Texas Stadium memories Part II

Okay so it took me three weeks to mention Part II of my Texas Stadium memories. Unfortunately my last one is seeing two Baltimore Ravens running backs running down the sidelines practically untouched in the final game at the stadium.

Even more sicker feeling trying to watch the post game ceremony in which the NFL Network and our local Channel 33 did a crappy job of showing. But I had a lot of great memories at the stadium, especially having the privilege of covering 34 high school football playoff games there.

I can remember in November 1976 the very first time I covered a game there – South Grand Prairie vs. Highland Park in a bi-district game. Highland Park won, 41-13, but I was an 18-year old sports writer for the Grand Prairie Urbanite and I was in heaven.

Three years later after moving on to the Mid-Cities Daily News in Hurst, it became a ritual every fall covering playoff games at Texas Stadium. The 1982 season was incredible because that was the first year two teams went to the playoffs.

L.D. Bell and Trinity, the two main schools we covered, were 9-0 and had to move their regular season finale to the stadium because old Pennington Field couldn’t hold the expected crowd. Both teams were headed to the playoffs but this was for bragging rights and the first 10-0 season either school had ever had.

Bell won, 20-8, in front of 29,000-plus fans, the largest attendance for a regular season game at the time and I think that record still holds. Four weeks later, both teams met again, this time for the Region I championship. Over 36,000-plus showed up and the two teams promptly tied, 14-14.

Bell advanced on penetrations and eventually lost in the state championship to Beaumont West Brook in the Houston Astrodome two weeks later.

I’ve witnessed a lot of close encounters as well as my share of blowouts. My alma mater, Grand Prairie, played in a few of those memorable games, including a 7-3 win over Kimball when the Gophers recovered a fumble in the end zone in the final 30 seconds.

Kimball had dominated the entire game but led only 3-0.

South Grand Prairie had a lot of memorable games as well. The 1999 season was a magic one for the Warriors who unfortunately, lost a heart-breaker to Garland in the semifinals, 41-38, in overtime. The week before SGP had a dramatic come-from-behind win over Abilene, 45-37, scoring three touchdowns in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter.

So many great memories yet the last picture I have on my mind is those two Ravens running backs – on back-to-back plays none the less! – scoring on long touchdowns to all but put an end to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.

Cowboys didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway, but Texas Stadium didn’t deserve to end that way, either.

Next on the agenda: Jury Duty