1994: Year of the Cat

NOTE: Click HERE to view the season record

San Angelo Central (3-5-2, 2-4)
September 2, 1994: San Angelo
The Rockets traveled all the way to San Angelo to see for the first time what future missions without Jerod Douglas and a host of graduated others would be like. The 1st Quarter was scoreless, but the Rockets threatened to lift off early in the 2nd Quarter by reaching the Bobcat 8-yard line. The Cats, however, got their claws on the automatic launch sequencer and cut the Rockets off when SAC Linebacker Ronald Branch scooped up a Judson fumble and took it all the way the other direction for a 7-0 lead at the 10:02 mark of the 2nd Quarter. The launch clock was thereafter recycled until at least the 2nd Half, as it remained 7-0 at the Half.

With 1:06 to go in the 3rd Quarter, the Rockets appeared headed for a possible launch scrub for the evening after SAC went up 14-0 by virtue of a 4-yard run and PAT. Astronauts have been known to catch brief catnaps on the launch pad, but they always wake up in time for the main event. Likewise, the Rocket Crew woke up before the Cats were able to turn a cat nap into a deep sleep, and were instead officially "Go" for Launch, when Duane Cotton returned the subsequent kickoff 86 yards for a TD that brought the score to 14-7 following the PAT. With 8:43 to go in the game Cotton scored again on an 8-yard run, and the Rockets knotted the score with the PAT. This was one tie that neither team was able to break, and hence the Rockets had their second tie in the last three (3) games. The Rockets, perhaps, could nevertheless claim the moral victory in this one, given the way the Flight Crew, Launch Directors and Flight Directors "worked the problem" when they were faced with a possible scrub. The Bobcats had 167 yards split almost evenly between air and ground, while the Rockets were able to gain 189 rushing yards (the majority courtesy of Josh Appleby and Duane Cotton) and 77 through the air. The Rockets had only one (1) turnover (a very costly one, however), while Central experienced one (1) lost fumble and three (3) interceptions.

CC Carroll (4-6, 3-3)
September 9, 1994: Converse
The Space Shuttle Discovery, carrying Randolph Ro-Hawk Carl Meade ('68), lifted off to begin STS-64 at 17:22:35 CDT, and the Judson Rockets lifted off a little over two (2) hours later in Converse. While the Discovery had no real weather issues, scattered rain-showers had harassed the Converse area all afternoon so that, although the rain had stopped by game time, the field was wet and made for a rather warm, humid, all-around funky environment. Rockets have nevertheless been known to lift off at night under such damp conditions (STS-8 being a prime example), and the Judson Rockets definitely did. Teddy Carrier returned the opening kickoff 91 yards and after the PAT the Rockets were up 7-0. The Tigers scored late in the 1st Quarter to tie things up as a result of a Judson turnover, and that's when things got interesting-----for Judson, at least. Partially by virtue of the five (5) lost fumbles and the three (3) interceptions the Tigers experienced in this encounter, the Rockets scored 41 points in the 2nd Quarter: Once at the 10:42 mark, again at the 9:21 mark on a 35-yard run, then again on a 20-yard run at the 9:08 mark, and then with 9 seconds to go on a 27-yard punt return by Ansel Carter, and finally with a 69-yard Carter interception return with "four zeros" on the clock. All but the final of the PAT's were successful.

With a little over two (2) minutes gone in the 2nd Half, the Rockets got a 26-yard interception return for another score, and QB Guy Anderson would help finish the scoring for the Rockets on a 1-yard run with 4:27 to go in the 3rd, both scores complemented by two (2) successful PAT's. For the game the Rockets had 12 First Downs while the Tigers had 9. The Rockets would have 204 yards on the ground and 19 through the air, while Carroll would pick up 161 ground yards and 35 yards passing. On this funky evening, the Rockets would also have two (2) lost fumbles and one (1) interception. The Defense played very well, and the Offense, while looking kind of, well, funky at times, at least got the job done. This is one of those games, nevertheless, where the harassment by the "SIM Sups" paid off----in other words, good things come with hard work, practice and mental preparation.

Round Rock (6-3-1, 6-1)
September 16, 1994: Round Rock
In their first visit to Dragon-land since copping two (2) Division I titles, the Rockets yielded to a Round Rock 7-0 lead in the 1st Quarter. Early in the 2nd Quarter, the Rockets' Mike Dracoulis returned an interception 46 yards for a TD, and the Rockets still trailed after the failed PAT. Judson was able to grab the lead on a 31-yard pass from Guy Anderson to Jody Curtis, and the Rockets led 12-7 going into the break. Late in the game the Rockets got a 24 yard Sean Brien FG to extend the lead, and then held on after the Dragons burned the Rockets with a score, to pull within 15-13, and then failed on a 2-point try. The Rockets gained 146 rushing yards, with 49 each provided by Appleby and Cotton, and Guy Anderson would complete 3-of-8 passes for 49 yards and no INT's. The Rockets gave away two of three fumbles, while the Dragons would give away two fumbles and one INT, and have 231 yards total offense split nearly evenly between air and ground. Try as the Dragons did to burn the Rockets, the Rockets' superior Boost Protective Cover shielded them from overheating in the lower regions of the atmosphere until such time they were able to get high enough and far enough away from the Dragons.

San Marcos (3-7, 2-5)
September 23, 1994: Converse
The Rockets welcomed the Rattlers back to Converse for the first time since 1989 for a rather methodical affair. Judson would jump out to a 14-0 lead, with the first TD coming on a 52-yard Tim Lee run at the 4:25 mark, a 5-yard Appleby run with 1:01 left, and two (2) Jon Nuese PAT's. Both teams would trade FG's in the 2nd Quarter, with the Rattlers getting theirs with a 31-yard kick with 5:28, and the Rockets' Sean Brien getting his 21-yarder on the answer-back drive. Lee contributed a 66-yard TD run with less than a minute gone in the 3rd Quarter, Appleby would get a 15-yard run with 3:15 to go in the 3rd, Daryl Hill picked up a TD on a 50-yard run, and Nuese provided three (3) successful PAT's. The Rattlers closed out the scoring with 6:14 to go in the game. San Marcos would net 117 yards on the ground and 63 through the air, and would have a 40-yard punting average on seven (7) punts. The Rockets had 365 ground yards, with Lee garnering 150 and Hill picking up 123. Guy Anderson would provide 21 yards through the air on 3-of-7 attempts. A stellar defensive performance was punctuated by Ezekiel Keith's three (3) sacks for minus 16 yards.

MacArthur (6-3-1, 4-2-1)
September 30, 1994: Blossom
Much had by this time been made of Judson's undefeated streak in District (55 coming into this match-up) that went with the 8-straight District titles. I think for most Rockets, we were simply enjoying the overall run too much to notice just how dominant things had actually become. If there was any logical point in which things would end, however, this would have to be it, what with a still-funky offensive output by the Rockets, and a revitalized Brahma program under Van Fuschak, as both teams entered this contest at Blossom with respectable, near-identical records. Mac scored first, with less than 3 minutes gone in the First Quarter, and Judson's Lee would help tie things up with 5:57 to go in the 1st. Midway through the 2nd Quarter, Guy Anderson would score on a 61-yard run, and Nuese's kick put the Rockets up 14-7. Mac, however, tied things up again with 91 seconds to go in the Half, but the Rockets quickly responded with a Jon Becker 39-yard FG 44 seconds later to give Judson a 17-14 lead at the break.

The Rockets extended the lead to 24-14 with a 26-yard TD pass and PAT with 2:57 left in the 3rd period, but Mac would narrow the gap to 24-17 on a 37-yard FG by Karl Prinz. The Rockets responded with a 12-yard run by Cotton, and the PAT upped the count to 31-17 with 6:57 to go. The Brahmas, however, were simply not going to let the Rockets cook them into submission the way they had so many other times before. Mac QB Marvin Wallace would get a 30-yard TD run with 3:11 to go, and Wallace then connected for two (2) points to bring the Brahma's to within six. Jeremy Jensen recovered the onside kick, and Mac went to work from the Rockets' 46. Jason Rivera caught a 17-yard Wallace pass at the 1, Mac would tie the game on a 1-yard run on the next play, and Prinz gave Mac the lead with 1:09 to go. The Rockets were able to drive from their own 6-yard line to the Mac 23, but the FG attempt failed with 7 seconds left and the Rockets had been had.

The Brahmas gained 171 yards on the ground and 174 through the air, and experienced only one (1) turnover (a fumble), while the Rockets had four (4) lost fumbles albeit zero (0) INT's. The Rockets actually had the best offensive output thus far, gaining 276 yards on the ground (Anderson getting 101 and Cotton getting 81), while Anderson was 10-of-19 for 146 yards through the air. Even an aborted Rocket operation is considered a success as long as there is no loss to vehicle or crew. For the Rockets, the mission was still on, and although they had much to work on still, they were narrowing in on what seemed to work best. The game provided some valuable experience and data.

The Rockets returned to Converse and got back on track with this Friday evening tilt with TR, in their first year under Brian Dausin. The Rockets scored first on an 8-yard pass from Guy Anderson to Daniel Villastrigo and a Nuese PAT with 4:34 left in the opening stanza. TR then got on the board with a 9-yard run by QB Chris Flores with six (6) seconds gone in the 2nd period, and the PAT by Flores knotted things. The play was set up by Dwayne Missouri’s recovery of Duane Cotton’s fumble at the Rocket 24-yard line. The next time the Riders had the ball, they had to give it up, a 13-yard punt gave the ball to the Rockets, shortly thereafter Anderson connected with Carrier for a 53-yard pass play, the PAT was good, and the Rockets led 14-7 at the 7:16 mark of the 2nd Quarter. A 30-yard punt return by Carrier gave the Rockets another short field, and two (2) plays later the Anderson-Carrier connection worked again, this time for a 28-yard score with 4:31 to go in the 1st Half, and the Neuse PAT increased the Rockets’ advantage to 21-7. The Riders answered quickly, however, with a 28-yard run by Terrell Haynes with 140 seconds left, but the PAT was no good. Les Brown then returned a TR INT 37 yards for the TD, and with 27 seconds to go the Nuese PAT obtained at 28-13 lead for the Rockets at intermission.

Coming out of the break the Rockets picked up where they left off, scoring on a 23-yard run by Appleby 98 seconds into the 3rd Quarter, but the PAT was no good. Haynes then responded for the Riders with a 44-yard pass reception from Flores, and the pass for two (2) points was good at the 7-minute mark of the penultimate period. The Rockets went back to work, Cotton held onto the ball this time as he did most of the time, and it paid off for the Rockets when he increased the lead as a result of his 3-yard run that was complemented by a Daryl Hill TD run with 3:53 left in the 3rd Quarter. Hill would score for the Rockets again with 8:58 left in the game, Anderson would close out the TD onslaught for the evening with 5:57 to go, and Nuese chipped in the final two (2) PAT’s. A 10-of-17 passing effort for 125 yards and two (2) INT’s was complemented by their 111 yards netted on the ground. TR had no lost fumbles, but a 6-punt, 31.3 average probably didn’t help matters all that much. The Rockets had two (2) lost fumbles, but a 2-punt, 42.5-yard average probably did help matters somewhat. Meanwhile Anderson completed 11-of-16 passes for 197 yards and no INT’s whatever for the Rockets, while on the ground the Rockets netted 282 yards.

Seguin (2-8, 2-5)
October 14, 1994: Matador Stadium, Seguin
The Rockets visited Seguin for the first time since 1987, and made the most of it. Daryl Hill got Judson on the board with a 4-yard run at the 7:38 mark of the opening Quarter, and Josh Appleby would score with 3:34 to go on a 2-yard run. The Rockets would recover a blocked punt in the end zone with 2:44 left in the 1st Half, Hill would score on a 3-yard run with 5:23 to go in the 3rd, and Nuese rounded out the scoring with four (4) successful PAT's. Both teams would lose 3 of 4 fumbles, although the Rockets' Guy Anderson (0-for-5 passing) would also experience one (1) INT. The Matadors picked up 96 yards on the ground and 111 through the air, and the Rockets got all their offense---301 yards----on the ground, with Hill contributing 121, Appleby 97, and Cotton 70. The Rockets would have only one (1) punt for 38 yards, with the other changes in possession obviously coming via either scores or turnovers.

Madison (5-5, 4-3)
October 21, 1994: Converse
In this Friday evening match-up in Converse, the Rockets would score three (3) TD's following Maverick turnovers, and the Mavs would score once off a Rocket miscue. Dan Villastrigo caught an 11-yard pass from Anderson with 6:15 to go in the opening Quarter to help the Rockets to a 7-0 lead, this coming six (6) plays after the Rockets recovered a fumbled punt return. The Mavs were turned away on 4th-and-1 at the Judson 13, and on the next possession the Mavs were shut off by Ezekiel Keith on a 4th-and-2 at the Rockets' 25. Judson then extended the lead to 14-0 on a 29-yard pass from Anderson to Cotton and a Nuese PAT, at the 8:14 mark of the 2nd Quarter, after Jeff Hobbins returned an interception 19 yards to the Madison 30. Madison narrowed the gap to 14-7 with 1:24 to go in the Half.

Madison narrowed the gap to 14-13 midway through the 3rd Quarter on an 85-yard interception return and missed PAT, before Cotton would answer for the Rockets at the 4:02 mark. A missed PAT put Madison within 7. The Rockets extended the lead to 27-13 with an Appleby 6-yard reception from Anderson and a Nuese PAT with 1:48 to go in the 3rd, but the Mavs answered 30 seconds later with a 20-yard run and PAT to keep the difference at 7. Early in the 4th Quarter a 1-yard run and failed PAT brought the Mavs back to within 1. With time running down, the Mavs then moved 12 plays from their 11-yard line to the Judson 16. With 14 ticks left, Ansel Carter tipped and intercepted out of bounds a pass from Mav QB Ismael Cottinas. A delay of game penalty and three (3) Rocket timeouts later, the Mavs missed on the FG attempt, and the Rockets executed their evasive maneuver just in time. For the game the Rockets had only one (1) turnover, while the Mavs lost one (1) fumble and two (2) interceptions. The Mavericks picked up 192 yards on the ground and 56 in the air, while the Rockets gained 132 yards on the ground and 95 through the air.

Lee (3-6-1, 1-5-1)
October 28, 1994: Blossom
This Friday evening meeting with Lee at Blossom proved to be just like the others over the years with Lee: Tough. And, with the Rockets still looking for a consistent offensive rhythm and with a Defense that had proven it could get burned for some yardage if not plays, the scenario was perfect for another potentially interesting situation. The First Quarter would end scoreless, and things remained so until Appleby scored on a 6-yard pass from Anderson with 53 seconds to go in the 1st Half. Lee, with its patented run-and-shoot scheme, made it to the 14-yard line with nine (9) seconds to go but Jeff Hobbins broke up a pass in the end zone, and a bad snap aborted a 32-yard FG attempt with "four zeros" on the clock.

The Rockets started the 2nd Half by scoring on a 71-yard punt return at the 9:11 mark to up the lead to 14-0 after Nuese nailed the second of his PAT's. Lee narrowed the gap to 14-6 with 3:11 to go in the game but was unsuccessful on the two-point play, and Carrier recovered the onside kick at the Judson 49. Appleby scored with 1:51 to go on a 24-yard run, and with the Nuese kick the Rockets once more got out alive. The Vols had no turnovers whatever, while the Rockets experienced two (2) INT's. The Rockets picked up 240 yards on the ground, with Appleby getting 115 of those, and Anderson completed 4-of-15 passes for 50 yards. The Vols, on the other hand, gained 111 yards on the ground and 202 through the air, Bryan Willingham getting the Lion's share with 185 yards to go with his 100 yards rushing. As G'nR's Axl Rose said in a truly bizarre song the year before, "So what'll happen to us.....?? Guess we'll have to wait and see." In other words, things weren't very clear at all at this point, as the Rockets clinched a spot in the playoffs but nevertheless still had to beat Churchill to clinch a District title. And, then what? Guess we'd have to wait and see.

Churchill (8-2, 6-1)
November 4, 1994: Converse
Traditionally, one of the several Detailed Test Objectives (DTO's) for any Rocket mission has been to win District. The Chargers, however, were also on a mission when they arrived in Converse, and they started by first holding the Rockets scoreless through the opening Quarter. Following a fumble recovery at the Rocket 17 yard line, the Chargers got to the 2-yard line, from where Mauricio Name kicked a 22-yard FG at the 8:10 mark of the 2nd Quarter. They then extended the lead to 10-0 with a 40-yard pass reception from Jim Pittman and a Name PAT. The Rockets then responded by scoring with a 62-yard pass play from Anderson to Carrier and a Nuese PAT with 1:36 to go. The Chargers' Gary then answered back with a 76-yard run, and Name's PAT brought the Charger advantage back to 10 with 42 seconds to go in the Half.

With 3:52 left in the 3rd Quarter Name nailed a 39-yard FG, and the Rockets responded with a 22-yard TD pass from Anderson and a Nuese kick to bring the score to 20-14 with no time left in the 3rd Quarter. That was how the game ended. The Rockets did threaten late, but they simply could not go the final distance, and hence the Chargers zapped the Rockets for the first time since 1981 which, until this meeting, was the last time the Chargers won a District title. The Chargers gained 240 yards on the ground, with Richard Gartner gaining 114 yards on 17 carries and Gary gaining 80 yards on four (4) carries, and they also gained 115 yards through the air. The Chargers had no turnovers, while the Rockets lost two (2) fumbles. The Rockets, nevertheless, finally looked to have a pretty decent offensive propulsion package in place. They gained 160 yards on the ground split somewhat evenly between Cotton, Appleby, Anderson and Hill, and Anderson completed 11-of-21 passes for 176 yards and no INT's. Hence, the Rockets looked to be reasonably well-tuned to continue the mission in pursuit of a higher objective in spite of missing one of the DTO's.

Semifinals
Plano 10 Permian 0
Katy 42 Judson 19

Final
Plano 28 Katy 6

Bowie (7-3, 6-1)
November 10, 1994: Bobcat Stadium, SWTSU
The Rockets initiated their quest for a "Three-Peat" in their first-ever playoff game to take place on a Thursday evening. The meeting at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos began with a 51-yard kickoff return by Teddy Carrier, which set up a 19-yard TD run by Tim Lee with 124 seconds gone in the game, and the Nuese kick gave the Rockets a 7-0 lead. Jason Medrano then put an end to the Bulldogs’ opening drive by recovering a fumble at the ‘Dog 40-yard line. Shortly thereafter, Guy Anderson would take it in for an 18-yard run, and with the Nuese kick the advantage went to 14-0 with 6:42 to go in the opening stanza. The third score was set up by a Jeff Hobbins INT, and with the PAT the lead was 21-0 with 1:54 left in the 1st Quarter. Although the PAT was no good, Bowie ’s Cory Payne scored on a 5-yard run to cut the lead to 21-6 the 8:29 mark of the 2nd Quarter. The Rockets responded quickly, however, when Anderson hooked up with OJ Hairston for a 59-yard pass play that set up the next Rocket score----which Tim Lee provided on a 12-yard run----and once more the PAT was good with 7:12 left in the Half. With 55 seconds to go Josh Appleby scored on a 7-yard run, and Nuese chipped in his PAT contribution once more.

In the 3rd Quarter, Josh Appleby provided the Rockets’ final TD’s: A 1-yard run at the 6:48 mark, and a 9-yard pass reception from Anderson with 2:13 to go. Nuese provided the final PAT’s. Ollie Mayberry contributed one (1) final TD for the Bulldogs on a 2-yard run with 2:45 left in the game, but the PAT failed once more. Bowie picked up 195 yards on the ground and 34 through the air on a 2-of-3 effort. The ‘Dogs, unfortunately, experienced one (1) INT and lost two (2) fumbles. The Rockets, however, had no turnovers whatever, while getting 130 yards through the air on 6-of-8 pass attempts. On the ground, the Rockets picked up 223 yards, with Lee getting 127 on 13 carries, and the balance turned in by four (4) other ball carriers.

Holmes (8-2, 5-2)
November 18, 1994: Alamo Stadium
The Huskies won the pre-game coin toss, but in deferring, they gave the Rockets’ Ansel Carter a chance to return the opening kickoff 98 yards to start this Friday evening tussle at Alamo Stadium. Jon Nuese was good on the PAT to literally put the Rockets up early---in this case with 20 seconds gone. On the Huskies’ 3rd play from scrimmage, Leslie Brown intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 28 yards to the Holmes 14-yard line, shortly thereafter Tim Lee took it in from the 3-yard line, and the Nuese PAT was good at the 9:08 mark of the 1st Quarter. The Rockets then mounted a 10-play, 63-yard drive that Lee finished with a 5-yard run with 3:10 left in the 1st. The PAT failed, however. On the Rockets’ next possession, the Rockets drove 64 yards to the Holmes 17-yard line, where Nuese connected on a 37-yard FG with 124 seconds gone in the 2nd Quarter. The Huskies were finally able to get untracked as the 2nd Quarter progressed and, with 29 seconds left in the Half, they scored on a 32-yard pass, but the PAT was no good.

The 3rd Quarter was scoreless and the Huskies had apparently stopped the hemorrhaging and furthermore had pretty much prevented the Rockets from getting much more of anything. Finally, in the 4th Quarter, the Huskies cut into the Judson advantage even further by scoring on a 1-yard run and a pass for two (2) points, and with 7:36 left in the game the Huskies had the momentum, and the Rockets appeared in jeopardy of being forced into a free-return trajectory to earth. The Rockets, however, rose up when they needed to and Teddy Carrier broke up a 4th-Down pass at the Holmes 17-yard line with four (4) minutes remaining, shortly thereafter Tim Lee took the ball in from the 2-yard line, and the Nuese PAT with 2:33 left got the Rockets back on track and headed for Round 3. The Huskies picked up 95 yards through the air on a 6-of-26 effort that also, however, involved two (2) INT’s. On the ground, the Huskies picked up 201 yards. The Rockets did not exactly set the world on fire with their 186 yards on the ground, but it was sufficient. Through the air the Rockets netted 74 yards on an 8-of-15 effort and no INT’s. The only turnover for the Rockets was a lost fumble. In addition to the return on the kickoff for the TD, the Rockets also recorded decent yardage on punt returns.

Harlingen (9-0-1, 7-0-1)
November 25, 1994: Buccaneer Stadium, Corpus Christi
The Rockets returned to Buccaneer Stadium for the first time since the epic Round 3 showdown in 1991 with the Carroll Tigers, this time for a Friday evening match with the Cardinals. The Rockets got the kickoff, on the 2nd play from scrimmage Tim Lee took off on a 90-yard dash for the score, and the Nuese kick was good for a 7-0 lead with 49 ticks gone in the contest. Things settled down after that, but 26 seconds into the 2nd Quarter Guy Anderson increased the Rocket lead with a 1-yard run. The PAT failed. Maurice Hunter then got the Cards on the board with a 13-yard run at the 8:59 mark of the 2nd period, but the Rockets quickly responded with a 47-yard pass play from Anderson to Berkland for another TD with 7:09 left in the Half. The run for the two (2) points failed, but the Rockets were able to up the count some more with a 4-yard pass from Anderson to Carrier with 13 seconds remaining, and this time the Nuese PAT was good.

The Rockets extended the lead some more at the 8:19 mark of the 3rd Quarter with a 22-yard FG by Nuese, but thereafter the Cardinals---particularly Hunter----came to life, responding with a 32-yard run by Hunter for the TD with 3:56 left, and the PAT was good. The Cardinals forced the Rockets to punt on the ensuing possession, and the Cards were back in business, this time for a 13-play drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Hunter with 7:39 to go in the game. The run for two (2) points failed, however, and the Rockets had a 29-20 advantage. Undeterred, the Cardinals were soon threatening once more, except this time Jeff Hobbins intercepted Joe Ben Garza at the 11-yard line with 2:57 to go, and Guy Anderson was able to bleed the clock all the way to "four zeros." The Cardinals ended with 80 yards through the air on 7-of-17 pass attempts and in spite of two (2) INT’s. On the ground, they picked up 214 yards, with Hunter chipping in 190 of that on 29 carries, and 126 of which came in the pivotal 2nd Half. They had no lost fumbles, only two (2) infractions for ten (10) yards, and a 4-punt, 38.3-yard average, which helped keep the Rockets in check, especially in view of the 2-punt, 22.5 average the Rockets turned in. The Rockets, nevertheless, did pretty well by having only one (1) turnover, this an INT that came as part of a 9-of-18 effort for 137 yards through the air. The Rockets also netted 69 yards in returns, and the ground troops contributed 350 yards, with Lee having 202 of those on 23 carries. The Rockets had thus somehow managed to cobble together enough of an offense to propel them into Lunar orbit, otherwise known as a Rocket trip to the Semifinals.

Katy (9-1, 7-0)
December 3, 1994: Memorial Stadium, UT Austin
A "tiger in your tank" has allegorically been regarded as a good thing. In that same context, it could be true as well for Rockets. Unfortunately, the Tigers that they faced in a Saturday afternoon affair at UT Austin were found stashed inside the crew cabin itself and, as had been the case in similar situations with the "Coogs in Space" series with Clark, just as if not even more dangerous, since the stakes were even higher here, and these cats were discovered on board by the Rocket Flight Crew and Flight Directors only after they arrived in Lunar Orbit. The window for the landing attempt, as always, was narrow indeed---no later than Noon the following Saturday----and if they didn’t get a handle on things and fast they wouldn’t finish their GO/No Go checks in time, and that’s assuming nothing else went wrong in front of the 14000 witnesses. Well, a few things did, indeed, go a little wrong for the Rockets. The first was having a long run on the kickoff return called back. The second was needing to defend against a Tiger offensive line that averaged 237 pounds. Another was discovering the limits to an offense which, while coming together nicely by the time the regular season ended and the playoffs progressed, was still perhaps a year away. The Rocket defense was able to hang in there for most of the opening period, but finally the Tigers got moving and never looked back, taking the lead on a 37-yard razzle-dazzle play that involved three (3) handoffs before ending in a pass for the score, and the PAT was good. The Rockets cut the lead to 7-3 with a FG, but then in the 2nd Quarter the Tigers hit their stride. The Tigers scored on a 16-yard pass from Rob Peters to John Oncken, a 39-yard run by Bill Jatzlau, and an 18-yard pass from Peters to Schroeder, and the cats were up 28-3 at the Half also a result of two (2) additional PAT’s and a pass for two (2) points.

The Tigers then took the kickoff to start the 3rd Quarter and marched 79 yards downfield in 14 plays to go up on a 7-yard run by Jatzlau. The PAT brought the score to 35-3, and that’s where it remained as the 4th Quarter began. The Rockets came to life and were finally able to make progress in dealing with the on-board cat trouble, but they were running out of time if they were to make that lunar landing window. Nevertheless, they got their 1st TD of the day, coming on a 22-yard pass from Guy Anderson to OJ Hairston with 8:52 remaining. The conversion pass from Anderson to Carrier was good, as was Ezekiel Keith’s recovery of the Rockets’ ensuing onside kick. The Rockets went right back to work at the Katy 44-yard line, five (5) plays later Anderson hit Brian Yeierzki for a 9-yard TD pass, and after Tim Lee’s successful run for two (2) points, the Rockets suddenly trailed only 35-19 and for a brief instant it appeared that the game had undergone a radical transformation in the Rockets' favor. The next onside kick, however, was unsuccessful, and the Tigers had the ball at the Rocket 49-yard line. After the Tigers were set back with a 5-yard penalty, Jatzlau (who finished with 226 yards rushing) took off on a 44-yard run that brought them to the Rocket 10-yard line. Jatzlau took it in from seven (7) yards out, the PAT was good, and it was becoming apparent that the Rockets would have to cancel their Lunar landing.

Although Rocket Flight Crews had previously been able to capture and stow the Clark Cougars in the lower equipment bay in the "Coogs in Space" dramas, it was decided here that the best thing to do with these particularly lethal cats was to depressurize, open the hatch, let them go, and get out of town. It turned out as well that these especially hardy Tigers were fully up to the task of surviving in space, and hence they were able to attempt the landing in the Rockets’ place the following week in what would shape up as a classic cat fight at Kyle Field between them and the Wildcats of Plano.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio area was having its own version of the "Year of the Cat," as those venerable pumas from Dezavala Road---otherwise known as the Clark Cougars---made it to the Region IV Division 2 Quarterfinals. It was there that things ended, however----in rather spectacular fashion I may add. A few hours after the Tigers forced the Rockets to abort their Division I moon mission, the Cougars and the Westlake Chaparrals squared off at Blossom, the below result occurred, and there's not much more I can say, so I won't. The only thing worthy of mention is how the Chaps roared back from a major deficit late in the following week's Semifinal and earned an appointment in the Astrodome with the John Tyler Lions for the Final Exam. That, however, was where the Chaps' luck ran out, and the Lions thus captured their first title since the Earl Campbell days of 1973. Wildcats in Division I; Lions in Division II---The Year of the Cat.

Semifinals
John Tyler 45 Arlington 20
Westlake 26 Ball 26

Final
John Tyler 35 Westlake 24