HS Football Season is here

[JohnKilleen]

Pretty quiet since the season starts this weekend. Cove has a brutal non district lineup and starts with a big rivalry game with A&M Consolidated. The KISD schools don't really have much going this weekend. Ellison might just be able to break the loosing streak with Eagle Pass.

[sojourner truth]

I will look forward to the Eagles first district win... But right about now, any win would do wonders for morale.

GO EAGLES.....

[CenTexDave]

I haven't been able to find out a thing about Cove's scrimmage at Abilene HS last Friday. It seems the KDH can cover scrimmages for Ellison, Killeen, Heights, Florence, Gatesville, Salado, Temple and Lampasas, but can't write about Cove.
I sent a very scathing letter to their sports editor today. I don't expect a play by play description, but at least they could get some comments from the coaches as to how it went.

[1962bc]

I haven't been able to find out a thing about Cove's scrimmage at Abilene HS last Friday. It seems the KDH can cover scrimmages for Ellison, Killeen, Heights, Florence, Gatesville, Salado, Temple and Lampasas, but can't write about Cove.
I sent a very scathing letter to their sports editor today. I don't expect a play by play description, but at least they could get some comments from the coaches as to how it went.


Abilene paper has a picture of your Dawgs but report is member only. www.reporternews.com

Warren pleased with Eagles' effort in scrimmage


ABILENE, Texas - The Abilene High Eagles showed flashes Friday in their scrimmage against the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs, now the task is to find consistency, AHS coach Steve Warren said.

[CenTexDave]

So might not be good news for Cove. lol
They'll score a ton as they were the #1 offense in the state last year. Problem is their defense sucks and will probably give up a ton also.

[JohnKilleen]

I imagine the Cove / Consolidated game will be good. It has been a good rival game for them both. Kind of nice of Cove to play them as I remember a few years ago when Cove dropped down for 2 years the talk was Consolidated didn't want to play a lower classification team and now A&M dropped. Since Cove is local I will be pulling for them on this one. I do hope Ellison can win some this year and start working their way back to where they once were. But alas.... my heart will always belong to the ROOS>>>>>>>>

[CenTexDave]

I'd like to see both Ellison and Heights do well, but not at the expense of Cove. lol
Would be great for everyone to beat Midway. :)
I did get an email reply from the KDH Sports Editor - the usual excuse that they have one editor, 3 reporters and have to cover 11 different schools. Eleven schools??? Let's see here - Killeen, Ellison, Shoemaker, Heights, Cove, Gatesville, Lampasas, Salado, Florence, Belton and Temple? Who the hell cares about Temple - they have their own newspaper in Temple and they aren't even in the same district anymore.

[sojourner truth]

You have to remember who owns the paper, and where their loyalties lie..

I was surprised to finally figure it out yesterday that Killeen/Heights is actually bigger than Waco or Temple. I knew we were bigger than Temple but not Waco.

There is, and always has been, a lot of "size" envy between Temple and Killeen, and I suppose Waco as well. It got really bad when the airport competition was going on. I think it is an envy thing where they wish they had the population and growth we have, but without the inconvenience of all those nasty old soldiers hanging around.

[Ludwig]

Killeen, all by itself, is bigger than Waco. At least according to the latest US census.

[CenTexDave]

Waco has been losing people the last decade. I guess the ghetto got tiring. That's one reason Waco HS dropped in classification and Midway finally climbed. Hewitt is the growing city there now.
Killeen has always been larger than Temple.

[JohnKilleen]

There has always been competition between east and west Bell county. Temple had for years been the largest most important city. They were not happy when in the 70's or so Killeen surpassed their population. Temple does have nicer homes, industry, etc....but the population is Killeen/ Heights. And I do remember Temple trying to get the airport from Killeen when there was talk of building a new one. If I remember Major Blair rallied hard for Killeen on that issue. Waco and Temple will probably both reamin more influential than Killeen, especially with their business and industrail growth, but I do believe Killen has a bright future. Do long for the good old days though when our football teams could keep up with Temple, Waco, even Longview etc.

[CenTexDave]

Those days will return. Temple was down for many years. It was only last year they got back to being good.
Waco hasn't been the same the past 10 years. Their coach, Johnny Tusa, saw what was coming with people fleeing the city for the suburbs and retired. Kind of like what Temple's coach, Bob McQueen did. The difference is McQueen won two state championships.

[JohnKilleen]

Temple should do very well in the new 5A. I have noticed Waco's enrolment numbers keep dropping as do Temple's. Temple does have 2 popular private high schools and a large part of the western part of Temple , the new growth area, is in the Belton ISD. Belton is now the largest high school in the area. Maybe not this year, but in the near future Belton is going to be a big force in district football. they landed an A list coach and will have the numbers to really compete.

[CenTexDave]

Think you're correct. I see Cove has slowly lost their powerhouse status. Some had told me they think it's just a class or two of not super athletes - I don't believe that. I think it's a combination of a few things - the army deployments, high taxes, etc. has taken its toll and people just aren't moving into Cove like they used to. Thus less people = less chance of great players. Not to say they won't be good, but I don't see a district championship or long playoff run anymore.

[JohnKilleen]

You know part of the problem anymore for a 6A team and some 5A teams is competing against the suburban powerhouse squads. Look how west Texas football has fallen back It is hard for schools like Killeen, Cove or even Temple and Belton to compete with the Allen's, De Sotos (both huge enrollments) Katy, Lake Travis, etc.... and the facilities and money they pour into their programs. Cove may not be a state power again for awhile, but they have built their program from nothing into a very formidable foe year in and year out. As long as they continue winning they will get the young men who want to play.

[stevendub]

I didn't see a thing about Ellison's scrimmage in the papers..I know they have a QB battle going on but how did they do against Round Rock?

[CenTexDave]

I have no idea stevendub. I can't find a thing about Cove's scrimmage about Abilene either.
Cove used to be able to compete against those kind of teams - beat Southlake Carroll one year and lost to them the next after having an 11 point lead in the 4th quarter. They beat Odessa Permian and gave Midland Lee a helluva good game the year Lee won state. Same with Converse Judson - lost to them in a close one the year they won state, and beat them the next year they went to state. But that's in the past. West Texas football has died the past decade, but now that the oil boom is going again, and if it keeps going, look for them to become powers again. Katy is always real good, and makes me wonder if they don't adjust the attendance zones annually. Katy has 5 high schools - how does one continually be a state powerhouse and the others not much of anything?? And speaking of Lake Travis - we'll see. Cove plays them their second game. :)

[CenTexDave]

Finally an article in this morning's KDH about Cove's game with A&M Conso this coming Friday, but not a word about the scrimmage with Abilene. Makes me wonder if Abilene made them look bad or the KDH sports department never bothered to contact the athletic department to even inquire about it.
By 10:30PM Friday night we should have an idea if the Dawgs are any good or not. A&M is ranked #4 in 5A. Interesting Waco and Cove aren't playing anymore. That had turned into a helluva good rivalry. But then again, you have to be your rival once in a while for it to even remain a rivalry and Waco hadn't done that in many years. How the mighty have fallen.

[1962bc]

These teams' coaches are allowed to pick up the phone and call the paper. Obviously, KDH wouldn't cover scrimmages in Round Rock and Abilene. So, apparently, the coaches didn't want info about their teams. Particularly, in Ellison's case. Don't want the fans to get disappointed before the opener. lol

[CenTexDave]

That's what I was thinking - the Dawgs stunk it up. lol We know their defense sucked last year, and I doubt it will be improved much this year. Even when Cove was putting all those real good defensive players in Div 1 college teams, their D sucked. So it has to be the system, not the players.

[JohnKilleen]

Best of luck to all the area teams this weekend. Shoemaker should win, Ellison might, and Cove just might stun Consolidated.