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10-26-2004, 12:47 PM
October 26, 2004
Bell will toll loud in 19-3A tilt
The Battle of the Bell will resound beyond Milam County this year.
Cameron and Rockdale will renew their football rivalry on Friday, with the winner claiming much more than county bragging rights and the bell donated by railroad companies in 1954.
The Yoemen and Tigers are tied for the District 19-3A lead at 5-0, one game ahead of Caldwell.
Cameron is 8-0 overall and drawing statewide attention by returning to prominence after going 1-9 last season.
Rockdale is 6-2 and hasn’t gotten as much notice, but the Tigers are a good story, too.
The Tigers struggled early in the season, adjusting to a new coaching staff and playing without starting quarterback Matt Sanders, who broke his collarbone during the Tigers’ first scrimmage and missed the first three games of the season.
Rockdale lost lopsided games to Waco Robinson and Taylor and brought a 1-2 mark into rugged District 19-3A.
Sanders returned to the lineup for the district opener and the Tigers hit their stride at just the right time.
Rockdale opened 19-3A play with a springboard victory over Hutto. The Tigers scored late in the game to pull within one point, and Hutto was called for roughing the kicker as Rockdale’s attempt to tie failed. With the ball moved half the distance to the goal, Sanders ran for two points to win the game, 22-21.
Two weeks later, the Tigers rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat preseason district favorite Manor, 27-26. Emanuel Mack ran for 276 yards in that game, including a winning 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Last week the Tigers clinched a playoff berth with a 41-0 spanking of Smithville.
“Early in the season, if you had told me we’d be 5-0 going into this game, I would have taken it in a heartbeat and think I stole it,” Rockdale coach Robby Clark said. “We thought if we did the very best job we could do that we would have a shot to make the playoffs.
“We’re such a different football team, even from when district started. The schemes and coaches are new, and it’s just taken us a little time to find ourselves. We’re showing vast improvement every time we take the field.”
Rockdale made the playoffs last season, but the Tigers lost in the first round and their 6-5 finish wasn’t enough to prevent coach Casey Creghan from being forced out.
Like their Battle of the Bell brethren in Cameron, the Tigers were overlooked before the season. Texas Football listed Rockdale fourth and Cameron sixth in the eight-team league. The 19-3A coaches offered even less hope, listing the Yoemen and Tigers sixth and seventh, respectively.
“In most people’s opinion going into the season, Rockdale and Cameron were supposed to be near the bottom,” said Clark, a former assistant at Burnett. “It didn’t take long for people to expect more of Cameron after they had such a great start.
“We had new coaches and new schemes, and then we lost our starting quarterback in the first scrimmage. He didn’t come back until district, and we haven’t lost a game since he’s been our starter.”
Although Cameron owns a better overall record than Rockdale, the Tigers are the only team in 19-3A that has clinched a playoff berth. Rockdale has the tiebreaker edge on Hutto, at 3-2 the only team with a chance (and it’s a slim chance) of catching the top three teams.
“Our goals were to compete for the district title and make the playoffs,” Clark said. “We did so in arguably the most competitive district in the state. We’re excited about that accomplishment, but we still have things we want to go do as a football team.”
Cameron can clinch a playoff berth with a victory, or with a Hutto loss to Giddings. If the Yoemen lose and the Hippos win, Cameron will have a chance to punch its playoff ticket when it hosts Hutto to end the regular season.
Caldwell is 7-1 overall and 4-1 in district, all but guaranteed a playoff spot. The Hornets can clinch their postseason bid by beating last-place Smithville on Friday, and Caldwell could be playing for a share of the district title when Rockdale comes calling next week.
With so much at stake, the Battle of the Bell sets up perfectly to add another chapter to the rivalry between Cameron and Rockdale.
The bell’s toll should be terrific to the tune of a district championship.
• Larry Bowen is a sports writer for The Bryan-College Station Eagle. His e-mail address is lbowen@theeagle.com.
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© 2000 - 2004 The Bryan - College Station Eagle
Bell will toll loud in 19-3A tilt
The Battle of the Bell will resound beyond Milam County this year.
Cameron and Rockdale will renew their football rivalry on Friday, with the winner claiming much more than county bragging rights and the bell donated by railroad companies in 1954.
The Yoemen and Tigers are tied for the District 19-3A lead at 5-0, one game ahead of Caldwell.
Cameron is 8-0 overall and drawing statewide attention by returning to prominence after going 1-9 last season.
Rockdale is 6-2 and hasn’t gotten as much notice, but the Tigers are a good story, too.
The Tigers struggled early in the season, adjusting to a new coaching staff and playing without starting quarterback Matt Sanders, who broke his collarbone during the Tigers’ first scrimmage and missed the first three games of the season.
Rockdale lost lopsided games to Waco Robinson and Taylor and brought a 1-2 mark into rugged District 19-3A.
Sanders returned to the lineup for the district opener and the Tigers hit their stride at just the right time.
Rockdale opened 19-3A play with a springboard victory over Hutto. The Tigers scored late in the game to pull within one point, and Hutto was called for roughing the kicker as Rockdale’s attempt to tie failed. With the ball moved half the distance to the goal, Sanders ran for two points to win the game, 22-21.
Two weeks later, the Tigers rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat preseason district favorite Manor, 27-26. Emanuel Mack ran for 276 yards in that game, including a winning 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Last week the Tigers clinched a playoff berth with a 41-0 spanking of Smithville.
“Early in the season, if you had told me we’d be 5-0 going into this game, I would have taken it in a heartbeat and think I stole it,” Rockdale coach Robby Clark said. “We thought if we did the very best job we could do that we would have a shot to make the playoffs.
“We’re such a different football team, even from when district started. The schemes and coaches are new, and it’s just taken us a little time to find ourselves. We’re showing vast improvement every time we take the field.”
Rockdale made the playoffs last season, but the Tigers lost in the first round and their 6-5 finish wasn’t enough to prevent coach Casey Creghan from being forced out.
Like their Battle of the Bell brethren in Cameron, the Tigers were overlooked before the season. Texas Football listed Rockdale fourth and Cameron sixth in the eight-team league. The 19-3A coaches offered even less hope, listing the Yoemen and Tigers sixth and seventh, respectively.
“In most people’s opinion going into the season, Rockdale and Cameron were supposed to be near the bottom,” said Clark, a former assistant at Burnett. “It didn’t take long for people to expect more of Cameron after they had such a great start.
“We had new coaches and new schemes, and then we lost our starting quarterback in the first scrimmage. He didn’t come back until district, and we haven’t lost a game since he’s been our starter.”
Although Cameron owns a better overall record than Rockdale, the Tigers are the only team in 19-3A that has clinched a playoff berth. Rockdale has the tiebreaker edge on Hutto, at 3-2 the only team with a chance (and it’s a slim chance) of catching the top three teams.
“Our goals were to compete for the district title and make the playoffs,” Clark said. “We did so in arguably the most competitive district in the state. We’re excited about that accomplishment, but we still have things we want to go do as a football team.”
Cameron can clinch a playoff berth with a victory, or with a Hutto loss to Giddings. If the Yoemen lose and the Hippos win, Cameron will have a chance to punch its playoff ticket when it hosts Hutto to end the regular season.
Caldwell is 7-1 overall and 4-1 in district, all but guaranteed a playoff spot. The Hornets can clinch their postseason bid by beating last-place Smithville on Friday, and Caldwell could be playing for a share of the district title when Rockdale comes calling next week.
With so much at stake, the Battle of the Bell sets up perfectly to add another chapter to the rivalry between Cameron and Rockdale.
The bell’s toll should be terrific to the tune of a district championship.
• Larry Bowen is a sports writer for The Bryan-College Station Eagle. His e-mail address is lbowen@theeagle.com.
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© 2000 - 2004 The Bryan - College Station Eagle