I arrived in Blackwell and parked near the referees who were making last minute wardrobe changes. Trading flip flops for tennis shoes etc. Can’t say that I blame them given the heat and travel comfort. As I neared the gate to the field on the home side Coach Lowry loudly and excitedly yelled out to me, “I didn’t know you were coming!” I laughed and told him I figured by now it was alright to just show up sometimes. He laughed and before he could say much was called out to the field.
Bronte and Blackwell were already suited out and ready to go. I took up residence on the visitors side so I wouldn’t be shooting into the sun. I quickly wished I had put on sunscreen. I somehow walked away from the morning without a sunburn. I have lots of sideline friends, and I don’t even know their names. But when I see them, we always catch up and enjoy a little visit while we work. I have a few of these in Blackwell. One is the annual staff lady. She is always very nice, and I’m always glad to see her. We were discussing that if you don’t shoot some scrimmages then you are lost with your camera at the first game. Shooting sports is like lots of things if you don’t practice or do it regularly you lose some skills. Mostly your timing and timing is everything in sport photography. You also have to build up to the weather. Shooting some practices and scrimmages in the heat help you adjust so you are a little more prepared for that first set of games. You are never really prepared for the heat but I tell myself it helps. It’s always fun to see and hear the coaches when they actually have a chance to be on the field and in the action. Scrimmages are the ultimate teaching time. Coaches can talk to players during the plays and actually walk up and place them etc before the ball is hiked. Lots of learning opportunities. Sometimes you even hear coaches ask the opposing team coaches if they can try running a play again and the answer is always yes. It's a low key atmosphere as everyone gets back into the game, including the referees. Before long Roby showed up. They are new to Six-Man this year. I was excited to have a chance to visit with their head coach, Coach Pantoja, and see their kids on the field. They did well for their first time in Six-Man action. Blackwell scrimmages are laid back and run at a casual pace. After I watched Roby play and I got some photos of all the teams and a quick interview with Bronte’s Coach Matta, I decided it was time to hit the road for home before the real heat set in. Not to mention, I had to finish packing for my trip to the east to cover more 1A schools before the real season kicks off. See you on the sidelines! Dency
0 Comments
By Bobbie Brown
Finally Friday! I know you all were probably thinking the same thing! Spur, Texas and Jones Stadium called my name. Boy, was it hot! I arrived at 6:00PM and parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up into the stadium. Spur has a very unique stadium in that it is built into the side of a large hill. The bleachers are enormous cement blocks that span the length of the football field. A lot of folks had assembled in the stands and were very near the top. If a person makes the trek down the stairs (it’s a LONG way), then the very steep stairs present a challenge to get back to the vehicle. The JV teams had just started. I grabbed my camera and went to work. Except it’s not really work because I enjoy it so much! Crowell and Spur were playing on one half of the field and Valley and Petersburg were on the other half. And for the second day in a row, there were some big ol’ boys on each of the JV squads! A storm was brewing to the South and it broiled for as long as the JV teams were on the field. Between the JV and Varsity games, there was a 30-minute lightning delay. There was also a large wave of smoke that settled around the field. A fire had started in an alley in town. Spur Volunteer Fire Department finally got the blaze under control and the smoke finally lifted about the time the Varsity teams took the field. The storm had decided to head East but did provide shade against the blazing sun. Spur Bulldogs. Wow. They are fast. They like to hit – much more so than last year. I saw some really good things from the Bulldogs. Very impressed. A bit surprised. I knew they had it in them but didn’t know if they’d pull it together. I was hoping they would, and Coach Clark has got them in really good shape! They have a few things to work on, but I have no doubt they will get it done. Ethan Parsons is healthy, as are the twins and their QB Franny. One kid on the sidelines stood out. A portion of his back pad was a 100-dollar bill picture. Le’Zhane Walker is his name. Spur faces White Deer at the Jayton Gridiron first rattle out of the box. That will be an enormous test but look out for the Bulldogs as the season progresses. They are going to surprise a lot of folks. Valley Patriots. John Stanaland took the helm for the Patriots. They have 30 players out this year. Parker Carson is back with a vengeance. He is surrounded by a few players I didn’t recognize from last year’s team. The Patriots looked a little sluggish out of the box but quickly recovered. Their passing game is ON POINT… already! Those boys can throw and catch. And they are doing it well early on. Valley defense… head hunters. Good, strong tackles that were on target the majority of the time. I look for the Patriots to follow Coach Stanaland’s lead and become more and more aggressive this season. Crowell Wildcats. Completely different team from last year. They look and play bigger. They laid some pretty good hits on the other teams throughout the scrimmage. On offense, Jamal Lane lit it up! He had some good blockers up front who helped him get down the field quickly. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Coach Barrera… I couldn’t catch him. He was all over the place coaching the Wildcats like a wild man! Crowell may not be back to State Championship form yet, but they are headed in the right direction! Petersburg Buffaloes. Coach Solis has done a great job with these boys. Last year when I watched them play Nazareth in their last district game (that game was COLD), I noticed a freshman Buff named Kaden Parraz. He was extremely quick and fast, and I looked for him at the scrimmage. I almost didn’t recognize him! He had grown and put on a lot of muscle. Larry Martinez (Six-man Magazine) pointed him out and told me he had worked really hard this summer and handled many bales of hay – yep, that’ll do it! In the scrimmage, he was as fast or faster than last year, but he was able to go over people and not just around them. He had several big blockers and followed them well. I look for the Buffaloes to be solid this year. Good luck to the Bulldogs, Wildcats, Patriots, and Buffaloes. You all gave great effort and looked good yesterday. Keep working. Don’t rest on your laurels. The season starts in less than two weeks! So everyone should have sloughed off the Six-man football withdrawals with the first scrimmages. Or I hope you found time to get rid of them. Mine have been around for months, and I was glad to see them go! One more week of scrimmages and then it’s GAME TIME! Don’t know about you, but I can’t wait! Until then… Go Forward and Do GOOD! Quote of the scrimmage (from a ref): "Do like the college guys. If you push up when marking the ball, you look better!" By Bobbie Brown
Today was the day. The first scrimmage of the 2019 season. Excitement was running on HIGH! I made my way to Paducah; meandering through Spur, Dickens, Roaring Springs, and then taking the right turn at Matador. Another 32 miles and I was in the middle of Paducah. While the school sets on the West side of town, the football stadium is on the East side of town on the road to Crowell. I arrived early, and there were already many cars and trucks parked around the stands. Because it’s August and the scrimmage started at 10:00AM, I knew it was going to be a scorcher! I sun screened up and grabbed my camera and made my way to the field. I found Coach York on the way. He was in his grey floppy hat with orange trim – such a cool hat! I later saw the manager/water boy had the exact same floppy hat. Coach York was definitely ready to get the scrimmage going. You could tell in the way he walked that he was excited. If I were him, I’d be excited as well. Have you seen the speed on the Dragon team? If you haven’t, you should make time and go watch them. State track champions on a football field. Yep, it’s something to see! Ropes and Borden County had driven the miles into the canyons to Paducah. Everywhere I looked there were players trying to find shade. Lucky for those on the opposite side of the field, there was an enormous fruitless Mulberry tree that could provide shade for several teams. I definitely took advantage of its shade several times! I talked to Coaches Trey Richey and Bubba Edwards. They both told me how much they enjoy the Coyotes this year. They both said they are just a lot of fun to coach. As a matter of fact, the quote of the day came from Coach Trey Richey. He was walking off the field after a Coyote offensive series and called Trey Edwards over. Last year, Trey wasn’t very big. He was a sophomore and still growing. And grow and work hard he has! Coach Richey said, “Hey son! You are not what you were! You are 6’2 and 185 pounds. Go THROUGH them! You can do that now!” And you can bet he will. He’ll figure it out and soon! I also had the chance to talk to Coach Kyle and Jackson from Ropes. Ropes has 33 players out this year. That is a lot of green on the sidelines! Their Center from last year has moved into the QB position. Sounds a little odd but the kid is extremely athletic and can do just about whatever he tries. They have some big guys on the line on JV. I was astonished. HUGE kids up front. I guess with 33 players, some of them are bound to be pretty big boys. Now on to the Paducah players. Four had to sit out this first scrimmage for various reasons, but they will be back. And with a vengeance. I don’t know who #20 is for Paducah (you can bet I will find out), but that kid has some lateral moves that breaks all kinds of ankles. So so so quick! And let’s not forget the speed. I’m anxious to see how they do this year. I think they will get better by leaps and bounds every week if they listen to Coach York. After melting in the late morning/early afternoon sun, it was time for me to head out. I left with a huge smile on my face and excitement still dancing around me. Yep… it’s football season, folks! And I, for one, am very happy about that! Hope you all find a scrimmage to attend. Week one games are right around the corner… just two weeks away! In the meantime, Go Forward and Do GOOD! I parked by the practice field in Eden by the old rock wall. The band was practicing in the open field behind me. I didn’t see any signs of football yet, so I watched the band and snapped some photos. I then visited with a lady enjoying the shade in a golf cart. I asked her several band questions, and she was a great source of information. She had a family connection!
I saw the equipment crew bringing stuff onto the main field and wandered over and asked them if that was where practice would be today. They were very nice and informative. I asked them all to look at me and smile for a nice photo. Didn’t get all smiles but did get the photo. I was quite impressed with some of their ball handling skills. One of them in particular could spin a football on his fingertips really well and you could tell it had become so much of a habit he just did it without even thinking about it. I caught a funny photo of one of them working extra hard to push the grocery cart full of Gatorade coolers into the end zone. The thick grass and terrain made it almost impossible. Luckily a couple of the other crew members came to his rescue. I guess I was useless just standing there taking pictures of his misery. Pretty soon the team came jogging out from the Dog House. All the coaches greeted me happily. Then they quickly got the boys going on stretches and drills. I enjoyed the catching and throwing drills as the boys were moving quickly down the lines. There was a good breeze just like there was in Panther Creek a couple of hours earlier. Plus, it was turning to evening and the home stands were starting to cast a shade on the field. The weather was very nice as far as Texas summers go. Eden had over 20 boys on the field and they are returning a good crew from last year. They will definitely be strong in their district and have a good shot at making the playoffs again this year. New Eden Coaches Avants and Gamboa were a good team at Robert Lee and will be an asset to Eden this year. It will be fun to watch the Bulldogs this season. See you on the sidelines! Dency I arrived in Panther Creek about 4:30 in the afternoon. Of course, it was super hot but we were blessed by a jubilant breeze. With the breeze dancing at full speed, the heat was bearable. Coach Jackson and Coach Davis were busy working with the boys.
I spied a young man sitting in the bleachers against the press box enjoying it’s shade. I asked him what brought him out on this hot afternoon to watch practice. He told me he used to play and now his younger brother is so he had come to watch his brother’s practice. We visited about the fact that there were only six kids suited out. We talked about how Novice had managed to make a great go of it one season playing with just five. So good they got second in district that year. That season Novice had one kid with a major injury step on the field for the kickoff and then step back off. The rest of the game was played with five players. You just have to have six on the field for kickoff. The jest of memory lane was that the game can be played well with very few players. At one point, Coach Davis hopped on the golf cart and zoomed around the track with the water wagon attached. He was headed back to get some supplies for some of the drills they were about to run. The scene of him zooming around the track made my heart happy so I clicked a quick photo. It’s a happy light-hearted moment in time. Sometimes it’s the little things that make us smile the most. Still enjoying the breeze, I took several photos of the players. Didn’t take long to get one of all of them and lots of extras. Coach Jackson gave me an interview and you could tell he is a bit concerned about the number of kids he has playing. Coach Davis asked me to go down to the end of the field when the kids weren’t on it to get a good photo of how nice the grass is. It is indeed a well taken care of and loved field. Nice and green with no stickers. Last year when I came out the boys were running sprints barefoot on it. That tells you how nice it is. After saying my goodbyes, I loaded up and headed to Eden for their practice. See you on the sidelines! Dency I headed out for Irion County driving into the night with the morning sun trying to peek in behind me. I covered Irion County in the basketball playoffs last year and have often covered them in track and cross country, but this would be a first for football. After you leave San Angelo and head west, you enter what I call “oil field country.” Big trucks, numerous RV parks, and a whole lot of nothing else going on. I was very surprised when I arrived at how many big, beautiful oak trees there were in the stadium parking area. Of course, I parked under one for the amazing shade. I’m used to just Mesquite brush west of San Angelo, so this was a nice, unexpected surprise.
Again, there was a great breeze and with it still being early, it was perfect weather to be outside. I entered the stadium and was quickly greeted by a group of coaches. We visited briefly as the boys grabbed a quick water break. They quickly got right back to work, and I took lots of photos. Irion County has 20 plus players suited out this season. I saw great potential on that field today. All good sizes for playing Six-Man. In Six-Man the size of players needed is a bit different than that of 11-man. Coach Coffell was running them through some sweeps and later they did some six on six scrimmaging. I heard Coffell explaining some things and then telling the boys they would see this in the films they would be watching, and it would make more sense having run through it on the field as well. Coach Coffell would get so excited and proud as they ran through drills. This got the kids and the other coaches excited as well. His excitement about this new venture for Irion County shows, and the players are getting excited. I feel the Hornets have made some great choices in making the switch to Six-Man. They have a great coaching staff and brought in an experienced Six-Man coach to top it off. This will definitely make a difference in their success. I may be a bit biased as Six-Man is my favorite sport and hands down my favorite to photograph, but I think this was a positive move for Irion County community and players. Lots of potential on that field this morning. Can’t wait to see them play a game. See you on the Sidelines! Dency I rolled into Gorman as the sun was coming up. I am always amazed at how industrial Gorman appears when one first comes into town from DeLeon. There are peanuts and trucking and, from what I can, tell they keep Gorman jugging along nicely.
I took a left at the flashing light and enjoyed my slow, early morning drive through downtown. There is an area that has been turned into a very cute little park between buildings. The kind of place you’d like to just sit, sip coffee and enjoy. They also have a nice big park just down the street. Followed by the ever so cute little breakfast place. I always know I’m getting close to the school when I pass it. I always go to the school and then backtrack to the practice field. As I drove in front of the school, I could see two suited-out players heading for the street. I knew I had arrived at just the right time. I went on down and parked by the practice field. As the boys were coming up the hill, I snapped a photo of the sun coming up behind the goal post. I have enjoyed visiting this practice field the last few years that Gorman has been Six-Man. This time was a bit different. They had goal post, field lines, and a very level playing field. What an excellent place to practice! Not many schools have such a luxury as a full practice field. I complimented Coach Dixon on the nice field, and he told me it is extra nice for 6-on-6 tournaments. He then told me they also use the baseball field and another open area for 6-on-6 making it where they can host multiple teams and run lots of games at once. Gorman, like so many other teams I visited this week, have 20 plus kids out for football. What a great number. Hopefully, they can match up for some JV games during the season. It was a cool morning, and there was still dew on the grass. The boys and coaches seamlessly ran their drills on the last day of week one. I have to say the morning glow reflecting off the red and blue uniforms made for a bit of patriotic nostalgia. I left before the heat sat in and took the back way out down a little narrow shady lane lined with pecan trees. It was the perfect exit! See you on the sidelines, Dency I drove into Strawn, passed Mary’s restaurant, took a left right in front of the railroad tracks, and meandered down the heavily tree-lined path marked with Greyhound prints to the point of my destination; the MIS (Made In Strawn) Greyhound practice area. The football boys and volleyball girls were stretching in preparation for their workouts when I arrived. Coach Lee quickly greeted me and told me I was welcome to take photos of the volleyball girls as well since they would be in the same area as the boys. I hadn’t had any opportunities this season to cover any volleyball so I jumped at the chance. They are beautiful young women with an amazing inner strength and drive. Let me tell you those girls can flip tires and work in the sand pit like none I have ever seen. Coach Lee’s wife, Coach Denise Lee, led her volleyball team through their workout seamlessly. She didn't mind stepping in and showing them exactly what she expected by doing the drills herself. I always enjoy watching the footwork drills of the Greyhounds. They have developed quite the speed and agility because of these drills. Watching that many feet moving that fast is proof that they can swiftly move together as one unit. Lots of teams are very good at these drills, but Strawn takes it to another level. I must say it is actually mesmerizing to watch. Coach Lee checked on me a couple of times to see if I needed anything or had any questions. I enjoyed moving around the outside of the practice area watching all the different drills and capturing photos from time to time of different angles. I was surprised only one train passed by while I was there this time. The stadium and practice area sit right next to the train tracks. When I’ve attended games and other practices here, the tracks hum regularly. If you think trains are a thing of the past, I can tell you they are alive and well in small town central Texas. Most of the towns I visited this week had trains actively pulsing through town. Mullin and Zephyr also have active train tracks close to their stadiums. I finished up my photos and quietly disappeared as not to distract or disturb. I retraced my path and headed south. Just a few miles from town, I crossed over I-20. When you cross over at this spot, the road sign will tell you it is equal miles to Abilene and Ft Worth. I am always fascinated how Strawn sits almost exactly halfway between these two towns. See you on the sidelines! Dency Driving the backroads I so dearly love on my way to May I passed a sign to Carbon. That brought back a flood of memories. We used to play Carbon when I was in high school at Newcastle. Not only that but my Grandpa used to be the pastor at the United Methodist church there. Sad to see schools close as the world around us changes. I just might take that road for a trip down memory lane the next time I come this way. Once on the May highway as I approached town I began to see lots of little shiny things in the afternoon sun. At first I thought someone had hung reflectors from a tree but as I got closer I began to see that the town of May had been decorated with very shiny sparkly green and silver ribbon. I had heard the cheerleaders had been working hard decorating the town, but I had no idea they had been working this hard. Every sign pole from about a mile out and every kind of pole in town had been decorated. You knew you were in Tiger Country. Left a happy impression on my heart. I can’t even begin to imagine the hours that went into dressing up the town for the coming season. I followed the Tiger prints down the lane to the sports complex. No, I’m not exaggerating! It really is a complex. Softball, baseball, football, practice field, and so much more. I parked my little white Fiat, rolled down the windows, and seriously considered not getting out until the team hit the field. I should have followed my instincts and sat in the AC a bit longer. Instead, I got out and took cover in the only shade I could find by the big round burger pit. I was greeted with a few hellos by passing players and coaches coming and going from the dressing room. Once the boys came out, I left my blessed shade for the blinding heat of the afternoon. Coach Steele greeted me and I was able to get an interview while the boys did their stretches. I then went to start taking photos. I knew with the heat I better get pictures fast. I went out a distance and was getting some low shots. I could hear the boys questioning each other as to why I was taking photos of them stretching. I chuckled to myself and thought because it’s hot, and I may not last long in the heat. This was their first afternoon practice and when they took their first water break, you could tell I wasn’t the only one suffering. I felt so bad for them, but I guarantee you they were faring better than me. This wasn’t normal heat. This was not a cloud in the sky and rare movement of air kind of heat. It was HEAT! I figure if they can make it through this practice and keep most of their 27 players, they have a chance at a great season. Let's not forget their tried and true coaching staff. Every time I visit May, I get a kick out of the water/equipment crew. They do a great job and also make for some wonderful photos. Watching them working together to move a huge tire around the field was photo gold. They were too young to worry about the heat or care. They were a bit shocked when they finished moving the tire and came back to find how much water had been drunk during the first break. They quickly got the Gator and zoomed more water to the field pronto! Real pro speedsters! I started to physically feel the strength of the heat and decided to make it back to my car while I still could of my own free will. I started the AC and sat for a minute before making my way back down the lane through the Tiger prints and shiny streamers. See you on the sidelines! Dency I left Kent County at 6:00AM and arrived in Aspermont just before 6:30. I was lucky enough not to see the any wildlife - real lucky! When I arrived, the Hornets were on the field stretching in the dark. Coach Cade Brown, Assistant Coach, came over to talk to me. I asked him if he'd already checked for snakes. He hadn't seen any on the practice field but he had killed several at his house. He continued over to the players and gave them a few instructions. I am very happy to see Coach Brown back in the coaching profession!
The sky was showing a tad bit of light when Coach Mark Weaver appeared out of nowhere. We had a great conversation about the Hornet's goals for this season. I could tell he was fired up! Each coach took a group and worked on footwork and catching and then going after a ball on the ground. One thing Coach Weaver consistently repeats to his players is to be passionate and have energy in whatever they are doing. During my time at practice, I was pleasantly surprised to see that each player bought into his message and truly looked like they were enjoying every second! They worked very hard but smiled and even laughed. Sweat flying with a smile... that's what I like to see! During practice, the "brag sign" near the field house was getting a facelift. Now that I look at the pictures, I am pretty sure it is brand new! There were men lifting heavy sheets of metal and welding them into place. Coach Brown confirmed that this is where the Hornets past accolades would land. Can't wait to see the finished signs (it really is enormous) the next time I visit! When it was time for me to head out, the sun had finally peeked over the horizon and practice was in full swing. The Hornets were 18 strong today. Can't wait to see what the season holds for them! Good luck this season, Hornets! Remember... Go Forward and Do GOOD! |
The Zone
We all have a story... a funny story or a serious story. This space is for those stories that make us laugh or cry or feel motivated. Archives
September 2023
|