Rebel Yeller

We have not won too many, just the most important one...the last one!

Evadale will scrimage West Sabine on Aug 15th and only Warren on the 21st.

We enjoyed defeating HD there last year and looking forward to winning there this year. SEE YA!

I would say that making the adjustment from JV to varsity will be difficult, but they run the same system so the young man should improve with experience. It was my understanding that the young man that left for OF would be playing QB for the first time this year. If that is the case then he would be looking at the same learning curve as the JV QB, where at least the JV QB is familular with the system as a QB and not as a reciever. I want everyone bringing their "A" when the Rebels play them. It eliminates all the excuses when the scoreboard is in our favor when the final seconds tick off. Good luck to all the teams in 23A, just not against Evadale!

I was going over the Rebels roster for this coming season and it looks pretty solid two deep across the board. Now these are my own alignments using last year and reported shifts for 2009. But the nice thing for Rebel fans is that... #1 There are only 5 or 6 seniors on this years team #2 The talent that is staying on the JV looks solid and they will once again get another full season of playing time #3 The 2010 realignment according to the projections by the UIL will be very favorable to the Rebels with the class off 2011 having a stacked team with players who will have 1 to 3 years of varsity playing time, but more importantly four full years of playing time from JV and varsity. I still say this will be another district championship year and 2010 looks the same, wouldn't count out 2011 and 2012 either!

Evadale is not just about the number of kids which is pretty incredible for a 1A program. It is about a very talented group of kids. Last year when the team won district there were 6 or 7 sopjomores and 4 or 5 juniors that started or were major contributors to the district title 3 of those played at least part of their fresjman year on the varsity squad. Replacing players is difficult to open a season, but Evadale has a luxury that most of their district does not have. Sopomores that played JV have had two full seasons of playing time, freshmen one. Those players have gained game experience and are ready to take the next step up. The other district schools have kids playing varsity that have not seen the field since they were in the eighth grade, except practicing against their own team. It may be JV, but these guys were winners for the past two years and when you combine that with the underclassmen from last years varsity squad you have a formitable team that will likely dominate the district once again. Evadale will win its second title in a row this season.

Thanks for reading and responding. I never said Evadale should be above a West Brook. I just believe that smaller schools get a bad rap, just because they are smaller schools. I will continue to post and tell you what is happening in Evadale, just give us the same consideration you do for any other school that is in a higher classification, that's all I am trying to say.

What are you smoking? H-D 3rd best !!! You do know we are talking about football? First of all Evadale lost way more players than H-D. And West Hardin lost their over rated QB, that H-D just killed last season in that blowout win vs the oilers. Also sorry you were not impressed by our awesome sophmore last year, that recorded over 100 tackles and ran over everyone in district. Just remember the name KEITH GILMORE !!! Siad it before and I'll say it again. This will be a reloading year for the Rebels, not a rebuilding one. While we lost a great group of seniors, we have plenty of leadership and talent coming back for 2009. Only time will tell about any team, but I do not look for the Rebels to miss a step this year and I see another district crown in the trophy case at the end of this season too. "They will make nice bookends!"

Every time a new topic comes up about comparisons before to long it becomes a bash 1A schools. If a 1A is good then supporters from other classification school down the talent or the competition in 1A. Look nobody gets to choose their classification (some might try) but it is assigned. The UIL from on high decides where the magic dividing lines of student enrollment will be drawn. How many times does a kid from a smaller district make a splash in a larger classification district once their school moves up. I'll tell you...it happens every two years when a big school in a classification moves up into the next A. And of course the same is true in reverse when a school drops a class. They are automatically a top 10 team and a favorite of Texas Football to "WIN IT ALL!" Most of the 1A schools in Southeast Texas play upper classification schools in every sport. We make it a point to play before district starts. In Evadale we invite more than just 1A schools to play in our volleyball and basketball tournaments, in fact we have invited 3A team in the past couple of years. I believe that you will find that larger schools invite smaller schools to their tournaments and often place them in the side of the bracket they are one so they can make the championship of their own tournaments. That's OK, but the larger school should not use it as a club to beat over the head of a smaller school, you are bigger and you are supposed to win. Well I am getting off the topic. If we are going to be fair every poll should be done by classification. Most 3A teams will not get a chance to play a 5A team so the comparison is not valid. Look at the baseball poll that ended in June. Nederland was on top, but every other school had been eliminated in the playoffs, but the next to last poll should have had Evadale as 2 or 3, since still being in the playoffs seemed to be how Nederland rose to the top. Don't get me wrong Nederland fans, using the poll as it was done you SHOULD have been #1 as you were the last team still in the playoffs, but the Rebels lost in the Regional semi final and only three teams did that and only one advanced to the final. If any 1A school moves up then according to some on this site, the players are better just because they are now in a higher classification. Nonsense! A UIL proclamation does not make a player better. All I would ask is that if we are going to run topics that compare then let's make then fair comparisons. Don't judge 1A players differently, just because they play for small schools. Don't make supermen and women out of 5A guys and girls. These are games people and these are students first then athletes. Wouldn't it be something if we are spent as much time praising our kids for their performance in the classroom as we do on the fields and courts. I include my self in the last statement. My wife is a teacher and I can assure you that if parents were involved as much in their kids education and making sure that their assignments and homework were on time and done to the best of their abilities as much as they spend time money and effort in helping their child get better by attending camps, by hiring private coaches or trainers or just making sure that they were on time to school as they expect them to be for practice then we would have something to be really proud of...kids that were prepared for college, vocational schools or the work force once they graduate. I LOVE SPORTS! We just all need to remember that less than 1 out of 200 high school athletes get to go to college on an athletic scholarship. 1 in 50 get to go on academic scholarships. Oh another stat for you is the national average of college athletes that graduate with a degree is below 60% and less than 5% of college athletes go on to play professional sports with over 70% of those being on minor league teams and 90% of those never make it to the "Big" leagues. Sorry for the ramble, I just wanted to get that off my chest before the season started and the polls and comparison topics hit the internet.

Let's not forget that running backs are usually only as good as their O line makes them look. There are a few backs that game ramble inspite of their lines, but there are more that ramble because of them.

Evadale took around 20 players on their playoff run. Only 2 were seniors one pitcher and one outfielder This years starters were Cathers - Nichols - soph 1st team All Dist 1st base - Tucker - soph - District MVP also pitched this season 2nd base - Ousley - junior - 1st team SS - Potts - soph - 1st team #2 in pitching rotation 3rd base - Dubose - soph - 1st team #3 in pitching rotation CF - Anthony - junior - 1st team RF - Harvey - soph - 2nd team also pitched this season The other players that traveled to the playoffs are all sophomores and freshmen I would expect that the Rebels would have to be in the top ten in the 1A preseason poll.

Hey 23A Guys Only 34 days till 2 a days! Going to be a great season in Southeast Texas!

I said it earlier that I believed Stanley from Evadale would be the top RB in the district. There has been talk about what Evadale will do offensely next year and while I do believe that the Rebels will air it out a bit more this season. It is hard to argue with the numbers that the Rebels put up last year as a running team. The O Line will be young, but they will gell as they have been playing in the system from one to three years and they ran it on JV and Varsity. Their youth will motivate them to work harder to fill the shoes of the teams that have come before. The Rebels have made the playoffs the last three years and last years district championship was something they liked and the whole team wants to do that again and move further in the playoffs too. Many of the guys on the football team are on the baseball team that advanced to the regional semi final and they liked that very, very much. Can't wait for Aug 3rd!

This will change a few minds as to the way the district will pan out this year. Having to replace the QB at HD will make them have to look else where to fill the position. That likely means a younger student and it is tough to place a sophomore into that position. Especially since HD plays propably the toughest pre district schedule of any team in 23A. Something like this could shake up the playoff predictions, big time!

Just got my answer reading my unread posts

Did the HD coach become the new OF coach? I heard something about his son leaving HD and being listed in Texas Football for OF. Just trying to get up to speed as I have been out of town this week.

Just to let all the 1A fans know that the Evadale School Board approved new sound systems for the stadium and the new gym at their meeting on Monday. Visiting fans to the stadium have not been able to hear much of the announing of the games for several years. This new system is the same one they have in Silsbee and at Huffman's new stadium, I think everyone will be able to hear the name of their child or the team when it comes to football in Evadale. The system in the new gym will also be changed and it will make a great facility into an even better one. All the post Ike repairs have been made and the new floor looks incredible! This gym is truly the finest in SETX at any level. Just thought you might like to know what's going on in Evadale.

I grew up in Fort Worth and when I was a sophomore I went to a game between Arlington Heights and Eastern Hills, both schools in FW. Russell Erkslabin played for AH and Tony Franklin for EH. Erk went on to kick for UT and Franklin for A&M. In that game (remember that was when a missed field goal went to the 20 yard line not the line of scrimage). Both guys kicked field goals 50 yards+ in the game. I don't even remember the score, I just remember that the game was very different knowing that all your offense needed to do was move the ball just into the other teams end of the field to have a good chance to put points on the board. FW is not known for a ton of great players, but those two were something special, al least that night!

I don't know these players as our school is 1A, but for not a single player from a team that made it to the regional quarterfinals seems a bit of a stretch. We here it all the time about the level of competition in our district being somewhat weak, but we defeated two teams that won playoff rounds and hing with a third for a couple of games. I would not take this "honor" from any player on the list above, but once again lower classification school get no credit. Are 15-18 year old kids so different if they attend larger schools. The major difference that I see is that a guy at a larger school has to choose one sport to make "his or her" sport and let the other ones go. Most of the kids playing at lover classifications start in early August, earlier than the larger classifications, they finish football on a Friday or Saturday night, start basketball on Monday and if they made the football playoffs usually they have their first game on Friday of the first week of practice. Once they finish basketball then they start baseball and oh yea they compete in track too. So the lists IMO are great for those that get on them, but they are in no way exhaustive or representative of all classifications. Congrats to all the young men on the list and their teams, just remember that only one in the area made it farther than the Rebels this past season on the diamond.

A change to the Evadale schedule is Beaumont Legacy will visit Evadale on Aug 28th not Sept 18. So the Rebels will have their off week on Sept 18 the week before district starts.

Sounds like one of the moves was for athletic purposes, either going or coming back if not what made the frist move necessary and what about Burkeville changes to make the move back something you will do? Just a question mind you.

Hey Mo Speaking of buying, weren't you going to buy some ice cream for some folks at the DQ eariler this year? Did you ever get around to it?

Long winded, well I guess you could say that. But you could say that I am just a very analitical thinker with a perception of events and acts that make for a hightened awareness of the balance between sports reporting and being a committed fan. Yea, long winded fits just fine!

John Madden is available to be in the booth and he could easily travel to the Lamar games in his bus never having to fly while still doing what he does so well!

With our Rebels finished with the playoffs, unfortunately! Does anyone know about the All District team being announced?