To Bandera Ya Ya & BULLDOGFAN & Our Bulls

[Brahma73]

GEEEEZ! eek! Talk about a well-kept secret! What a trememdous effort from an excellent football team. Bandera beat a very good Bellville football team fair and square yesterday. Anyone who would post anything differently did not pay attention or was no there.
My most sincere congratulations to your team and your fans! :) I've especially enjoyed the friendly conversations w/ Ya Ya & BDFAN. wink

This was a game in which the score and stats were very close, but a game where our guys were simply outplayed. Bandera stopped us where we were strong and exploited us where we were weak. What a brilliantly coached team with a well-studied game plan!

Your QB is solid and confident, with the tools to play on Saturdays for years to come. I was worried a great deal @ #35. We've not seen a real steam-roller like him this year and he gave us fits. Kudos to your O line. They did an admirable job. Nice game #5!

Equally impressive to me was your D. The boys were full of heart and tenacity, and they kept us off our game all day long. We had one long drive and one other long pass. Otherwise, we were basically stopped. No one else but Fairfield has been able to control our O this year. I think we had less than 100 rushing and around 130 passing - not even close to our typical stats. You made our QB throw on the run all day and you made us pay when passes were off mark. Linebackers shooting the gaps and selling out all day and people staying home in the secondary and getting outside to stop our speed made for a long day.

You were the better team Saturday, now be sure and finish it next week! :)

To the Brahmas: Wow, what a ride. One step closer than last year and the most exciting team we've put on the field since the late 70's. We were a versatile, explosive offense and a very solid defense. We were expected to win every game and we handled that pressure well. When we met a team that was supposed to stop us in Marlin, we rose to the occasion in a heartstopper. We've done what it takes to win, and we've won with pride and humility. We've respected our opponents (yes, even Sealy! wink ), and we'll rise to fight another day.

I'm so proud of you, our coaches and our fans. The community is behind you 100%. I'm especially proud of my nephew QB #2 - he'll be back, hungrier and better in 2003. Best to our seniors, especially Dornon who missed the bulk of the season w/ an injured knee. Work hard and you'll play lots more at the next level. Thanks Tim for coming to our team and giving us that extra. You're a real leader.

You young men got here because you believed you could. Thanks for letting us share your dream. :)

[BULLDOGFAN]

Thanks Brahma, I will let Doc. know what you said.

These boys are the best. We are on Cloud nine right now and enjoying every minute of it. The game was very hard fought. Bellville has some huge players and an awesome quaterback. It was just our day that the Defense came together. That was one of the toughest games we have had in the playoffs. We have one more thing to prove and that is to get that ring.

We have met some of the nicest people along the way to State through this board. The good people should stay in touch.

Thanks.

[Bellville22]

Brahma73 pretty much said it all, not much I can add. I'll type my message to the Bellville guys in the next few days, like a little time to reflect on everything.

To Bandera: You guys scouted extremely well and had a masterpiece of a game plan. I never doubted your offense, and expected you guys to put at least 20 on the board. I actually thought our D played exceptionally well, considering the field position we gave most of the night, and the talent you guys have on that side of the ball. Your defense, however, rose to the occasion and shut down a very explosive offense, hats off to them.

Most importantly, you guys played with heart, desire, and class. If our journey had to come to an end, I'm glad it came at the hands of such fine young men, coaches, and fans.

Congrats to you players, and you fans. Ya Ya, it was a pleasure posting w/ you last week. This Brahma fan is behind you guys 100% next week. Good luck, sounds like you'll have another tough one, but right now, y'all can play with anybody.

You have earned the respect of a lot of people, including me, go get one more.

[TarponFanInNorthTexas]

Hey Rick......reserve a hard hat for me. :D

[BULLDOGFAN]

I was wondering when you would see the light...

[TarponFanInNorthTexas]

Just for this ONE GAME, Rick!!!!!

After this, you won't have any kids in school anymore.....you won't have anything to keep you from supporting your ALMA MATER Port Isabel. :D

Trust me on this, though...people in Port Isabel are literally pulling their hair out because of the Bulldogs. I've heard so many say that it should be Greenwood vs. P.I. in the state final.....but even if we HAD beaten Bandera, who's to say we would have beaten Yoakum and Bellville?

Anyway, i'll be there.....RELUCTANTLY supporting the Bulldogs.

[eagles_11]

i didnt give bandera there respect and now i do win our lose they have had a great run

[Bandera YaYa]

To Brahma73 and Bellville22: Thanks for your kind words and support. As much as I loved winning the game, to look over at your sidelines and see your fine young men so upset, made me sad, becasue they too wanted to win and they too had worked so hard to get there! I don't have a son on the team, but I feel like I do, I have known these guys since they started kindergarten with my daughter...they are a great bunch of kids and I'm just so darn proud for them and so proud of them. I told someone today that the game we played against you, felt like the State Championship game. It was a tough game and even tho you said you didn't play your best, we still didn't feel secure in the score until about the last minute. Anything and everything can happen in just a few minutes...so thanks for a great hard fought game...and knowing we have your support means alot to us, because it could have easily been us that lost...you just never can tell what's going to happen. I mean, who would have given a second thought to a 3rd place team making it to the championship! I could have retired on that bet!!! Please think of us Saturday and if you can come to the game, that would be awesome!! We would consider it an honor to have you with us....congratulations on a great season and all the best to the players and the fans. Now, my oldest daughter says the house is a mess, there are no presents under the tree and no dinner on the table....what can I say???? There's always next week!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the ride...it's been unbelievable...YaYa !!!!!!!!!!

[Brahma73]

Bandera YaYa:
To Brahma73 and Bellville22: Thanks for your kind words and support. As much as I loved winning the game, to look over at your sidelines and see your fine young men so upset, made me sad, becasue they too wanted to win and they too had worked so hard to get there! I don't have a son on the team, but I feel like I do, I have known these guys since they started kindergarten with my daughter...they are a great bunch of kids and I'm just so darn proud for them and so proud of them. I told someone today that the game we played against you, felt like the State Championship game. It was a tough game and even tho you said you didn't play your best, we still didn't feel secure in the score until about the last minute. Anything and everything can happen in just a few minutes...so thanks for a great hard fought game...and knowing we have your support means alot to us, because it could have easily been us that lost...you just never can tell what's going to happen. I mean, who would have given a second thought to a 3rd place team making it to the championship! I could have retired on that bet!!! Please think of us Saturday and if you can come to the game, that would be awesome!! We would consider it an honor to have you with us....congratulations on a great season and all the best to the players and the fans. Now, my oldest daughter says the house is a mess, there are no presents under the tree and no dinner on the table....what can I say???? There's always next week!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the ride...it's been unbelievable...YaYa !!!!!!!!!!The pleasure is ours Ya Ya! Our boys are doing fine! I wouldn't dream of claiming we didn't play our best Saturday, for that would be a really low-class way to try to steal some of the thunder from a solid victory by the 'Dogs. Your guys earned it fair & square, & if there was some problem with our performance, it probably had a lot to do with the good performance of Bandera, not a bad day on our part. wink

What I know (and our kids will realize it soon) is that we don't have to look far to find good teams who finished in November. This run has been the best Christmas present ever for our whole community. Bellville has made its mark this year, and no one should be hanging their heads! :D

I believe our teams are similar in character. Win or lose this weekend, Bandera - its team & fans - will win people over in the way that really counts. You all bring sportsmanship and character, things the scoreboard won't account for. You've made friends of people you don't even know and will probably never see. You have found the true reward in youth athletics. It will never be taken from you. Now go and carry that torch for us Saturday! Best of luck to all! :)

Bulls Forever!!!!!!

p.s. Check your PM, Ya Ya

[Bandera YaYa]

THANKS, BELLVILLE22....YOU ARE AN AWESOME YOUNG MAN, YOUR PARENTS DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOU, YOU'LL BE JUST FINE IN THIS OLE' WORLD...YOUR WORDS WERE TOO KIND AND DARN IT, YOU MADE TEARS COME TO MY EYES...WISH THE NEWS COULD REPORT ON THE "GOOD GUYS" INSTEAD OF THE THUGS AND THIEVES YOU SEE EVERY NITE ON THE NEWS...TO SAY THAT YOU LOST WITH DIGNITY WOULDN'T BEGIN TO DO YOU JUSTICE,YOU ARE A WINNER IN THE BIGGEST SENSE OF THE WORD.....A TRUE CHAMPION, A REAL WARRIOR...GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND GOD BLESS....I DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT FOOTBALL, NOT THE STATS LIKE YOU RATTLED OFF, I JUST GO AND SCREAM AND I PRAY THAT NO ONE GETS HURT...BUT IT'S JUST A GAME, ONE THAT I LOVE TO WATCH, BUT STILL JUST A GAME...YOU STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF AND KEEP YOUR PARENTS AND LOVED ONES CLOSE TO YOUR HEART...THAT'S WHAT REALLY COUNTS...YEAH, NOW I'M GETTING ALL MASHY....I BETTER STOP...HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE...PEACE!! YA YA!!