Memorial High School - Reata Yearbook (Houston, TX)

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FOOTBALL UNIFORMS HANG FROM THE FIELD HOUSE RAFI' ERS when they are not in use. Freshman line- backer Mike Stewart id, It reminds me of another hard day of practice especially since the pants are sti I clean, which means there's a lot more hard work ahead. AFTER SUITING OUT, the Varsity members gather around and pre- pare to listen to the coaches. lt's right before the game, said tackle Charli Beiiani. We're getting ready to get on t e bus after his fCoach Les Koenning'sJ pep talk. Photo by Darryl Yee. 218 Locker room, Special Report Behind closed doors , i i i The Scoop n i 1 -aw H..- '71 By Susan Murray is the saying goes, practice makes perfeet, but . I janotherimportant actor inthe ultimate goal of wrnmngawas the events that took place before the game. er talks, Psychingl up and the last minute llirefrng o game strategies elped players to play their s . Before a ,football game, players got taped up and dressed. Sophomore strong safety Greg de Geurin said, At least half of them tplayersj would get taped up. lt took a fourth of a mll for a foot. Trainers and coaches had the job of taping up the players. Junior Varsity fullback Tom Homsby said, :'They used shortastrips of tape about eight inches long rn a cstrtam pattem. t gave ankles, knees, and wrists su . - K ankles and knees, needed to be taped up the most for they are the weakest joints. So homore quar- terback David Leiper said, Your ancles needed it very much because they are probably the weakest joints. Your knees also were important to get wrap- ped. De Geurin added, lf you hurt something you got it taped up. Next on the agenda was getting mentally prepared. Varsity tackle Charlie Bejjani said, We were think- mg about everything we were supposed to do. 'lhoughts were generally about the game and the other team. I had nothing else on my mind, said Leiper. lf you had something else on your mind it might have caused you to go astray durin the game. u Varsity guard Mike Karisch added, ion were wor- ned about how good the other team was anil how big the other team was. Getting mad helped players prepare mentally for a game. Lerper said, You usually thought about killing the other team. I usually tried to get real angry, just real hyped up. Whenever l was rn a down mood l couIdn't play at all. ' For deGeurin and J.V. tackle Carl Gromatzky the time before a game was spent as a quiet time for only tlnnkrng about the game. ' Thoughts of the utpcoming game added to the play- er's tension and anx ety. You built it up so you could take it out on the other team, said J.V. linebacker Mark Schroeder. A According to Varsity tackle Carlos DeAvala. the nervousness of the players was caused by anticipa- tlon. Lelper added that you got the butterflies. Fear of making mistakes in the game made the ath- letes high strung. I mostly thought that l was going to screw up, said sophomore spllt end John Clemmen- sen. Homsby added, I was worried about screwing up. It was personal pride. 1 1 . . . 1 '- Sophomore tailback Paul Morales worried about Udropjngjhe ball and messini up. Some players found they couldn't sit still because of the tension and quiet atmos phere among their fellow teammates. J.V. guard Mickey Surles said, Some stayey relaxed by goofing off and throwing a footbal around. 1 To calm themselves down, players would also fall asleep. l tried to sleep or wat around, said Leipgr. lt was good to be nervous. If you were not nervous you wouldnt ' be on your toes. I ve never gone into a game not being nervous. Music plalyed on the stereo in the field house helped to comfort frayed nerves. 4 helped to re ax everyone, said DeAlyala. Music soothes the savage beast and that me. Leger added that it made you eel a lot better. Park in front of the field house, Varsity jocls listened to the music in their can We got tuned up in the car before the game, exrlained Karisch. ! However, most players suffered from phys cal discomfort due to nervousnesg DeAyala said, Everyone visited the throne ftoiletjf' i You were in the bathroom every 30 seconds, added Leiper, 5 Players agreed that their nervousness was not alleviated until the first play of tli game. After about the first series of plays you were not as nervous and you wer involved in the me, said DeAyala. You might have choked on one of the first fe plays but after that you were involved in the game situation. 1 Morales added that the tension was not eliminated until you were on the field art HU got hit. You were all right from there on. De Guerin released his tension l ocking the you know what out of the other team. Before the players were loaded on the bus, they were given a pep talk by the coache They tcoachesj told us what was going on and what to expect, said Clermnense ' d f the ther team. , They tne to get you ready or o lt tpep talk! gave you confidence in yourself, said de Guerin. He tcoachy cou cut you down and you would try to prove yourself up. 'Ihe opposing team and the arlay procedure were discuxed between the coaches ai the players. They fcoachesj ways told us the teams Qopponentsj were really good 4 you wouldn't be too overconfidentl' Homsby said, It was based on how we were goir to play with good sportsmanship. They fcoachesl always said if we lose we're going lose with a winner's respect, said Leiper. ' The coaches also told the jocks to play their best. He fCoach Les Koenningl sa just go 100 per cent, don't give up, do your best, said Morales. DeAyala adde We're winners and not used to losing. , Players would talk to each other about the upcoming game. lt's player to play communication, said Leiper. We psyched each other up, added Hornsby. ' Techniques and plays were discussed among the wayers that worked direct together. You went over techniques, said de Guerin. e told them to do good, to , out and do their best. Upon arriving at their game destination, the athletes said a prayer. Bejjani state We had a plrayer. lt was usually Harry Purdom, he started it. Leiper added, V always said t e l.ord's Prayer before eve? game. We always said it aftenvards too. A sense of accomlpdishrnent was felt ter winninlg a game. Every time we won 1 accomplished somet 'ng tearnwise, but individually ' l p ayed bad I felt like l failed t team and myself, said DeAyaIa. Karisch said, You felt like all the hell you went through during the week was wol it - .When the game was over, the players were loaded on the bus and driven back to I field house. All the coaches and people over there congratulated everyone, sa Bejjani. That's.the way it was. - 30 - .

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Making the dome home Two Timers aitfig-gg X a ATTIRED IN FULL BAND REGALIA, Drum Maior Dirk Silva leads the march- ing Band during a football game. With baton in hand, Silva leads the mem- bers out on the field and then conducts the band. Photo by Darryl Yee. CHOSEN BY THE SENIOR CLASS, nominees Terry Wood, Gala Holt, and Cecile Clossman contended for Homecoming honors. To select the top three, seniors first nominated several candidates in English. The top 20 then went through another V018 by Seniors, and the three receiving the ETOST vpttes were presented to the whole school for a vote. Photo by Trent osent a. Continuedfrom page 215 Cheerleader Marjorie Wandell said that while she was there she did not like it, but it taught her a lot. I think we learned a lot more different things when we were theref' said Marjorie. TAKING ON THE RED AND WHITE Because the winning season resem- bled last year's so much. many people thought the intensity of spirit was dif- ferent. Last year we were the under- dogs. This year everyone was out to get us, said Rachel Lee. The second time around there wasn't as much enthusiasm, Greg King said. Varsity Football player Chris Malham thought the team spirit was good but the school spirit was down. Senior Charlie Bejjani thought everyone became used to the winning. Varsity football player Will Winsauer said, The spirit is generated from the student body to the football team. I believe the student body is behind the team if it's good or bad. If we have great pep rallies. getting fired up by them helps us a lot. Will added. We didn't advance as far as last year. but we were more of a team than last year. Everyone looked forward to the games in the Astrodome. One football player said. We thought about it all season. It was a special opportunity and a great sensation. Markette Carol Devlin said, I liked the dome games. We didn't really cheer that much. We watched the games. Senior Nancy Wright said. The Astrodome game we won was the best. .lust thinking you're in the Astrodome is something special. Summing up the year's season. Will Winsauer noted: We had to work for it. We paid a price for the wins we got and it was worth it. -30 - Red Hot' 217

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T0 GET PSYCHED UP FOR A GAME, right guard Jimmy Jump reviews the techniques he has learned in practice. Jump adds, We usually get dressed and relax for 20 to 30 min- utes then the coaches talk to us. Photo by Darryl Yee, AS THE FOOTBALL SEA- SON PROGRESSED, a clever wittism was added to the field house. Every week they fcoachesj gave us a saying so we wouIdn't get too blown up, said cornerback Harry Purdom. We have them all the way down to the floor. Photo by Darryl Yee. BEFORE A GAME, Varsity back Ed Kruger and corner- back Gig Settegast1get taped up by trainer ed Groves. Taping up gives the players extra protec- tion. It strengthens your ankles so you don't twist or break your ankIe, said Settegast. Photo by Darryl Yee. CONTINUING TO PSYCHE UP, Varsity players prepare to leave for the Bay City game. According to the players, it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Wing- back Boyd Brigman said, Everyone looks pretty serious because we're get- ting ready to go and every- one's thinking about the game. Photo by Darryl Yee. Locker room 219