Marshall (5-5; 5-3)
September 5, 1986: Converse
In the 1^st Half, thunder and lightning crackled and threatened to literally scrub this particular launch for the evening. In fact, just across the way at Randolph this is precisely what happened, and a much-anticipated pre-district meeting between the "Army"---featuring Cole Cougar speedster Deon Cockrell---and the "Air Force"----featuring Ro-hawk point-getter Edward Galaviz----was not to be when the power got knocked out 20 minutes before kickoff and could not be restored a half hour after the scheduled start. Things did, however, proceed toward launch for the Rockets, and Earl Kauffman helped facilitate the early stages of the countdown by notching a 43-yard FG at the 5:11 mark of the opening period. Junior signal caller Jason DeLeon momentarily stopped the count by putting the Rams in front with 67 seconds gone in the 2^nd Quarter by punching in from a yard out. The PAT increased Marshall’s advantage to 7-3. It appeared that Judson would be content to maintain the hold with time running down in the 1^st Half, but Tim Kennedy recovered a wild pitchout at the Marshall 24. Shortly thereafter Sergio Trevino got in for a 1-yard score, and Judson was back on top with 105 seconds to go before Halftime. The PAT was no good, and this kept the score at 9-7. The rain by now had settled down to a slow, sporadic drizzle, and this condition would persist for the remainder of the evening.

With the drizzle having slowed to a gentle mist, the countdown toward launch continued on as the 2^nd Half got underway and the count in favor of Judson continued to increase by virtue of a Safety when DeLeon fell on his own fumble in the endzone and was sequestered there by Kevin Matull, thus increasing the Rockets advantage to 11-7 at the 8:12 mark of the 3^rd Quarter. Shortly thereafter Chris Samuels increased the count to 17-7 with a 17-yard run that finished off a 6-play, 62-yard drive. Once more, the PAT was no good. The Rams answered back with an effective and efficient drive, moving 56 yards downfield in eight (8) plays. DJ Dykes carried in for the 8-yard score, but the PAT was no good and the count stood at 17-13 with 2:09 left in the 3^rd Quarter. The Rocket Defense’s assault on the Ram offense got stronger as the 2^nd Half progressed. Whereas in the 1^st Half Ram QB Jason DeLeon completed 9-of-14 passes for 135 yards, in the 2^nd Half the young Judson Defense---which returned only three (3) starters-----sacked him six (6) times for minus-46 yards. For the game, 13-of-19 of his carries went for losses totaling 88 yards. As a result of this level of defensive disruption, the Rockets’ Offensive Propulsion System was presented with ample opportunities to light up the scoreboard some additional times in the final period. Hence, with 6:01 to go QB Robert Felton finished off an 8-play, 45-yard drive with a 15-yard scoring toss to Eric Jones. Kauffman’s PAT was good this time, and Judson finally had some breathing room at 24-13. Finally, with time running down a bad pitch-out at the Marshall 22---no doubt a result of the excellent Judson pursuit----was recovered by Jeff Hampton. Shortly thereafter Chris Samuels took it in from the 11 and the lead was up to 30-13 with 33 seconds to go. Kauffman’s PAT was blocked, but Judson basically had things well under control and was soon able to hang the Rams out to dry.

Lee (4-6; 3-6)
September 12, 1986: Northeast Stadium, Blossom Athletic Center
Judson’s first possession of the day covered 75 yards in only three (3) plays, with the 3^rd play for points coming on a 58-yard hookup from Robert Felton to Scott Burris. The snap on the PAT was bad, though, holder Sergio Trevino retrieved the ball and passed to Chris Samuels for what appeared to be a 2-point play, but Judson was flagged for an Ineligible Receiver. Robert Felton tried a pass for the two (2) points on the second attempt, but the pass was INC and the count stood at 6-0 at the 7:17 mark of the 1^st Quarter. A little later in the 1^st Quarter, with Lee at the Judson 41, Troy Smith was wide open but QB Doyle Redding overthrew him on the play and the drive soon died. This would turn out to be a foretaste of things to come, though. A subsequent Judson drive was summarily terminated when Lee recovered a fumble by Eric Jones after he was hit hard after hauling in an aerial from Robert Felton. The Rockets nevertheless got a turnover of their own in the 2^nd Quarter when Byron Saunders hauled in one of Redding’s aerials. Judson had a chance to pad the lead somewhat with time running down in the 1^st Half, but with 153 seconds left Earl Kauffman missed on a 28-yard FG and soon the Half expired with the score still at 6-0.

As the 3^rd Quarter got underway the Rockets continued to have trouble holding onto the ball after hauling in passes. Scott Burris attempted to advance downfield after catching a Robert Felton pass. But he fumbled and Lee took over. Meanwhile, the Vols were about to do what a Lee team had not done since the inaugural meeting with Judson in 1980, which was to get a lead on Judson. The process got underway when Robert Felton was stopped short on 4^th-and-2 at the Lee 33. On the ensuing 68-yard drive, Doyle Redding put the ball up, and once more Troy Smith was open. This time, though, in addition to getting a head start on Byron Saunders, he hauled the ball in at the Judson 41 and went the distance. David Rodriguez booted the PAT, and with 6:44 to go in the 3^rd Quarter Lee was in front at 7-6. A little later in the Quarter Lee was driving again, but this time Kevin Matull came through by snatching Redding’s pass at the Judson 30 and returning it to midfield. From there the Rockets thrust their way on a 12-play drive that took nearly seven (7) minutes off the clock. As a safety measure they stayed exclusively the ground. Chris Samuels and Eric Jones did most of the work on the drive, with Samuels getting a good 28-yard pickup, and Jones picking up short yardage on 3^rd Down to keep the drive going. Felton finished it off with a 2-yard run with 89 seconds elapsed in the final period. Felton kept and got in for the two (2) points, and Judson was back on top at 14-7. Lee scratched and clawed somewhat in response, but it was only a matter of time before the Rockets throttled up to get away with the win. On 3^rd-and-2 from the Judson 48, Chris Samuels broke two (2) tackles and got loose before being dragged down at the Lee 2-yard line. Eric Jones carried in from there to complete the 4-play, 60-yard drive, Earl Kauffman was good on the PAT, and with 71 seconds to go Judson had a 21-7 lead, and soon the tally went final.

For the game the Vols picked up only 53 yards on the ground and 98 through the air. The air yards came on a 5-of-20 effort that experienced two (2) INT’s. They were flagged only three (3) times for 35 yards, and moved the chains only seven (7) times. Judson, meanwhile, moved the chains 16 times by virtue of its 313 yards on the ground and 89 yards through the air. Felton was good on 4-of-7 passes with no INT’s, but the two (2) fumbles did not help Judson’s cause, nor did the twelve (12) infractions for 95 yards in punishments. Chris Samuels nevertheless had another good evening, picking up 150 yards on 21 totes. The balance was turned in by Felton and Jones. Next up was a test in Converse to see if the Rockets could break a 2-game losing streak against the Madison Mavericks.

Madison (5-4; 4-4)
September 19, 1986: Converse
This game looked as if it would be a competitive barn-burner similar to six (6) of the first seven (7) meetings in this series. The Rockets failed to produce on their first offensive series of the day. Meanwhile, the Mavs’ Rupert Foster was sending booming punts downfield: An 80-yarder and also an 84-yarder that rolled out of bounds at the Judson 1-yard line helped counteract a frenzied defensive assault by Judson and gave the game an early appearance of being a defensive barn-burner of the first order. Things, though, would begin to change very quickly and shockingly---not to mention favorably----for the Rockets, starting with their 2^nd possession. It would take only four (4) plays to go the distance. On the 2^nd play of the drive QB Sergio Trevino hooked up with Scott Burris for a 42-yard pickup, and on the very next play Steve Cochran hauled in a Trevino aerial for a 22-yard gain to the Madison 1. Trevino took it in from there on the next play, and although the PAT was no good, Judson had the early lead at 6-0 at the 6:56 mark of the opening period. The Rockets continued to attack defensively, soon the Offense was back at work, and on the very first play Trevino unloaded a pass that Burris got and took off with down the right sideline to complete a 78-yard play. The pass for two (2) points was unsuccessful, but the Judson lead was up to 12-0 with 3:54 left in the 1^st Quarter. It is worth mentioning that with the TD Trevino had completed all of his first five (5) passes for a startling total of 159 yards. Madison, meanwhile, soon had to punt once more. On the ensuing Judson possession, Horace Cotton got a 45-yard ground pickup, and soon thereafter he carried in from eight (8) yards out to complete a 5-play, 80-yard drive. This time, a run for two (2) points was attempted, but the result was the same as before, and the count stood at 18-0 with 55 seconds left---still in the opening period. Already Judson had 229 yards for an average of 17.6 yards per play. The Mavs finally got something going on the next series and moved from their own 27 to the Judson 37, but on the opening play of the 2^nd Quarter Maverick QB Robert Byrd "completed" a perfect pass-----to Judson’s Terry Phoenix at the 30, who took it back all the way for a 70-yard INT return. This time, the 2-point play was good when Burris caught Trevino’s pass, thus increasing the lead to 26-0. It wasn’t over yet----not by any stretch of the imagination. With 6:56 left in the 1^st Half Earl Kauffman, who was wide right on the PAT attempt earlier, hit on a 47-yard FG to give Judson a 29-0 lead. Then, with "four zeroes" on the 1^st Half clock he booted a 37-yarder, and Judson had a stunning 32-0 lead. Things settled down offensively in the 2^nd Half, and the Rockets did not get any additional scores, but neither did Madison.

Eric Jones was the big ground-yardage producer on this evening, getting 135 yards on 11 carries. QB Robert Felton also participated and this time did damage on the ground, getting 27 yards on six (6) totes.

Churchill gave evidence that it had fielded its strongest team since at least 1983 entering this contest, having narrowly beaten Clark and Madison in building a 2-0 record. Judson, of course, was hoping to follow up what happened the week before with another strong showing, and with that in mind the Rockets took the opening kickoff and executed a methodical drive that covered 80 yards in 16 plays to get this Thursday night meeting started. As per tradition (excluding, perhaps, what took place the week before), all but two (2) of the plays were on the ground, with Chris Samuels and Eric Jones doing most of the damage. Samuels went the final yard for the score, Earl Kauffman booted the PAT and Judson had the lead at 7-0 at the 6:07 mark of the 1^st Quarter. The well-rested Judson Defense thereafter took the field, made a quick job of stopping the Churchill offensive unit, and soon Judson’s Offensive Propulsion System was ready to fire its thrusters and boost the Rockets even higher. This particular drive once more had the distance, but the time required was minimal, and soon Chris Samuels got in for another 1-yard TD run. The PAT was no good this time, but with 136 seconds to go in the opening period Judson already had a 13-0 lead. Like a well-designed rocket that can throttle its engines up as well as accelerate even faster and more efficiently the higher and lighter it gets during a boost to orbit, the Rockets were quickly back on offense, and this time the Offensive Propulsion System needed only two (2) plays to reach the endzone. Eric Jones got loose for a 29-yard run up the middle on the first play, and Chris Samuels lifted off on the very next play on a sweep around right end to commence a 39-yard dash for the points. The run for two (2) points was unsuccessful, and the count remained at 19-0 with 44 seconds gone in the 2^nd Quarter. The Charger offense was able to get untracked somewhat on its ensuing possession but nevertheless failed to produce any points, and Judson was soon back for more. Samuels got a 6-yard pickup on 1^st Down, and on 2^nd Down Jones took a pitch-out from Sergio Trevino, cut inside and was gone for a 65-yard scoring run. Samuels carried in for two (2) points, and with 6:34 to go in the 1^st Half Judson----for the 2^nd time in as many weeks---had a stunning tally, this time at 27-0. Following the concomitant kickoff, Churchill finally got things fully going and conducted an impressive, patient and deliberate 15-play drive that covered 72 yards. On 4^th Down QB Mark Reneau got in from a yard out, David Zimmerhanzel kicked the PAT, and the Judson lead had been reduced to 27-7 with 28 seconds left in the 1^st Half. Judson’s offensive output at the Half was truly impressive-----301 total yards.

In the 2^nd Half, production wasn’t nearly as prolific, but the Defensive Thermal Protection System continued to perform well. The Chargers took the kickoff to start the 2^nd Half and advanced 40 yards downfield, but Tim Kennedy put a stop to things by getting the INT at the Judson 36 and getting a 9-yard return. A little later, the Chargers moved down to the Judson 38, but on 3^rd-and-8 David Wojcik recovered a bad pitch-out back at the 40 to end that threat. In the 4^th Quarter, though, Churchill held onto the ball and drove 75 yards to narrow the gap some more. RB Robert Westbrook got bursts of 21 and 22 yards, and Reneau kept things going by hitting Kenny Smith for a 19-yard pickup through the air. The 7-play drive culminated in a 5-yard pass from Reneau to Ted Strauss with 4:25 remaining. Zimmerhanzel’s kick was good, and Judson’s lead had been cut in half at 27-14. Churchill was smelling a certain amount of blood at this point, the Judson Offense seemed to have gone dormant somewhat, and soon a short punt allowed the Chargers to take over at the Judson 45 with 2:38 to go. The Defensive Thermal Protection System nevertheless came through one final time by stopping Churchill on three (3) consecutive plays for a net no gain. On 4^th-and-10 Reneau’s hookup with Westbrook only went for eight (8) yards, and Judson was able to run out the clock and notch consecutive win No. 7 over the Chargers.

For the game, Eric Jones had 175 yards on only 13 carries, Chris Samuels had 134 yards on 18 carries, and the Chargers’ Robert Westbrook had 129 yards on 21 carries. Overall, the Chargers gave indications that they were fully capable of getting better with time. This would soon fully prove itself out----at least in the regular season.

San Marcos (4-6; 3-5)
October 10, 1986: San Marcos
After the drama of the previous two (2) games followed by an Open Date, this match-up presented itself from the start as anticlimactic, the Rockets----offensively at least----played like it, and the 1^st Quarter ended with a double goose-egg. The Rattlers punted to Judson on the opening play of the 2^nd period, and the Rockets initiated a 15-play, 80-yard drive that Chris Samuels capped off with a 2-yard run for points. Jesus Escobedo provided the PAT, and Judson had the lead at 7-0 with 6:59 left in the 1^st Half. San Marcos was soon forced to punt, Chris Samuels took it and returned it 50 yards to the Rattlers’ 13. Soon thereafter it was Samuels for the score from four (4) yards out, this time Earl Kauffman notched the PAT, and with 3:46 to go Judson was able to take a 14-0 lead into the break. Judson provided the perfect middle-quarters symmetry in this affair by getting its two (2) final TD’s in the 3^rd Quarter. The first of them came on Robert Felton’s 31-yard pass to Eric Jones at the 6:58 mark. On Judson’s next possession, Samuels zipped in from 34 yards out with 5:32 left in the penultimate period. It is interesting to note that these two (2) incursions into the endzone were the first scores in the 3^rd Quarter since the opening night victory over Marshall. Kauffman booted the final two (2) PAT’s and all told this gave Judson what would turn out to be a 28-0 verdict.

The Rattlers were limited to only two (2) First Downs, 16 yards on the ground and 2 through the air. They did do a pretty good job in the punting department, averaging 40.7 yards on seven (7) punts, but the three (3) lost fumbles and the INT certainly didn’t help. The Rockets, on the other hand, moved the chains 20 times by virtue of 68 yards through the air on Felton’s 6-of-19 passing effort, and especially on the ground, where they picked up 217 yards. Chris Samuels was the main contributor with 117 on 17 carries. Judson experienced only one (1) turnover, this coming on an INT. Certain aspects of the kicking game perhaps needed some extra work, what with the 23-yard average on three (3) punts. Earl Kauffman also missed two (2) FG’s----a 38-yarder as well as a 62-yarder that had the distance but nevertheless went wide. Not to worry, though. The kicking game would soon prove to be well up and running.

Obviously, both teams (and their supporters) were hoping for some kind of "2^nd-Half surge," but instead the tempo established in the 1^st Half continued coming out of the break. Both defenses were playing extremely well, and in many ways this was turning into the low-scoring kind of game I like to see----as long as we actually win them, of course. Fortunately, this process got underway for Judson when Jeff Hampton snapped up a Mac fumble---the only turnover by either team in this duel----at the Brahma 32-yard line. Under so-called "usual" conditions, one would expect Chris Samuels (35 yards on 12 plays) and/or Eric Jones (only 9 yards on five totes) to rip up the yardage and make short business of this opportunity. Instead, the Rockets had to earn every last of the 32 yards, requiring nine (9) plays that ended with Robert Felton’s 1-yard plunge with only 28 seconds left in the 3^rd Quarter. It is also worth noting that Felton required four (4) consecutive QB sneaks to get into the endzone. Jesus Escobedo drilled the PAT, and finally Judson had some breathing space at 13-3. The Brahmas came alive somewhat offensively, knowing they needed to make things happen fairly quickly, and on their answer-back possession they reached the Judson 29-yard line. The only problem is that the Brahmas were looking at 4^th-and-2, and they needed to convert in order to maintain momentum (and, of course, possession). Kevin Matull, along with the rest of the Rockets’ Defensive Thermal Protection System, however, was not in a very accommodating mood w/r this, and hence Matull got in an unassisted tackle for what amounted to only a 1-yard gain. Although Judson was unable to get anything done on the ensuing possession, it did allow some more sand to drain through the hourglass. Mac got the ball back with less than five (5) minutes to go, but two (2) consecutive 6-yard sacks by the Defensive Thermal Protection System pretty much put an end to things, and soon the Offensive Propulsion System came in for a mop-up drive that Horace Cotton capped off with a 6-yard run with 1:58 to go. Escobedo was good on the PAT, and the soon-to-be-final 20-3 tally truly obscured the defensive nature of this well-fought battle

Seguin (0-10; 0-8)
October 24, 1986: Converse
Mike Soto returned the opening kickoff 41 yards, and a Dead Ball Personal Foul call on the Matadors put Judson in business at the Seguin 41. From there the Rockets worked things in steadily and deliberately, going the remaining distance in eleven (11) plays. The final play consisted of Robert Felton’s 2-yard keeper. Jesus Escobedo---who would be successful on all five (5) 1^st-Half PAT’s---provided the extra point, and Judson was up 7-0 at the 7:11 mark of the 1^st Quarter. Soon Judson was back at it again, with Felton hitting Horace Cotton for an aerial that he caught and advanced 33 yards to the Seguin 5. On the next play Chris Samuels took it in on an off-tackle play from there, and with 4:17 left in the opening period Judson had a 14-0 lead. On Judson’s next possession, Chris Samuels’ 25-yard punt return set up what would be a successful 6-play, 43-yard drive. Samuels’ 1-yard run increased the count some more, and this gave the Rockets a 21-0 lead with four (4) seconds gone in the 2^nd Quarter. Judson’s next drive would be a 10-play, 64-yard drive that ended with Samuels’ 24-yard dash for the score that moved the count to 28-0 with 6:06 left in the 1^st Half. That gave Judson just enough time to get the ball back and do some more damage before the break. Thus, with 168 seconds left Robert Felton hit Horace Cotton at the 25, and from there Cotton got away down the left sideline to complete a 31-yard scoring play and thus give the Rockets a 35-0 lead and a 241 to minus 6 yard offensive advantage at intermission.

The 3^rd Quarter got underway and the assault continued as the Rockets initiated a 44-yard drive that Chris Samuels polished off with a 22-yard run for the score. This time Earl Kauffman booted the PAT and Judson had a 42-0 lead at the 8:38 mark of the 3^rd Quarter. A little later, Jeff Klaus broke through and blocked a punt to put the Rockets in business at the Matador 10-yard line. In fairly short order Eric Jones bulled his way in from the 1-yard line, Escobedo was back to do the extra point this time, and with 4:33 left in the 3^rd Quarter the count was up to 49-0. It wasn’t over quite yet. On Judson’s next possession Eric Jones exploded through the line and got loose for a 36-yard run and the score. Earl Kauffman was in once more to kick the PAT, and just as had happened on his kick a few minutes earlier, this one cleared the uprights and from there continued on its trajectory toward its final target----the portable building hosting the ticket office just past the south endzone. Thus, with 79 seconds to go, the count went to 56-0. The Flight Operations Directorate basically called off the dogs in the final period, and thus the count stopped at 56-0. The Mats did threaten twice in the final period, but the count and the goose-egg still remained with "four zeroes" on the clock.

Seguin managed to get only 31 yards on the ground and 13 through the air. This netted only four (4) First Downs. Nine (9) punts averaged only 28.1 yards. Because of its prolific offensive activity, Judson, on the other hand, had only one (1) punt-----albeit for only 18 yards. Meanwhile, the Rockets’ 18 chain movers came by virtue of a 75-yard passing performance by Robert Felton on 3-of-4 aerials and no INT’s, and 256 ground yards. Chris Samuels chipped in 144 of those on 18 carries.

East Central (3-7; 2-6)
October 31, 1986: Hornet Field
In the six (6) seasons since Judson left the Hornets behind to join teams from the NEISD, EC had pretty much owned the District in the way that the Rockets had for the three (3) years prior. Now, the Hornets were realigned in with Judson and the NEISD, and going into this season it appeared that the Hornets would provide an added spice and competitive edge to their new District, but---at least for this season---it was not to be. Instead, EC got tripped up 12-10 in the closing minutes of its season-opener with former District-mate McCollum, and for whatever reason the Hornets never seemed to recover---psychologically or otherwise. Nevertheless, this long-standing series between two (2) teams with a history dating back to the 1960’s when both were tiny, rural High Schools promised a certain amount of intrigue if not excitement, and added to this was the fact that the game would be played deep in the bowels of far-eastern Bexar County at East Central’s Stadium. Indeed, the Hornets did a pretty good job of spooking the Rockets early on this Halloween evening, but nevertheless had nothing to show for it after nearly half of the opening period. That was just about to change, though. EC’s Steve Dryzmalla recovered a Judson fumble of a reverse at the Rockets’ 30-yard line with 5:40 to go in the 1^st Quarter, and the Hornets were in business big-time. On the 6^th play of the short drive, QB Kevin Smith hit Sophomore Ray Harvey---who was bumped up from the JV in mid-season----for the score from 12 yards out. Richmond Biggers was good on the PAT, and for the first time since the Hornets beat the Rockets at this location to start the 1981 season, Judson trailed East Central with 3:01 left in the 1^st Quarter. On Judson’s answer-back drive, Chris Samuels ripped off 53 yards on two (2) carries in helping the Rockets advance from their own 32 to the EC 3. The Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) nevertheless went to the Offensive Propulsion System’s other booster engines in order to punch it in from close range. For whatever reason this decision proved ineffective and soon Earl Kauffman was called in to salvage the drive, which he did by nailing a 21-yard FG with 46 seconds left in the 1^st Quarter.

Chastened by the most recent decision and possibly now having the kind of data necessary in successfully prosecuting this contest, the FOD went to Chris Samuels exclusively on Judson’s ensuing drive. Chris Samuels carried in for a 3-yard score to complete a 4-play 51-yard drive. Jesus Escobedo notched the PAT and the Rockets had their first lead of the day at 10-7 with 109 seconds gone in the 2^nd Quarter. The Rockets seemed to have finally established the kind of tempo that they were accustomed to, and this basically translated into another score----in this case a 1-yard TD run by Scott Burris----with 78 seconds to go in the 1^st Half. Escobedo’s PAT increased the count to 17-7, and soon the Half expired with Judson in command and getting stronger with each play.

The Defensive Thermal Protection System, which had been burned on a few occasions in the 1^st Half, really put the clamps down in the 2^nd Half, allowing the Hornets only 41 total yards. This gave the Offensive Propulsion System ample time in which to get some more points, and Earl Kauffman, Chris Samuels and Jesus Escobedo were more than happy to make the most of that time, as evidenced by

• Kauffman’s 47-yard FG with 194 seconds left in the penultimate period
• Samuels’ 26-yard scoring dash and Escobedo’s PAT with 6:09 left in the final period.

All told, this led to a 27-7 verdict for Judson. For the game EC had only eight (8) First Downs, 64 yards on the ground and 67 through the air on an 8-of-21 passing effort. Meanwhile, Judson was able to move the chains 15 times, these as a result of Robert Felton’s 3-of-7 passing effort for 31 yards, but especially 277 ground yards-----220 of which belonged to Chris Samuels on 24 carries.

Meanwhile, the big event of the evening was at Northside Stadium, where the largest crowd in Northside Stadium history gathered to see District leaders Holmes and Clark slug it out. The cardiac Huskies did themselves one better than their comeback against Judson the previous December, regaining the lead with a FG with 1:04 left in the game. Clark----which featured for one of the few times ever a passing attack with Mark Mascheck at QB----quickly moved downfield, thus keeping this game in doubt until a FG on the final play of the game fell short.

Finally, if that weren’t enough, Churchill and Roosevelt battled it out for at least a share of 2^nd Place behind Judson in District 28-5A. Roosevelt, having entered that contest with a perfect 8-0 record, seemed to have the advantage throughout the 1^st Half and much of the 2^nd Half, but Churchill showed some of the swagger from earlier in the decade and much of the decade before and somehow managed to end the game on top. This did not, however, give Churchill a lock on a playoff position. The final seedings were still TBD pending the Rockets’ and Riders’ meeting in Converse set for the next week.

Although these two (2) neighbors and nemeses had met before in critical and/or historic showdowns, never before had they met explicitly to determine a District Championship. Roosevelt, in building a perfect 8-0 record, needed only to win one (1) of its final two (2) games. Now, after what happened the week before, the Riders were down to one (1) game-----and it was "all or nothing" for them. The stakes for the Rockets were relatively high as well because, should they do down on this evening, it could present a still-to-be-determined "positive points" situation requiring resolution between them, the Riders, and the Churchill Chargers [assuming, of course, they beat Lee (they would)]. It would be much easier for the Rockets to simply win this one. Similarly for the Holmes Huskies, although they passed a crucial test against Clark the week before, they had not as of yet clinched either the District Championship, or for that matter even a playoff slot---at least until they squared off with the Jay Mustangs the night before---and therein lie a most peculiar situation. Because Jay and Clark were also still in the running, and because of the "positive points" issue in that District, had the Huskies lost, they would have actually needed to lose by more than 15 points, otherwise the advantage would, most oddly, would have gone to Jay instead. Similar to Judson, it would be much better (for the Huskies, at least), to simply win the game and settle things that way. As it turned out, Jay, just like Clark did the week before, got a lead against the Huskies that held up through much of the game, and led 28-14 as the final Quarter got underway. The Pack, nevertheless, soon thereafter began to make its move, finally pulled away with a 35-28 advantage with time to spare and held on from there for the win. Hopefully for the Judson Rockets on this evening, there would be no need for such drama for the 11000 who arrived in Converse to see what would happen.

But first, an important gesture of goodwill and solidarity was in order for the Rocket Nation. In the minutes leading up to the kickoff, Mr. Paschall----whose car had been giving him some trouble and had threatened in recent times to jeopardize his ability to get to the games and do his part in support of the Red and Grey-----was presented a new car on behalf of the Team, the Student Body, Support Teams, Staff and Judson community at large, specially engineered courtesy of the Judson Automotive Engineering Career and Technology Education students at Judson High School.

And with that it was time once more to ‘win this game’ and ‘save our name from disgrace and shame.’’

The motivated Rough Riders stopped the Rockets on their first series, but on their 2^nd series the Offensive Propulsion System was throttled up and fully running. QB Robert Felton got the drive off to a good start with an 18-yard completion to Steve Cochran, and a little later kept for eight (8) yards to the 1-yard line. Chris Samuels punched it in from there to complete the 50-yard drive, Jesus Escobedo pushed through the PAT and Judson was on top at 7-0 at the 6:24 mark of the 1^st Quarter. TR was unable to respond effectively to the Judson score, but Judson was unable to produce on its next series as well, so Earl Kauffman came on to punt. The punt appeared as if it would go into the endzone and give the Riders---who were stilling looking for their first 1^st Down--- possession out at the 20, but it abruptly bounced back at the 1-yard line and instead was downed at the Roosevelt 6. In any event, this gave Judson ample opportunity to continue its Defensive assault on the Roosevelt offense---something Terry Phoenix was ready, able and quite willing to do when, on 2^nd Down from the 5-yard line, he arrested QB Mike Romo in the endzone for a Safety, thus giving Judson a 9-0 advantage with 94 seconds remaining in the 1^st Quarter. Judson was nevertheless able to get anything done following the concomitant Free Kick, but a little later in the 2^nd period the Rockets got going with a 6-play, 55-yard drive that culminated in Felton’s 6-yard keeper for the points. Escobedo’s PAT was good and Judson now had a 16-0 lead with 3:31 left in the 1^st Half. The Riders fumbled the ensuing kickoff return and Jeff Klaus pounced on the loose pigskin to put Judson in business at the Roosevelt 13. TR, stiffened, though, Kauffman’s attempted 36-yard kick was tipped and it fell short, and soon the Rockets retreated to the locker room with the 16-0 advantage.

Judson executed an effective and efficient 8-play drive from mid-field to start the 2^nd Half, with Felton keeping for the final distance. Escobedo’s kick increased the count to 23-0 with 227 seconds gone in the 3^rd Quarter. Finally, the count went to 30-0 with 5:16 left in the game after Felton kept for two (2) yards and Escobedo’s kick was good to cap off an 11-play, 61-yard drive. The Rockets, of course, were hoping to keep their goose-egg in this affair, but it was not to be. Kirk Smith recovered a fumbled punt at the Judson 24-yard line to put the Riders in business from short range. Romo hit Herb LaBat for a 29-yard aerial pickup, and shortly thereafter Walker May got in from the 2. Paul Gutierrez nailed the PAT and with 73 seconds to go the final verdict was on the board and would soon go final---and with it TR’s season. This gave Churchill the 2^nd-place playoff seed and hence its first such one since its exciting 1980-83 run. The Rockets, meanwhile, were looking to apply their regular-season knowledge and flight experience for a trip further into the depths of space in order to gain even more knowledge as to how to perhaps shoot down the Holmes aerial attack in a few weeks.

For the game Robert Felton led the Judson rushing attack with 137 yards on 22 carries, while Chris Samuels also contributed nicely with 117 yards on 25 totes.

Semifinals
Plano 28 Bell 21
La Marque 26 Reagan 14

Final
Plano 24 La Marque 7

Austin Travis (8-1; 7-1)
November 14, 1986: Memorial Stadium, UT Austin
Judson’s opening drive featured a 9-play, 63-yard drive. A crucial pickup in the drive was a 17-yard pass completion from Robert Felton to Scott Burris, who caught the ball as he was falling out of bounds at the Travis 48, to keep the drive going. Another important 3^rd-Down conversion was provided by Felton as well when got five (5) yards on a sneak. Chris Samuels put the pretty ribbon on the drive by dashing up the middle for 11 yards for the score. Escobedo booted the first of six (6) consecutively successful PAT’s, and the Rockets led 7-0 at the 7:31 mark of the opening period. A little later some adversity hit the Rockets when they botched a handoff and Paul Deutsch recovered for the Rebels at the Judson 22-yard line. The Rebels were able to pick up a 1^st-and-Goal at the Judson 10, but the Rockets responded to this turn of events by tightening up and forcing a 22-yard FG by Tim Rose, which reduced Judson’s advantage to 7-3 with 48 seconds to go in the 1^st Quarter. Things settled down somewhat thereafter, but with time running down in the 1^st Half the Rockets conducted an impressive 9-play, 89-yard drive began with carries by Chris Samuels for 21 and 14 yards, followed by a 26-yard trek by Robert Felton from the 50 down to the Rebel 24. Samuels got a 17-yard pickup, and soon thereafter he toted for a yard into the endzone with 3:51 to go. Very soon the Rockets would get their chance to truly start pulling away in this one. A fumbled Travis pitch-out went bouncing back toward the Rebel endzone, and Terry Phoenix was able to snatch it at the 3-yard line. On the very next play Samuels took it in, and with 51 seconds left this enable the Rockets to take a 21-3 lead into the break. At that point, Judson had a 224 to 37 yard total offense advantage.

The Rockets picked up where they left off in starting the 2^nd Half, and in some ways appeared to have cranked things up a notch or two. Samuels---who had 120 yards in the 1^st Half---contributed an additional 71 yards in the first eight (8) minutes of the 3^rd Quarter. In doing so he helped the Rockets build a 35-3 bulge. Samuels got the 1^st TD of the Quarter on a 15-yard run with only 108 seconds gone. A little later, he got a 31-yard pickup that facilitated Robert Felton’s 5-yard run for the prize, which came at the 6:11 mark of the 3^rd Quarter. The Flight Operations Directorate ordered shutdown on the Samuels booster engine system with a minute to go in the penultimate period, and he would finish with 193 yards on 23 carries. Meanwhile, the work of the Judson Offense and Defense moved forward. Eric Jones would punch in from the 1-yard line at the 9:12 mark of the 4^th Quarter, and then, with 3:31 to go, backup QB Sergio Trevino would provide the final points of the day with a 5-yard run. The PAT, though, was no good. Travis, which had showed a few signs of life in the early going, finally picked up its first First Down of the 2^nd Half between the two (2) final Judson scores, but overall it was a pretty miserable evening for the Rebels. They would be a "perfect" zero-for-7 on passes, with the only pass completed being to the visitors. On the ground, they only managed 83 yards and five (5) First Downs. Judson, in contrast, had 371 yards on the ground. In addition to Samuels’ output, Eric Jones and Robert Felton contributed 80 and 50 yards, respectively. Robert Felton completed 4-of-6 passes for 58 yards, and Sergio Trevino got a 23-yard pickup on his single pass completion. If there were any area requiring work, it would be in the turnover department, perhaps: One (1) INT and two (2) lost fumbles.

The following evening Holmes pulled away late in its 1^st Round game with Fox Tech, and now only one (1) game each separated the Rockets and the Huskies from a much-hoped-for rematch.

Victoria (9-0; 8-0)
November 22, 1986: Victoria
The Rockets’ next Detailed Test Objective (DTO) saw them in Victoria for the first time ever for a Saturday night meeting with the Stingarees. Earlier that afternoon the Holmes Huskies held up their part in arranging a prospective re-match with Judson by having what amounted to a complete game with Harlingen at Javelina Field in Kingsville. They out-gained the Cardinals 557 to 140 in total offense, wrapping up all the scoring in the 43-7 pasting with 35 seconds to spare in the 3^rd Quarter. Now, on this evening and with the Clark Cougars putting a similar pasting on Edinburg over at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi, the Rockets took the field to go up against a team that was making its first visit ever foray into the post-season.

Robert Felton got things started and on the 2^nd play of the game he got a 13-yard pickup, but he went out for what would be the remainder of the series. Sergio Trevino came in and picked things up quite nicely, lofting a pass to Scott Burris, who took it and got away for a 49-yard play for the score. Jesus Escobedo kicked the 1^st of what would be a perfect five (5) PAT’s, and Judson was up early with only 80 seconds gone. With 36 seconds left in the 1^st Quarter, Earl Kauffman booted a 27-yard FG, and the Rockets couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop, and they were on a roll. Robert Felton was soon back in directing things, and he tossed a short-range aerial to Eric Jones, who caught it and got away for a 69-yard score with 7:54 left in the 1^st Half. Soon thereafter Earl Kauffman added a 33-yard FG, and with still 6:31 left in the 1^st Half the Stingarees barely knew what had hit them. Nevertheless, they weren’t ready to go down without doing at least some damage, and this process at redemption got underway on the ensuing 8-play, 80-yard drive. On the 8^th play, on 3^rd-and-9 from the Judson 20, QB Billy Don Goodwin faked an option around right side---but note I said "faked." Indeed, it was the classic guard-around play that Judson was somewhat familiar with---both in a good way and in a bad way. This would be the bad way. Guard Joe Perez picked the ball up and got away for the distance and the score, and the Stingarees were finally on the board with 221 seconds left in the 1^st Half. Chris Samuels would provide the answer for Judson, getting loose for a 20-yard dash for points with 26 seconds left, and this gave Judson a 27-6 lead at the break. Victoria ended the Half with 12 First Downs and more than 200 yards offense, but turnovers and penalties pretty much did them in.

The 2^nd Half would pretty much be a score-trading affair, with Judson getting a TD and Victoria getting a FG in the 3^rd Quarter, and with Victoria scoring TD’s first and last, and Judson’s TD score coming between the Stingarees’ "alpha" and "omega scores. And, with that the date was set for the big re-match with Holmes at Alamo Stadium, set for the next Saturday afternoon at Alamo Stadium.

Once again under cloudless skies, Judson and Holmes arrived on station at Alamo Stadium, this time accompanied by 24085 witnesses and this time with the Red-and-Grey-clads located on the home side. For those unable to be there in person Rogers Cablevision provided live television coverage on the local Sports Channel, anchored by John Rook with color commentary by MacArthur Head Coach John Osborne.

The Rockets won the toss and elected to receive, and thus things began. The kickoff was momentarily bobbled but it bounced five (5) yard up-field and Byron Saunders recovered to put Judson in business at the 15. The Rockets were able to pick up a First Down, but an INC pass stunted things and soon it was time to punt. The good thing for Judson, at least, was that Eric Jones and Chris Samuels seemed to have set the tone early, thus giving the Rockets a much better start than the one they had with the Huskies 51 weeks earlier. The Rockets’ Defensive Thermal Protection System also seemed to be setting the tone early on as well, causing the Huskies to be stopped for no gain on the ground, or their passes to go INC, thus prompting Kerry Cash to come on for the punt. Chris Samuels took it and returned it up to the 36, and the Offensive Propulsion System was "GO" for main engine ignition. From there Eric Jones and Chris Samuels picked up where they left off on the previous possession, providing the main impetus for an effective and efficient drive downfield by keeping Judson "grounded"---literally---enroute. A key moment in the 7-play drive was Jones’ 25-yard pickup to the Holmes 25 and, on the next play, a 10-yard pickup by Samuels in which he bobbled the ball at the end of the play. The ball bounced ahead and an alert Mike Neal recovered at the 6 to keep the drive alive. Robert Felton finished things off by keeping around right end for the score. Jesus Escobedo notched the PAT and Judson had the initial lead at 7-0 at the 6:26 mark of the 1^st Quarter. The Huskies were much more effective on their second possession as well. Tony Hawkins got things started by returning Earl Kauffman’s kickoff up to the 20, where he was met by Jeff Klaus. Kenneth Lampkin got only a yard after being met by David Wojcik, but on the next play Wilbur Odom scrambled up to the 42. Terry Phoenix and Kevin Matull had Mike McKenzie well-defended and hence was well-defended on the pass play, but soon everyone got to see why the Huskies were so well-regarded. Keith Cash caught Odom’s pass at the Holmes 45 and advanced from there to the Judson 38. Byron Saunders made the stop but a Late Hit by David Wojcik gave Holmes a First Down at the 23. Lampkin carried to the 19, but then Odom faked an option but got no gain on the keeper. On the next play the drive came to an abrupt end when Odom’s pass for what appeared to have been a TD was instead stolen away from Kerry Cash in the endzone by Terry Phoenix, thus giving Judson possession out at the 20. From there the Rockets undertook another time-consuming drive, this one lasting 5:44. Key events included a 22-yard pickup by Chris Samuels up to the Judson 48, a 12-yard gainer on the next play by Eric Jones that got things into Holmes territory, and a 13-yard pass from Felton to Steve Cochran that got a First-and-Goal at the 1. Two (2) plays later Felton punched it in, Escobedo’s kick was good, and Judson had opened up a 14-0 lead at the 9:22 mark of the 2^nd Quarter.

Kauffman sent the ensuing kickoff out of the endzone. On 1^st Down Tony Hawkins carried up to the 28 and soon thereafter to the 35. Odom got a modest pickup, and a Personal Foul call against Judson advanced the Pack to the Judson 46. On 1^st Down Kevin Love sacked Odom for a 2-yard loss, but this was remedied by Odom’s completion to Mike McKenzie that carried to the 32, where Mike Soto put a stop to things. Hawkins carried to the 28, Odom got a 13-yard pickup down to the 15, and thereafter took things to the 6. From there Hawkins took the pitch-back into the endzone, Sean McKenna was good on the PAT, and the gap had been narrowed to 14-7 with 5:27 to go in the 1^st Half. The 14-point gap would soon be restored. On the kickoff the ball hit the turf and bounced back to the 2, where Byron Saunders took it and went all the way, outrunning Kerry Cash in the process. Escobedo’s kick was good and Judson now led 21-7 with 5:10 left in the Half.

The Pack’s answer to this turn of events would be precisely what the doctor ordered-----for Judson, at least. The Huskies methodically advanced up to the 37, but Kenneth Lampkin fumbled the ball at the end of a 3-yard pickup and Tim Kennedy recovered for Judson at the Holmes 40. This drive would be somewhat ill-fated for the Rockets, though. A Delay of Game and an INC pass would soon bring up 4^th Down. The impending "punt" was a fake, of course, giving Judson a First Down at the 30. Sergio Trevino came in at QB at this point, and the handoff to Chris Samuels went awry and David Shindle recovered for the Huskies at their own 29. The first pass went INC, but Odom’s next pass wasn’t INC. Instead Kerry Cash caught it at the Judson 35 and advanced it down to the 9-yard line, where Mike Soto made the stop. On the very next play Odom hit Keith Cash for the score. On the PAT Holder Robert Stephens took a low snap and made the most of it, getting away and into the endzone for a 2-point play to draw Holmes to within 21-15 with 16 seconds left. Sean McKenna sent a squib kickoff downfield, and Chris Samuels picked it up at the 10 and returned it up to the 17. Trevino ran out the clock on a keeper, and it was time for the Red and Grey to regroup somewhat. With Holmes scheduled to get the 2^nd-Half kickoff, it was an understatement to say that Jusdon’s status at this point was tenuous at best, given that Holmes had done most of the talking offensively as the 2^nd Quarter wound down.

Sure enough, the Huskies charged out of the locker room growling. Tony Hawkins took the 2^nd-Half kickoff in the endzone for a touchback, and Holmes got busy from its own 20. On 1^st Down Wilbur Odom fired a perfect pass to Mike McKenzie up to the 47, where he was met by Mike Soto. McKenzie was slow in getting up but was eventually able to walk off unaided. From there Holmes advanced to the Judson 38 on a keeper by Odom. Under pressure, Odom hit Johnny Walker at the 20, and Walker carried down to the 15. An Offside and a bad snap set the Pack back to the 20, but a pitch-back to Tony Hawkins carried to the 8. It was Hawkins from there for the score on the next play, and with Sean McKenna’s kick the Huskies had their first lead of the day at 22-21 with 147 seconds gone in the 3^rd Quarter. Everyone pretty much figured, "here we go, everyone fasten their seat belts"----the second half expected to be the real game, just as in 1985.

Byron Saunders took McKenna’s kickoff at the 8, where he was dragged down from behind by Chris Vieyra. Robert Felton, it was found, had sustained a badly bruised shoulder near the end of the 1^st Half, so Sergio Trevino---who had proven on numerous occasions in this 1986 campaign that he was fully capable of inflicting damage----came in at QB. On 1^st Down he handed off to Chris Samuels, who carried up to the 26. On the next play Eric Jones hauled in a short pass for a modest pickup to the 29, then Samuels carried up to the 38. Trevino’s next pass was overthrown, but Jones advanced things to the 41 on the next play, and Trevino thereafter hit Mike Neal for a First Down right at mid-field. At this point, things were looking good as far as the tempo of the Offensive Propulsion System was concerned, but what happened next was truly startling----even for Sergio Trevino. He faked a handoff to Eric Jones, but instead took off on what was to be an option keeper around right side. What it turned into, instead, was a 50-yard dash once he saw nothing but vacant field ahead of him. No one---and I mean no one—from Holmes was anywhere near to stop him. Thus the Rockets had re-gained the lead----at least for now. Because of the unplanned 2-point play that Holmes got in the 1^st Half, the Flight Operations Directorate ordered up a planned 2-pointer for the Rockets, but instead got nothing when the pass intended for Mike Neal went INC. Nevertheless, Judson had the lead back at 27-22 at the 7:12. The Huskies appeared to be answering back effectively on their ensuing possession, apparently advancing up to the 43. The Pack, however, was called for Offensive Pass Interference and this set them all the way back to the 18. They were able to get back up to the 35, but it was not enough and it was time to punt. Chris Samuels took the punt for Judson at the 28 and returned it up to the 34. On the first play Trevino hit Samuels for an aerial to the Holmes 47, and on the next play Samuels carried to the 40. From there Eric Jones got loose for the score. Trevino kept for the 2-point attempt, but the result was the same as before when he was spun around on the stop, well short of the goal, and the score stood at 33-22 with 3:16 left in the 3^rd Quarter. At that point, still, that meant nothing to Holmes.

Once more, Kauffman sent the kickoff out of the endzone and there was no return. On 1^st Down and under a certain amount of duress, Odom attempted a long pass but it was tipped by Scott Burris. On the next play a pass intended for Johnny Walker was tipped away by Scott Michalski, on 3^rd Down a pass intended for Kerry Cash went INC, and it was time to punt. On the punts, it was noted that the Husky punter had this way of pausing briefly before kicking, in order, perhaps, to read how the opposing return team was lined up and coming after him. In doing so, it gave some time to decide whether or not to actually punt it----or take off with it or put it up in the air and thus keep the drive going. Indeed, such a strategy is a sound one when the Punter is Kerry Cash, perhaps. On the other hand, when you’ve got people like Tim Kennedy and Terry Phoenix (and also others) coming after you, maybe the best thing to do is to simply get the kick away ASAP. Well, once again Kerry Cash paused briefly after taking the snap, but this time---either as per plan or as per trying to elude a strong Judson rush,----he took off, only to be immediately arrested by Phoenix to give Judson possession at the 13. Eric Jones took it in on the next play, but once more the 2-point play was no good when Trevino overthrew Mike Neal. And with that Judson now led Holmes 39-22 with 2:38 left in the 3^rd Quarter. Now, this was truly stunning and, for Judson, encouraging, but no one on the home side of Alamo Stadium was thinking that the game was in the bag. No way. Not yet, anyway.

Tony Hawkins returned the concomitant kickoff out to the 23. Keith Cash made a short catch but actually lost three (3) yards. On the next play, though, just as he was about to get sacked Odom hit Johnny Walker for a pickup all the way to the Judson 30. Soon thereafter Kerry Cash was open in the endzone but he was also out of bounds by the time he came down with Odom’s pass, and on 4^th Down Joe Young had Keith Cash well-covered and the pass went INC. From there the Rockets advanced to the Holmes 36 as a result of an 11-yard Trevino pass to Mike Neal at the Judson 41, Eric Jones’ pickup to the Holmes 41, and Jones’ 5-yard carry. The drive stalled out, though, and it was time to punt. The Huskies were forced to start the drive at their own 5-yard line. On 1^st Down Kenneth Lampkin got away up the middle to midfield, and thereafter carried to the Judson 41. He picked up a First Down at the Judson 38. Under pressure, Odom threw a pass away into the endzone. What happened next is where the Rockets began to feel for sure that they really were going to win. Odom’s pass intended for Keith Cash was overthrown and intercepted by Scott Michalski at the 4 and returned out to the 13. From there the Rockets bled 4:41 off the clock in moving downfield. A key play in the drive was a wingback reverse to Scott Burris from midfield. He was hit out of bounds, and this engendered a First Down at the Holmes 23. Moments later Eric Jones went in from 18 yards out. Trevino kept on the 2-point play and this time he got it, thus increasing the lead to 47-22. More significantly, only 3:19 remained in the game at this point. As opposed to what happened 51 weeks earlier, or for that matter what transpired in its final two (2) District games, Holmes was in uncharted territory, here, and not for the better. Tony Hawkins took Earl Kauffman’s kickoff and returned it out of the endzone to the 8. On first Down Keith Cash took the handoff and put it up in the air, where Byron Saunders was ready and waiting to return it all the way from the 30. Escobedo’s kick was good, and Judson now had a truly blood-curdling 54-22 lead with 177 seconds left. Holmes was unable to get any further than the Judson 40-yard line as time expired, and let’s just say that, unlike the other relatively recent epics at Alamo Stadium, it was pretty weird to see nearly half the stadium emptied by the time the game ended. And with that the Rockets had moved into the Quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season.

Judson-Holmes: As it Happened

All twenty-four (24) clips can be seen by clicking the above image, or the entire playlist can be accessed externally by clicking HERE

Looking back at it all, many should probably conclude that the 1985 Holmes team was better than the 1986 entry, and this, accompanied by a Judson squad that had learned a thing or two on how to defend against the kind of offense fielded by the Huskies, is why things transpired the way they did at Alamo Stadium. Coach Malesky himself had pointed out in interviews at various times throughout the season that the defense was struggling due to injuries, and although he didn’t say it explicitly it was almost as if he knew that the defensive issues would perhaps finally catch up with them once they ran up against a team like Judson with a good ground attack. Finally, I personally was a little concerned that Holmes was relying a little too much on its once-in-a-generation passing attack (and the people running it), and that, without the kind of difference-making Running Back like Jerry Arcenaux from the 1985 team, the offense had become a little bit too one-dimensional in some ways. I said I was "concerned" about Holmes----insofar as Holmes had always been one of my favorite teams and communities behind Judson. Hence, although I was very pleased to see redemption for the Rockets in this match-up, there was part of me that felt kind of guilty about what we (the Judson Rockets) had just done to the Huskies---but only to a point. I was now smacking my lips at the prospects of what lay ahead as the Rockets approached the "terminal phases" of the post-season.

Interestingly, it appeared, as of late that afternoon, that they would have another potentially epic showdown with Clark in that game. All that needed to be done was for Clark to take care of Reagan up at Bobcat Stadium later that evening. Reagan, however, had other ideas, and demonstrated an appalling immunity to even the threat of "cat scratch fever," and sent the pumas packing back to Dezavala Road. Oh, well, it would have been an interesting game, but, Reagan might be easier, since they just barely beat Churchill. Forget that the Raiders totally neutralized a very good Clark team, or that they had come back from a deep deficit against Willowridge to forge a tie in the 2^nd Round. Those, after all, were just flukes, weren’t they? Besides, now they’d be facing off against the indestructible Judson Rockets, right?. Either way, on the upcoming Saturday night, Judson would be hosting its first playoff game in Converse since the 24-21 win over Clark in 1983.

Meanwhile, Judson people, and football fans in general, were experiencing a heavy, grim dose of reality, known as Life. Or, make that DEATH. The evening before the Rockets' match-up with Holmes, Ogi Yi, Judson’s Senior Class President, who was probably as good example as any of how Rocket Pride isn’t simply about winning in football or even about sports in general, died in a car crash on Binz-Englemann just outside Kirby. Certainly, as the week leading up to Reagan’s visit wore on, what with the funeral, the shock, not to mention the sorrow, it must not have been a very fun environment in which to prepare for a game. In such situations, those things tend to have less meaning than they once did. On the other hand, take a look at La Marque’s situation: Their Head Coach, Hugh Massey, died in a freak car crash late at night which he hit a vehicle on I-45 that was inexplicably abandoned in the middle of the road. La Marque, under interim head coach Larry Nowotny (future assistant at Judson), managed to stay focussed and beat Aldine MacArthur two days later, to set up a meeting with the winner of the game in Converse. Meanwhile, at about noontime on game-day, the weather, which had been good for the better part of the past two weeks, began to deteriorate, as a very slow, albeit steady, drizzle began to fall so that by game time 71/2 hours later, everything was pretty well-soaked. With the cheerleaders’ on-the-track speaker system turned off in such situations, and the Band kept under wraps, choreographing the spirit if things got critical was going to be difficult---HEY!! HEY!! or not. Rocket supporters were pretty much on their own, essentially cut off from functioning as a synergistic whole. One way or another, the game was going to be played, and the best team was supposed to win. The only question remaining at that point was, which team would that be???

The Rockets got the kickoff but were unable to get very far on their opening series. The 2^nd series seemed much more promising, though. Judson moved from its own 45 to the Reagan 33, but on 2nd-and-10 Sergio Trevino lofted a pass toward the endzone but it was tipped and intercepted in the endzone by Ronald Belvin. On the very first play QB Donald Carr got loose for a 51-yard pickup to the Judson 29, where he was dragged down by Mike Soto. After a 5-yard Face Mask Penalty and two (2) relatively unproductive plays, Carr kept around left end for a 21-yard score, just getting into the corner of the endzone. The PAT was no good, but Reagan was up 6-0 with 2:09 left in the opening period. This was not the way things were supposed work here in Converse. To help emphasize this point, the Rockets didn’t let Reagan enjoy the lead for very long. Three (3) plays later Eric Jones lifted off on a 72-yard run around left end, helped by a good block from Scott Burris which enabled him to break away from a crowd along the sideline. Escobedo nailed the PAT and Judson was in front at 7-6 with 41 seconds left in the 1^st Quarter. It appeared that Judson had gotten untracked somewhat for awhile thereafter, but Reagan wasn’t all that cooperative and Earl Kauffman was forced to attempt what would be an unsuccessful 54-yard FG in the 2^nd Quarter. With 5:18 left in the 1^st Half Mike Soto recovered a bad pitch-out by Donald Carr at the Reagan 48, but on 3^rd-and-12 Jon Cunningham stole Trevino’s aerial at the Raider 38. From there the Raiders undertook a time-consuming drive that the Rockets’ Defensive Thermal Protection System basically had no answer for. Reagan stayed on the ground all the way on the 9-play drive, with the big pickup coming on a 20-yard run up the middle by Dexter Redd to the Judson 31. Four (4) plays later on 3^rd-and-1 from the 4-yard line, Carr faked the handoff to Redd but kept instead and slithered into the endzone for the score. The run for two (2) points was no good, but with 35 seconds left this enabled Reagan to take a 12-7 advantage into the break.

Although no one dressed in Red and Grey was real pleased with the way things had gone thus far, they also knew that the 2^nd Half would be the determinant. The object, obviously, would be to make Reagan go "3-and-out" following the 2^nd Half kickoff. Unfortunately, the Raiders squirted out on 3^rd Down. Although they punted soon thereafter, they took their time in running the plays so that, by the time the Rockets got the ball, the Offensive Propulsion System had been on ice way too long to start the 2^nd Half so that they went "3-and-out" instead. By now, the 3^rd Quarter was starting to wind down, and the good thing, at least, was that it was still only 12-7. A little later, Judson was backed up way too close to its own end of the field, and Reagan, starting to sense the kill, forced Judson into a very short, slippery 18-yard punt that gave the Raiders possession at the Judson 41. From there the Raiders took their sweet time, and the Rockets once more simply had no real answer as to how to stop this ball-control strategy on the ensuing 10-play drive that burned off 4:41. Carr got a 19-yard pickup to the Judson 3-yard line, but a bad pitch forced Carr to recover back at the 8, and a QB sack by Jeff Hampton and Joe Young set the Raiders back even farther to the 16. No problem. Carr simply got away for a 15-yard pickup down to the 1, and from there he scored on the next play. The pass for two (2) points was no good, but Reagan now had an 18-7 advantage with only 5:23 left in the game. Once more, it was up to the speedy Rockets to find a way to keep hope alive. Indeed, in spite of the life having being sucked out of the crowd (which, as indicated in a post-game interview, pleased Reagan Coach Wally Freytag to no end), the Flight Crew at least had a few more sparks of life left, and Eric Jones returned the kickoff down to the Reagan 41. In fact, it was Reagan’s Ronald Belvin who made the last-chance tackle that prevented Jones from going all the way on the return. Well, the Rockets would go all the way on the 1^st play from scrimmage. After taking the hand-off, Scott Burris surprised Reagan by connecting with Chris Samuels at the 20, from where Samuels lifted off for the score with exactly 5:00 remaining. Trevino carried in for two (2) points, and Judson was back within reach with perhaps just enough time to get something done. Indeed, the Defensive Thermal Protection System was finally able to get Reagan in a "3-and-out," and Judson had its chance, taking the ensuing punt at its own 45 with 2:50 left. Trevino completed a 15-yard pass to Steve Cochran, and a little later an 8-yard aerial to Wayne Urbanowski. This gave Judson a 2^nd-and-2 at the Raider 31, and things were looking good. That’s when the Raiders knew for sure they had to put the hold-down arms on the Rockets and prevent liftoff. Randy Slaton stopped Chris Samuels for no gain, and on 3^rd Down Marcus Cavil and Ryan Pullin took Scott Burris down for a 3-yard loss. To bring up 4^th-and-4 at the 33 with 83 seconds to go. Eric Jones took the quick pitch and took off around left end, but Guy Reid stopped him a yard short at the 30 with 74 seconds to go. Nevertheless, true to "Rocket Pride" form, the Flight Operations Directorate and the Flight Crew, always looking for ways to "work the problem" and "save our name from disgrace and shame," managed to conserve what was left of the time so that, although the Raiders were already taking a knee with each play, they were forced to punt with 4 sec. left. Judson took the punt at the Rocket 39, but on the play that followed Gary Guthrie and Ryan Pullin put the kibosh on Trevino, and that was it. Game over. Nevertheless the last six (6) minutes of the game were another "Rocket Pride" moment in the face of neither ideal conditions nor happy circumstances.

The next week, Reagan, trailing 7-0 at Halftime, took a 14-7 lead early in the 4^th Quarter before La Marque unleashed its version of the aerial assault, and shortly thereafter had a 26-14 lead and an "Un-Lamarqable" appointment with Plano at Kyle Field for the Finals, in which Plano and La Marque scored all their points in the 2^nd Quarter in that 24-7 Plano victory.