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Thursday, December 18, 1997

La Marque's Weddell hoping win ensures status as dynasty

By BRIAN McTAGGART / Houston Chronicle

LA MARQUE, Texas -- When it comes to football, La Marque coach Alan Weddell usually knows what he's talking about.

Need to know how to motivate players? Ask Weddell. Need to know what play to run on fourth-and-three? Ask Weddell. Need to know about high school football dynasties? Ask Weddell.

Weddell has two state-championship rings and nearly 150 career victories, proving he's more than a football genius. But when Weddell talks about dynasties, he mentions Brownwood, Cuero, Converse Judson and Sealy. He doesn't mention La Marque.

"I have a hard time imagining people looking at us in the same way that I looked at those programs," he said. "I guess it's hard for me to look in a mirror and put our program in that caliber yet."

That is where some people would say Weddell is wrong. After all, the Cougars will become the first team to play in five consecutive state-title games when they meet Denison in the Class 4A Division II championship at 4:11 p.m. Saturday in the Astrodome.

La Marque (11-3) has won 101 of 115 games, including a streak of 50 consecutive regular-season games that ended last year, and has beaten Denison in the championship game the past two seasons.

"I guess our goal at La Marque has been after we started getting the success is maybe we can put this school in the name of the Abilenes, the Brownwoods, the Cueros, the West Oranges, the Judsons and the Planos," Weddell said. "Maybe we're on the verge of 20 to 30 years from now people remembering La Marque like they remember those programs. I think that with a win in this game, we might be able to be looked at like that."

Weddell's blueprint for success has been effective, though not original. When he arrived at La Marque in 1990, he patterned his program after that of D.W. Rutledge at Judson.

While head coach at Victoria, Weddell turned that program around and won the school's first district championship in 1986. Victoria lost to Judson in the first round of the playoffs that season, but Weddell left with a positive impression.

"I was extremely impressed with (Judson's) kids in the way they executed and the way they conducted themselves," he said. "I guess you always try to learn from people that beat you so I started watching Judson and got to learn more about it. I went and visited Judson during the spring training of 1989, and it was just amazing."

What Weddell found was a coaching staff that had the same philosophies and had good camaraderie. He also found an administration and community that gave their complete support.

"I think continuity in the coaching staff is one of the true constants," he said. "We've had coaches come and coaches go, but we've replaced them with good coaches with the same good attitudes. We've had three principals in five years, a new superintendent and a new school board, but the consistency and support from the community has been there."

With that support, Weddell went 31-6 in his first three seasons at La Marque. But that was just the beginning. The Cougars went 14-0 in 1993 and qualified for their first title game before losing to Stephenville.

"That team was a great bunch of overachievers," Weddell said. "They had a refuse-to-lose attitude and a mission in front of them to finish the job."

La Marque came back the next season and won its first 15 games before falling again to Stephenville in the final. Weddell began wondering if he ever would attain the success of the Judson teams he so admired.

"You've had two chances (to win state), and you didn't get either one of them," Weddell said. "The funny thing about that (title) game is how we should've had 30 points in the first half and we only had 14. I thought that would come back and haunt us, and sure enough the wheels came off in the fourth quarter. I just remember being very helpless on the sideline."

The Cougars had some question marks entering the 1995 season, mostly on defense. Weddell is a firm believer that defense wins championships, and he pieced together a defense that posted 10 shutouts. More important, the Cougars went 16-0 and got their elusive title with a win over Denison.

La Marque went 8-2 in the regular season last year but peaked in the playoffs and once again beat Denison for a state title to finish 14-2. Weddell said the turning point was losing in Week 9 to Lamar Consolidated 20-7.

"We had played poorly, it was cold, and they were standing on the field and everybody had left," he said. "I told the kids, ÔHey, you're the defending state champions, and you can be the state champions again if you want to be. You've got to realize it's the guys here that are going to do it.' All of a sudden, the next week we won 63-0 (over Dickinson), the seniors stood up, and we rolled through the playoffs until (the semifinals against) Calallen."

The 1997 season went much the same. La Marque lost three games for the first time since Weddell's first season in Galveston County. But the Cougars find themselves on the brink of becoming the first 4A team to win three consecutive state titles.

No matter the outcome Saturday, Weddell said he has been equally proud of all his finalist teams.

"Each one did their own little thing," he said. "Whether it was the first one to get there or the one to get us back, I think each team's fulfilled its potential. That's been the most gratifying thing about it. Last year's team was disappointing at first, but I was so proud of them the way they came up. This year's team is not nearly as talented as previous teams, but they refuse to believe that."

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Distributed by The Associated Press