Struggling traditional powers know season is far from over

Fifteen.

That's the number of state championships won by traditional powers Austin Westlake, Converse Judson, Grapevine, Hebron, John Tyler and Midland Lee over their storied football histories.

Two.

That's the number of victories those six programs have through the first three weeks of the 2008 season.

While current heavyweights like Euless Trinity, Southlake Carroll and Odessa Permian haven't suffered much of a dropoff over the past couple seasons, several other prominent programs have fallen on hard times of late.

Midland Lee and John Tyler have fielded good, if not great, teams the past few years, while Grapevine has been solid the past decade, but not a state-title threat year after year. Hebron is off to a poor start, but the school is also less than a decade old and may still bounce back.

But over the past two decades, few teams in the state can match the sort of dominance displayed by both Westlake and Judson. The two teams combined for 16 state championship appearances since 1988, winning six state titles.

And while times are tough at both schools, neither is showing signs of throwing in the towel.

Westlake heads into tonight's game against A&M Consolidated with an 0-2 record for the first time in school history. Add in that it hasn't beaten the Tigers on their home field in eight years and the prospect of getting that first win doesn't look good.

"I was hoping that hurricane would've taken down their lights and they would've had to come up here," joked Westlake coach Derek Long. "No such luck ... and I know we're gonna have a heck of a time down there."

Yet don't go confusing Westlake for being a typical non-district pushover. The Chaparrals are two years removed from giving Carroll all it could handle in the state championship game and feature a running back headed to Texas A&M next fall.

Sure Westlake has struggled in its opening two losses, but it hasn't been pummeled either.

Future Aggie Ryan Swope rushed for 244 yards and a touchdown despite playing at "75 percent" in losses to Cedar Park and Lake Travis. The Chaps scored 38 points in the two games, but shot themselves in the foot with costly penalties (99 yards) and turnovers (five) that helped seal their fate.

"We played two good football teams and if you don't play well against good football teams you're not gonna win," Long said. "We made too many mistakes and we paid for those mistakes."

Mistakes are something Judson is very familiar with as well.

Lapses on defense and special teams have cost Judson its last two games, with Pflugerville connecting on touchdown passes of 73 and 76 yards on back-to-back possessions to down the Rockets last week. Before that it was a blocked punt and interception return for a touchdown costing them against Smithson Valley.

Yet considering how well Judson has looked in every other facet of the game, coach Jim Rackley isn't too worried about his Rockets' consecutive losses. The defense has yet to allow anyone to gain 300 yards, while running back Chauncey Harris has rushed for 532 yards to carry the offensive load.

"We had a couple blunders in the secondary [against pflugerville] and a couple mistakes [against Smithson Valley, but other than that we've played a couple good, tough ballgames," Rackley said. "People aren't going to look at us and see our record. They're going to look at us and see that we've played three really good teams."

It's a tough point to argue for either Judson or Westlake.

Despite starting off with losing records, Judson's first three games came against a state finalist and two playoff teams from a year ago. Westlake's two foes currently have a 5-1 record and a state championship.

Yet, while both Long and Rackley admit that their teams' slow starts haven't squashed any thoughts of district titles, deep playoff runs or possible state championships, both also agree that being a juggernaut in high school football isn't as easy as it once was.

"There's no denying that it's different around here," said Long, citing growth, location and changes within school districts. "The Austin area has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. We're not the only game in town anymore."

Added Rackley: "We're basically the same as everyone else now ... and that's why we want to get better every week. That's why we play all those tough folks in the non-dsitrict - to get better."

So while some around the state or region see more losses than wins on the records and wonder what's wrong with Judson and Westlake, the Rockets and Chaps don't worry about it.

The talent may not be as deep, but it's still there. The expectations are still high and that's not about to change. The work needed to reach those expecations is still willing to be put forth.

And as long as the front of the jersey reads "Judson" or "Chaps", neither team will play the role of an underdog. And both Long and Rackley like it that way.

"I don't think people care what our record is or what we've done, we're always marked on their schedule and I don't think that's going to change," Long said. 

"People don't overlook us ... it's a luxury we don't get,"added Rackley. "What matters is that we know we can still make everything we want to happen. There's still a lot of football left on that schedule."

Date of Article: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:23 pm

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