Memorial High School - Reata Yearbook (Houston, TX)

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iltlli Hooks assumes reign Personality is not a trait reserved exclusively for individuals. Although people customarily have per- sonalities, inanimate things also show character. Rooms have personality. Pictures have personality. Schools have personality. But teams have a personality, toog the sum total of its working parts. Memorial Mustangs had a per- sonality. They were 54 finely meshed gears working together as a unified whole. They were a team that had to surmount a great many obstacles before they enjoyed the sweet taste of victory. And the obstacles they had to over- come were considerable. The Mustangs were entering their first season under new Head Coach Wayne Hooks, who replaced Les Koenning when the latter took the job of offensive coordinator at Rice University. A new offensive coor- dinator, Randall Alford, who hailed from Abilene High School was also a new leader for the Ponies. Inexperience, however, was the Mustang's primary weakness. A young offense started the season with only one returning starter, split end Ben Heinrich, a second team All- District selection as a junior. Senior tackle Doug Elmore, Senior kickerfflanker Thom Murphey, Senior fullback Mark Stockham and Iunior tailback Randy Miller round- ed out the offensive letter-winning experience. The defense fared better, returning five starters from the previous 10-4-1 State finalist team. Tackles Senior Glenn Hendrickson and Iunior Gene Chilton, Senior noseguard Marc Grosz, Senior linebacker Iames Crawford and Senior safety George Coltrin provided leadership. Injuries also depleted the Pony corps. Miller and Senior linebacker David King, among others, were lost early in the season and never made it back into action. With enthusiasm and anticipation running high, the Mustangs pulled .qw we-M 86 O Varsity Football into Pasadena's Memorial Stadium to kick off the football season. GAME 1. After missing on three, second quarter field goal attempts, kicker Thom Murphey split the uprights with nine seconds left to salvage a tense 10-9 decision over the Sam Rayburn Texans. Rayburn had led since midway through the second quarter, although much of the second half was spent in Texan territory. The Mustangs outgained the Texans bet- ter than two to one on the ground. GAME 2. In one of the biggest games of the young high school season, the number five state-ranked Brazoswood Buccaneers traveled to Tully Stadium to meet the Big Red. The Bucs boasted an offensive line that averaged 242 pounds. Utilizing their behemoth size and a swarming continued on page 88 Mustangs plow through a wall of Westchester Wildcats as Seniors Marc Grosz and Iames Crawford make the first down. Photo by lim Tomforde. Threatened by a Stratford lineman, Senior lay Iler moves swiftly to pitch the ball, as the Mustangs move down the field. Photo by Dan Thompson.

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RED ALERT Varsity opens with win defense, they tagged the Mustangs for a score in each quarter while limiting the Pony attack to just 58 yards rushing. The Buccaneers came out on top 24-7 to take an edge in the five- year-old rivalry 3-2. GAME 3. In the first crucial district game of the 1980 season, the Mustangs battled their fiercest rival, the Westchester Wildcats. The Wildcats were picked by many to sweep district 17-5A. However, the Mustangs had other ideas as they capitalized on several early Westchester miscues to defeat their rivals 19-6. The Mustangs tallied the Westchester defense, led by All- American linebacker Alan jamison, for 16 first-quarter points and the defense limited the 'Cats to a pair of field goals. GAME 4. The Mustangs traveled to Alief Stadium to play the Hastings Bears in the second district game for both teams. The offense never seem- ed to really get on track as the defense held the Bears to five points to salvage a 6-5 victory. Disaster struck in the second quarter when Quarterback jay Iler went down with a separated shoulder. GAME 5. Memorial's hopes of a clean sweep of district 17-5A were lost in a sea of green as the Stratford Spartans pinned a 22-0 shutout on the defending State finalists. The loss marked the first time since the Westchester game of the previous season that the offense failed to generate a point. With Iler still down with a shoulder injury, the Mustangs attempted only seven passes, four of which were intercepted. You just can't beat a team like Stratford with that many turnovers, said guard joel Cooper. The Mustangs fell to 2-1 in district competition, while Stratford moved to 2-0. GAME 6. With a staunch defensive effort that limited the opposition to nine yards passing and only 82 yards of total offense, the Mustangs blank- ed district newcomer Katy 17-0. The win kept the Ponies in the thick of the district race. GAME 7. Coming off a badly need- ed idle week, the Mustangs managed to salvage a 12-7 decision over the Elsik Rams at Alief Stadium. Although the offense amassed 341 yards of offense, they failed to score points. Elsik played well, and we continued on page 90 Arms rise signaling a touchdown as Sophomore Brian Burr goes in for another score. Brian led the team to a number of touchdowns. Photo by Dan Thompson. Displaying the aggressiveness that earned them first team All-District honors, Seniors Marc Grosz and Glenn Hendrickson maul a Spring Woods Tiger. Photo by jim Tomforde. 88 O Varsity Football