Article on BC's Stringer

[Guest Cardinal12]

Stringer becomes homecoming hero

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

BRIDGE CITY — Jeff Stringer made many big defensive plays and threw a game-winning fourth-quarter touchdown pass but his most interesting moment never quite made the final stats.

Bridge City 21, Hardin-Jefferson 20 easily could have turned into H-J 23, BC 21 or H-J 27, BC 21 with 4:27 left in Larry Ward Stadium’s exciting homecoming game last Friday night.

That’s when Stringer put on his thinking cap and got his hands on an unclaimed Cardinals’ kickoff near the Bridge City sideline. The Redbirds would love to say that kickoff man Luqui Estrada deliberately pooched a kickoff with full intent to retain possession. That’s not exactly how it really happened, though.

It worked out sort of the way a golfer’s pitch shot might work if it clanked off a flag and descended safely into a golf hole. Estrada lobbed the pigskin a good bit accidentally near BC’s sideline. The game video revealed that Stringer alertly had the first touch to the ball around H-J’s 38-yard line.

Lucky for Jeff, he managed to stay inbounds, juggle it to himself and keep possession of the ball by the end of the play. The officials awarded BC a nice new set of downs and the ball on H-J’s 32 and that equated to a terrific break for Big Red.

The not-so-lucky Hawks regained possession once more with about a minute to play on Hardin-Jefferson’s 16-yard line. Stringer’s ability to recover the ball had enabled BC to kill about three and a half valuable minutes during the game’s last 4:27. That’s slightly important when a team is clinging to an antsy 21-20 cushion.... in the district opener.... on homecoming night.

“It wasn’t planned,†Stringer admitted right off. “He (Estrada) kinda messed up on that kick. I certainly didn’t know I would end up with the ball. It just happened to bounce just right. It was pretty crazy. It saved the game. It was the luck of the draw.â€

That’s the importance of being in the right place at the right time. Life works that way for all of us. Sometimes we are. Other times we aren’t.

Stringer wasn’t exactly in the right place at the right time last November when BC was set to play a Class 3A regional playoff game against Hutto. With very little experience and extremely slim preparation time, Stringer became an emergency quarterback because starter Johnny Dishon became the unexpected victim of a life-threatening, one-car auto accident during the week of the game.

“I felt I did the best that I could do that day but I don’t get as nervous as I actually got on that game,†he said.

Stringer has done more during the off-season than get himself into the right place at the right time. He’s worked with weights and strengthened his throwing arm as a baseball pitcher. He’s gained about 20 pounds to 6-0, 170 and he’s a very important part of Bridge City’s team. A starter at safety, Stringer has an excellent chance to earn plenty of major post-season honors as a punter. He booted a 64-yarder in the H-J game.

Yet when the Cardinals needed Stringer and Troy Bolton to produce aerial heroics on Friday night, the not-so-successful BC passing attack winged it for a victory just in time.

A mid-week off-campus suspension forced two Big Red offensive starters to sit out Friday’s game. When head coach Claude Tarver juggled his lineup, regular QB Dishon slided to tailback while backup QB Stringer moved into the starting job for more than half of the game.

Stringer flipped a 34-yard scoring pass to Bolton with 4:27 left. The Cardinals’ passer credited Bolton’s father, offensive coordinator Troy Bolton, for making the astute play-call from the press box.

“It was a great call from the press box by coach Bolton and it was a really clutch catch by Troy,†Stringer said. “We faked the hitch (route) and the corner bit on it real hard. I just put it where it needed to be.â€

Bolton ran his route to perfection along H-J’s sideline and caught the pass around the three-yard line.

“Jeff can run pretty good,†BC’s head coach Tarver said. “We sprint out with him, too. It’s not like he’s always throwing out of the pocket.â€

Stringer also delivered a well-placed throw across his body in Bolton’s direction to set up BC’s earlier fourth-quarter TD. Dishon dashed home for an eight-yard scoring run with 6:29 to play after an interference call against the Hawks moved the ball to the 8.

Just call them Jeff Stringer’s homecoming moments to remember.

REDBIRD CHIRPS

Two-way starter (guard-linebacker) Kurt Moerbe injured his shoulder against H-J and is considered very doubtful for the Silsbee game. Senior Hoyt Ivey will replace Moerbe at guard and also will start at nose guard... Top tacklers vs. H-J were David Blackshear (12 and 9), Jeff Stringer (7 and 11), Justin Norman (6 and 9) and B.J. James (5 and 8). The top film grades were James (87), Stringer (83), Blackshear (75) and Norman (73).... TB Cody Mills is probable to start Friday night at Silsbee after missing last week’s game.... LB Reese Rhodes (tender ankle) has rejoined practice.... Center Brooks Tally (shoulder) and Carl Carlton (broken hand) also are not expected to play again this week.

[hfaninthestands]

That’s when Stringer put on his thinking cap

I wonder if it had a visor