District303aPastPlayer
12-28-2004, 11:34 AM
Area H.S. Football moments of 2004
December 24, 2004
1.
End of a streak
Even when it loses Calallen makes news. And that news-making potential for losses hasn't happened very often on the northwest side, where victories have been as inevitable as death and taxes. For 16 consecutive seasons, the Wildcats had posted double-digit victories, a University Interscholastic League record.
For years, Wildcats have talked about "not wanting to be the class" that puts an end to that impressive string.
Streaks do end, however. Calallen's did this season. Losses to Waco, Flour Bluff and rival Gregory-Portland put the injury-riddled Wildcats in the precarious position of having to win three postseason games to run the string to 17. They got two - Edcouch-Elsa and San Antonio McCollum. No. 3, and in turn No. 17, never came. Pflugerville Connally put a period on the winning streak with a 20-7 win in the Alamodome, putting away the game with two fourth-quarter turnovers.
2.
Top 'Cats
The annual grudge match between Calallen and Gregory-Portland never took on greater significance than this year's tilt to close the regular season. G-P sat atop The Associated Press Class 4A rankings, a spot it had held since the middle of October. Calallen had been stung two weeks earlier with a 41-27 district loss to Flour Bluff. The Calallen-G-P game lived up to the traditional pregame hype, with G-P pulling out a 15-8 victory.
Turnovers and defense played a crucial role. All three scores were the result of mistakes, although it took a 78-yard touchdown run by G-P's Connell Davis to account for the game-winner after a scoreless first half. G-P bounced back from an 8-0 deficit. Luis Pena's interception of Ricky Martinez set up the score by Davis, who atoned for an earlier fumble that led to Ryan Duke's 16-yard TD run, Calallen's lone TD of the night. Bobby Svadlenak's recovery of Duke's late fumble sealed the deal.
3.
Playoff-bound
While making postseason appearances is as common as tap water at some schools, there are places where playing in an 11th game is as rare as congenial rattlesnakes.
But a couple of area schools washed away the frustration with a taste of the postseason. Riviera's Seahawks and Ingleside's Mustangs earned spots in the Class 2A and 3A playoffs, respectively. For the Seahawks, they hadn't made the playoffs since 1984. For the Mustangs, 1995 was their last postseason journey. Riviera wasn't able to hang around too long, dropping a Division II bi-district matchup to Banquete. Ingleside reached the second round before falling to Port Isabel in a Division II ballgame.
4.Puffed up in the Bluff
By many coaches' accounts, Flour Bluff sported the most athletic talent in District 31-4A. It was a tough call, however, as to what group of Hornets would show up on Oct. 22 at Calallen - the group that stumbled at home the week before to Kingsville 55-42 or the group that helped propel them to a 4-0 start.
The latter showed against the Wildcats. The Bluff thumped Calallen 41-27, knocking the Wildcats from the state rankings and, as things turned out, ensuring a playoff spot. It was the Hornets' first victory over Calallen since 1984, at least two years before any of the current players were born.
5.
Unblemished
Not even the wacky biennial realignment of the UIL could sidetrack Sinton's Pirates. With the district jumbled from the traditional alignments in Class 3A, Sinton steamed right ahead. The Pirates went on to win their fourth consecutive district championship without suffering a loss to their district brethren. Senior running back Travis Franco played a key role in that run, which ended in a 31-0 Division I Region IV final loss to Cuero in a rematch of a non-district game. Franco scored 41 touchdowns, including a season-best seven against Mathis, and ran for 1,702 and 35 scores.
Credit to the caller times
December 24, 2004
1.
End of a streak
Even when it loses Calallen makes news. And that news-making potential for losses hasn't happened very often on the northwest side, where victories have been as inevitable as death and taxes. For 16 consecutive seasons, the Wildcats had posted double-digit victories, a University Interscholastic League record.
For years, Wildcats have talked about "not wanting to be the class" that puts an end to that impressive string.
Streaks do end, however. Calallen's did this season. Losses to Waco, Flour Bluff and rival Gregory-Portland put the injury-riddled Wildcats in the precarious position of having to win three postseason games to run the string to 17. They got two - Edcouch-Elsa and San Antonio McCollum. No. 3, and in turn No. 17, never came. Pflugerville Connally put a period on the winning streak with a 20-7 win in the Alamodome, putting away the game with two fourth-quarter turnovers.
2.
Top 'Cats
The annual grudge match between Calallen and Gregory-Portland never took on greater significance than this year's tilt to close the regular season. G-P sat atop The Associated Press Class 4A rankings, a spot it had held since the middle of October. Calallen had been stung two weeks earlier with a 41-27 district loss to Flour Bluff. The Calallen-G-P game lived up to the traditional pregame hype, with G-P pulling out a 15-8 victory.
Turnovers and defense played a crucial role. All three scores were the result of mistakes, although it took a 78-yard touchdown run by G-P's Connell Davis to account for the game-winner after a scoreless first half. G-P bounced back from an 8-0 deficit. Luis Pena's interception of Ricky Martinez set up the score by Davis, who atoned for an earlier fumble that led to Ryan Duke's 16-yard TD run, Calallen's lone TD of the night. Bobby Svadlenak's recovery of Duke's late fumble sealed the deal.
3.
Playoff-bound
While making postseason appearances is as common as tap water at some schools, there are places where playing in an 11th game is as rare as congenial rattlesnakes.
But a couple of area schools washed away the frustration with a taste of the postseason. Riviera's Seahawks and Ingleside's Mustangs earned spots in the Class 2A and 3A playoffs, respectively. For the Seahawks, they hadn't made the playoffs since 1984. For the Mustangs, 1995 was their last postseason journey. Riviera wasn't able to hang around too long, dropping a Division II bi-district matchup to Banquete. Ingleside reached the second round before falling to Port Isabel in a Division II ballgame.
4.Puffed up in the Bluff
By many coaches' accounts, Flour Bluff sported the most athletic talent in District 31-4A. It was a tough call, however, as to what group of Hornets would show up on Oct. 22 at Calallen - the group that stumbled at home the week before to Kingsville 55-42 or the group that helped propel them to a 4-0 start.
The latter showed against the Wildcats. The Bluff thumped Calallen 41-27, knocking the Wildcats from the state rankings and, as things turned out, ensuring a playoff spot. It was the Hornets' first victory over Calallen since 1984, at least two years before any of the current players were born.
5.
Unblemished
Not even the wacky biennial realignment of the UIL could sidetrack Sinton's Pirates. With the district jumbled from the traditional alignments in Class 3A, Sinton steamed right ahead. The Pirates went on to win their fourth consecutive district championship without suffering a loss to their district brethren. Senior running back Travis Franco played a key role in that run, which ended in a 31-0 Division I Region IV final loss to Cuero in a rematch of a non-district game. Franco scored 41 touchdowns, including a season-best seven against Mathis, and ran for 1,702 and 35 scores.
Credit to the caller times