Callaway High School - Lesprit Yearbook (Jackson, MS)

Page 83 text:

top all of this off, there remained wind sprints, which must have been thought of by the same per- son who invented the Chinese water torture, the stretch machine, and homework. After all of this, it was no wonder that the Chargers functioned well in games. In addition, this practice consi- tuted one of the main reasons the Chargers got fired up for games. After all the work put in during the summer and the spring before, nothing less than a game winning effort could even be considered fair. Preparation for the upcoming games was put in as early as spring. At that time the veterans rehashed old and forgotten skills while help- ing the rookies assimulate into the Callaway win machine. As prom rolled into view, so did busses at Newell Field. Another spring game was in the making. Rumours of a weak defense erased themselves as the Charger Big D showed their strength. Even though the spring game debued the team, everyone looked forward to the fall and Gulfport. Weightlifting and more running characterized many players ' sum- mers. The weightlifting added bulk and strength to an undersized, but stronghearted team. Running pre- pared many for the upcoming agi- lity drills that fall. By the time of fall practice, many Chargers had honed themselves to a fine edge. For these men, the rigorous train- ing paid off. For those who did not came the agony of working off pounds of unwanted fat. One usually remembered fall as a time of turning leaves. At least this was the general opinon. However, for the Chargers, 90° heat persisted. Even with the first week being in shorts, water starved athletes gulped down anything with the characteristics of fluid. As the days cooled down, the Beas- ley Road Gang heated up. Gulfport, ranked number one in the presea- son poll, hung heavy on the heads of many. A good battle was in the making. The football team would not miss it for the world. » Stay low. The Charger offensive Hne fires A jolly sled ride. The offensive Hne shows out from under the chute. that the sled is not used just on snow.

Page 82 text:

Partnership ivithPain What words would bring out the worst in a football player — loser, pansey, or riding the pine? No, but that ' s close. It was practice . The word connotated more than just hard work. Images of tackling drills, the sled, running the dum- mies and the dull repetition of play after play entered the helmet. To 78 Football Practice

Page 84 text:

Your Option Or What yard arc they on? The Callaway side sideline watches the game intently. Down and out. Wayne Stover crumbles in a ball of agony. Oranges can be tough. Mike Hooper, Robert McLendon and the rest of the Big D take it easy as Wes Peters glares from behind. Callaway has had more than her share of winnir g teams: 12-0, 9-2, and 10-1 in past years. I nevitably Humpty Dumpty would fall off the wall so to speak. This happened, unfortunately, to the seniors of ' 78 and their football team. Numerous factors combined to cause this happening. Lady Luck had her part in the season. She never did dress out for the Orange and Blue. Injuries plagued the team all year. And of course every other team in the state gunned for the Beasley Road Gang. Callaway started the season off ranked number nine — the highest she would go. The Gulfport Admir- als showed the public that by de- feating the Bic-C 34-18. Numver- ous mistakes of all sorts by the Chargers characterized the game. The athletic ability of Cleo Arm- strong shined as the one bright spot on the team. He showed that he could catch a football as well as run with one. Cleo scored all three of the Oranges touchdowns against Gulfport. The Chargers came back the next week defeating Vicksburg on a su- perb defensive effort. This put the Big C in a good position for next weekend, Greenville. The word, re- venge, didn ' t express the game as the Hornets slipped by Callaway 14-12. The loss of the game did not prove half as bad as the loss of Cleo Armstrong. A broken arm and wrist eliminated one of the premier running backs for the rest of the season. Later in the year. Coach Allman commented that the Green- ville game was undoubtly one of the most crucial. The other crucial game for the chargers arose in the conflict with Wingfield. Going into the game with a 2-2 record, the Char-(Continued on page 83.) 80 Football