|
PRINT
THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE
Monday, August 24, 1998
Killeen Ellison, La Marque, Sealy, Stanton,
Tenaha enter season at No. 1
By JAIME ARON
Associated Press
DALLAS - High school football is supposed to be cyclical. Players
spend two, maybe three, years on varsity. Districts are reshaped
every other year. Lately, the playoff system have changed just
as often.
But for the last five years, one thing has remained constant:
the dominance of La Marque in Class 4A and Sealy in 3A.
La Marque, a three-time defending state champion and a finalist
the last five seasons, and Sealy, winner of a record four straight
crowns, both enter this season as No. 1 in The Associated Press
high school football poll released Sunday.
The only other defending champion returning at No. 1 is Stanton
in 2A. Killeen Ellison is the favorite in 5A and Tenaha in 1A.
Ellison was one of the favorites last year, too, winning its
first 12 games before being shut out in the Division I quarterfinals
by state runner-up Longview.
Ellison returns Reggie Duncan, a 2,500-yard rusher last year,
and backfield mate quarterback Jeff Overstreet. Nine starters
are back on defense.
Tyler John Tyler, which deserves mention alongside La Marque
and Sealy for its prowess this decade, is ranked second, followed
by Duncanville and its district rival Arlington Lamar.
Defending Division II champion Flower Mound Marcus is No. 7
and Division I champ Katy is No. 9.
La Marque is undergoing one major change this season: a new
coach. Alan Weddell left for an assistant job at Texas A&M
and turned the program over to Larry Walker, his former offensive
coordinator.
Walker drew up plays for Weddell for six years in Victoria
and six more at La Marque, then spent the last two years as the
head man at Port Arthur Jefferson. The Yellowjackets were one
of the smallest schools in 5A and lived down to their size, going
3-16-1 under Walker.
Things should be much different at La Marque, even with only
four starters back on each side of the ball. The team is so confident
that one of its mottos is "New Era, Same Dominance."
"Some coaches have gone to bigger and better things, but
the program is still intact," said Walker, who worked with
many of the seniors when they were freshmen.
Corpus Christi Calallen, which has set an unenviable record
by losing to La Marque in five straight semifinals, is ranked
second. Denison, which has lost to La Marque in the last three
title games, is eighth.
Texas City, the Division I champion, is tied with Fort Worth
Wyatt for 10th. Texas City and La Marque are both from District
23.
La Marque is seeking a sixth straight finals appearance, a
feat matched only by the 1922-27 Waco teams.
A fourth straight championship for La Marque would tie another
state record - unless Sealy extends that mark to five this season.
Sealy coach T.J. Mills said his team considered using the slogan
"One for the Thumb," first popularized by the Pittsburgh
Steelers, but decided against it after a little research.
"No one who has ever used that has been successful, so
we're going with 'Drive for Five,' " Mills said.
The road they'll be driving should be a bit easier as the UIL
has split 3A into two divisions. Three of the preseason top 10
teams project as Division I qualifiers while Sealy is likely to
be in Division II.
Mills said one reason the team has remained on top is consistency
among his assistant coaches. Of his eight helpers, seven have
been there at least seven years.
"That's hard to do, especially at our level," said
Mills, who has been at Sealy 13 years. "If you have success,
they tend to move up the ladder. My guy's haven't. It kind of
surprises me."
Mills said he was also surprised to get 19 first-place votes
from the AP's panel of 20 sports writers and broadcasters.
"That's confidence," he said.
Sweeny has dropped into 3A and the team has high hopes after
going 9-4 and reaching the regional finals in 4A last year. They
come in at No. 2 and drew the other top vote.
Cleveland, tied with Breckenridge for third; Alvarado, tied
with last year's finalist Commerce for eighth; and No. 10 Graham
also were realigned from 4A to 3A in the UIL's biennial shuffling
in February.
Stanton, went 16-0 for its first crown last year, will have
several of its top players back this season, but so will No. 2
Mart, an 8-4 area finalist last year.
Omaha Pewitt, the 2A runner-up in 1993, returns from an exile
in 3A and steps in at No. 3. The Brahmas were regional finalists
in the higher class last year.
Tenaha tops Class A on the strength of 17 returning starters
from a team that lost by one point to eventual state champion
Granger in last year's quarterfinals.
The defending champs come in third, one spot behind Wheeler,
the team they beat in the finals.
The regular season begins with two games Thursday, although
most schools won't kick off until the following weekend. For the
first time, the UIL is giving teams 11 weeks to play their 10-game
season this year.
Send a Letter to the Editor about This
Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address)
of This Story to A Friend:
|
