CHS_Grad '85
10-01-2004, 10:09 AM
Columnists
October 1, 2004
Cameron playing for pair killed in crash
The Yoemen have raced to the kind of fast start that fills hearts in football-loving towns such as Cameron, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Cameron had its heart broken in January, when two Yoemen football players, Travis Mueck and Brian Reinders, were killed when their pickup was struck by a train.
That’s the main reason that Cameron football coach Mike Mullins doesn’t want to spend much time talking about last year’s 1-9 record.
“We’ve put last year behind us,” Mullins said. “I talked to them about that the first day of practice, and we haven’t discussed it since.
“We lost two kids that were very close to our team, two outstanding young men. [Last] season was very minute compared to that.”
Reinders and Mueck and their families have been a part of Cameron’s 4-0 start. The Yoemen wear stickers on their helmets with Mueck’s No. 40 and Reinders’ No. 65, and they wear wristbands with their former teammates’ initials.
“Our kids came back and they’re playing in their memories,” Mullins said. “Those two guys are with us every day in spirit. There’s not a day goes by that we don’t think about them.”
Eventually, the No. 40 and No. 65 jerseys will be retired and placed in a trophy case at Cameron Yoe High School.
The Yoemen have a chance to make a District 19-3A championship trophy part of the display. Cameron proved it is a contender by beating preseason district favorite Manor, 39-25, on the road last week.
That upset of the state’s seventh-ranked team came after the Yoemen rolled to non-district victories over Fairfield, Bellville and Franklin.
Not bad for a team listed sixth in 19-3A by Texas Football.
“I felt like we had a legitimate chance to be pretty good if things jelled the right way,” Mullins said. “These kids had always won up until last year. Success is not new to them.”
A month or so before the start of two-a-days last year, Mullins was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach of the Yoemen, swapping places with Randy Sapp in an unusual move. The switch worked because both Mullins and Sapp are good guys who care more about their kids than about their egos.
The first year was disappointing, but nothing compared to the loss the Yoemen suffered in January.
“We were so close to those kids,” Mullins said. “It puts the game of football into perspective. Everything else is secondary compared to that.”
Whatever healing powers a winning football team can produce, the Yoemen have delivered this season. Cameron has a potent offense led by senior quarterback Ryan Mullins, son of the head coach.
Ryan Mullins is one of the top quarterbacks in the Brazos Valley, completing 66 of 102 passes for 813 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. He has rushed 59 times for 377 yards and four touchdowns.
At most schools, those numbers would have the head coach raving about his quarterback, but coach Mullins faces a sticky situation as father of the star player. The coach must bend over backward to avoid any indication of favoritism, and you wonder if it takes even a little bit of fun out of what should be the season of their lives.
Fortunately for the coach and the quarterback, the Yoemen have plenty of players who deserve to share the attention.
“We have four good receivers that are catching the ball well and doing something with it after they catch it,” coach Mullins said. “I can’t say enough about the offensive line giving him the protection he needs.
“It’s been a team effort all the way.”
• Larry Bowen is a sports writer for The Bryan-College Station Eagle. His e-mail address is lbowen@theeagle.com.
October 1, 2004
Cameron playing for pair killed in crash
The Yoemen have raced to the kind of fast start that fills hearts in football-loving towns such as Cameron, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Cameron had its heart broken in January, when two Yoemen football players, Travis Mueck and Brian Reinders, were killed when their pickup was struck by a train.
That’s the main reason that Cameron football coach Mike Mullins doesn’t want to spend much time talking about last year’s 1-9 record.
“We’ve put last year behind us,” Mullins said. “I talked to them about that the first day of practice, and we haven’t discussed it since.
“We lost two kids that were very close to our team, two outstanding young men. [Last] season was very minute compared to that.”
Reinders and Mueck and their families have been a part of Cameron’s 4-0 start. The Yoemen wear stickers on their helmets with Mueck’s No. 40 and Reinders’ No. 65, and they wear wristbands with their former teammates’ initials.
“Our kids came back and they’re playing in their memories,” Mullins said. “Those two guys are with us every day in spirit. There’s not a day goes by that we don’t think about them.”
Eventually, the No. 40 and No. 65 jerseys will be retired and placed in a trophy case at Cameron Yoe High School.
The Yoemen have a chance to make a District 19-3A championship trophy part of the display. Cameron proved it is a contender by beating preseason district favorite Manor, 39-25, on the road last week.
That upset of the state’s seventh-ranked team came after the Yoemen rolled to non-district victories over Fairfield, Bellville and Franklin.
Not bad for a team listed sixth in 19-3A by Texas Football.
“I felt like we had a legitimate chance to be pretty good if things jelled the right way,” Mullins said. “These kids had always won up until last year. Success is not new to them.”
A month or so before the start of two-a-days last year, Mullins was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach of the Yoemen, swapping places with Randy Sapp in an unusual move. The switch worked because both Mullins and Sapp are good guys who care more about their kids than about their egos.
The first year was disappointing, but nothing compared to the loss the Yoemen suffered in January.
“We were so close to those kids,” Mullins said. “It puts the game of football into perspective. Everything else is secondary compared to that.”
Whatever healing powers a winning football team can produce, the Yoemen have delivered this season. Cameron has a potent offense led by senior quarterback Ryan Mullins, son of the head coach.
Ryan Mullins is one of the top quarterbacks in the Brazos Valley, completing 66 of 102 passes for 813 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. He has rushed 59 times for 377 yards and four touchdowns.
At most schools, those numbers would have the head coach raving about his quarterback, but coach Mullins faces a sticky situation as father of the star player. The coach must bend over backward to avoid any indication of favoritism, and you wonder if it takes even a little bit of fun out of what should be the season of their lives.
Fortunately for the coach and the quarterback, the Yoemen have plenty of players who deserve to share the attention.
“We have four good receivers that are catching the ball well and doing something with it after they catch it,” coach Mullins said. “I can’t say enough about the offensive line giving him the protection he needs.
“It’s been a team effort all the way.”
• Larry Bowen is a sports writer for The Bryan-College Station Eagle. His e-mail address is lbowen@theeagle.com.