RedWhiteBlue
10-22-2009, 09:16 AM
Graham vs. Brownwood: Friendly rivals, serious stakes
Shipleys and McCoys to meet in district battle
By Zach Duncan/ Times Record News
Brad McCoy and Bob Shipley were sitting around the Texas locker room in the bowels of the Cotton Bowl Saturday afternoon with their eldest sons.
“I’m glad this one’s over,” McCoy said after the Longhorns outlasted the Sooners in a 16-13 Red River slugfest.
“I’ll be glad when next week is over,” Shipley replied.
McCoy thought his lifelong friend was looking ahead to No. 3 Texas’ road date with Missouri this Saturday.
Instead, Shipley was referring to the night before, when his Brownwood Lions host McCoy’s Steers in a highly anticipated, headline-making district matchup.
It’s a game that’s received statewide attention from the moment Bob Shipley left Coppell for Brownwood in January.
And it’s a matchup between two coaches who go way back.
“He’s a great guy and a great friend,” Brad McCoy said of Bob, who he played football and roomed with at Abilene Christian almost three decades ago. “You go through life and have very few strong friendships, and he’s one of them.”
That companionship has trickled down to their children, who often go hunting and fishing at the same haunts their fathers roamed.
Oldest sons Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley have played together at UT for five years and are the two biggest reasons behind the Longhorns’ current national title aspirations.
Younger sons Case and Jaxon, now a junior, are just as close as their older siblings are. The quartet spends lots of time together.
Even without the McCoy and Shipley surnames, the District 2-3A holds some high stakes.
Graham, ranked sixth in 3A, is off to a 7-0 start, including district wins over Snyder and Sweetwater.
Brownwood (5-2) has been forced to deal with several key injuries — including losing Jaxon to a hurt collarbone for most of non-district — and enters with a 1-1 mark in 2-3A.
“I’m thinking he can afford the loss and I can’t, so he should do the gentlemanly thing and help his buddy,” Shipley joked. “It’s unfortunate one of us has to lose the game.”
The two head coaches have met once before. In 2000, McCoy-led Jim Ned beat Shipley’s Rotan squad, 39-21.
Jordan played in that one as a freshman, but Colt was only in eighth grade, so Friday’s matchup will be the first time a McCoy and Shipley will suit up against each other.
Case said both he and Jaxon have had Oct. 23 circled on their calenders for months. Friendly trash talk hasn’t been lacking this week.
However, they won’t be on the field at the same time. McCoy is Graham’s starting quarterback, while Shipley lines up at receiver.
That’s a shame, because the high schoolers find ways to square off in just about anything when they’re together.
“It’s always a competition, whether it’s basketball, video games or who can eat the most,” Case said a couple months ago.
The younger brothers had dreams of playing together in high school, but it never worked out because both fathers were head coaches.
Both do plan on reviving the McCoy-to-Shipley connection at the University of Texas.
Case, a senior, has already given a verbal commitment — he can’t sign until February — and Jaxon most likely will end up there, too.
“Brad and I weren’t near the athletes our kids are,” Bob Shipley admitted. “Sometimes we sit around and shake our heads about it. We never had that athleticism.”
Brad and Bob knew each other when they attended different high schools, then became great friends at ACU.
But the family history goes even further up the tree.
Shipley’s mother-in-law, Addie Felts, was ACU’s first women’s track coach. She was there during the same time Burl McCoy, Brad’s father, was the ACU women’s basketball coach.
The two families have been getting together annually for nearly a decade at the Devils River in southwest Texas, where camping, fishing, playing guitars and fellowship fill the agenda.
Brad McCoy’s parents have a ranch down in Brownwood as well, so the families often visit with each during holidays.
“There’s definitely more to the relationship than people see on TV,” Case said. “We’re all really close.”
But all those ties will be shoved aside Friday night. For at least for a couple hours, the McCoys and Shipleys will more closely resemble the Hatfields and McCoys.
“Colt and Jordan don’t disagree about anything,” Brad McCoy said. “But they’ll probably disagree about this one.”
Shipleys and McCoys to meet in district battle
By Zach Duncan/ Times Record News
Brad McCoy and Bob Shipley were sitting around the Texas locker room in the bowels of the Cotton Bowl Saturday afternoon with their eldest sons.
“I’m glad this one’s over,” McCoy said after the Longhorns outlasted the Sooners in a 16-13 Red River slugfest.
“I’ll be glad when next week is over,” Shipley replied.
McCoy thought his lifelong friend was looking ahead to No. 3 Texas’ road date with Missouri this Saturday.
Instead, Shipley was referring to the night before, when his Brownwood Lions host McCoy’s Steers in a highly anticipated, headline-making district matchup.
It’s a game that’s received statewide attention from the moment Bob Shipley left Coppell for Brownwood in January.
And it’s a matchup between two coaches who go way back.
“He’s a great guy and a great friend,” Brad McCoy said of Bob, who he played football and roomed with at Abilene Christian almost three decades ago. “You go through life and have very few strong friendships, and he’s one of them.”
That companionship has trickled down to their children, who often go hunting and fishing at the same haunts their fathers roamed.
Oldest sons Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley have played together at UT for five years and are the two biggest reasons behind the Longhorns’ current national title aspirations.
Younger sons Case and Jaxon, now a junior, are just as close as their older siblings are. The quartet spends lots of time together.
Even without the McCoy and Shipley surnames, the District 2-3A holds some high stakes.
Graham, ranked sixth in 3A, is off to a 7-0 start, including district wins over Snyder and Sweetwater.
Brownwood (5-2) has been forced to deal with several key injuries — including losing Jaxon to a hurt collarbone for most of non-district — and enters with a 1-1 mark in 2-3A.
“I’m thinking he can afford the loss and I can’t, so he should do the gentlemanly thing and help his buddy,” Shipley joked. “It’s unfortunate one of us has to lose the game.”
The two head coaches have met once before. In 2000, McCoy-led Jim Ned beat Shipley’s Rotan squad, 39-21.
Jordan played in that one as a freshman, but Colt was only in eighth grade, so Friday’s matchup will be the first time a McCoy and Shipley will suit up against each other.
Case said both he and Jaxon have had Oct. 23 circled on their calenders for months. Friendly trash talk hasn’t been lacking this week.
However, they won’t be on the field at the same time. McCoy is Graham’s starting quarterback, while Shipley lines up at receiver.
That’s a shame, because the high schoolers find ways to square off in just about anything when they’re together.
“It’s always a competition, whether it’s basketball, video games or who can eat the most,” Case said a couple months ago.
The younger brothers had dreams of playing together in high school, but it never worked out because both fathers were head coaches.
Both do plan on reviving the McCoy-to-Shipley connection at the University of Texas.
Case, a senior, has already given a verbal commitment — he can’t sign until February — and Jaxon most likely will end up there, too.
“Brad and I weren’t near the athletes our kids are,” Bob Shipley admitted. “Sometimes we sit around and shake our heads about it. We never had that athleticism.”
Brad and Bob knew each other when they attended different high schools, then became great friends at ACU.
But the family history goes even further up the tree.
Shipley’s mother-in-law, Addie Felts, was ACU’s first women’s track coach. She was there during the same time Burl McCoy, Brad’s father, was the ACU women’s basketball coach.
The two families have been getting together annually for nearly a decade at the Devils River in southwest Texas, where camping, fishing, playing guitars and fellowship fill the agenda.
Brad McCoy’s parents have a ranch down in Brownwood as well, so the families often visit with each during holidays.
“There’s definitely more to the relationship than people see on TV,” Case said. “We’re all really close.”
But all those ties will be shoved aside Friday night. For at least for a couple hours, the McCoys and Shipleys will more closely resemble the Hatfields and McCoys.
“Colt and Jordan don’t disagree about anything,” Brad McCoy said. “But they’ll probably disagree about this one.”