I love high school football, but there’s one thing I really didn’t care for – penetrations. I always thought that we should have a better way, there’s bound to be a better way, and all the UIL would say is that it’s the only way. We have it cleaned up now and this is the way it should be – on the field. Back in the old days, the one that we had, and we had several, but the one that irked me more than anything was in 1974.
We had just been knocked out of the playoffs in ’73 on a bad call. The officials admitted it the next morning but we were out with a 9-1 record … and only one team went to the playoffs. Surely nothing like that could ever happen again, could it?
In 1974 Brownwood had a great ball club. I mean a GREAT ball club! We got nipped in the opener by who else but Abilene Cooper. Then we roared through the rest of the season and we got to an average Gainesville team in the semi-finals and we played them at Baylor Stadium in Waco. We were not only the favorite, but we were an overwhelming favorite and we looked like it. We took the opening kickoff and went down and scored and its 7-0. I think we may have been up like 14-0 at halftime and it looked like we were already in the finals. Then here came Gainesville and they scored and its 14-7. We go up like 20-7 in the third quarter of the ballgame and we were playing well. Then, for some reason, we stopped playing real well. Gainesville scored again and it was 20-14. I didn’t think they even had time to get the ball back but they did. Now, we are talking about very, very little time on the clock. They are hung up about mid field and trying to make a play, just trying. We are up 20-14 and finally the clock goes down to one second – one second remaining in the ballgame. Gainesville had a good running back and on the film he’s the only receiver they’ve got out wide. The only one! They throw a “Hail Mary” from about mid field and this kid, with two backs all over him, jumps up and comes down with the ball. Our defenders crash into each other, fall off, and he turns around and walks into the end zone. Now it’s 20 to 20!
Of course we aren’t keeping penetrations and stuff like that, who cares? We had them whipped – I thought. It’s 20-20 and they go out and line up for the extra point and miss it. I think the penetrations were tied so they went to first downs. Guess who won the ballgame. It’s about as sick as I’ve ever been at a ballgame. A horrible, horrible ending.
Gainesville went on to play Cuero the next week and they lost, barely. I didn’t think either one of them were very good. Fact is, I was ready to play both of them, but they wouldn’t let us. I had no doubt that we had the best 4A team in Texas that year, but you know what, you’ve got to prove it on the field and we didn’t do it. I’m thankful that today, in 2023, we don’t have to play that penetration game anymore.
Brownwood won seven State Championships. They probably had the talent to win a dozen. They probably should have won ten and that ’74 squad was one of the ones that didn’t get it done.
Until next time, so long everybody.
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‘Out of the Box’ with Dallas Huston is published each Monday morning at BrownwoodNews.com. Dallas was the radio voice of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets for more than 55 years. He currently is Pastor of Center City Baptist Church and hosts a Men’s Bible Study in Brownwood on Monday evenings. Your comments are welcome at [email protected].