9 replies to this topic

[Glevy]

I am getting ready to start a book project following eleven Texas HS football teams, a week at a time, from all classifications and parts of the state. My blog is up and running, I will be updating it regularly from the road during the trip. The site is texasfootballroadtrip.com. Take a look!
Thanks,GL

[WestlakeTech]

I like the banner picture at the top of the page.

[DEL VALLE]

cool website, you wil be doing alot of traveling across the state, good luck.

[Glevy]

Thanks for looking at the blog. Its going to be a lot of fun visiting all these great programs. High school football where I'm from is nothing like what you have in Texas. Yeah, 2700 miles just getting from zero week to week ten. Who knows how much when you add the preseason and the playoffs. I just got a new Ford Focus that gets around 40 a gallon to cut down on the gas bill a bit. Can anyone tell me where the banner came from? I pulled it off Google.

[Super B]

Very very impressive list of games. I envy you for the experience you will have, but I look forward to reading the blog updates. I take it you are not married?

I try to get out to see a random game every now and then. When my team is playing on a Thursday/Saturday, I find a good game on Friday Night. When my team has a bye or is just playing a cream puff I do the same thing. So about three times a year I get to go to other games. What I don't do is stray outside the Metroplex. No time for that.

Good luck to you, and enjoy the experience.

[Glevy]

Very very impressive list of games. I envy you for the experience you will have, but I look forward to reading the blog updates. I take it you are not married?

I try to get out to see a random game every now and then. When my team is playing on a Thursday/Saturday, I find a good game on Friday Night. When my team has a bye or is just playing a cream puff I do the same thing. So about three times a year I get to go to other games. What I don't do is stray outside the Metroplex. No time for that.

Good luck to you, and enjoy the experience.

No, I'm married to a very understanding wife who's been a football widow through many years when I was coaching.
I think its going to be an amazing trip.

Thanks,
GL
texasfootballroadtrip.com

[RocklandDragon]

What?! How dare you try to be like me! J/K. I'm glad I'm not the only one that will be partaking in this endeavor. In 2006, I went to quite a few high school games. What I try to do is catch games that are played over three days and are relatively close.

In 2006, I believe my trips were as follows:

Week 0 Lubbock High at Odessa Permian (Ratliff)
Week 1 Lubbock Monterey at Abilene High (Shotwell)
Week 2 (Thurs.) Lubbock High at Amarillo Caprock (Dick Bivins)
Week 2 (Friday) Midland High at San Angelo Central (San Angelo Stadium)
Week 3 (Friday) Rockwell High at Southlake Carroll (Dragon Stadium)
Week 3 (Saturday) Lubbock High at Midland Lee (Grande Com. Stadium)
Week 4 (Thurs) Austin Bowie vs. Austin Akins (Burger Stadium)
Week 4 (Friday) Round Rock McNeil vs. Round Rock Stony Point (Dragon Stadium in RR)
Week 4 (Saturday) Cypress Falls vs. Cypress Creek (Berry Center)
Week 5 (Thurs) Longview High at Lufkin High (Abe Martin)
Week 5 (Friday) San Antonio Wagner at Smithson Valley (Ranger Stadium in S.V.)
Week 5 (Saturday) Katy Taylor vs. Katy High (Rhodes)

The rest of the week was focused on watching district games for my school Lubbock High. I went to another game to watch Lubbock Roosevelt face against Tahoka at Tahoka. Roosevelt won to make the playoffs for the first time since 1986. I went to a couple of playoff games in Texas Stadium. The classic SLC vs. Trinity game was great! Another game I saw at the fancy digs of Northwest ISD was a playoff game between Wolfforth Frenship vs. Waco High. Then I watched a great game that isn't talked much about but was a great game nonetheless. The Garland High vs. Cedar High semifinal game came down to a goal line stand and Cedar Hill stopped Garland at the half yd line. William Cole was the star in that game as he got the winning touchdown on a QB scramble.

I've been to a few games in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. It was nice but it wasn't the same. I got the urge to travel again in 2011 as I wanted to see more stadiums across Texas and I will have the time to do it this year in 2012. This year, I will be also putting heavy miles on my car to watch some games. I'm saving up for new tires and memory cards. Here is a list of games that I will be attending up to Week 6.

Week 0: (Thurs) Lubbock High at Canyon High (Kimbrough)
Week 0: (Fri) Texarkana Arkansas High at Texarkana Texas High (Grimm)
Week 0: (Sat) Conroe The Woodlands vs. Dallas Skyline at Frisco (Pizza Ht Pk)
Week 1: (Thurs) Garland High at Mesquite Horn (Mesquite Memorial)
Week 1: (Fri) Harlingen High at San Benito High (Bobby Morrow)
Week 2: (Fri) El Paso Montwood vs. Spring Branch Smithson Valley (Ranger Stadium in S.V.)
Week 2: (Sat) Houston Spring Woods at Baytown Lee (Stallworth)
Week 3: (Fri) Wollforth Frenship at Amarillo High (Dick Bivins) This might change because I might want to go to another stadium around the area.
Week 4: (Thurs) El Paso Irvin at El Paso High (Jones Stadium)
Week 4: (Fri) Lubbock High at Andrews High (Mustang Bowl)
Week 4: (Sat) Stephenville High vs. Amarillo High in Snyder (Tiger Stadium). Great, great, game to see!
Week 5: (Fri) Lubbock High at Perryton High (Ranger Stadium in Perryton)
Week 6: (Thurs) Plainview High at Lubbock High (Lowrey Field) Home city and school. No travel.
Week 6: (Fri) Laredo United South at Del Rio High (Levermann)
Week 6: (Sat) Laredo Johnson at Eagle Pass High (EaPaISD Stadium)

The travel will slow down in Weeks 7-10. Week 8, Lubbock High plays an early game so after this game ends, I will catch a local game around the area. I'm wanting to go to either Muleshoe, Spur, or maybe Crosbyton. It might be another city within 70 miles of LBK. I'll see.

Either way, I'm real glad that you will be covering these games. I also, had made a potental blog site on Google a few weeks ago but I was going to still post my game summaries on 5ATF and THSF (abbreviation happiness). Since the games you will be going to will be different from mine, I will be looking forward to reading your game summaries and pics of the stadium. It's a lot of driving and the road can be long but it was worth it every time I went to a game. Every time. There hasn't been one trip that I have regretted and I'm real glad that I have this as a hobby and there are a few people that are as crazy as me when it comes to watching HS games, LOL!


If you want, I can send you a PowerPoint of the trips I have planned out. There are a couple of games I had planned on going but I won't end up doing them due to time constraints, flight costs, and rental fees. Just let me know if you want to see that presentation and I'll remove the slides of the games I can't attend.

Edited by RocklandDragon, 17 July 2012 - 12:04 AM.

[Glevy]

Yes, I'd love to see whatever you can send me. My goal is to get as complete a picture of Texas high school football as I possibly can during one season. As a coach, I'm at least as interested is seeing the practices and meetings as the games themselves and all the coaches I'm working with have been great about allowing me access. I plan on reporting on the planning aspect as well as the games, without boring non coaches or giving away game plan adjustments. That said, I'd love to get to some extra thursday and/or saturday games when I'm nearby some. The La Marque-Ball game in week 0 is on Thursday. Does anyone have any suggestions about a good friday night game in the Houston area that week?

Gray Levy
Texasfootballroadtrip.com

[RocklandDragon]

Yes, I'd love to see whatever you can send me. My goal is to get as complete a picture of Texas high school football as I possibly can during one season. As a coach, I'm at least as interested is seeing the practices and meetings as the games themselves and all the coaches I'm working with have been great about allowing me access. I plan on reporting on the planning aspect as well as the games, without boring non coaches or giving away game plan adjustments. That said, I'd love to get to some extra thursday and/or saturday games when I'm nearby some. The La Marque-Ball game in week 0 is on Thursday. Does anyone have any suggestions about a good friday night game in the Houston area that week?

Gray Levy
Texasfootballroadtrip.com

https://docs.google....it#slide=id.p20

Here ya go. This is the PowerPoint presentation converted to Google Docs. No music or nothin. Just info and pics of the games I will attend. Unfortunately, I will likely remove two games from the list. There is no way I can go to the Beaumont game. The drive from Perryton would totally suck and flights and rentals cost too much, not to mention the lack of time to get there. The Corpus Christi game is also removed for now due to the distance and cost of the flights. If I can find it cheaper to fly, then I'll go. The Katy vs. Cinco Ranch game is out of the question but I am working hard to see if I can make this one work due to the intense rivalry of this game. The time in the morning is just brutal for me, though.

I'll try to find two game around the area to replace the two games (maybe three) that I won't be attending. I'll probably head to a six-man or 1A game around here, on the day when Lubbock High plays San Angelo Lake View. That game is at four and likely will finish before 7. I'll try to catch a game within 60 miles so I won't miss too much of the game. I'll try to see about another game also.

I will be going to many corners of the state. I will be watching some rivalry games, games between different regions, anticipated games, and some games at random to see the stadiums. The main purpose is to see how the towns support their schools and the arena that their team plays in. I hope to buy a program in each game and try to follow the players as they play the game on the field.

I really like your idea of staying with one game per week to cover the entire week of the buildup to the game. That is going to be a great read. I'll will be looking forward to that and your trip has some good games on it. Some real good ones!

https://docs.google....1B12mrW3bw/edit

EDIT: Here is another list of stadiums that I have attended. The map of Texas also has small dots on locations that I have been to for High School football games. I ain't gonna lie. Most of the games weren't nailbiters and that's ok. I don't expect them to be, but some lived up to their billing and then some. Even better when they are playoff games.

Edited by RocklandDragon, 31 July 2012 - 08:51 PM.

[Glevy]

Great information, I'm in Junction now on the way to San Antonio. Saw some real nice stuff in El Paso. But its just amazing how empty the state is east of El Paso. The country reminded me a lot of home. Good luck on your trip and feel free to post your travels on my blog. I'll be happy to upload them there.
GL
Texasfootballroadtrip.com