!

Step #3 - Bargaining: Here's a bargain for you - I'll trade a win last November against Wall that keeps us playing and sends them home crying, for a loss this October that keeps us playing(maybe with a new sense of urgency and hunger) and sends them home feeling good about themselves, after all everybody needs a little self-image boost occasionally.

Step #4 - Depression: This one's a bit of a challenge. Webster says: "a depressed or sunken place or part; an area lower than the surrounding surface." Sounds like Coleman to me! Thank you Mr. Webster, I thought that was going to be hard. Come to think of it, arent' catfish bottom feeders, don't buzzards live off the dead and decaying. I guess that explains why they had such success with Dragons(dead and gone for years), and Armadillos(road kill hall of famers). Can't wait to see how they stand up against living, breathing, pawing, snorting, raging - Longhorns!

Step #5 - Acceptance: OK, I'll accept the fact that the 2005 season is gone, it was last year. I'll accept that the District is tougher this year than last. I'll accept that we've been hit with significant injuries this season. I'll accept that our Team is still improving and needs to shore up some areas that have proven to be weaker than we thought. I'll even accept that we lost last Friday night to a good team from Wall, and I for one, was surprised by that. In fact, I'm a pretty accepting kind of guy, I guess. So while I'm accepting stuff, let's add these things to the list: 1) I accept that the 2006 Longhorns are an exceptionally talented and hard working team; 2) I accept the fact that Eric Skaggs is the best 2A QB in this region, maybe in Texas; 3) I accept that the Early Longhorn Coaching Staff (Men and Women) is the best there is; 4) I accept the fact that we've been the only team in this Region with a target on our back all season; 5) and, I'm certain that the Early Longhorns are willing to accept the challenge of winning the next 3 District games; 6) I'm also accepting that the 'Horns are not looking past the Coleman Bluecats game, but taking one game at a time; 7) and, I hope all you Longhorn fans will accept an invitation to go to Coleman this coming Friday. You'll want to get there early for a good seat to watch the Coleman Bluecats ACCEPT DEFEAT!

  • Tracy Ebarb
  • October 23, 2006 8:15 AM

October 2, 2006

Longhorns man-handle JimNed Indians 41-21

The Longhorns picked up right where they left off in '05 in terms of dominating the teams in this District. Victim #1 was the JimNed Indians, who were absolutely denied access to the end zone by the Longhorns through almost 3 full quarters of play. The Longhorns stumbled a couple of times in the 1st half by committing 2 turnovers, but still managed to lead at the half 14-0. Then the Horns exploded for 27 points in the 3rd! All in all, the Longhorns offense racked up 550 total yards, with Josh Conley accounting for 301 of those. Skaggs performed almost flawlessly again, going 10-for-17 and 198yds. Levi Walls showed the Indians and the Early fans that there are weapons in the Longhorn arsenal that we haven't even used yet!

My "game ball" goes to the O-Line! Those guys controlled the line of scrimmage in grand fashion. The holes they opened for Longhorn runners were wide enough for Coach Pierce to run through! Great job guys!

The Longhorns had an almost perfect scorecard with the Indians this year: The 7th Grade won 44-0; the Eighth grade won 36-6; the Freshman fell 16-20; and the JV won 28-14.

Also, the Girls Cross Country Team won their meet last Wednesday. Congratulations Girls!

Coming up this week are the Bangs Dragons(0-4). Bangs has really struggled on offense this year, but their defense looks pretty solid. As always, it will be a war due to the cross county rivalry, but I expect the Horns have more and larger weapons than the Dragons. What do you think?

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