Del Valle High School - Cardinal Yearbook (Del Valle, TX)

Page 87 text:

I Senior Tim Walker advances with the ball while senior John Gage, soph- omore Virgil Collins, and junior Rick Ryan tackle opponents from New Braunfels Canyon Panthers. Photo b Sabina Mos«. Senior Christine Sellers leaps to hit for a scoring shot against an opponent while seniors Susan Cole, Lynette W ' hitely, and Ingrid Whitely prepare to back her up. Pholo R John Merrulief S p o Sports took on various meanings whether it was strategy, success, compromise, or defeat. Whether they won or they lost sports participants forced people to take a closer look behind the lines and redefine their terms. Players drilled in strenous hours of practice in efforts to increase their talents as a team and improve their skills. Football held two-a-days during the summer, hoping to im- prove teamwork. Two-a- days consisted of two three hour periods in which players spent their time practicing and running punt and kick-off drills. Other sports such as basketball and track spent most of their time running to practice for the upcoming season. Granted that some games were won and others were lost, the athletic department improved in strength and skill. The quality of the football games improved which showed es- pecially through the Pflugerville game which we won by a score of 25 to 2 1 , tight end senior Lance Osborne said. Public and school support increased rapidly with record breaking numbers of community members and student body attending the games to increase spirit. Performance of the teams aroused curosity and compelled people to notice what the teams were really made of Section Designed By Fred Duck V 83

Page 86 text:

f r- 7 L. 82 Sports Divider

Page 88 text:

Family spirit keeps team trying for best One big family, that was the way the varsity football team felt toward one another on and off the field. The part of varsity foot- ball that most people never realize is the way we became family. For the past three years I have had two families; one at home and one in the locker room, senior Carl Quick said. As in every family there is a head of the family and coach Ray Dowdy fulfilled that roll well. I feel that coach Dowdy ' s efforts have succeeded as far as teaching the team respect for the coaches, as well as one another, junior Rick Ryan said. The players felt that they had a strong chance at dis- trict competition. I felt that we had a chance, but our size hurt us in the end, junior David Gattis said. For the younger members of the team playing with the upperclassmen taught them what to expect in the future. Playing on varsity was a learning experience for me. I ' ll know what to expect in my junior and senior year, sophomore Tim Rector said. Although there were mixed emotions during a game that never altered the perfor- mance of the players. They always gave 1 00%. Looking at the marker, senior Tim Walker checks to see if he made the first down. Photo By Steve McCandles§ Looking over the plays and making corrections, coach Ray Dowdy and coach Joe Guzman speak with the offensive unit. Photo By Ma)!gie Ellis Making a Tme defensive play, senior George McElderry stops the oppo- nent ' s quarterback from making any yardage. Photo By John Merculief 84 A Varsity Football