Bayou Bowl Article (The Record Newspapers)

[Bobcatfan4life]

Bayou Bowl VIII

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

By Mark Dunn

For the Record

For fans of the Bridge City Cardinals and the Bobcats of Orangefield, the big game of the 2007 season will be Friday night as the cross-community rivals clash in Bayou Bowl VIII. The prize - a Heisman-style trophy the winning team carries home to adorn the schools trophy case for the remainder of the year. In a season of youthful rebuilding in a tough Dist. 21-3A and with zeros in the winner’s column for both teams, a Bayou Bowl victory means one of them is going to chalk up a win. The other will have to try to scratch one out elsewhere.

This year, the Rotary Club of Bridge City Bayou Bowl VIII will be hosted by the Cardinals at Larry Ward Stadium. Rotary Club president Fred Zoch will present the “Buzzie Gunn Trophy†to either Cardinal head coach Cris Stump or Bobcat head coach Blake Morrison at the conclusion of the game. Then the “travelling†trophy will be carried away by the winning team. But in seven seasons, the trophy hasn’t travelled much. Bridge City has kept it for six of them.

The underdog, Orangefield, won the thrilling Bayou Bowl IV, 15-14, in 2003 when Bobcat quarterback John Modica scored on a keeper for a 2-point PAT in the final seconds to defeat Bridge City. Following the highly emotional Bayou Bowl win, Orangefield fans and players stayed on the field in F.L. McClain Stadium most of the night and the scoreboard remained lit until dawn. The Bobcats went into the playoffs that year, taking the momentum of the Bayou Bowl win into the post season.

Bayou Bowl victories for Bridge City carried them into the 2000 and 2001 post-season, including one to the state semifinals in 2001, led by quarterback Luke Wolfford with runningbacks Matt Peebles and Duane Breaux and a host of talented Cardinals that went further in the playoffs than any Cardinal team since the state championship of 1966. The 2005 Cardinals nearly went that far after winning Bayou Bowl VI with Johnny Dishon as quarterback, until he was injured in an auto accident. The playoffs may not be in the picture for either squad in 2007, nevertheless, Bayou Bowl VIII will certainly energize the winning team and break the dry spell with a trophy to prove it.

“The Rotary Club Bayou Bowl is waged in the spirit of fair-play with the intent of promoting community involvement in local athletics and enhancing school pride,†said Zoch. “It’s an honor for us to recognize our hometown athletes and school districts and share in an event that adds excitement for the fans and players.â€

Separated only by woodlands and pastures down a winding strip of FM 408, the Bridge City and Orangefield communities share commerce and many professional and civic affiliations beyond the cypress shores of Cow Bayou. Together, they form the basic bonds of a thriving community where the Rotary Club does much of it’s work.

Following the 2000 UIL district realignment, the Class 4A Bridge City Cardinals were reassigned to Class 3A, dropping the team right in the middle of Dist. 21 with the neighboring Orangefield Bobcats. On Nov. 10, 2000, the Bridge City Cardinals and the Orangefield Bobcats lined up on both sides of the ball for the first time. Bayou Bowl I was played in Larry Ward Stadium in Bridge City. It was a night that would set the stage for this unique cross-community football showdown. The Cardinals won it 35-6 and the Bayou Bowl rivalry was born.

The Buzzie Gunn Trophy stayed in Bridge City the first three Bayou Bowl contests (2000-03) winning 35-6, 24-0 and 36-0. Orangefield’s sole 15-14 win, moved the trophy to Orangefield High School. The Cardinals won Bayou Bowl V, 48-0, and 28-0 in Bayou Bowl VI. Last season, the Buzzie Gunn Trophy went back to it’s usual spot in the Cardinal locker room after winning Bayou Bowl VII, 28-18.

In 2007, the Cardinals and Bobcats both are struggling in Dist. 21-3A. Both squads started the season with few starters left in key positions from the previous season. Bridge City lost quarterback Johnny Dishon, Orangefield lost quarterback Brett Ramsey. A crew of Cardinal sophomores will earn letter jackets this season, due to lack of experienced, depth and injuries. The Orangefield camp is having to do the same.

A Bayou Bowl VIII victory will bring some redemption to the Cardinals who have suffered embarrassing Dist. 21-3A losses the past two weeks falling 55-7 against Silsbee and 68-3 to Jasper. Jared Raggio’s field goal being the only points Big Red put on the board. The Bobcats have come closer to victory falling 49-42 last Friday against a tough Kirbyville football team. There is little doubt that Orangefield is clearing a new spot in the trophy case for the Buzzie Gunn Trophy this season.

The award, the Buzzie Gunn trophy, was named in memory of deceased Orange County high school football enthusiast and professional photographer Buzzie Gunn. In the early years of Orange County football, Gunn, and his father T.L. Gunn, were pioneers in local sports photography. Buzzie, had begun his career as a freelance photographer for national publications, including Sports Illustrated. Later, he applied his trade to local sidelines. In the age of black and white sports photography, his photographs recorded the period and great moments in Orange County high school football.

Kick-off for Bayou Bowl VIII is 7:30 p.m. in Bridge City.

http://therecordlive.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=87&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=2428&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1934&hn=therecordlive&he=.com