By Dency McClure
I knew it was going to be a long day because I was going to cover not one but two scrimmages in two different directions from my home. Plus, I knew I wouldn’t see Michael, my husband, until late because he was going to cover yet another scrimmage when he left work. I would be heading to Blackwell and then Rochelle, and Michael would be heading to Santa Anna. I headed out a little before 9:00AM to make the trip to Blackwell. I always enjoy going to Blackwell. The concession stand food is top notch with a serving system not matched by any restaurant. The facilities are excellent and the coaches are a blast. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time to catch the coaches enough ahead of time to get interviews but no worries, I’ll be crossing paths with them again this season. I knew Coach Lowry had seen me. As I was focusing in on a shot of Water Valley’s huddle, he jumped out in front of my camera to clown around a bit. I should have kept shooting and captured him on film, but I put the camera down and laughed with him. In spending time with coaches over the years, you form relationships. I enjoy these relationships because it makes traveling to the small towns like going to see family. It was hot but luckily there was a good wind. I was very pleased to see a new referee face in the group. We need Sixman referees so desperately, and a new face is a welcome sight. I should have asked her name but I didn’t. She was new and not afraid to ask questions of the experienced referees when she needed to. They were all kind to her and happy to answer her questions and offer friendly advice. I did get a bit of a chuckle at some of the legs of the referees that had obviously not seen the sun in a while. Several of their uniforms looked like they had been pulled from the back of the drawer and forced back into action. After the first wash of the season, they should be back to normal. I enjoy scrimmages as they are a practice for everyone. For me, it's to get back to standing in the heat and to sharpen my timing for the shots. For referees, it's getting back into the mode and putting all the new rules into their calls. For players and coaches, it's putting all the skills taught at practices into play. For fans, it’s getting back into the excitement. The Blackwell scrimmage was between Blackwell and Water Valley and lasted a good while. The coaches were running all the players through and taking time for teachable moments. The water boys were working hard to keep everyone hydrated. It’s interesting watching and hearing the different ways the coaches work with their players at scrimmages. They know it is an important time and one of the few opportunities to be on the field working with the players in a game type setting. I left Blackwell feeling that my first scrimmage of the season had been a good one. After a quick lunch with Michael in Ballinger, I headed home and got ready to go again. This time I headed out to Rochelle. I always look forward to going to Rochelle. They have such a unique stadium filled with history. I love the old bell on the playground that often gets rung by kids playing during games. I love the giant trees that shade the cement and stone bleachers that are built into the side of the hill. They slowly bring shade and comfort to the field as well. And yes, I like to stand in the shade and take pictures on hot days. The fence along the field is the perfect height to rest your arms on and enjoy a close view of the game. I often enjoy visiting with people from many different towns at the Rochelle scrimmages. When I arrived in Rochelle, I parked in front of the old stone fence that goes across the length of the front of the school and then hiked down amongst the gorgeous old oak trees to the stadium. Once there, I got a friendly welcome from Coach Corean. He and I taught together at Paint Rock, and he coached my youngest daughter to Regionals in tennis. He is the kind of coach that knows what the kids need; from a swift verbal kick to a hug. My daughter played over two hours in a regional doubles tennis match and lost by a hair. As soon as the match was over, he grabbed both girls at once and hugged them. That was exactly what they needed; not words, not silence, but a big ole bear hug. I then made my way over to greet Coach Mata and got a big hug. FYI, I like coach hugs, even though they are often sweaty. I first met Coach Mata at a regional track meet during the shot put. He was there with a girl competing from Balmorhea. I have since covered many Balmorhea games and always enjoy a hug and a visit with Coach Mata. He is now in Bronte introducing them to the great game of Sixman football. I then made my way over to meet Coach Jackson from Lohn and Coach Edmondson from Brookesmith for the first time. Lohn has exactly six players this year and one is a young lady named Taylor Bass. I got a quick interview with her after the game and enjoyed hearing her "why" for playing football. She is taking one for the team so they can have a team. Even with just six, Coach Jackson is determined they will be competitive. I have been covering Lohn for years and am glad to know they have a team. Every year it seems to be a struggle to pull a team together, but they always do. Over the years, I have seen several girls play at Lohn to round out the team. Many were good players and great tacklers. I usually run into Amanda Howell on the sidelines in Rochelle. She is a Rochelle resident and works for the Brady Standard-Herald. We have developed a bit of a friendship over the years visiting on the sidelines. She has three boys. One I took pictures of playing high school ball a few years ago and now her little ones are big in Sixman pee wee and usually have a game of their own going on along the sidelines. It’s always nice to see her and catch up a bit. The refs were running a bit late, so I was able to get a couple of coach interviews done before the fun started. Once the referees arrived, I was shocked and pleased to see the young lady I had seen earlier at the Blackwell scrimmage. I teased her a bit about going to the same places I did. She just smiled and chuckled. She’s going to be a great addition to the Sixman refs, I can tell. I left Rochelle with a good feeling that the season is going to be fun . Great coaches, good kids, and friendly fans. I made it home through the deer in my little white Fiat to travel another day. See you on the sidelines!
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By Bobbie Brown
Today was the day for the first Friday scrimmages for 2018. I headed to Valley Schools. It’s a spot in the road between Quitaque and Turkey where the shared school sits. To get there, I had to navigate northeast through a few pretty strong thunderstorms that had popped up in the late afternoon August heat. I was going to see Valley, Spur, Petersburg, and White Deer test their skills against each other to begin the football season. I arrived at Valley to cars and trucks parked everywhere! Finally found a spot way away from the field under a big cottonwood tree and gathered my camera gear. The JV teams were underway. All four teams were playing at the same time using just half of the field. The varsity teams started at 7:00PM on the dot. All four teams looked ready to hit someone besides their own teammates. I can truthfully say that all four teams had a good showing on defense. White Deer won the defensive battle, but Valley put up a strong display of skills as well. Spur and Petersburg were surprising. Petersburg is a young team, but they played together and did it very well! Spur has a few starters out but also showed up to play. The first scrimmage of the year is always a learning experience for players and coaches. Lots of learning took place last night. I witnessed many teaching moments where coaches gave instruction, and the players went out and executed. It was great to see that at the first scrimmage of 2018. I don’t think I quit smiling last night… well, except when I almost got taken out. Twice. By the same team. Whoever said you can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd was right! Thank you, Buffaloes, for being aware and side-stepping me several times. You were paying attention, and I was lucky. Oh, so lucky. I hear many different things on the sidelines. I hear coaches teaching, I hear players talking to each other about plays. I hear parents yelling from the stands. Not everything is serious. There are times when I have to turn and walk away because I can’t keep the laughter inside. Last night I experienced several of those moments. One player got upset and yelled at a player on another team for inappropriate placement of the hands while tackling. It seems this happened several times, and he was fed up. I also heard a coach instruct his players to sit and watch another team because then they’d learn how to block appropriately. I enjoyed seeing the animation from Coach Keith and Coach Rucker. They are so much fun to watch! You don’t have to guess what they are thinking, and they use their entire body to convey their message to players. Coach Solis and Coach Clark take a different approach. No matter the approach, I enjoy it all. I know you all are ready for games to get started. I’m right there with you! Last night’s scrimmage was a good start. I look for Spur and Petersburg to surprise some teams. White Deer will hold their own and may just slip past some people who think they are down. Valley is Valley. They don’t rebuild, they reload. They may be experiencing some growing pains right now, but I know they will get it together and do well. I’m now really excited about the season. Get out there and watch some teams! It’s less than two weeks until games start. Until then, go forward and do Good! By Bobbie Brown
As soon as I pulled up to the Klondike football field, I noticed the green grass. It looks like a carpet. I wanted to fling my shoes off and run through it but reined that in as I had Cougars to see. The Cougars started in the weight room and then migrated over to the practice field. I caught Coach Degraffenreid coming out of the weight room and walked with him. This is his second year at Klondike. I asked him about the extra tall goal posts. It seems the old goal posts were made by the Klondike FFA kids in the 1970’s. One of the posts broke in two during track season. It was time to get new ones. And new ones they got! Can’t miss them now! During practice, I notice that the back side of the practice field is a view that is amazing. As far as the eye can see, fields stretch to the horizon. Wednesdays are for playing what amounts to the minutes of a full four quarters. Offense and Defense. The Cougars work hard on both sides of the ball. Coach D yells, “It’s a great day to have a great day! Let’s go!” This set the tone of a great practice that ended with running. Interesting thing is they run a 40 for each game they will play. They shout the name of the opponent for that game while starting to run. They continue with a 40 for each playoff game all the way up to the state game. Words of motivation fly around often during the 40s. The Cougars finish strong with extra motivation of, “The last five games are always the same. Everyone is TIRED. But you aren’t 66 to nuthin’ tired!” I end my time at Klondike in the coach’s office. I’ve talked to Mr. Kylar Pepper. You will see an article about him soon. As we sit talking, something hits the top of the building and rumbles. Coach indicates that the kicker has really gone above and beyond. That rumble was the football landing on top. If you’ve never been to Klondike, the dressing rooms and office is quite a way from the goal posts. Gotta watch those kickers from Klondike. They can kick! By Bobbie Brown
I headed Southeast from Lubbock making my way to Matador, Texas. The road from Floydada to Matador is straight initially but then twists into the canyons. My first glimpse of Matador is from up high above the town. The road winds down all the way into Matador. I arrived early and stopped at the Phillips 66 for a drink. Both people manning the cash register were extremely nice and wished me a wonderful day. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I passed Bob’s Oil Well. It’s a historical landmark. You can’t miss it! I found my way to the school and the practice field. I pulled up under a shade tree in front of a house across from the field. I had some time to kill and sat reading a book. Not long after I pulled up, a car pulled out of the drive and approached. A very nice lady asked me if I was going to come up to the door. I replied, “No ma’am. I’m here to watch football practice.” She wished me well with a wide smile and went on her way. I heard Coach Bigham before I saw him. He has a loud, booming voice. Perfect pitch for a football coach. I made my way across the street to shake his hand. I thanked him for having me and commented they had big shade trees down one side of the practice field. He offered to get me a chair, so I could sit and take pictures under them. Very nice offer. I declined telling him that I’m a little tougher than that. I’m not much of a sitter, but I sure did use the shade of those trees while I stood and squatted to take pictures! Coach Bigham runs an extremely organized practice. Fundamentals, footwork, footwork, footwork, balance, more fundamentals, and motivation. Each of the 19 players were talking to each other the entire practice. At one point the chatter died down and Coach Bigham reminded them, “Don’t wait on someone else to motivate you! Everyone has to be a motivator!” And the volume of encouragement rose several decibels. I heard the same phrases throughout the entire practice. Each player would shout, “Let’s go now! Let’s go Baby! Let’s go Boys!” at different times but continuously. And mean it. You can hear it in the background of the interview with Coach Bigham. It really is a cool experience hearing them. I know I was motivated! Motley County graduated many in 2017. Of the 19 on the team this year, 10 are freshmen. And they are athletic freshmen. I have no doubt they will play at a high level. It might take this group of Matadors a few games, but they won’t lay down. They’ll fight. They’ll have great footwork. They’ll use good fundamentals. They will be balanced. And they will be shouting at each other, “Let’s go Baby!” Side Note: It's sometimes hard to get over teenage perceptions as an adult. I’ve had to do that a lot as Texas 1A Fan. Motley County was one of the teams I just hated to play back in the day. I’m sure they felt the same way. I am open-minded enough to pay attention and slough off crazy teenage perceptions, and that’s exactly what happened today. Everyone I encountered in Matador was extremely polite and welcoming. I really enjoyed my time there. We rolled into Santa Anna with the RV behind us and two grandsons in tow about 8:00 pm. We headed for the nice addition the school has at the back of one of the end zones. They have put in nice roads and facilities for teachers/employees to bring in homes, and I believe some homes in the addition may belong to the school. At the back of this neat new addition, they have RV hookups. The school generously offered for us to park our RV there for the night while we covered their midnight madness.
After we got the RV set, we loaded up our two grandsons ages seven and eight and headed for Dairy Queen. We enjoyed a great meal followed by ice cream, of course. While there, one of the employees waiting on us mentioned she was a cheerleader and would be rushing from work to the school for the big event. I am always impressed with the number of activities and jobs small town kids can do and how well they do them all. Small town kids are well rounded, hard working kids. A family came in to Dairy Queen dressed and ready for the midnight madness. It was a pleasure to see and observe them. One of the smaller children enjoyed making a suicide at the soda fountain area and took great delight in their tasty creation. All the while I was super nervous our grandsons were going to wear their ketchup and kept after them about it. One little girl in the family wanted to sit at a big table at the back but the older kids had already sat down at a different table. She was determined to stand her ground and eat at her table. Mom kept a close eye on her and let her sit alone while they waited on the food. When the food arrived mom told her that whenever she was ready to eat her food was at the table with the family. The cutie sat with stone determination not to leave her chosen table; so alone, she stood her ground. After a minute or two, mom joined her at her chosen table with food in hand. The two of them enjoyed their meal together. A quiet moment of time away from the rest of the family. It was sweetness at its best and a joy to watch. We escaped Dairy Queen with ketchup and ice cream free shirts. The boys shorts weren’t as lucky. We headed back up to the school and hung out in our RV until about 11:30 when we headed up to the football field. Once there, we visited with coaches, parents, and fans. I always enjoy visiting with people and getting to know them. Seeing the same people through the years covering games is a definite plus and helps give purpose to what we do. Spotting a familiar friendly face at a game is always a delight. I followed the boys onto the field and quickly realized the grass was wet and knew I’d have soggy socks and feet shortly. Sure enough I did and knew most of the boys were enjoying that pleasure right along with me. It was muggy, the air was thick, and the crickets were having a hay day. They were everywhere; reminiscent of a scene out of a Moses movie. I had no idea my 7-year-old grandson was a cricket fearer to the extreme of all rational thinking. Poor Michael was wresting two boys and one was a screaming crying maniac because of the crickets. I wrongly laughed and then quickly realized the level of terror he was dealing with. People in the stands were enjoying the show my city boy grandson was putting on for them. It was a show for sure. Eventually he sucked it up a little and made it through the night. The band played a few songs and the cheerleaders cheered. People were enjoying the cool evening and watching the boys practice when my grandson wasn’t distracting them with his cries of cricket horrors. I took lots of great shots and enjoyed being on the field even with wet feet. I was impressed by how well a very small freshman player, Kellan Evans, held his own. Coach Simpson had told the boys to pair off with players their size. Kellen did but at some point he came up against a larger player. I heard one of the players say “how did that happen?” Coach Simpson replied that he had no idea and watched closely thereafter. Didn’t phase Kellan at all but it warmed my heart to know coach and teammates were watching out for each other. As the night wore on the crowd thinned out. But the boys kept on going. When practice was over everyone was treated to watermelon by the cheerleaders. Or at least I think it was the cheerleaders as I saw some of them carrying watermelons around earlier. I then was invited into the coaches’ office to do some interviews. Interviews always make you a bit nervous especially when you are tired, and it being the middle of the night didn’t help. I told everyone if they had a major mess up moment we could start over. Everyone did great but me! I had a mess up moment as in total blank out after stating my name. We all got a chuckle from that and then we started over. Once the interviews were done, Coach Simpson offered us a tour. As we started the tour, we were informed some exes where running sprints on the field for nostalgia. I thought that was pretty cool. We went on with our tour and got to see the bats in the gym and some other cool things but cut it short as we were all exhausted. My cricket fearing grandson loved the bats. You just never know. I snapped a cool photo of the field, all lit up from our RV, as we headed in for what was left of the night. When we all woke up around 10 my oldest grandson said, and I quote, “Last Night was a Long Day!” I responded with, “yes, it was.” We got around and headed down the road a little to the Santa Anna park and let the grandsons enjoy the nice facilities there. On our way out of town, we topped off the perfect trip with Beef and Bean Burritos from Alsups. Thank you Santa Anna for an amazing trip. This time I headed west. I traveled through ranch land that quickly turned to farm land. You can see the Veribest stadium from quite a distance as the only thing around it is cotton fields and the school itself. Veribest is a town but people live scattered around the country side rather than in a central location.
I pulled in the back and parked amongst the players vehicles. The first thing I noticed as I walked toward the field was the goal post. I was surprised to find the tall beautiful goal post that were once there gone. I questioned Coach Mund as to why the goal post had been replaced. He chuckled a bit and told me they now had regulation goal post. I told him I realized the past ones were not regulation, but I was going to miss their statuesque existence. I always enjoy visiting Veribest. First of all it’s not too far from where I live but they also have great lights for taking night action shots and nice facilities in general. A great concession stand area, nice track, ample parking, and comfy looking bleachers. I haven’t personally sat in the bleachers but they look comfy. Oh and the music! The music on game nights has you moving because you just can’t be still. I have a hard time not dancing during the entire game on the sidelines. I also sing along so you may not want to hang too close to me as I often don’t sing on key. Practice music did not disappoint. I was jamming to Queen while snapping photos. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying running plays and drills. It’s good to see players and coaches relaxed and enjoying each other’s company. I have seen that at all the practices I have attended so far. By Dency McClure
We headed out on 1929 towards Lake Ivie, it’s an interesting drive with lots of curves and wildlife. We crossed the river, behind the damn, and saw two fawns standing in the river as the afternoon sun gleamed off the water. A photo in time captured in my mind’s eye. Never fails that at some point in our trips to Panther Creek we begin to wonder if we passed it. Right about the time you think you need to turn around, the tall stadium lights, reminiscent of radio towers, hail your attention and you know you have arrived. Panther Creek is not a town but a school district. Not much is there but the school and a few teacher/employee homes. One of the things that greets you, at the entrance, is the big signs proudly stating their football claims to fame. Multiple trips to state and deep play-off runs. The most interesting part of the Panther Creek heritage to me is the number of current quality Sixman coaches they have produced for the sport. Just to name some off the top of my head; Shannon Williams, Shay Avants, Austin Simpson. When a coach tells me he is from Panther Creek I know he is grounded in the game and tradition. Point of interest Panther Creek does have a Fifty Yard Line it’s just the name of the concession stand. I’ve asked why it is named that of several area residents but know one seems to know. We arrived and found all three coaches running plays right along with the boys. I love seeing this at practices. It tells you quickly how in touch the coaches are with the players and the game. If they are willing to play with the kids to teach them the kids know they aren’t just teaching at them. While attending practice, a total of three vehicles past. You can hear traffic coming as their tires rolling on the pavement echoes from miles away. One was a truck pulling a small livestock trailer, the other a suburban, and the last a little car heavily loaded with luggage on top. Panther Creek is not a place you just happen by on a trip. You pretty much need to be going there or somewhere close by. On one side of the stadium is a plowed field and across the highway is where cattle graze amongst the mesquite brush. I was a bit surprised when coach Norris instructed the boys to take their shoes off. It seemed the norm for them so I wondered what I was about to witness. They already knew what to do. They lined up on one end of the field and ran to the other, walked back and repeated over and over for a time. Michael questioned Coach Norris as to why barefoot. His response was that he wanted the boys to appreciate how nice their field is. It is definitely worthy of taking a barefoot trip across. It is thick, lush, green, sticker and fire ant free. Gorgeous by west Texas standards for sure. If only we could all have a yard like it. We enjoyed a nice visit with the coaches during the last drill. We then headed out for Santa Anna DQ ice cream as they made their way to the weight room. Seems a bit unfair but that cotton candy blizzard was the bomb diggity. By Bobbie Brown
I arrived in Lorenzo a little after 4:00 this afternoon. It was a balmy 94 degrees, and the West Texas sun was steadily beating down with a little blow-dryer like wind to go along with it. The Lorenzo Hornets were hard at work doing conditioning drills. I am pretty sure I know what good conditioning looks like, but what I watched today was above and beyond. I was tired just watching it. But the Hornets took it all in stride! Here is what I watched each Hornet complete:
The Lorenzo Hornets will be in beast mode shape if they do that obstacle course often enough. I was thoroughly impressed with their conditioning! Watch out Region 1, District 2! By the time they get to District play, they may be able to run and carry everyone off the field. I went in search of and was happy to meet Coach Freddie Tobias. He hails from Lubbock and is in his first year coaching Sixman. He was a very personable guy with an easy smile and motivational words for his players. I also met Coach Burgess. He is the boys’ basketball coach and assists Tobias with football. They both had practice humming along once the obstacle course was finished. Although they had been through the gamut at the beginning of practice, they all worked hard on pivots, blocking, foot work, and more running. The Hornets return Max De Hoyos to the lineup. He earned All-Region honors at safety last year. There are 17 other players joining Max including Coach Burgess’ son. They will have a tough district against Happy, Hart, Nazareth, and Petersburg, but I look for the Hornets to be competitive. By Bobbie Brown
I drove around to the backside of Jones Stadium at the back of the big hill in Spur to find many trucks parked. It was 6:00AM and still very dark. I made my way to the practice field behind the weight room and saw a flash of shininess from the street light bouncing off the top of the bulldog’s helmets. I know Spur and understand that in that area you might find a rattlesnake at any moment. That’s the first question I asked of Coach Clark when I found him in the dark watching the bulldogs run. He hates snakes and insisted that Coach Conrad had only killed one across the street by the back entrance to the field house. But that one snake was a baby. And where there is one baby rattlesnake, there are more! And the Bulldogs continued to run quickly in the dark, not bothered in the least by snakes. It would take about an hour before the sun came up, but the Bulldogs were hard at work. I hope none of you have to play them in the dark! Defensive and offensive drills. Sprints. Footwork drills. Catching, kicking, blocking… the list goes on. All 23 Bulldogs worked hard. Coach Clark in his third year at Spur and first at the helm had great things to say about his team. They have a very experienced Junior class. Two returning players earned All-Region honors last year. Spur is extremely athletic, and if they work together under Coach Clark’s tutelage, they may end up being a contender in Region 1. They’ve been hiding their talent. Don't underestimate the Bulldogs this year! PS. No snakes were found nor injured during the visit to Spur By Bobbie Brown
It wasn’t very far to Jaybird stadium. Just down the road about half a mile. I arrived to find the Jaybirds in the midst of running drills. Not many Jaytonites had shown up to watch, but I knew it was a matter of time as everyone knows when the Jaybirds practice in the evening. I was surprised to see 16 warm bodies running back and forth. That is the most Jayton has had in several years. As I walked onto the field, I spied about six managers gathered around the water and chasing footballs. The drills would soon begin. Once the drills began, I heard phrases like, “Touch the line!” and “Watch the hips!” The Jaybirds worked very hard, as evidenced in the light gray workout shirts turning a dark color and drenched in sweat. My favorite thing during the running and drills was when I heard different Jaybirds yell out encouragement to their teammates. These motivational words were consistently yelled throughout practice. Coach Stanaland encourages players to talk to each other. He yells words of encouragement right along with them. The most important thing I heard him tell the team was to “listen to your body.” The second day of 2-a-days sees many sore muscles screaming. But sore muscles and pulled muscles are two different things. As practice wound down, I noticed the perimeter of the field filled with cars and trucks. Some fans had strayed into the empty visitor stands. Many were conversing in small groups. I can only imagine the conversation centered around this year and how the Jaybirds would go far. I’ve heard the same conversation in many Sixman towns. THIS could be the year. The Jaybirds have a lot of athletic ability this year. I look for them to go pretty deep in the playoffs if they can stay healthy. They return two seniors, six juniors, five sophomores, and add three freshmen to the mix. Five returning players received TSMCA All-Region honors and two were All-State selections last year. One thing is certain, the Jaybirds are poised for an exciting run into November. And you can be sure the Jaybird faithful will be there to watch and cheer them on. |
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September 2023
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