OSG High: It Was 11v11 Until Someone Else Showed Up...

((HT: Deb Carson and KRIS-TV))

This was a few nights ago when Kingsville was taking on Robstown (Texas). Looked like one side was about to score...

And think about just how important and focused you have to be on both sides of the ball...

The concentration...

Then, it's broken by someone else who just wanted to play...

Post by Friday Night Fever.

OSG High: $60-Million High School Stadium... And It's Broken...

((HT: WFAA-TV))

Everything is always bigger in Texas...

And football stadia were no different...

The Allen Independent School District and its families voted to built the Taj Mahal- a $60-million facility for its athletic teams. It doesn't work...

The repairs have to do with Rebar, joints, and an inability to actually support the stadium itself on the ground it sits on. And that's not good...

Here's the look from outside since repairs have to go on inside...

Neighboring Plano ISD is renting their facility to the Allen ISD for football season- at $5300 a game...

OSG High: $60M Stadium Closed For Repairs

((HT: WFAA-TV))

The HQ knows all about the idea that high school football stadia are cathedrals in their home towns for fans, students, and parents. But the Allen (TX) ISD constructed a $60-million stadium for the Allen High School football team...

After only 18 months, it is now closed down because of a bunch of cracked concrete...
And that's not a good thing...

For Allen ISD or, especially, the contractor Pogue Construction...

Here's the response from the Allen ISD
Whoops...

OSG High: UIL Games At Jerry-World Set Records

((HT: WFAA-TV))

And made for good highlights...

Aledo High became the first team in US high school football history (that the HQ can think of) that cleared 1,000 points in their season. Remember, Aledo was the team that beat one team 91-0 and caused the one of the parents of the team that got beat to call for a bullying investigation...

That went well...

And the Allen-Pearland game set a UIL record for attendance of almost 55,000 at Cowboys Stadium

Here's your look...

OSG High: A Very Special Texas Touchdown

((HT: Amarillo Globe News/Beilue))

This story comes out of Amarillo and reminds us what's important and reinforces high school football's place in it...

In the Memphis-Stratford game last Friday, the winner wasn't in much doubt. A 35-0 score was on the books late in the fourth quarter, and Memphis coach Andy Correll had an idea that he went over with his counterpart, Eddie Metcalf.

Correll wanted to have Kenbriel Hearn score in his senior season...

Hearn, as far back as July, was a star running back for the team. But he suffered two strokes within ten days of each other.

Hearn wanted to be a part of his team, and Correll had a great idea...


The whole piece by Beilue is worth your time...
Trust us...

OSG High: Cheerleaders Benched For Condoms In Spirit Bags

((HT: KHOU-TV))

Okay... this could be two schools of thought...

The Wharton (TX) High cheerleaders who put condoms in the goodie bags for their football players were either being preventative and showing some forethought or...

Well, the other one...

The powers that are with the school district called that move a violation of the student code of conduct. The cheerleaders were given a one-day, in-school suspension and were banned from last night’s game against Bellville.

Here's the fallout...

The school system says their decisions are based on state law...

The HQ would like to know what law they're thinking of for that punishment...

OSG High: Bullying Charge After Blowout Win

((HT: NBCDFW))

A football team wins 91-0 and a parent files a bullying charge from the losing squad...

Make sense to you...???
Thought so...

Here's what's going on in the Metroplex...


The Texas Education Agency defines bullying as:

"Bullying occurs when a person is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength."

So, faithful reader, is this bullying or is this a soft parent...???

What say you...???

OSG High: Texas HS FB WR This/Close To National Receiving Record

((HT: Pro8News))

Laredo-Alexander (TX) got the win but Mark Lozoya caught 17 balls for 461 yards and 6 touchdowns in his teams 63-35 victory over CC Winn. Running back Xavione Skaggs added three scores of his own on the way to making the Bulldogs 3-0 in district play

Here's the highlights


His 454 yards shattered the old Texas mark of 392 yards set by Amarillo-Caprock's Austin Bustos in 2012. But the total was two yards short of the national single-game record of 456 receiving yards, set last year by Waldport (Ore.) receiver Kraig Pruett.

OSG High: 3 Dead In Fatal New Mexico Rollover Includes TAMU And Utah Players (UPDATED)

((HT: MyFoxDFW/KRQE-TV))

Three teens including a freshman football player at Texas A&M died in a car accident in New Mexico just north of Albuquerque near the town of Cuba.

Polo Manukainiu was driving back from Utah Monday night. He was a two-time all-district defensive end for Euless Trinity High School.

Before the trip he tweeted, "22 hour drive back to Texas on no sleep. Oh my," around 5:30 local time Monday afternoon.

On his twitter feed, there were those who wished that he would be careful including one message that said: Pull over & get some sleep. We don't need another tragedy. Be safe & God bless. #gigem

According to Emmanuel Gutierrez of the New Mexico State Police, five people were in a Toyota SUV (pictured right, thanks KRQE-TV) at the time of the crash. Two of them were ejected and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Utah football recruit Gaius Vaenuku and current Euless Trinity player Lolo Uhatafe were also killed. A fourth unidentified person has been airlifted in critical condition. The condition of the fifth person is unknown.

Reaction is starting to pour out of College Station...

"Heart hurts waking up to news about Polo.. I think I speak for everyone on our team when I say we love you brother you will be missed," A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel tweeted.

Manukainiu was a two-time All-District 6-5A defensive end in high school, and helped lead his team to an undefeated regular season as a senior. The redshirt freshman was a recreation, parks and tourism sciences major.

More when we know more...

1600 UPDATE: It appears, according to NMSP, that the older brother of Lolo Uhatafe was driving the SUV. 18-year-old Siaosi Uhatafe, and his father, Salesi were the two who were injured.

The New Mexico State Police said the driver, Siaosi Uhatafe, was the only person in the vehicle who was wearing a seat belt.

Here's reports from NBCDFW from Euless...


“We lost a terrific young man,” Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin said. “Polo was loved by his teammates and coaches. Anyone who came in contact with him was struck by his sense of humor and smile. My heart aches for his mom and family members.”

“Everyone who knew Gaius is heartbroken today,” said Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham. “He was the kind of young man who lit up a room and his future in football and life had no boundaries. Words cannot express our devastation over the loss of Gaius. This is a sad day not only for University of Utah football, but for everyone whose lives Gaius crossed or would have crossed but for this tragedy. Our hearts go out to Gaius’ and Salesi’s families, and to the Texas A&M coaches and players. We are praying for the speedy recovery of Salesi and his father.”

OSG High: Texas Parents Might Be Able To Purchase More Concussion Insurance

((HT: KXAN-TV Austin))

The HQ is all too well aware about concussions and their impact on professional athletes- and TBH had a great point the other day- what about how it can impact high school athletes...???

The Texas high school association, the UIL, is now part of a pilot program that will allow parents to purchase extra insurance for their kids, to the tune of about $5 extra, for kids who play football and soccer...

Here's their look...

House OKs UIL concussion insurance pilot program

The bill passed Tuesday and has to clear one more hurdle before heading to the Senate.

Private companies would underwrite the policies administered by the UIL and the Texas Education Agency. Both groups would then figure out decide which districts participate in the program.

OSG High: Texas Cheerleaders Can Quote Scripture On Pre-Game Banners

((HT: KFDM-TV Beaumont))

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has been on the warpath in the last year trying to keep religious influence from high school football games and their associated activities- pre-game, post-game, practice... all over...

The HQ knows of two instances, one it reported on, involving coaches who prayed with their teams on school grounds- much to the dismay and anger of the local townsfolk. Look up the cases the FFRF had against Ridgeland High School (GA) and Haralson County High School (GA) for your backgrounder.

Now, over the last eight months or so the FFRF has been telling cheerleaders at Kountze High School in southeast Texas that they needed to stop. But Texas State District Judge Steve Thomas determined the cheerleaders' banners are constitutionally permissible. In a copy of the ruling obtained by Beaumont station KFDM, Thomas determined that no law "prohibits cheerleaders from using religious-themed banners at school sporting events."

Judge Thomas may need, and will probably need, to be reminded of the whole separation of church and state thing...

Here's the original victory in court...


The FFRF said the messages violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which bars the government from establishing or endorsing a religion.

So much for that... the case was set to go to trial in late June, but the judge's summary judgment puts an end to the proceedings (until the FFRF or someone like them appeals to a higher court)

Danny Amendola's Dad, Victim of Runaway Golf Cart Sues Cowboys Stadium

((ht: nfl.com))

It was video that was kind of hard to forget.

A rogue, runaway golf cart, pylon wedged on the gas pedal, plowing into a group of people standing at mid-field after a Texas State championship football game.. The cart plowed them over, crashing into coach Willie Amendola, father of Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola and coach at Spring Dekaney High School. Amendola tried to stop the cart, before being tossed from it.

NFL.com reports Willie is suing Cowboys stadium for $1 million citing "great personal anguish and embarrassment".

Read the NFL.com story RIGHT HERE

And yes, the video did go viral, shown all over the Interwebs and quite frequently on T.V.

Here's our original story on it from December 18th, 2011 RIGHT HERE

We don't begrudge Amendola his right to be angry, he should be. Someone should have and we believe did get fired over the incident.

And while it was really funny to see, it doesn't make up for the fact someone did get hurt.

On the odd chance you haven't seen the video, here it is:

OSG High: Texas Bill To Limit Full-Contact Practice

((HT: ETFinalScore))

The HQ is well aware of what concussions and helmet-to-helmet contact have done to football players these days...

All you have to do is look...

On one side, you have OJ Brigance and Steve Gleason who are dealing with ALS and, on the other, there are all the deaths of football players who have been diagnosed with CTE.

One Texas state legislator is looking at the collision sport and trying to trim the number of contact practices even further...

Brownsville rep Eddie Lucio is putting a bill to the floor in the state house in Austin to restrict full contact practices to one per week.

“If you don’t allow (a) muscle or bone to heal, it’s going to break,” he told Ben Kamisar of the Austin Statesman. “The same thing is relative to the brain. It can only heal itself at a certain rate, and any additional hits could cause more damage.”

Coaches gave Kamisar alternating opinions:

"I’ve always felt like good coaching prevents those things,” Austin-Cedar Park (TX) head coach Joe Willis said. “…If you have one day (of full-contact practice), and you go out there with bad technique on that one day, you might get a concussion anyway.”

Lake Travis High School head coach Hank Carter said that his team already doesn’t tackle players to the ground during regular season practice to limit injuries.

The HQ will be interested to see where this goes...

Here's some analysis on the early changes in the UIL during last football season...

OSG High: Friday Night Lights Coach Retires

And, no, we're not talking about either Billy Bob Thornton
((HT: Movieclips))


Or Kyle Chandler...


The real head coach at Odessa-Permian HS, Gary Gaines, is retiring from being the head coach of the Panthers because he's only been around .500 the last few seasons...

And, to him, that's unacceptable...

Here's Whitney Harding with the news...
((HT: KWES/KOSA, Midland-Odessa TX))


It will be interesting to see who the new head coach is because, as is said, you want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaces a legend...

Not the guy who replaces the legend...

A Texas High School Football Player And A Calvin Klein Model

As a safety for Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas, Myles Crosby leads the Panthers in tackles. 

While his football skills may not make him a millionaire his face might.  Crosby is a model for Calvin Klein.

Check out this great feature from WFAA-TV Dallas, TX

 

OSG High: Allen High Gets Their $119M Stadium

((HT: NBCDFW/60MaxPowerO.com))

They always say that things are bigger in Texas...

Allen High had its supporters pass a bond referendum for an incredibly non-high school looking barn complete with a huge matrix board, private boxes and everything that would pass for a Division 1-AA stadium...

Not that the HQ is surprised about anything in Texas...



Their home opener is on the 31st..

Lookout for the runaway Golf Cart!!!

((ht: star-telegram.com))

Whoa! You just don't see this happen very often.

Saturday night at the end of the Texas 5A, Division II Championship game, the teams, coaches, officials and others gathered on the field to shake hands at the end of the game when it happened.

Somehow, a golf cart broke loose, careening onto the field and plowing over multiple people on the field. One man was apparently sent to the hospital with a leg injury and a couple other people were injured or shaken up trying to dodge the renegade cart.

Read the story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram RIGHT HERE

Nobody has been able, at this time, to explain how the cart managed to break free with the accelerator on. And yeah, it is alternately scary and funny to watch.

**Note**--Check out Spring Dekaney coach Willie Amendola who was in the middle of an interview when he gets bumped into the passenger seat. He tries steering the cart before getting tossed from the bucking bronco...

So with that in mind, here is your video:

OSG High: Houston HS Footbrawl

((HT: ABC13.com Houston))

It's another high school football weekend, which means there's another disagreement between opposing players- this time in the Houston area on television...

Houston-Lamar and Houston-Chavez were going at it. And in the second half, Chavez QB Demun Mercer ran out of bounds and was hit late by Lamar's Darin McNeil. Mercer ran after McNeil and the rest is below...



Not bad for a TV game, eh...???
No word form the Texas High School Athletic Association on punishments as of yet...