1975
Lambs Led to the Slaughter

Certainly there were other seasons that yielded similar fortunes; nevertheless, given the quickness with which Judson found itself facing stiff competition (2A to 4A in only three seasons), and with the novelty of the inaugural season in 4A (then the highest UIL classification) quickly forgotten, the 1975 season was arguably the lowest point morale-wise. This particular season narrative is perhaps the very least I can do to salute the students, the parents, the faculty and staff, the Team, the Coaches, the Rocket Band, the Galaxies, the Cheerleaders and Pep Squad and die-hard fans that had the courage and the love to simply show up for the games and the halftimes at this point in Judson’s history, all trying valiently if not imperfectly to make things work. It wasn't easy, unless one believes that all suffering can in some small way be redemptive---at least eventually.

Clemens
September 5, 1975: Schertz
The Buffs got on the board late in the 1st Quarter with a FG from the 18-yard line that culminated a 41-yard drive. In the 2nd period, QB Mike Vickers collaborated with Aubry Fontenot for a 47-yard aerial play for the score. BJ Slater, who earlier booted the 3-pointer, successfully did the same for the PAT and the Buffs took a 10-0 lead into the Half. In the final period, the Buffs reached the Judson 4-yard line where the drive died when the Rockets recovered a fumble. Judson’s drive, like all the others on this evening, failed to produce in fairly short order and, after getting the ball back after a Judson punt to the Rockets’ 37-yard line, the Buffs drove down close enough for Salter to drill a 20-yard FG and seal the verdict. The Buffs lost only one (1) fumble and experienced no INT’s whatever, whereas the Rockets lost two (2) fumbles and experienced two (2) INT’s as part of an offensive effort that netted only 112 yards split almost evenly between air and ground and four (4) First Downs.

East Central
September 12, 1975: Hornet Field
The opening period was scoreless, but in the 2nd Quarter the Rockets got on the board first when Randy Debacker punched in for a 1-yard run to cap off a 50-yard drive. The PAT, however, was no good. The Rockets’ next time on offense ended in a fumble at their own 9-yard line that the Hornets recovered and used quite nicely to their own advantage, namely a 4-yard run by Lloyd Majette and a 2-point conversion on Carl Cunningham’s pass reception from future Roughrider Coach Glenn Hill. In the penultimate period, Mike Thierry snatched a Rocket aerial at the Judson 45-yard line and returned it to the 15. The Rocket Defense made them work for it, but on the 6th play Majette took it in from a yard out, Majette repeated his success on the 2-point conversion, and the Hornet had a 16-6 lead. Thus the game ended, and the Rockets found themselves in a 0-2 hole for the first time since 1970. Even more discouraging, because the losses were to two (2) 3A schools, with the tough 4A schedule looming immediately ahead.

Burbank
September 19, 1975: Converse
Once more, the Rockets hosted the Bulldogs for Homecoming. Once more, both teams had trouble with their extra-point attempts. This time, however, the result was radically different and Judson was able in the end to make some history. The opening period was scoreless, but at the 8:05 mark of the 2nd Quarter Randy DeBacker swept around left end for 15 yards and the score to close out a 9 play, 47-yard drive, and this 6-0 Judson advantage held up during the intermission. The Bulldogs nevertheless knotted the score at six (6) with a 15-yard pass at the 6:22 mark of the 3rd Quarter. Undeterred, the Rockets answered with a 10-play, 61-yard drive that DeBacker polished off with a 1-yard run with 172 seconds remaining in the 3rd Quarter. The Rockets kept up the pressure on Defense, and the effort paid off when Louis Self recovered a Burbank fumble to put the Rockets in business on Offense at the Bulldog 46 with time running down in the final period. Shortly thereafter DeBacker flashed in from 49 yards out to give Judson some breathing room with 4:49 left to play. From there Judson held on to claim its first Varsity Football victory at the 4A level.

San Marcos
October 3, 1975: Converse
With a victory and an Open Week under the Rockets’ belts, a renewed sense of optimism fueled the Rockets entering this opening match of District play. From there, it propelled the Rockets to a 7-6 1st-Quarter advantage. Sophomore Eddie Berry put the Rockets in front with a 5-yard run with 5:16 left in the period, and Robert Hall nailed the PAT to give the Rockets a 7-0 lead. Thereafter, however, the Rattlers got on the board with 45 seconds left in the 1st, although the PAT was no good. In the 2nd period the Rattlers poured on 28 points and grabbed a 34-7 lead for Halftime. The barrage started when Keath Young stepped in front of Brian Stone’s pass and put the snakes in business for a 9-yard run by Ronnie Merriweather for the score. The snakes thereafter bit the Rockets for 21 points in the penultimate period and one (1) additional TD in the final frame.

Seguin
October 10, 1975: Matador Stadium, Seguin
Early in the game, the Mats recovered a Rocket fumble at the Judson 7-yard line, and almost immediately thereafter David Brothers picked up from where he left off the year before with the Rockets and zipped in for the score with only 121 seconds gone in the opening period. The Rockets kept the damage to a minimum for the remainder of the Quarter, but in the 2nd Quarter Brothers got away for a 67-yard dash. All told, this facilitated a 14-0 advantage for Seguin at the Half. The Mats, however, were only getting started. They scored twice in the 3rd Quarter, with the second of the two (2) TD’s coming on a 60-yard punt return by Ricky Ussery. With less than a minute gone in the final period, Brothers flashed in for a 67-yard ground-scorcher. Unfortunately for the Rockets, throttling David Brothers and a talented cast of others proved virtually impossible, and the Mats tacked on two (2) final TD’s and concomitant PAT’s. For the game, Seguin netted 448 yards, all picked up on the ground. They nevertheless attempted three (3) passes, one (1) of which was "completed" to the Rocket Defense. They also lost three (3) fumbles. The Rockets, meanwhile, lost five (5) fumbles and experienced three (3) INT’s, which came as part of a 5-of-14 aerial effort for 62 yards. On the ground, Judson netted 199 yards, which wasn’t too bad, considering.

Highlands
October 17 1975: Converse
A short Rocket punt set the Owls up at the Judson 42-yard line early in the 1st Quarter, and John Wengler capped the drive with a 4-yard run for the score. The Owls extended the lead to 7-0 with a successful PAT. Undeterred, the Rockets initiated a 72-yard drive that ended in success when an attentive Mark Peltier recovered Brian Stone’s fumble into the endzone, which came at the end of a 22-yard run. The PAT, however, was no good and the Owls still led at 7-6. The Owls thereafter responded with a 65-yard drive, with a key play coming when Eddie Dupont fumbled after picking up 13 yards and lineman Don Burton snatched the bouncing ball and advanced it to the Rocket 17-yard line. Shortly thereafter Wengler got in from 11 yards out, a 2-point play followed, and the Owls finished the 1st Quarter with a 15-6 lead. Wengler picked up two (2) additional TD’s in the 2nd Quarter, and the 1st Half ended with the Owls in front 29-6. Wengler got one (1) final TD for the Owls in the penultimate period and finally, in the 4th period, Brian Stone hit Darrel Humke with a 6-yard aerial for the score. The Rockets kept coming at the Owls throughout this game, reaching the Highlands 9-yard line and 32-yard line, but could not punch it in. The Owls experienced one (1) INT and lost one (1) fumble, netting 277 yards on the ground and 74 through the air. The Rockets, meanwhile, lost three (3) fumbles and experienced three (3) INT’s. They netted 122 yards on the ground and, most significantly, 184 through the air as part of a 13-of-26 effort.

New Braunfels
October 31, 1975: Unicorn Stadium, New Braunfels
The Rockets got on the board first in the opening period, taking a 6-0 lead when Brian Stone collaborated with Darrel Humke for a 26-yard aerial hookup to cap a 6-play, 51-yard drive. The PAT, however, was no good. The Unicorns answered quickly, knotting the score at six (6) with a 33-yard pass from Ryan Poppe to Bubba Garcia. Terry Tausch nailed the PAT, New Braunfels had a 7-6 advantage, and this advantage held up through the Half. The score was still 7-6 entering the final period, and the Rockets saw an opening. Taking the ball at their 27-yard line, they drove down in six (6) plays, with Randy DeBacker punching in from a yard out to put the Rockets in the lead. The PAT, however, was no good. Nevertheless, the excitement among the people dressed in red was palpable. This turn of events, however, was apparently enough to spook some additional offensive production out of the Unicorns on this Halloween evening, and they responded with an 8-play, 41-yard drive that culminated with a 3-yard pass from Poppe to Jay Schriewer with 8:34 left. The Unicorns put the final clamps on the Rockets with a 66-yard drive that featured a 44-yarder from Poppe to Garcia. Ruben Cedillo crashed in from the 1-yard line, and the PAT was good. For the second week in a row, the Rockets won the turnover battle, with the Unicorns losing one (1) fumble and experiencing two (2) INT’s, while the Rockets experienced only one (1) INT and did not lose ANY fumbles. The Unicorns, however, netted 243 yards on the ground and 138 yards through the air, while the Rockets could manage only 34 net yards on the ground and 88 through the air.

Sam Houston
November 7, 1975: Alamo Stadium
In front of a paltry crowd of 889 total witnesses, Joel Waldon got The Tribe on the board with a 58-yard punt return with 93 seconds gone in the opening period. The PAT was good and Sam Houston was up 7-0. The Rockets were able to mitigate the damage for the moment, and the score remained 7-0 entering the 2nd Quarter. The Cherokees were nevertheless able to raise the score some more---to 17-0----before the Rockets were able to erase their goose-egg. With time running down in the 1st Half, Bobby Staudt hauled in a 30-yard pass from Brian Stone, Randy Debacker drilled the PAT, and the Sam Houston advantage was cut to 17-7 with 187 seconds remaining in the Half. The Cherokees effectively and efficiently responded three (3) plays later with an 84-yard dash by Ricky McFarland. The PAT was good and The Tribe was in charge at 24-7 at the break. The penultimate period was scoreless, but in the final period Sam Houston tacked on a FG. Facilitated by two (2) late hit penalties against Sam Houston, the Rockets thereafter undertook a 69-yard drive that paid off when DeBacker cashed in for paydirt from a yard out. Sam Houston nevertheless added one (1) final TD to forge the final verdict. The Cherokees experienced no INT’s and lost only one (1) fumble, picking up 337 yards on the ground and 32 through the air. They also had 117 return yards. Their style of play, however, also featured 156 yards in penalties, with ten (10) of eleven (11) of those being flagrant fowls. The Rockets were penalized 45 yards, lost no fumbles but experienced two (2) INT’s. They netted 74 yards on the ground on 41 plays, and picked up 116 yards through the air as part of a 7-of-16 passing effort.

Roosevelt
November 14, 1975: Converse
The Riders invaded Converse on a clear, crisp and very cold Friday evening to claim their share of a 4-way tie in the 29-4A title chase. The Riders' Glen Falconi put TR in front to stay by punching in from three (3) yards out in the opening period at the end of a 12-play, 63-yard drive. TR next used its Defense to get some points when Alvin smith snatched a mid-air fumble and returned it 45 yards for the score. The Rockets nevertheless did their best to keep hope alive with a five-play drive that Mark Horton collaborated with Darrel Humke in finishing off with a 40-yard aerial. The Riders nevertheless continued pouring it on in the 1st Half, with a 6-play drive to increase the advantage to 20-6 with 7:37 remaining in the Half, and shortly thereafter, with 6:28 to go, when Mike Millegan stepped in front of Mark Horton's aerial and returned it 48 yards for paydirt. All told, this gave the Riders a 28-6 lead at the Half. At Halftime, the chilled Rocket (and TR) fans, who filled both stands and for the most part stuck around for the duration of the evening in spite of the developing blowout, were treated to both bands' Marching Contest shows that they hoped to impress the judges with the following Wednesday. Following the traditional entry to the tune of "Procession to The Planets," the Mighty Rocket Band warmed the witnesses to a sunny California kind of theme, marching to Stan Kenton's "Artistry in Rhythm," "Conquest" (the tune made famous by the USC Trojan Band), and "That's Entertainment." Previously, the TR Band, if my memory serves correctly, marched to the tune of the William Tell Overture. It was enough to help the Rocket contingent forget the pain they were feeling on the scoreboard. The pain, however, resumed in due order, and the Riders tacked on one (1) additional TD apiece in the final two (2) Quarters.

Overall, it was an ugly end to a relatively ugly season for the Rockets. Excelling at the 4A level seemed like a distant dream that no one even at the San Antonio State Hospital would dare consider at this point. Compounding the "ugly" was the pile of toilet paper rolls left on the track by the Roosevelt contingent in the east-end stands. Every time the Riders picked up a First Down or had some other kind of big play to put the hurt on, in their view, their unsophisticated and inferior Converse hosts, a certain number of their supporters, riding a wave of arrogance in this point in their history, would throw a full role of toilet paper toward the field or onto the track. JISD Maintenance was able in the days to come to collect all the debris, but as the Mighty Rocket Band continued in their final preps for the Marching Contest in the days to come, we were able to still see numerous piles of the stuff approximately five (5) feet high and nearly as wide and long waiting on the track to be picked up and hauled off. Overall, it was something that no one associated with the Rocket Program that was present at that time would forget, even after the tables on the football field were turned which, it would turn out, would be sooner rather than what many in the San Antonio area assumed would be much later---or make that never.

In any event, although the Riders ended up in a 4-way tie also involving San Marcos, MacArthur and Seguin, the coin toss at the Seguin ISD offices later on in the evening of November 14 went in favor of Mac. The Lee Volunteers handled Mac fairly well in the 2nd-Round matchup, having likewise made it through the gauntlet in their District that required a showdown between two (2) 9-0 teams in the final game of the season. In that game, the Vols defeated the Churchill Chargers 14-0. The Chargers, however, would have something further to say about all this in another year’s time.

The 1975 Class 4A Playoffs
NOTE: Given in RED is the team representing the District that Judson was in

Semifinals
Permian 10 Longview 9
PNG 28 Lee 0
Final
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