On August 29, Gemini V carrying Pete Conrad and Gordo Cooper splashed down, thus completing an 8-day spaceflight----the longest one to date in the US manned program. The motto of the flight emblazoned on the mission patch was "8 days or bust." Twelve (12) days later the Randolph Ro-Hawks hosted the Judson Rockets and busted them for 35 points in the 1st Half, while the Rockets could only manage one (1) TD and 2-point conversion. In the 2nd Half, the teams traded touchdowns, and the Ro-Hawks had a solid "W" to show for their second game of the season and the Rockets’ first. Bright spot for Judson, however, was that it seemed to be getting much swifter production out of its Offensive Rocket Engines. Tony Gutierrez was a pivotal component in that Rocket performance, catching two (2) passes for TD’s and recovering a mid-air fumble for still one (1) more. Roger Lucas also provided a 2-pointer for the Rockets.

The following week, on September 17, the Rockets traveled to Schertz-Cibolo (aka Clemens), and had considerably less offensive propulsion. The Buffs scored 13 points in the opening period, with the first score coming on a 50-yard dash by Chris Frias on their first play from scrimmage. Things settled down for the remainder of the 1st Half, but in the penultimate period the Buffs tacked on two (2) additional scores, the second of these coming on a 6-yard run by Frias that was set up by a 76-yard dash by Chris Koym. Frias finished things off for the Buffs when he bounced off a tackle and sped downfield for a 78-yard score in the final period. The Rockets finally erased the goose-egg when, with 16 seconds left to play, Mark Venuto went in from six (6) yards out. The 2-point play, however, was unsuccessful.

Once the Rockets were finally in Converse for the first time in the 1965 campaign on September 24, the Lytle Pirates raided the Rockets for two (2) TD’s in the 1st Quarter, one (1) in the 2nd Quarter, and one (1) each in the final two (2) periods. The Rockets were able to salvage what they could from this particular test when Bill Hofferichter punched in from two (2) yards out in the 3rd Quarter, and Richard Tucker crashed in from three (3) yards out in the final period.

The Rockets were back on the road on October 1, this time for a rather unpleasant visit with the Charlotte Trojans. The trouble began when Wiley Lee blocked a Rocket punt and Craig Horten pounced on the ball in the endzone to grab all the points the as-yet undefeated Trojans would need in this game. The Trojans picked up three (3) additional TD’s in the 2nd Quarter, and in the 2nd Half they coasted from there by tacking on two (2) final TD’s.

The Medina Valley Panthers prowled around the Rockets’ space port in Converse on October 8, and inflicted some serious damage. It didn’t start out that way, however. The Rockets grabbed a 6-0 lead in the opening period when Mark Venuto connected with Tony Gutierrez for a 15-yard score. The Panthers then stormed back in the 2nd Quarter to take a 12-6 lead into the break. The Rockets picked up six (6) additional points in the 3rd Quarter when Venuto went in on a QB sneak from a yard out, but the Panthers increased their advantage by tacking on two (2) TD’s and two (2) points from conversion activity. The Panthers completed the rout with a TD and 2-point play in the final period.

On October 15, the Rockets paid a visit to Natalia, where the Mustangs capitalized on some tragically bad punting by the Rockets: Of the five (5) punts attempted, the longest went for eight (8) yards, and the others went for one (1) yard, seven (7) yards, six (6) yards, and five (5) yards, thus giving the Mustangs possession inside the Rockets’ 20-yard line on countless occasions. All told, this enabled the Mustangs to get into the endzone fairly easily and quickly, or at the very least pin the Rockets deep in their end of the field on the "drives" that failed to produce for the horses, so that the cycle could then easily repeat itself. The Rockets outgained the Mustangs 20-12 in First Downs, which reflected the fact that the Rockets had to move the chains a little more to get downfield on those instances in which they were able to, and also the fact the horses obviously didn’t need to go very far to get what they were there for. The Rockets did make it into the endzone in the 4th Quarter when Richard Tucker crashed in from a yard out, and Wesley Sowell drilled the PAT.

On October 22 in Somerset, the Bulldogs bit the Rockets twice in the 1st Quarter, but this was sufficient to send them to the Flight Surgeon for treatment. After the canines took the opening kickoff, they methodically drove downfield from their 36-yard line to the Rockets’ 6-yard line. From there, Tray Lyne took it in, and Marcelina Estrada split the uprights with the PAT. On the Rockets’ first offensive series, the dogs snatched an INT at the Judson 25-yard line. Shortly thereafter, Lynne hit Sonny Senzenberger for a 20-yard scoring pass, and Estrada once more toed the PAT. The Judson Defense then kicked in, and the dogs never threatened thereafter. The Rockets, however, did threaten on numerous occasions, had one (1) TD called back and in fact penetrated inside the Bulldog 10-yard line five (5) different times and each time came away empty. The Rockets thus remained winless in District 30-A action, while the dogs had at that point improved their record to 3-1.

The following Monday in the actual rocket program, Gemini VI was set to launch and rendezvous with and dock with an unmanned Agena Target Vehicle in the first attempt in overall space history at executing such a maneuver. Mastering such a technique was crucial for getting to the moon in the manner in which NASA had chosen to do so. Unfortunately, shortly after launch, ground controllers lost contact with the Atlas-Agena combination---which was launched about 100 minutes ahead of the scheduled launch of Gemini VI carrying Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford---and once it was determined that the vehicle was literally lost (they never did find any traces of it off the coast) the two (2) astronauts (who were suited up, ready and waiting aboard their Gemini-Titan combo), were essentially all dressed up with nowhere to go. As the week went on, it was finally determined that they would improvise: Gemini VI as originally scheduled would be cancelled, Gemini VII would launch a few weeks later for an originally planned 14-day duration flight, and Gemini VI would then be sent up to rendezvous (albeit not actually dock) with Gemini VII. Although there were a few major and minor hiccups come December in the execution of this plan to advance the US Space Program and its plans to eventually shoot for the moon, it went off swimmingly.

As that week in US Space History wound down, on October 29 the Rockets prepared to take on the Comfort Bobcats in Converse, hoping to rendezvous with their first win of the season. Although there were a few major as well as minor hiccups for Judson in the execution of its latest plan to use the Comfort Bobcats as test articles in advancing its Class 1A Rocket Program, it went off swimmingly. The Rockets and Bobcats played to a 14-all tie in the 1st Half. Judson’s points came as follows

• Richard Tucker going in from two (2) yards out to finish off a 55-yard Rocket drive, and Mark Venuto completing a pass to Roger Lucas for two (2) points in the opening period
• Tucker taking a pitchout and going around left end for 25 yards and the score in the 2nd Quarter.

In the 2nd Half, Tucker repeated the play used on his 2nd-Quarter TD to go in from 13 yards out and give the Rockets a 20-14 lead entering the 4th Quarter. The clincher for the Rockets came when the Bobcats gambled and lost on a 4th-down play at their own 8-yard line. Shortly thereafter Venuto cashed in for more paydirt from two (2) yards out, Gerald White provided the PAT, and for the first time the Rockets successfully completed a test in their Class 1A Rocket Program.

The Rockets went on the road to Bandera on November 5, and came back with numerous teeth marks courtesy of the Bulldogs---54 of them to be exact. The Rockets nevertheless got in some damage of their own

• Ken Venuto with a 10-yard TD and a 2-point conversion
• Mike Jaksik with a 3-yard run
• Roger Lucas taking an 11-yard pass reception from Venuto for the score

On November 9, all of the Northeastern part of CONUS---Boston and New York City included----experienced a major electrical blackout. The following Friday in Converse, the Sabinal Yellowjackets turned out the lights on the Judson Rockets by getting their post-TD conversions and denying the Rockets theirs. The Yellowjackets got on the board in the 1st Quarter with a TD and 2-point conversion, and in the 2nd period with a TD and 1-point kick. All told, this gave the Jackets fifteen (15) points. The Rockets got on the board with two (2) TD’s:

• A 25-yard pass from Mark Venuto to Tony Gutierrez; and,
• The Venuto-Gutierrez connection coming through once more in the 4th Quarter.

The Venuto-Gutierrez connection was not nearly as successful on 2-point plays, however, and this proved to be the difference in the game.

The 1965 Class 1A Playoffs

Semifinals
White Deer 34 Keller 12
Wills Point 20 Three Rivers 14
Final
Wills Point 14 White Deer 0

RETURN TO Class 1A; or go directly to 1966