Weird Texas HS Football Stories

[Nederlandboy42]

This morning on coffee and football the guys were talking about some of their weirdest THSFB stories. I’ll share mine and encourage you to share your’s. I played linebacker for Nederland HS and my senior year, 2017, during the Mid-County Madness game, Roschon’s Junior year PNG was going in from the five so I’m lined up in my stance ready to play and seconds before the snap on the opposite end of the field a flare was shot from the Port Neches student section across the field and landed 5 yards from the Nederland student section where it would’ve burned someone really badly. Cheering for Roschon is much more fun than trying to tackle him. 

[Sirhornsalot]

Back in the day, Mt Pleasant and Daingerfield used to be quite a rivalry. In the 70s, Daingerfield had climbed to AAA (now AAAA) after winning the AA state title in 68. Daingerfield had a string of district titles for the first couple of years in AAA. Mt Pleasant's program had been down for a few years but was on the rise during the early 70s.

The towns are only 18 miles apart. One year, 1972 I believe, Daingerfield and Mt Pleasant were both undefeated and met for the district title at a game played in Daingerfield. It was standing room only, with about 7-8K people on hand.

Late in the game, Daingerfield was leading 14-12. Mt Pleasant began moving the ball, using the pass. As they passed mid field, their QB threw a pass that was a toss-up for the intended receiver and Daingerfield's defensive back. Both players came down with the ball but the DF player ended up having sole possession.

That play was the end for MP as time was quickly running out and they had just lost possession to DF. The MP players and DF players began jawing it up on the field, then some punches were thrown and once that happened, the sidelines emptied. People were trying to go down from the stands to join in the melee. Daingerfield's coach was arrested, the DF QB got hit over the head with a coke bottle, it was a real mess. Both police and sheriff deputies stormed the field. The refs couldn't do a thing and just called the game.

The game set the tone for the years to come. DF had a down period through the mid 70s and MP would just pound them. Then DF got good again in the late 70s and took back the rivalry advantage. They then dropped down to AAA in 1983. 

I played for the last Daingerifled team to be in class AAAA. We beat MP that year 21-0 in a sleet storm. Literally nobody in the bleachers after halftime.

The two team do not play these days. Daingerfield, reliant on Lone Star Steel for so many years, began a population decline in '83 once Lone Star Steel began significant lay-offs. LSS is closed today. Mt Pleasant kept growing. Daingerfield got smaller. So the game no longer makes sense for either program.

Edited April 30 by Sirhornsalot

[Sirhornsalot]

Something else to add . . . Donnie Lawrence was the head coach for Mt Pleasant in the early 70s. Above, I mistakenly said Daingerfield's coach (Buddy Humphrey) was the one who got arrested. Instead, it was Lawrence who ended up in handcuffs.

I was at that game but was only 7-8 years old at the time. 

Later, I became a journalist and at one point went to work in the San Antonio area running a newspaper. I would always volunteer myself to our sports editor on Friday nights and he would just send me where he wanted me. One Friday night, he sent me to Kerrville to cover the Tivy-New Braunfels Canyon game. About halfway through the game, I was browsing the game program and noticed Tivy's head coach was none other than Donnie Lawrence.

After the game, which Canyon won, I visited the Tivy locker room. I interviewed Lawrence. Once I had what I wanted, I then asked him about his time in Mt Pleasant. I then told him I was from Daingerfield. At that point, he looked up at me and smiled and said "yeah, we had some doozies back then. Despite the tempers and punches, both teams played very good football."

 

 

[Man On The Street]

Daingerfield wudn't nuttin nice at all --- bad a's back in the day

Edited April 30 by Man On The Street

[Blake Munroe]

15 hours ago, Man On The Street said:

Daingerfield wudn't nuttin nice at all --- bad a's back in the day

Hell of a defense back in the day. That’s for sure.