Laredo United
September 9, 1966: Converse
Judson, entering the third year of attempts to get its Class 1A Rocket Program off the ground, proceeded in fits and starts toward launch, but nevertheless moved forward to achieve that objective in this Friday evening meeting with the Longhorns. The Longhorns halted the countdown by marching 60 yards following the opening kickoff and capping off the drive with a 2-yard run by Ronnie Gentry. The 2-point conversion was unsuccessful, but United led 6-0. Later in the opening period, the Rockets got untracked with a 58-yard drive that Richard Tucker finished off with a 4-yard plunge for the score. Venuto drilled the PAT, and the Rockets led 7-6 to pick up their count toward launch. The Rockets maintained the 7-6 advantage through Halftime, and they extended the lead to bring the Rockets even closer toward liftoff when QB Gerald Irey hit Jimbo Masters for a 4-yard hookup and the score. Tucker then punched in for the 2-point conversion to bring the Rocket advantage to 15-6.

The Longhorns thereafter undertook a major effort to try and halt the count and scrub the launch. Ronnie Gentry helped close the gap with a 40-yard dash, and QB Leo Gutierrez took it in for a 2-point play to cut the Rocket advantage to 15-14. Later in the penultimate period, the Longhorns halted the Rockets’ countdown once more when Gentry took an aerial from Gutierrez and headed downfield to complete a 70-yard play and give United the lead at 20-15. Gutierrez’ next attempt at the 2-point play, however, was no good, which gave the Rockets just the opening that they needed to still make the evening’s launch. With five (5) minutes remaining in the final period, a pass interference call on the ‘Horns put the ball at their 1-yard line, shortly thereafter Irey punched in from a yard out and, although the PAT was no good, the Rockets had the lead. From there, the count continued, the Rockets held on and after two (2) very difficult years they finally had liftoff.

Southside
September 16, 1966: Converse
On September 15, Gemini XI, carrying Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon, splashed down to complete the next-to-last mission in the Gemini series. An integral objective of that 3-day mission was to rendezvous with and dock with an Agena Target Vehicle and thereafter ignite it to send the Gemini-Agena combo to an orbital apogee of 850 miles and give the US the overall altitude record for manned spaceflight. The day after the conclusion of the Gemini XI mission, Judson took its Class 1A Rocket Program to a new apogee by winning two (2) straight games for the first time since 1963. This, however, did not manifest itself until the final period. The Cardinals and Rockets played to a scoreless deadlock through the first three (3) Quarters. The Rocket Defense, with pivotal play by Tony Gutierrez, was definitely up to the challenge, given that the Cards penetrated deep into Rocket territory on three (3) occasions in the 1st Half and on one (1) such incursion were turned away on Downs at the Judson 1-yard line. In the 4th Quarter, the Rockets mounted a 42-yard drive that Richard Tucker capped off by crashing in from a yard out. The PAT was no good but the Rockets were up 6-0. Later in the final period, Jimbo Masters snatched Cardinal QB Tom Guerrero’s pass to put the Rockets in business at the Southside 18-yard line. A few plays later, Tucker took it in from the 3-yard line to clinch the game for the Rockets.

Lytle
September 23, 1966: Lytle
Judson, with its Class 1A Rocket Program finally off the ground and in orbit, nevertheless had a few technical issues to work out and the Lytle Pirates saw to it that this particular non-District test firing be scrubbed from the Rocket Flight Plan. Judson threatened four (4) times inside the Pirate 10-yard line and each time was denied. The Rockets, however also denied the Pirates late in the final period by recovering a fumble at the Judson 4-yard line. They thereafter mounted their 4th and final foray inside the Pirate 10-yard line with a 92-yard drive. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the four (4) yards lacking in this drive as much as it was the time lacking on the clock. The Rockets reached the Lytle 22-yard line with time running down. On the final play Gerald Irey hit Tony Gutierrez for an 18-yard pickup to the 4-yard line, but at the end of the play the clock also showed "four zeroes." Although the result was somewhat less than what the Rockets were looking for in this test, in many ways they could claim the moral victory in this tie, given that they prevented the Pirates from raiding the endzone, and they also had the decided statistical advantage.

Medina Valley
September 30, 1966: Castroville
For the second consecutive week, the Rockets were forced to scrub a planned in-flight test-firing of their orbital maneuvering thrusters as a result of some critical breakdowns. Late in the 1st Half, a bad snap from Center went out of the endzone and the Rockets had to take a Safety. Following the Free Kick, the Panthers marched 53 yards for paydirt. The key part of the drive came when Greg Biediger took a pitchout from QB Manuel Mendez and then tossed it downfield to Mendez for a 35-yard pickup. Shortly thereafter Frank Hernandez crashed in from three (3) yards out to put the Panthers up 8-0 with eleven (11) seconds remaining in the Half. The Rocket Defense hung tough through the 2nd Half and worked feverishly to try and turn things around and salvage this particular test, but late in the game the Panthers mounted a 44-yard drive. The clincher came with 127 seconds remaining when Mendez completed a 4-yard toss to RL Haass for the score. The second Panther attempt at a 2-point conversion was unsuccessful, but the 14-0 advantage was sufficient to send the Rockets to the Flight Surgeon with a bad case of ‘cat scratch fever.’

Castroville St. Louis
October 7, 1966: Converse
One of the greatest fears of a real-life rocketman is being hit by some kind of stellar projectile such as a small asteroid or a micrometeoroid. The Judson Rockets on this evening encountered some Comets from Castroville and, unless they could get their Offensive thrusters out of cold storage in time, the end-result would probably not be to the Rockets’ liking. The 1st Half was scoreless, but in the 2nd Half the Rockets were able to finally ignite their engines and perform the needed evasive maneuver. Backup QB Barry Tauch put the Rockets on the board with a 2-yard sneak in the 3rd Quarter and, although the PAT was no good, the Rockets were up 6-0. Finally, in the 4th Quarter Richard Tucker hauled in a Comet pass to put the Rockets in business for the game-clinching scoring drive. Shortly thereafter prime QB Gerald Irey collaborated with Tony Gutierrez on a 40-yard pass play for the score, and Irey took it in on the 2-point play. An integral determinant in this matchup was the four (4) total INT’s hauled in by the Rockets. In addition to a theft by Tucker, Gutierrez, Irey and Mike Jaksik got in on the fun.

Bandera
October 14, 1966: Converse
The tables were turned when the dogs came to town. This time, they were looking for their first win of the season, while the Rockets were doing pretty good, thank you. The dogs nevertheless bit first when a Rocket was tackled in the endzone for a Safety in the opening period. The Rockets, however, were able to mitigate any further damage, and by the 2nd Quarter they were go for main engine start. Gerald Irey punched in from two (2) yards out on the QB sneak, and Richard Tucker converted for two (2) points to put the Rockets in front at 8-2. In the penultimate period Mike Jaksik cashed in on a 3-yard scoring jaunt for paydirt that increased the Rocket advantage to 14-2. Later in the Quarter, Tony Gutierrez rendezvoused with Irey’s aerial and completed the 44-yard play by crossing the goal line. Irey ran it in for two (2) points to give the Rockets a 22-2 lead entering the 4th Quarter. Jaksik then put the icing on the cake for the Rockets with a 3-yard run for the score, and the Rockets were thus able to get the Bulldogs back on their leash and send them on their way.

Comfort
October 21, 1966: Comfort
The Rockets took the opening kickoff but fumbled the ball away, putting the Bobcats in business at the Judson 25-yard line. Shortly thereafter Paul Urban took it in for the cats from the 10-yard line, and he did the honors for a 2-pointer to put Comfort out front 8-0. Undeterred, the Rockets answered back with a 76-yard drive that culminated in Irey’s 4-yard run for the score. Mike Jaksik took it in for two (2) points, and the score was knotted at eight (8). In the 2nd period, Mark Venuto put the Rockets ahead for the first time of the day with a 25-yard scramble, and Judson had a 16-8 advantage by dint of Irey’s run for two (2) 2-points. Comfort cut the advantage with a 20-yard hookup with George Wilson for the score to make it 16-14, but the Rockets took control from there. In the 3rd Quarter an INT put the Rockets in business at the cats’ 33-yard line, and Richard Tucker punched in from a yard out in fairly short order. Irey got the 2-pointer on a QB sneak, and the Rockets led 24-14. In the final period, Judson iced it away when Irey zipped in from the 6-yard line, and Tony Gutierrez successfully used his chance at a run for two (2) points.

Marble Falls
October 28, 1966: Marble Falls
A stellar defensive struggle saw the Rockets and the Mustangs both move the chains eleven (11) times, and have nearly the same amount of total yardage: Judson with 156 and the Mustangs with 170. The only points for the Mustangs came when the Rockets’ Mike Graff, attempting a punt, was swarmed under in the endzone for a Safety. The only sustained drive that the Rockets undertook was a 65-yard drive in the 2nd Quarter that died on Downs at the Mustang 1-yard line. On the next play, however, Tony Gutierrez sequestered a Mustang fumble in the endzone for the score, and he then hauled in Clayton Irey’s pass for two (2) points. The Mustangs also threatened in the 2nd period, but the Rockets got the INT at the Judson 20-yard line and shut them off. The Mustangs had one (1) final chance at redemption, but with less than a minute remaining in the game, they failed on 4th Down from the 15-yard line, and the Rockets took over and held on to get the hard-earned win.

Johnson City
November 4, 1966: Johnson City
The 1st Quarter ended in a scoreless deadlock, but in the 2nd period the Rockets mounted an 81-yard drive that Mike Jaksik finished off by crashing in from the 4-yard line. Gerald Irey ran in the conversion, the Rockets were up 8-0, and the lead held up at the Half because the Eagles’ 50-yard drive arrived at the Rocket 3-yard line just as the clock said "four zeroes." In the penultimate period, the Rockets recovered a fumble at the Eagle 35-yard line, and a few plays later Jaksik scored once more for the Rockets, this time from a yard out and providing a 14-0 advantage. In the 4th Quarter the Rockets undertook a 55-yard drive that also paid off in the end when Irey kept for nine (9) yards and the score. All told, this gave the Rockets a 4-1 mark in District 30-A and a shot at the District Title pending a test with the Yellowjackets back in Converse seven (7) days hence.

The Rockets, of course, had a pretty good Defense, too, but given their still-occasional lapses on Offense (the Medina Valley game being the prime example) it looked like the edge truly belonged to the Jacket Defense. Judson, nevertheless, perhaps had a certain amount of developing US Space history on its side as it looked to make some Rocket Football History of its own. At mid-afternoon Gemini XII carrying Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell lifted off to begin the final flight of the Gemini Program. One of the objectives was to attempt a one-orbit direct rendezvous with an Agena Target Vehicle. Such a maneuver could conserve loads of fuel, which of course could improve safety margins and increase the science and payload capabilities if such techniques could be used on the prospective Apollo moon flights. This direct rendezvous maneuver and the concomitant docking came off just as advertised. About two (2) hours later Judson was looking to see what it could do in Converse to advance the margin for success and increase the capabilities of its Class 1A Rocket Program, and see if the Program was ready to do what no Judson Rocket Football Program had done yet: Win District and advance to the post-season.

In the opening period, the Jackets punted to Judson at midfield, and the Rockets went to work. Shortly thereafter, Gerald Irey flung a pass 43 yards downfield to Tony Gutierrez, and he took it to the house to put the Rockets out front 6-0. Sabinal then tied things up in the 2nd period when James Hargreaves carried in from nine (9) yards out, and thus the score remained at the break.

Coming out of intermission, the Rockets were ready to make history. Mike Jaksik snatched an INT at the Judson 48-yard line, the 52-yard drive was capped off when Irey connected with Jimbo Masters for another scoring aerial, and the Rockets were back on top at 12-6. The Rockets a little later initiated an 80-yard drive that Irey polished off early in the 4th Quarter with an 11-yard pass to Mark Venuto for the score to increase the advantage to 18-6. Shortly thereafter, Jaksik hauled in still one (1) more INT---this one at the Jackets’ 18-yard line, and in fairly due order Richard Tucker zipped in from there on an end sweep to complete the upset and make some Rocket History. November 11, 1966 was a good day for Rockets in the United States.

Semifinals
Sonora 39 Forney 28
Schulenburg 24 Rosebud 14
Final
Sonora 40 Schulenburg 14

Stockdale
November 18, 1966: Matador Stadium, Seguin
The Stockdale Brahmas, just like the Judson Rockets, came up from Class B and into Class 1A in 1964, having come off a very successful 11-0 season in 1963. Like the Rockets, the Brahmas spent their first two (2) seasons in 1-A wandering through the wilderness, winning only three (3) games in each of those seasons. Finally, in 1966, they turned the corner and came into their meeting with the Rockets in Seguin with a sterling 8-0-2 record. The opening period was scoreless, but on the first play of the second period Geronimo Garza got away for a 97-yard dash to paydirt, positively shocking the 4000 witnesses on-hand and putting the Brahmas in front at 6-0. Later in the 2nd Quarter, Kenny Knobles zipped in from 47 yards out, Johnnie Stahl ran in for two (2) points, and the bulls had a 14-0 advantage. With time running down in the 1st Half, the Rockets recovered a fumble at the Stockdale 43-yard line and were thereafter able to work the ball down to the 1-yard line. The drive, however, died on Downs and the bulls took over with 36 seconds to go.

The Rockets, nevertheless, seemed to have some momentum when the Brahmas fumbled the 2nd-Half kickoff and the Rockets recovered. Shortly thereafter Gerald Irey hooked up with Tony Gutierrez for 29 yards and the score, and the Brahma advantage stood at 14-6 after the pass for two (2) points was dropped. The Brahmas then responded with its only sustained drive of the day, mounting an 8-play, 58-yard campaign that Geronimo Garza iced away by zipping nine (9) yards into the endzone. On the final play of the penultimate period the Brahmas blocked the Rockets’ punt, and on the opening play of the 4th Quarter Gary Mills took it in from 20 yards out. The Rockets responded to this adversity by going right back to work and marching down to the Stockdale 14-yard line. On 2nd Down, however, Johnnie Stahl snatched the ball away from the Rocket receiver and returned it 88 yards for the score and increase the Brahma advantage to 32-6. Once again, however, the Rockets were determined to get the best deal obtainable, and they mounted a quick, 6-play, 74-yard drive that was aided by a 25-yard pass interference call. Mark Venuto punched in from the 6-yard line, but once more the pass for two (2) points was no good. The Rockets kept coming at the Brahmas to mitigate the damage or even possibly turn things around completely, but with 160 seconds remaining Robert Ramirez stepped in front of Irey’s pass and returned it 45 yards to complete the rout. The result was less than what the Rocket Program was looking for, but no one can ever say that the Rocket Flight Crew didn’t come to play. The Brahmas brought them back down to earth, but they went down swinging, and the Rockets would come back to fly another day.