1964
Reality Tour

In the rocket program operated by NASA, the early phases of a new and more advanced program would---especially in the early days---be fraught with many difficulties and, let’s just say, include some opportunities to learn from certain tests and trials that yielded in many instances considerably less than the intended result. Such was also the case for the Rocket Program operated out of Converse, Texas in the first two (2) very trying seasons in Class 1A competition.

On September 11, the Rockets, having had no success with the Army, tried their luck with the Air Force in Converse. Instead of playing the traditional Air Force role as "chase planes" for the intended Rocket launch, however, the Randolph Ro-Hawks instead buzzed the launch pad so closely that the range safety officers had no choice but to cancel the launch attempt. Meanwhile, the Ro-Hawks continued essentially unencumbered in flight, building up a 25-0 lead through the 3rd Quarter. Judson did, however, light the scoreboard in the final period when Claude Arnold found Tony Gutierrez for a 40-yard scoring pass play.

The Kennedy Space Center has been known from time to time to host all kinds of wildlife such as wild hogs, snakes, alligators, Florida Panthers and some bald eagles. For the most part these don’t impact Training, Launch and Mission Support operations. A stampede of Buffaloes from Schertz-Cibolo (aka Clemens), however, got onto the launch complex in Converse on September 18 and essentially shut down operations and in the process shut the Rockets out 22-0. The offensive thruster power failure visited on the Rockets by the Buffs was so serious that at one (1) point in the 2nd period, the QB got taken down in the endzone for a Safety. Preceding this was the opening score in the 1st Quarter when the Buffs’ Chris Frias went in from 11 yards out. Allan Helm tacked on the second Buff TD in the 3rd Quarter with a 30-yard run, and Rusty Brehm got the final TD of the day with time running down in the final period when he punched in from two (2) yards out.

The Rockets had their third consecutive test scheduled in Converse on October 2, this time using the Charlotte Trojans as the test articles. Early in the 2nd Quarter, Mark Venuto hooked up with Claude Arnold and Arnold took it to the house to put the Rockets out front for the first time in 1964. Arnold then converted on the 2-pointer, and the Rockets had an 8-0 lead that held up through Halftime. In the 3rd Quarter, the Trojans’ Reyes Gallegos took a Rocket punt and flashed 70 yards toward paydirt. The Trojans were unsuccessful on their two-point attempt, and the Rockets were still in the lead. In the final period, Charlotte drove to the Rockets’ 30-yard line, from where Terry Thomas took off to put the Trojans on top. Reyes Gallegos hit Cello Rodriguez for two (2) points, and the Trojans got out of town with the 14-8 verdict. Although certain aspects of this test were still not to the Rockets’ liking, a bright spot was the 118 air yards that Venuto picked up as part of a 6-of-10 passing effort that experienced no INT’s whatever.

Although they weren’t Florida Panthers (see comments above w/r the events of September 18), on October 9 the Medina Valley Panthers nevertheless gave the Rockets a serious case of ‘cat scratch fever’ by scoring 28 points in the first two (2) periods in Castroville. The only points for the Rockets came in the 3rd Quarter when Panther QB Eliseo Reyes stepped out of the endzone while attempting a punt. The Panthers thereafter scored once more in the final period. Back in Converse on October 16, Tony Gutierrez punched in from two (2) yards out and Victor Barrera ran it in for two (2) points on the conversion, and the Rockets would have an 8-7 lead at Halftime with the Natalia Mustangs. In the 2nd Half, however, the Mustangs ran wild, as did the Somerset Bulldogs on October 23 when they broke the leash in Converse and got away with 40 points.

After a series of very difficult tests, Judson sought some Hill Country respite in Comfort on October 30 in a showdown to decide last place in District 30-A. Comfort lit up the scoreboard first when QB Ricky Martinez slipped around right end from five (5) yards out for the TD and James Allerkamp bulled his way up the middle on the conversion to give Comfort an 8-0 lead in the 3rd Quarter. The Rockets tied things up thereafter, but in the final period Silverio Rios zipped in from 23 yards out to put the Bobcats ahead once more. In a defensive stand during the penultimate period that would prove to be decisive, the Bobcats held the Rockets on Downs at the Comfort 2-yard line. All told, it was enough to help convince everyone associated with Judson’s Rocket Program to check out of this particular Comfort inn. The two (2) final 1964 tests---one (1) of which came the following week with the ultimate District 30-A Champ Bandera----of their Class 1A Rocket Program would also prove to be less than satisfying.

Semifinals
Archer City 7 Reagan County 6
Ingleside 18 Rosebud 0

Final
Archer City 13 Ingleside 6

RETURN TO Class 1A; or go directly to 1965