A large number of presumably top teams appeared to be in transition going into the 1987 season. This is another way of saying that they would be in somewhat of a "rebuilding" period. Hence, although Judson was tentatively tagged by the local media as the team to beat, the assessment was given with many caveats that also may as well have applied to any other number of teams. This race, in other words, was regarded going in as practically everyone’s and anyone’s to win, and hence, for all intents and purposes, wide open. Indeed, this was basically how things literally played out

The Rockets were able to string together four (4) First Downs on their opening possession of the 2^nd Half, thus giving the appearance that they were initiating a classic "2^nd-Half surge," but Marshall’s Tony Saldana put a good hit on the Judson ball carrier and jarred the ball loose, and teammate Hank Bussey claimed the fumble to put an end to that idea. With time running down this was starting to take a dejavu look of the 1984 double goose-egg, what with Judson starting to make its move toward possibly pulling this one out. Tailback Gary Majors picked up 12 yards off the Sprint Draw to pick up a First Down at the Marshall 32 with 54 seconds left. The Rockets would get no closer than the Marshall 31, though, and Earl Kauffman came in to try a 47-yard FG with 15 seconds to go. The kick, however, was no good, and this gave the Rams just enough time to make this exciting and maybe even win it. QB Jason De Leon unloaded a bomb toward Vince Jenkins, but Kevin Tucker knocked it away at the Judson 30. The Rams thereafter picked up six (6) yards on a flea flicker, and then on the final play of the game De Leon put the ball in the air. Scott Michalski, though, was there to pull in the INT at the Judson 40, returning it 20 yards before De Leon and Todd Johnson arrested him for good at the Marshall 40.

If nothing else was accomplished in this game for the Rockets, the Flight Operations Directorate did get to evaluate several different components and systems, plus gather some additional performance data, for the upcoming home opener in Converse with the Lee Volunteers.

Lee (6-4; 5-3)
September 11, 1987: Converse
Alternating Quarterbacks is nothing new at Judson. We’ve done it before and have had great success doing it. We’ve got two good ones this year
DW Rutledge to the Express-News

Junior QB Tommy Ramey started in the match-up with Marshall the week before. He would be the starting QB for this home opener in Converse---but so too would be Sophomore Mike Jinks, and from this point forward they would be alternated in by the play. The strategy would have immediate benefits. On the 1^st play of the game Ramey got a 10-yard pickup. On the next play Jinks scrambled out of the pocket when no one was open and got a 30-yard pickup. On the 4^th play of the 62-yard drive, Tim Johnson scored from eight (8) yards out, Earl Kauffman booted the PAT, and Judson was on top with only 71 seconds elapsed. With the aid of a Pass Interference call on Judson, the Volunteers responded on their ensuing possession by driving from their own 29 to the Judson 22, but the drive stalled and a 40-yard FG came up short. From there the Rockets worked their way toward a 27-yard FG by Earl Kauffman which increased the count to 10-0 with 3:46 remaining in the 1^st Quarter. The Rocket Defense started putting the clamps down big-time on Lee’s next possession, and soon it was punt time. Mike Michalski took the kick at the Lee 48 and returned it to the 35. Soon thereafter Tommy Ramey kept for the final yard and the score, Kauffman drilled the PAT, and with five (5) seconds left in the opening period Judson had now raced out to a 17-0 lead. Production slowed down in the 2^nd period, with Earl Kauffman missing wide right on a 58-yard FG, but with "four zeroes" on the 2^nd Quarter clock he was good on a 43-yard kick, thus giving the Rockets a 20-0 lead to take into the locker room.

At the 7:42 mark of the 3^rd Quarter, Mike Jinks provided a 4-yard run for points, and Earl Kauffman closed out the scoring by making good on the PAT. Meanwhile the Rockets’ Defensive Thermal Protection System continued to stifle the efforts of the Volunteers. Late in the 3^rd Quarter Lee’s James Plant blocked Kauffman’s punt at the Judson 26, but two (2) straight completions by Lee QB Mike Pierulla got the Vols no closer than the Judson 13. Following an INC pass, he got sacked by Jeff Hampton for an 11-yard loss, on the very next play he was taken down for a 6-yard loss, the drive soon came to an unsuccessful end, and from there the Rockets held on for the win.

The Rockets held the Volunteers to only seven (7) First Downs, 46 yards on the ground and 79 through the air. The air yardage came at great expense, coming on a 9-of-19 effort that experienced three (3) INT’s---by the Rockets’ Kevin Tucker, Brent McCollum and Jimmy Powers. Judson, in contrast, moved the chains 19 times by virtue of the 391 yards on the ground and the 22 yards through the air. The ground crew consisted largely of James Sprual (134 yards on 13 carries) and Mike Jinks (112 yards on 11 totes), with the balance turned in by five (5) other ball carriers. The 22 air yards came on a 1-of-2 effort by Ramey for 14 yards, and a 1-of-3 effort by Jinks for 8 yards. Although the Rockets did lose a fumble, they experienced no INT’s whatever. If there was any area requiring work, it would be the 95 yards in penalties as a result of seven (7) infractions.

It took awhile for production to pick up once more as the 2^nd Half got underway. One promising drive was summarily terminated when Madison’s Marcus Rink recovered a Judson fumble at the Mavs’ 8-yard line, but a little later the Rockets increased the count when Tommy Ramey hooked up with Eric McKnight for an 18-yard scoring toss. Bobby Vorpahl hit on the PAT this time, and Judson had now surpassed the previous year’s verdict by forging a 33-0 advantage with 66 seconds left in the penultimate period. In the final period Tim Johnson finished the scoring for the day by taking it in from a yard out with 7:59 to go, although Judson, with mostly the Backup Crew in flight at this point, did have one final threat that was turned back at the Madison 7 a little later. The final verdict, though, was just as stunning as the one over the Mavericks the year before, and now having started the season with three (3) shutouts, the Rockets’ Defensive Thermal Protection System, at the very least, appeared to be functioning quite soundly.

Tommy Ramey picked up 100 yards through the air on 4-of-5 pass attempts, and Mike Jinks was 1-of-3 for eight (8) yards.

Similar to Judson, the 1987 Chargers started the season at least with two (2) good QB’s----Joe Ahmad and Alex Van Pelt, a recent transfer from West Virginia. The Chargers started the game by holding their own, but late in the 1^st Quarter, on 1^st Down from the Churchill 20, Van Pelt left the ball on the ground during an attempted roll-out pass, and Joel Strader was more than happy to claim it for the Rockets at the 17. On 2^nd Down James Sprual took off down to the 1-yard line for 1^st-and-Goal, two (2) plays later Tim Johnson punched in over left tackle with 50 seconds left in the opening period, and Kauffman’s kick gave Judson a 7-0 lead. With Joe Ahmad directing things on the Chargers’ next possession, a Personal Foul call against Judson set Churchill up at the Rockets’ 39-yard line. On the first play he hurled a pass down the right sideline to Bobby Elms, who hauled it in at the Judson 2-yard line in spite of being interfered with on the play. This gave Churchill’s first First Down of the game. On 2^nd Down, Dean Heather got in from a yard out at the 9:23 mark of the 2^nd Quarter, thus marking the first time thus far that the Rockets’ Defensive Thermal Protection System had been penetrated for a score of any kind. Jimbo Parks was good on the PAT and the score was knotted at 7-each. The Rockets were unable to respond in kind on the ensuing possession, but a little later Tommy Ramey attempted his first pass of the day, hitting Jeff Stanzione who dove for it and cradled the 34-yard pass at the Churchill 12-yard line. On 3^rd-and-5 from the 7, Sprual took a pitchout around left end and darted into the endzone to regain the lead for Judson. Kauffman’s kick was good, Judson was on top at 14-7 with 5:14 left in the Half, and soon both teams retreated to the field house to regroup. Were it not for what amounted to two (2) fumbles in the 1st Half, though, Churchill may very well have been leading at the break.

Judson was unable to produce anything of note as the 3^rd Quarter progressed, and meanwhile the Chargers continued to fire passes downfield, hoping that some of them would hit their target(s). The Defensive Thermal Protection System and the Rockets’ version of an aerial defense system, for the most part at least, kept the Chargers in check by either deflecting passes, sacking the two (2) QB’s, or otherwise neutralizing the minimalistic Churchill ground game. Meanwhile, the usually accurate Earl Kauffman missed on FG’s from 33 and 62 yards out. The Churchill defense, with all due respect, was proving to be a fairly stiff unit. Finally, however, the Rockets were able to get close enough for Kauffman to make good on a 50-yard attempt on the 1^st play of the final period. Shortly thereafter Jimmy Powers stole Joe Ahmad’s pass, returning it 15 yards to the Churchill 20. Judson could not get a whole lot done with this golden opportunity, though, Earl Kauffman then missed on a 32-yard FG, and Churchill was still in it with 9:07 left to play. From there the Chargers initiated a 10-play drive that reached the Judson 27. On 3^rd-and-10, though, four (4) Rocket linemen----Jeff Hampton, Kevin Love, Joel Strader and Brice Brietzke----broke through to sack Ahmad, and the drive soon died. More significantly, perhaps, was that less than three (3) minutes were left, and all told this permitted the Rockets to execute the final evasive maneuver and get away with the win----the 8^th-straight against the Chargers.

James Sprual picked up 106 yards on 22 carries for Judson, and Tim Johnson also contributed 100 yards on 16 trips. Tommy Ramey was perfect with his only pass of the day---his 34-yarder----and Mike Jinks was 1-of-2 for six (6) yards. By contrast, the Chargers’ Joe Ahmad completed 9-of-22 passes for 139 yards albeit also two (2) costly INT’s, and Van Pelt was good on 2-of-9 aerials for 18 yards and no INT’s whatever. Bobby Elms was the primary recipient, hauling in six (6) passes for 95 yards in advancements. IF the Chargers could continue to persevere and also eliminate some overall mistakes, the passing game could prove to be their ticket to post-season longevity, but they would also need a certain amount of "help" from others in order to even make it in, now that they were leaving Converse 0-2 in District. This would all sort itself out in the weeks to come.

The episodic nature of the breakdowns in the Judson kicking game showed up again in the 3^rd Quarter when San Marcos Defensive End Albert Sierra blocked a 41-yard FG attempt by Earl Kauffman and returned it 69 yards for six (6) points. Chris Smith was good on the PAT and the Judson lead was narrowed to 22-10 with 5:14 to go in the penultimate period. This turn of events, however, left the Judson Offense undeterred, and the Rockets thus responded fairly quickly when Tommy Ramey found a wide open Jeff Stanzione for a 56-yard pass play for the score. The run for two (2) points failed to get the desired result, but the advantage had been increased to 28-10 with 230 seconds to go in the 3^rd Quarter. Things kind of started to draw down thereafter, due partially at least to James Sprual---who rushed for 110 yards on nine (9) totes----leaving early due to a hard hit during the 3^rd Quarter, and thus the score remained as time expired.

San Marcos was limited to only 62 yards on the ground and 93 through the air (which came as part of a 7-of-23 passing performance). Judson, meanwhile, picked up 234 yards on the ground and 111 through the air. Junior Tommy Ramey was 3-of-5 for 80 yards and no INT’s, while Sophomore Mike Jinks was 1-of-2 for 31 yards and an INT.

The night before, Fox Tech and Sam Houston----both undefeated----squared off at Alamo Stadium for a showdown for the lead in 29-5A. The Buffaloes opened up a 10-0 lead and then hung on to claim the win and went from there to claim a 10-7 victory over the Cherokees. Fox Tech would claim the title a few weeks later, followed closely by Sam Houston for the 2nd-place seed.

Once more Judson's showdown with the Brahmas promised to be competitive and downright tough, with Judson for sure requiring it’s "A" game to get the "W." Thus, in the 1^st Quarter, the closest the Rockets could get to scoring was a FG from the Mac 40-yard line-----a 57-yarder, that is---at the 4:54 mark of the 1^st Quarter. Of course, it was with Mac just the year before in which Earl Kauffman booted a San Antonio area record 58-yarder. Well, this one cleared with about five (5) yards to spare and, according to DW Rutledge, this was par for the course, given that he had hit 5-of-6 from 60 yards in practices leading up to the game. The hosts dressed in Red and Grey, however, would not have much time to celebrate this latest feat. On the first play from scrimmage following the kickoff (which, of course, Kauffman sent into the endzone for no return) Damieon Logan got loose for an 80-yard dash. Mike Akin notched the PAT and, with 4:40 left in the initial Quarter, the Brahmas were in front at 7-3. It is worth noting that this would mark the first time since the "bad old days" of 1975 that the Brahmas had led against the Rockets, so this was a big deal and possibly a point of great alarm. In fact, the Brahmas rode a monumental wave of emotion and momentum as the 1^st Half continued. Finally, though, with Mac threatening at the Judson 25-yard line, Joel Strader decided that things had gone far enough, so he made a hit good enough to jar the ball loose, and Jimmy Powers was ready, willing, and more than happy to recover it for the Rockets. The concomitant Rocket drive came to an unsuccessful conclusion, however, when Earl Kauffman missed on a 42-yard FG, but the story would be much different---and happier----on Judson’s next possession. A key moment in the pivotal 74-yard drive included a 49-yard pass from Tommy Ramey to Jeff Stanzione that brought the Rockets to the Mac 6-yard line. The Brahma defense stiffened somewhat, but finally Tim Johnson punched in from a yard out, Kauffman’s PAT was good, and with 31 seconds left in the Half Judson was back on top at 10-7. This time, there would be no quick answer from the Brahmas, and soon both teams retreated to the locker rooms for some respite and regrouping.

The Rockets came out of the intermission ready to execute the classic "2^nd-Half-surge." Phase One of the surge featured a 6-play, 66-yard drive that James Sprual polished off with a 16-yard run off the Sprint Draw. Kauffman’s kick was good, and Judson had extended the lead to 17-7 with only 152 seconds gone. Mac was unable to effectively respond to this situation, soon the Rockets were back for Phase Two of the surge, and this once more included Sprual. This time, the Rockets’ patented Sprint Draw worked in facilitating a 72-yard dash for Sprual that went all the way. Kauffman was good on the PAT once more, and now the count was up to 24-7 with 5:18 left in the 3^rd Quarter. With time running down in the 3^rd Quarter, Mike Soto demonstrated why the Defense was an integral part of the "surge" in initiating Phase Three by picking off a Brahma pass at the Mac 32, apparently returning it for the score. A Clipping call, however, negated the score but Judson nevertheless was in business at the Brahma 30-yard line. On the first play Darrell Johnson raced down to the 8. From there Sprual took the handoff, but was hit and fumbled at the 2. The ball nevertheless bounced into the endzone, where alert Lineman Jimmy Patulea was there to claim the ball and the score for the Rockets. Bobby Vorpahl hit on the PAT this time, and Judson now was clearly in control at 31-7 with 14 seconds left in the 3^rd Quarter. The Rockets coasted from there to get the win, although Damieon Logan did score for the Brahmas on the final play of the game to narrow the final verdict.

Logan accumulated 121 yards in 17 carries for Mac, while Sprual collected 206 yards on 21 totes for the Rockets.

Seguin was able to move the chains only five (5) times, as they found the turf a very treacherous way on which to traverse in being limited to minus-21 yards on the ground on 16 carries. They only picked up 60 yards through the air, and experienced two (2) very costly INT’s and lost one (1) fumble. Judson, in contrast, picked up 16 First Downs, 190 yards on the ground and 154 through the air. They experienced no INT’s whatever, although they did lose two (2) fumbles. Mike Jinks was 3-of-7 for 62 yards, and Tommy Ramey was a perfect 2-for-2 for 92 yards.

While the East Central Hornets and Judson Rockets squared off in Converse, over at Northside Stadium Clark and Holmes were battling to a 10-10 deadlock that Holmes "won" by virtue of a 16-13 advantage in First Downs (penetrations were knotted at 2-each). This pretty much sewed up the District for the 7-0-1 Huskies, but Clark, having gotten dinged earlier by a Taft squad in its 2^nd season of varsity competition under former Holmes Defensive Coordinator Mike Haynes, would require a very late FG in an 18-16 win over Marshall the following Thursday to claim the 2^nd-place playoff seeding in 30-5A.

As for the affair in Converse, the Hornets, now in their 2^nd season in 28-5A, were proving to be much more competitive than the year before. They had handled Madison quite nicely, but they dropped a tough game to an improved Lee team by a 12-2 count, and lost to a then-Mike Romo-led Roosevelt squad 14-6. Now, entering this match-up in Converse against a neighbor and nemesis with a history dating back to both teams’ 2A days, the Hornets were coming off a 15-14 loss to Alex Van Pelt and his surging Churchill unit. Indeed, the Hornet defense made the going tough for the Rockets’ Offensive Propulsion System, and the Rockets were unable to score until the 2:46 mark of the 1^st period, when James Sprual sprinted up the middle and into the endzone from nine (9) yards out. Kauffman booted the PAT to give Judson the early lead at 7-0. The Hornets, however, got their stinger out on offense, and proceeded on the ensuing possession to go 66 yards in 11 plays. On 4^th-and-4 QB Kevin Smith hit Mike Martin for a 34-yard aerial for the score, Richmond Biggers notched the PAT, and the game was knotted at 7-each at the 9:56 mark of the 2^nd period. The EC defense continued its assault on the Judson Offense, and said Offense was pretty much out of rhythm for the remainder of the 1^st Half. Meanwhile, EC was able to get down close enough for Biggers to make good on a 34-yard FG with 204 seconds left in the Half that forged a 10-7 advantage going into the break.

The defensive tempo established by the Hornets in the 1^st Half continued as the 2^nd Half progressed, and this did not bode well for the Judson Offense. For the game Judson would be stopped on two (2) occasions on 4^th Down, and except for the scoring drives, all other possessions lasted an average of only four (4) plays. It wasn’t all "doom and gloom" for the Rockets, though. The Special Teams unit was consistently putting the EC offense in the hole in the 2^nd Half, and this trend of bad field position eventually paid dividends for the Rockets, thus enabling Judson to undertake a drive to retake the lead. It wouldn’t come easy, though, and a certain amount of "help" from the zebras certainly didn’t hurt (the Rockets, that is). On 3^rd-and-5 at the EC 8-yard line, James Sprual took a pitch-out from Tommy Ramey, but he bobbled it and had to recover it at the 14. It appeared that the Rockets’ Flight Operations Directorate would need to make a critical 4^th-Down decision of some kind, but the Hornets were flagged for an apparent Offside call, and Judson instead had 3^rd-and-very-short at the Hornet 3. It took three (3) plays for Judson to get in, but Mike Jinks went up the middle from the 1 to finally reclaim the lead for the Rockets. EC’s Ray Harvey blocked the PAT, though, so the score would stand at 13-10 with 8:54 left to play. The field position issues, however, continued for the Hornets, and Judson was able to hang on for the win.

Elsewhere, West Virginia transplant Alex Van Pelt, who was now the prime starter at QB following the loss of Joe Ahmad due to injury, was fully up to speed w/r the Charger offense, and he helped force a four-way tie for second place between Lee, Mac, Churchill and Roosevelt by electrocuting the fading Rough Riders with a 28-yard pass to Scott Brieden with 3:29 left. Similar to the year before when Churchill beat Roosevelt 26-22, the Chargers then took a Safety rather than punt with 23 seconds left, and held on for the victory. Once more the Riders’ loss of QB Mike Romo was quite evident and this, mixed with a salty Charger defense that had many a practice trying to chase down team mate Alex Van Pelt, produced a toxic stew for the Rider offense that resulted in five (5) INT’s and two (2) lost fumbles.

The Rough Riders were still in the running for a post-season seeding, but they could ill afford to drop this Thursday night match-up with Judson. The Rockets found the going very stiff in the 1^st Half, and meanwhile they were not doing themselves any favors by turning the ball over on numerous occasions. The Judson Defense also made things tough for the Rough Riders, and in view of all that the result at Halftime was not at all surprising: A double goose-egg. That finally began to change as the 3^rd Quarter began to draw down when Roosevelt mounted a 9-play, 60-yard drive. Chris Wright broke the scoreless deadlock by breaking the plane from a yard out, the PAT was good and TR had a 7-0 lead on Judson with 69 seconds left in the 3^rd Quarter. The Rockets’ Offensive Propulsion System finally and fully came to life on the first play following the kickoff, though, when Tim Johnson lifted off on a 66-yard race to the endzone. The PAT, however, was no good, and the Rockets still trailed at 7-6 with 53 seconds left in the Quarter. In the final period, Judson mounted a drive that featured eight (8) consecutive running plays. The drive nevertheless stalled out at the 25, and Earl Kauffman was brought in to try and get the lead with a 42-yard FG. The snap, unfortunately----or fortunately---was high. With that Earl Kauffman took off and called holder Tony Aguirre’s name, Aguirre complied, rolled out to the right and, just before being clobbered by a Roosevelt defender got the pass off to Kauffman, and from there Kauffman took off down the sideline to complete the 25-yard play. This totally unplanned, startling, and unlikely play gave Judson a 12-7 with 6:50 left to play. The pass for two (2) points was unsuccessful, but from there Judson held on for the win and, in doing so, clinched still another District title with an undefeated regular season. This also led to Churchill clinching the 2^nd-place playoff seed in 28-5A.

Semifinals
Plano 29 Permian 21
Stratford 30 Willowridge 16

Final
Plano 28 Stratford 21

The Defensive Thermal Protection System did its job to start the 2^nd Half and forced a punt. From there, the Offensive Propulsion System lifted off on a quick 67-yard drive in five (5) plays, with Jeff Stanzione finishing things off by hauling in Tommy Ramey’s 11-yard pass for the score. Earl Kauffman was good on the PAT, and the score was knotted once more, this time at 14-each. The Defense once more did its job and forced a punt, and from there the Defensive Propulsion System---where the ‘defense becomes the offense’----had its chance to shine. Mike Soto surged through the line and blocked the punt into the endzone, and Paul Inman recovered for the points. Kauffman’s kick was good, and Judson was back in front at 21-14 at the 6:20 mark of the 3^rd Quarter. The Cougars were no longer anywhere close to being in sync, the Rockets were now in sync, and they rode the new-found wave of momentum to a 43-yard Earl Kauffman FG at the 9:02 mark of the final period to increase the count to 24-14. A little later Mike Soto pulled in an INT and returned it 16 yards to put the Rockets in business from close range. Tommy Ramey hit Andy Skelton for a 12-yard pickup, and a Face Mask Penalty was tacked on to give Judson a 1^st-and-Goal at the 5. From there Mike Jinks dove in for the score. Kauffman’s kick was good, Judson now had an insurmountable advantage of 31-14 with 4:34 left to play, and with it an appointment with Willowridge in Ft. Bend County set for the following Friday night. In view of recent performances, the meeting at Mercer Field promised to be interesting, if not perilous.

Meanwhile up at Nelson Field, the Churchill Chargers raced out to an early 17-0 lead over Austin Reagan, but had to hold on for dear life when Reagan came back late. The Raiders drew to within 17-16, the try for two (2) points failed, and Churchill managed to survive for another week of play.

The Fox Tech Buffaloes, having clinched a perfect 10-0 season the week before, met the Clark Cougars at Alamo Stadium on this evening, got off to a hot start and maintained the momentum for much of the 1^st Half. The Cougars, however, narrowed the gap to 6-3 with a FG. Then, with time running down in the 1^st Half, they kept a drive alive on a fake punt, beat the clock with a TD to take the lead for the first time of the day, and then ran away with things in the 2^nd Half.

Elsewhere in Region IV, the Corpus Christi Carroll Tigers, in their first season under Head Coach Jim Slaughter, became the first Corpus Christi team to go undefeated since 1959. This netted a 1^st Round appointment with Region IV power Willowridge. Unfortunately, this is where the impressive Tigers’ Cinderella season came to an end, but it did firm up plans for Judson’s 2^nd-Round game.

Finally, in one of the bigger apparent "upsets" in recent times, the following evening at Alamo Stadium Sam Houston electrocuted Holmes in the waning moments to claim a 13-10 win and a 2^nd-round appointment with pass-happy Mission.

The Eagles got off to a hot start in the opening period by getting a 2^nd-and-goal at the Judson 1-yard line. The Defensive Thermal Protection System, however, kicked in at that point when a fumbled pitch-out and a QB sack by Jimmy Powers pushed them back to the 24. Joel Scott came in to attempt a 41-yard FG, but it was no good and the double goose-egg remained. The Rockets’ Offensive Propulsion System had trouble getting ignition in the 1^st Quarter, and once it did it was nowhere near to being at full throttle----which is fine if you’re still in the lower reaches of the atmosphere but not very effective if you’re supposed to be in the rarefied heights of the post-season. The Rockets did get in close enough to try a 34-yard FG on the 1^st play of the 2^nd Quarter, but the kick was wide left and the double goose-egg remained. It appeared that perhaps, just perhaps, the Rockets would be able to get out of the Half without any real damage, but it was not to be. With time running down Eagle QB Marcellus Allen lofted a long range pass toward Joel Scott at the Willowridge 35, and from there Scott got loose down to the Judson 14 where he finally got run out of bounds to complete a 63-yard play. The Defensive Thermal Protection System helped to stall the drive out at the 7-yard line, so Scott came in and was perfect from 24 yards out on a FG with 44 seconds left in the Half, thus giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead entering the break.

If the Rockets were to lift off for a "‘2^nd-Half surge," they would first have to get the ball back from the Eagles. The Eagles had their own ideas of what a "surge" in the 2^nd Half could look like, and hence it would soon be the beginning of the end of the 1987 campaign for the Rockets. On the 1^st play following the kickoff, Roderick Halley took the handoff up the middle, broke three (3) tackles at the line of scrimmage, and got away for an 83-yard run for the prize. Joel Scott nailed the PAT, and with only 20 seconds gone in the 3^rd Quarter the Eagles now had a 10-0 lead. The stunned Rockets had no real answer to this turn of events on the ensuing possession, and they soon had to punt. The punt pinned at the Eagles at their own 9-yard line, but this did not seem to deter them in the least. They moved out to the 19-yard line, and then on a 3^rd-and-15 play Joel Scott got well ahead of the Judson Defense, pulling in Allen’s pass at the Judson 30 and going all the way for an 81-yard TD. Scott notched the PAT and Judson was now in a 17-0 hole with 4:39 left in the 3^rd Quarter. The Offensive Propulsion System was needing to make something happen and fast, which usually means to go to the air---which also means potential trouble when a team is taken out of its game plan somewhat. Late in the 3^rd Quarter Tommy Ramey hooked up with Eric Griffin for an apparent 44-yard TD pass, but an Illegal Motion penalty wiped it out. The drive nevertheless continued, and a little later in the 4^th Quarter, 2^nd-and-6 at the Willowridge 31, Ramey put the ball up for Jeff Stanzione. Stanzione came down with it at the Willowridge 2-yard line---but so did the Eagles’ Anthony McDonald. The zebras ruled that it was an INT for McDonald, and hence the drive came to a most unfortunate end for Judson. The Eagles punted soon thereafter, and on the ensuing drive the Rockets did finally score when Joe Grubiak used the now-classic guard-around play to go in untouched from 15 yards out for the score. Ramey hooked up with Stanzione for the 2-point play, and this drew Judson to within 17-8 with 7:46 left. There would, however, be no miracles for Judson in this one, and in the end the only thing the Rockets still had going for them was Mr. Paschall, always the eternal optimist, win or lose.

In Victoria, meanwhile, Churchill held on tenaciously to a 3-0 lead for much of the game and then scored a late TD to pull out a hard-earned 9-0 verdict over Clements. The following afternoon, Clark did its part in setting up a showdown with Churchill in what would be a rematch of their season opener.

In that showdown at Alamo Stadium for the "City Championship," Clark got off to a quick 14-0 lead very early in the game, Churchill made it 14-13 by the Half, and then took the lead for good at 16-14 in the 4^th Quarter. Aided by the scrambling and passing ability of soon-to-be Pitt QB Alex Van Pelt, Churchill had climbed out of its hole and into a bus to the Houston area for a meeting with Willowridge, who was at that moment across town "borrowing" Judson’s stadium in order to put down, with a 28-7 count, a vaunted Mission passing attack that had, the week before, bombed Sam Houston 34-6.

The following week, Churchill went on to lose to Willowridge 14-12 at Rhodes Stadium in Katy, having moved into FG range with no time-outs to stop the clock before time ran out. This was to be Jerry Comalander’s final game before being named the new Athletic Director for Northeast ISD. Willowridge then had a 30-16 ending the following week in the Astrodome against Stratford, and Stratford in turn met defending Champ Plano at UT for the Finals. Plano returned Stratford’s 1978 favor, and came from behind to win 28-21. Most ironically, Plano had a running back named Craig James.

In any event, Mr. Paschall, as I previously mentioned always the eternal optimist, was about to get a new assignment. Everyone’s "job" is to "implement" Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 (cf Matthew 22:37). And, there are no "lateral" transfers in this job. We’re either going to be promoted to a new job (cf Revelation 8:3-4),-------or "FIRED"------big-time (cf Matthew 25:34-46). In the case of Paschall, I think he got promoted. Still, such promotions are at best bittersweet for the co-workers left behind, and Mr. Paschall’s promotion that following April definitely brought enough tears to rival the spring at Eingedi. The church on Carson Street just outside Fort Sam wasn’t the largest in the world, but even if it were much bigger, seating would have been scarce for everyone in attendance. I may be exaggerating, but it seemed to me that there may have easily been upwards of 800-1000 people, most of them Judson "kids" of various ages, that showed up for his send-off there and at the Fort Sam Cemetery. Fortunately, someone had the wherewithal to set up some speakers for the huge, overflow crowd standing outside the church and along the street.