Memorial High School - Reata Yearbook (Houston, TX)

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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

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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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Bllllll llked sees to Bi-District McMordie C707 and Harry Purdom Victoria's offense. 'We re in goal lin and they hurried to run it down the we're just stacking them up, tackle WITH FULL FORCE, Kiki DeAyala ' I A I ' e Two men of opposing teams meet in the middle of the field. The coin is tossed and the players line up preparing for the kickoff and the begin- ning of the game. For the Varsity foot- ball players, the season did not begin with the kickoff of the first game, but rather at the beginning of August. We worked from 4:00 to 6:00, lifted' weights, ran wind sprints, and bleach- ers, said linebacker Kiki DeAyala. The season opened with a 47-0 win over Clear Creek. The seven touch- downs of the game were made by full- back Walter Rowland, halfback Brian Womac, who rushed 53 yards for the 7 points, safety Ken Durkee, quarterback Greg Dalton, end Mike Morris, and wingback Boyd Brigman with two scores. Mike Weir added to the scoring with five PAT's. Both Rowland and Womac rushed for over 100 yards, with Rowland rushing 114 yards and Womac, 123 yards. ' Even with a second half comeback, the Mustangs lost to Brazoswood 25- 34. Both Morris and Weir caught touchdown passes of 65 and 21 yards respectively. Dalton's pass to Morris was the longest throw of the season for the quarterback. Brigman and Womac added on the other scores. The defense allowed Bay City only 43 yards rushing and passing. Defen- sive tackle Carlos DeAyala recovered a Black Cat fumble in the end zone for one of the defense's two touchdowns of the season. Weir kicked two PAT's while Rowland tacked on a touchdown and a two point conversion. The Mus- tangs won 2210. DISTRICT BEGINS A 14-10 win over Victoria ended the pre-district games. VGfSIfY Football Depth design by Hollis Hughes and Jan Zuher District began with a 6-0 win over Northbrook. The defense allowed the Raiders only four yards rushing and passing and no first downs. Rowland ran for 115 yards on 25 carries, setting up the only score of the game. Womac, from three yards out, made the six points. Three bombs occurred during the Westchester game, though two were only threats, but the third was a 14-9 victory over the Wildcats. Tackle Eric Schulz recovered a punt return fumble which set up a touchdown for Row- land. Morris made the other score on an 11 yard drive. BATTLE OF NUMBER. 0NE'S With a 9-3 win over Stratford, the Mustangs' number one defense stop- ped the Spartans number one rated offense. Weir kicked a 35 yard field goal and Rowland made one touch- down to cap off the scoring. Safety Ken Durkee retumed a punt for 95 yards and a touchdown during the Spring Woods game in which the Mustangs-blanked the Tigers 28-0. Brigman ,was leading rusher with 90 yards and one touchdown. Rowland and Womac made the other two scores while Weir kicked all four PAT's. The Mustangs ran over Alief 35-7. The offense had 358 yards rushing while the defense held the Bears fo 121 yards. Both McMordie's and Carlos DeAyala's fumble recoveries set up touchdowns for Rowland. Rowland rushed 133 yards on 22 carries. Dalton, Morris. and Womac finished off the scoring with touchdowns. Weir booted all five PAT's. With a 20-6 win over Spring Branch, Mustangs clinched the District title. Dalton, Morris, and Rowland. all made ack said. We're just stopping the play by Darryl Yee. touchdowns. ASTRODOME AGAIN After winning district, the team went on to play in the Astrodome for the sec- ond time inas many years. The defense held Westbury to only 89 yards rushing while the offense scored 16 points to win 16-5. Catching a 50 yard pass by Dalton, Morris went in for the first score. Womac then returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown which gave the Mustangs the Bi-District champi- onship. Regionals were played against Kash- mere who won 26-21 with a last minute touchdown. Carlos DeAyala began the scoring with 24 and 40 yard field goals. Durkee returned a punt 57 yards for the first touchdown. Reserve quarter- back Rick Matteson scored the two point conversion. Rowland scored the last touchdown. Coach Les Koenning said, We didn't lose to Kashmere, we just ran out of time. A PAT ON THE BACK The season officially came to an end December 8 with the traditional ban- quet held in the Spring Branch Coli- seum. Certificates of Achievement were given to Durkee for his record punt return of 95 yards, Carlos DeAyala for his 40 yard field goal. and Rowland for being leading rusher with 2124 yards in 2 years. The H. M. Landrum Trophy Award was presented to Morris as Outstand- ing Offensive Lineman in district and Carlos DeAyala for Outstanding Defensive Lineman. The Fighting' Heart Award was given to Dalton for his leadership on and off the field. His teammates 'elected him as the most respected player. - 30 - - C arol Roberts