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11-27-2005, 09:44 AM
Fifth annual Heart of Texas Bowl set for Saturday in Cove
By Monty Campbell
Killeen Daily Herald
COPPERAS COVE — College football fans around Central Texas have been talking about the national championship possibilities for the Texas Longhorns for the past several weeks but the opportunity for many of them to go to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena is not very likely.
There is however a bowl game that area football fans can attend on Saturday at Bulldawg Stadium — the Fifth Annual CHAMPS Heart of Texas Bowl, featuring the 19th-ranked Dodge City Community College Conquistadors against the 23rd-ranked Cisco Junior College Wranglers. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Advance tickets are $6 for adults and children under 12 are $3 and are available at the Copperas Cove High School Athletic Annex. Gameday tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children.
Active military and their dependents will be admitted free on the day of the game.
Dodge City last appeared in a bowl game in 1992, while this will be Cisco's first bowl appearance since 1991. Last season, the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons defeated the 9th-ranked Tyler Junior College Apaches 15-10 in a defensive battle.
The Conqs (7-4) are coming into the contest playing their best football of the season, coming off of a 23-17 victory over the No. 1 nationally ranked Butler Community College Grizzlies in the first game of the Jayhawk Conference semifinal. They then fell in the conference championship game to the Coffeeville Red Ravens 33-12.
"We are real excited for our players, the program and the football rich community to have the opportunity to go to a bowl game," Conq head coach Marcus Garstecki said. "It's just a great experience for the community and I've heard that they put on a first-class show for us."
The Wranglers (6-4) are entering the game on the opposite end of the spectrum, losing their only playoff game to Northeast Oklahoma A&M 41-10.
"We are elated to be there and in a bowl game for the first time in 15 years," Wranglers head coach Kurt Nichols said. "We are very familiar with the stadium and the Welchs (Jack and Tracy) and are looking forward to the time there."
The Wranglers opened their season with a trip to Bulldawg Stadium to play the Blinn Junior College Buccaneers. That trip was not very pleasant for the Wranglers as the Bucs whipped them 56-8.
The game is not the only experience for the players — the bowl committee always holds a banquet the night before the game for the athletes and coaches from both teams.
This year the banquet will be held in the Copperas Cove High School cafeteria on Friday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. with Neal Sharpe of the Drifters providing the entertainment and Joe Lombardi acting as Master of Ceremonies.
HOT Bowl Chairman Jack Welch will make a welcoming statement along with the comments of the presidents and head football coaches from both Cisco Junior College and Dodge City Community College.
The banquet is open to the public and everyone is invited to attend. The tickets are $10 per person and include the meal, entertainment and the opportunity to talk with the players and coaching staffs from both schools.
Contact Monty Campbell at cmonty@kdhnews.com.
By Monty Campbell
Killeen Daily Herald
COPPERAS COVE — College football fans around Central Texas have been talking about the national championship possibilities for the Texas Longhorns for the past several weeks but the opportunity for many of them to go to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena is not very likely.
There is however a bowl game that area football fans can attend on Saturday at Bulldawg Stadium — the Fifth Annual CHAMPS Heart of Texas Bowl, featuring the 19th-ranked Dodge City Community College Conquistadors against the 23rd-ranked Cisco Junior College Wranglers. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Advance tickets are $6 for adults and children under 12 are $3 and are available at the Copperas Cove High School Athletic Annex. Gameday tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children.
Active military and their dependents will be admitted free on the day of the game.
Dodge City last appeared in a bowl game in 1992, while this will be Cisco's first bowl appearance since 1991. Last season, the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons defeated the 9th-ranked Tyler Junior College Apaches 15-10 in a defensive battle.
The Conqs (7-4) are coming into the contest playing their best football of the season, coming off of a 23-17 victory over the No. 1 nationally ranked Butler Community College Grizzlies in the first game of the Jayhawk Conference semifinal. They then fell in the conference championship game to the Coffeeville Red Ravens 33-12.
"We are real excited for our players, the program and the football rich community to have the opportunity to go to a bowl game," Conq head coach Marcus Garstecki said. "It's just a great experience for the community and I've heard that they put on a first-class show for us."
The Wranglers (6-4) are entering the game on the opposite end of the spectrum, losing their only playoff game to Northeast Oklahoma A&M 41-10.
"We are elated to be there and in a bowl game for the first time in 15 years," Wranglers head coach Kurt Nichols said. "We are very familiar with the stadium and the Welchs (Jack and Tracy) and are looking forward to the time there."
The Wranglers opened their season with a trip to Bulldawg Stadium to play the Blinn Junior College Buccaneers. That trip was not very pleasant for the Wranglers as the Bucs whipped them 56-8.
The game is not the only experience for the players — the bowl committee always holds a banquet the night before the game for the athletes and coaches from both teams.
This year the banquet will be held in the Copperas Cove High School cafeteria on Friday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. with Neal Sharpe of the Drifters providing the entertainment and Joe Lombardi acting as Master of Ceremonies.
HOT Bowl Chairman Jack Welch will make a welcoming statement along with the comments of the presidents and head football coaches from both Cisco Junior College and Dodge City Community College.
The banquet is open to the public and everyone is invited to attend. The tickets are $10 per person and include the meal, entertainment and the opportunity to talk with the players and coaching staffs from both schools.
Contact Monty Campbell at cmonty@kdhnews.com.