HighSchool Fan
08-29-2005, 12:50 PM
A warm Gainesville welcome
By JIM SEIMAS
Sentinel staff writer
GAINESVILLE, Texas – It’s a different world in Gainesville.
In Scotts Valley, you wouldn’t spot a tractor in your rear view mirror while waiting at a stoplight. You wouldn’t see a rifle rack hanging in the rear window of a pickup truck — toting a weapon. You wouldn’t have unbearable heat and humidity, or see crickets the size of birds or a drive-through liquor store. And you wouldn’t have complete strangers saying, "Hello," at every street corner.
Gainesville, located 60 miles north of Dallas, is nothing like Scotts Valley.
But the two cities have one thing in common: tonight’s football game.
Scotts Valley High plays Gainesville, the 2003 3-A Texas state champion, at 7:30 p.m. Gainesville time today in the team’s season opener. It’s a game where the outcome is important, but perhaps secondary to the experience.
"I’ve heard that people in Texas are the nicest anywhere," said Falcons coach Louie Walters after his team was given a police escort to the team’s pre-game banquet Thursday night. "Now I know it’s true."
The town opened its arms to welcome its guests in the days leading up to the preseason game dubbed the "Sizzle Bowl," reportedly just the seventh meeting between high school football teams from California and Texas.
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Tonight, the royal treatment ends for the Falcons. Gainesville, ranked in the top 15 in the state in two polls, is a heavy favorite to beat the Falcons, a fifth-year varsity program.
"I told our kids, I don’t care if they’re from California or two miles down the road, we’ve got to defend our territory. We don’t play to wear a uniform. We play to win games."
Gainesville, with a diverse population of 16,000, is all about football.
"It’s a small town," said Jane Hunter, a beautician at Heads Up barbershop in downtown Gainesville, "There’s not a lot to do. It’s Friday night entertainment. A lot of people go to their games."
There’s not a lot to do in the town, which was established in 1850. There’s the Frank Buck Zoo, a historic district, an annual rodeo and an outlet mall, at least those are the attractions listed at the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
But when it’s game night in Gainesville, it’s a spectacle.
The light towers illuminating Gainesville’s Leeper Stadium are visible throughout most of the town. The stadium seats 7,000 and it’s often full.
"It’s wild," said Ralph James, a corporal for the Gainesville Police Department. "It’s electric. Texas is a football state. It’s just like Indiana when it comes to high school basketball. Texas is football."
It’s on the radio stations. It’s in the local newspapers.
It’s even in the supermarkets. "Dave Campbell’s 2005 Texas Football" magazine, featuring breakdowns of 1,300 high schools, was gobbled up by fans at the local Wal-Mart.
Gainesville coach Jeff Cordell said his team has sold the largest number of season tickets this season, even more than two years ago during its magnificent playoff run to earn ultimate glory.
"I’m pretty proud of this," Cordell said of his Super Bowl-sized state title ring. "It’s not an easy thing to do. It was a big accomplishment for our program."
Sometimes the people who miss the game are still treated by the Friday night ritual.
"I live a mile and a half away from the stadium, and on a clear night, I can hear the play-by-play over the P.A. system," James said.
The town has many senior citizens, but very few complain about the Friday night noise. The police department doesn’t get many complaints.
"Maybe we’ll get a call or two, but we’ll tell ’em, ‘Ma’am, it’s Friday night football,’ " James said.
The area is flat like a pancake. The school is surrounded by sprawling, single-story ranch-style homes. The historic district features many lavish, Victorian style models.
New 4,500-square foot tract homes in the northern part of town were starting at $110,0000. And that’s high, many Gainesville residents said. Every thing is cheaper in Texas, except the gas, which at $2.80 a gallon, rivals prices in the Bay Area.
"It’s a lot slower here," said James, who has worked for the police department in Gainesville for 21 years after living in Riverside. "Talk about a culture shock. But the people are very friendly. I’ll have people honk their horn and wave at me and I have no idea who they are."
Not everyone is a football fan here, but the school has support from the majority of the community. Many local businesses post banners in the windows to promote the big game.
"They just asked me to so I did," Hunter said of the flier posted on the front door of the barber shop. "A lot of people who come in here in the day, they know a lot about local football. They sound like coaches."
Hunter’s two pre-teen boys will attend tonight’s game with their grandma.
It’s kind of a tradition: taking kids to the games. It’s $5 for general admission. The kids love it.
"You come here on Friday nights as a kid and go to Little League football on Saturday morning pumped up," said Yusef Stevenson, now a senior receiver and defensive back for Gainesville. "A lot of our Little League coaches were Gainesville players."
The school has tremendous pride. Coaches spent much of this week painting the end zones and midfield so the field looked presentable for their guests.
"The end zones took 13 hours," Cordell said. "We normally paint the field before every home game."
The Leopards have a 40-foot long trophy case filled to the brim at the entrance of the school.
The pristine grass field is cut to an inch and a half and plays fast.
In Texas, Gainesville’s facilities are modest, Cordell said. The 5-A and 4-A teams, for schools with higher enrollments, have seating capacity closer to 20,000. Still, Gainesville’s weight room rivals that of most small colleges.
Gainesville linebacker Michael Miller said football players aren’t anything special at the school.
The school excels at other sports too, he said.
He and Stevenson also play basketball, track and field and baseball. The seasons don’t overlap. They believe playing a variety of sports, not specializing, helps build athleticism.
"It’s hard to go from football to something else," Miller admits. "But it’s never hard to go from something else to football."
Contact Jim Seimas at jseimas@santacruzsentinel.com.
By JIM SEIMAS
Sentinel staff writer
GAINESVILLE, Texas – It’s a different world in Gainesville.
In Scotts Valley, you wouldn’t spot a tractor in your rear view mirror while waiting at a stoplight. You wouldn’t see a rifle rack hanging in the rear window of a pickup truck — toting a weapon. You wouldn’t have unbearable heat and humidity, or see crickets the size of birds or a drive-through liquor store. And you wouldn’t have complete strangers saying, "Hello," at every street corner.
Gainesville, located 60 miles north of Dallas, is nothing like Scotts Valley.
But the two cities have one thing in common: tonight’s football game.
Scotts Valley High plays Gainesville, the 2003 3-A Texas state champion, at 7:30 p.m. Gainesville time today in the team’s season opener. It’s a game where the outcome is important, but perhaps secondary to the experience.
"I’ve heard that people in Texas are the nicest anywhere," said Falcons coach Louie Walters after his team was given a police escort to the team’s pre-game banquet Thursday night. "Now I know it’s true."
The town opened its arms to welcome its guests in the days leading up to the preseason game dubbed the "Sizzle Bowl," reportedly just the seventh meeting between high school football teams from California and Texas.
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Tonight, the royal treatment ends for the Falcons. Gainesville, ranked in the top 15 in the state in two polls, is a heavy favorite to beat the Falcons, a fifth-year varsity program.
"I told our kids, I don’t care if they’re from California or two miles down the road, we’ve got to defend our territory. We don’t play to wear a uniform. We play to win games."
Gainesville, with a diverse population of 16,000, is all about football.
"It’s a small town," said Jane Hunter, a beautician at Heads Up barbershop in downtown Gainesville, "There’s not a lot to do. It’s Friday night entertainment. A lot of people go to their games."
There’s not a lot to do in the town, which was established in 1850. There’s the Frank Buck Zoo, a historic district, an annual rodeo and an outlet mall, at least those are the attractions listed at the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
But when it’s game night in Gainesville, it’s a spectacle.
The light towers illuminating Gainesville’s Leeper Stadium are visible throughout most of the town. The stadium seats 7,000 and it’s often full.
"It’s wild," said Ralph James, a corporal for the Gainesville Police Department. "It’s electric. Texas is a football state. It’s just like Indiana when it comes to high school basketball. Texas is football."
It’s on the radio stations. It’s in the local newspapers.
It’s even in the supermarkets. "Dave Campbell’s 2005 Texas Football" magazine, featuring breakdowns of 1,300 high schools, was gobbled up by fans at the local Wal-Mart.
Gainesville coach Jeff Cordell said his team has sold the largest number of season tickets this season, even more than two years ago during its magnificent playoff run to earn ultimate glory.
"I’m pretty proud of this," Cordell said of his Super Bowl-sized state title ring. "It’s not an easy thing to do. It was a big accomplishment for our program."
Sometimes the people who miss the game are still treated by the Friday night ritual.
"I live a mile and a half away from the stadium, and on a clear night, I can hear the play-by-play over the P.A. system," James said.
The town has many senior citizens, but very few complain about the Friday night noise. The police department doesn’t get many complaints.
"Maybe we’ll get a call or two, but we’ll tell ’em, ‘Ma’am, it’s Friday night football,’ " James said.
The area is flat like a pancake. The school is surrounded by sprawling, single-story ranch-style homes. The historic district features many lavish, Victorian style models.
New 4,500-square foot tract homes in the northern part of town were starting at $110,0000. And that’s high, many Gainesville residents said. Every thing is cheaper in Texas, except the gas, which at $2.80 a gallon, rivals prices in the Bay Area.
"It’s a lot slower here," said James, who has worked for the police department in Gainesville for 21 years after living in Riverside. "Talk about a culture shock. But the people are very friendly. I’ll have people honk their horn and wave at me and I have no idea who they are."
Not everyone is a football fan here, but the school has support from the majority of the community. Many local businesses post banners in the windows to promote the big game.
"They just asked me to so I did," Hunter said of the flier posted on the front door of the barber shop. "A lot of people who come in here in the day, they know a lot about local football. They sound like coaches."
Hunter’s two pre-teen boys will attend tonight’s game with their grandma.
It’s kind of a tradition: taking kids to the games. It’s $5 for general admission. The kids love it.
"You come here on Friday nights as a kid and go to Little League football on Saturday morning pumped up," said Yusef Stevenson, now a senior receiver and defensive back for Gainesville. "A lot of our Little League coaches were Gainesville players."
The school has tremendous pride. Coaches spent much of this week painting the end zones and midfield so the field looked presentable for their guests.
"The end zones took 13 hours," Cordell said. "We normally paint the field before every home game."
The Leopards have a 40-foot long trophy case filled to the brim at the entrance of the school.
The pristine grass field is cut to an inch and a half and plays fast.
In Texas, Gainesville’s facilities are modest, Cordell said. The 5-A and 4-A teams, for schools with higher enrollments, have seating capacity closer to 20,000. Still, Gainesville’s weight room rivals that of most small colleges.
Gainesville linebacker Michael Miller said football players aren’t anything special at the school.
The school excels at other sports too, he said.
He and Stevenson also play basketball, track and field and baseball. The seasons don’t overlap. They believe playing a variety of sports, not specializing, helps build athleticism.
"It’s hard to go from football to something else," Miller admits. "But it’s never hard to go from something else to football."
Contact Jim Seimas at jseimas@santacruzsentinel.com.