Best Catch of the Year...

I finally got to see Wylie play last week during their trip to Brownwood to play a game that, at the beginning of the year, looked like it would be a really good one. However, things have been pretty tough for Brownwood up to this point. This Wylie team though, may be one of the better ones they've had in a while.

Wylie came out gunning on both sides of the ball. The offense took the ball down and scored quick then the defense showed why they may be the best one the Bulldogs have put on the field in a long time. Pressuring the quarterback and a lot of three-and-outs were working in their favor. They totally dominated the first half and it wasn't looking like the second half would be any different.

Now, when people have asked me who I wanted to win a game I've always said to ask me in the second half and I'll tell you who I want to win based on the photos that I get. So, when I got a really nice shot of an incredible one-handed catch (top) by one of the Brownwood receivers to finally get the Lions on the scoreboard, I don't think my feelings would've been hurt if they came back to win the game. But, I also knew that wasn't going to happen. The game was already out of hand. I'd rather have seen a closer game, they always make for better photos, but after that catch, I'm happy with what I got.

Saturday Football...

I love football on Saturday afternoons. Shooting it, watching it, doesn't really matter, though I think I'd prefer shooting it especially when the light is nice and the ball is flying. Hardin-Simmons has had a rough year so far losing their first two games of the season. So, for their third game they were playing a really bad Texas College team at home. The first quarter of the game started out a little slow, but in the second quarter the fireworks stared going off. The final score was 57-21, but it wasn't that close, Texas College got a couple TD's in garbage time, but HSU dominated this game.

Getting Down and Dirty...

The Mudslinger Fun Run started last year and was a huge success, both in terms of the numbers of attendees and photos made at said event. It is a three mile long obstacle course meant to be a little challenging and a whole lot of fun. I didn't shoot it last year, and after getting home from shooting football at 4am the night before I was regretting volunteering for it after I woke up from what seemed to be a short nap before going out there. There was plenty of potential for great images there and the sleep left my eyes really quickly when I got out there and felt the first cool morning in months. After a little more than an hour of watching people sloshing through the mud pit and getting hosed down after their race I had plenty and was able to go home and get a nap in. It turned out to be a lot of fun. I'm not sure which would have been more fun, shooting it or racing in it.

Clash of the Titans...

Last Friday I got to go up to Munday to shoot a battle between two of the best Class 1A football teams in Texas. Stamford was playing Munday between the #2 and #3 teams in the state. Both teams had a lot of their best players coming back from last year's teams that both finished as the runners up in the Div. I and II state championship games.

In the first quarter Munday came out looking great the offense marched down the field and scored quickly. The the defense pinned Stamford deep and made a stop. Then they went down and scored again. I was thinking at this point the game was over. But, Stamford in the second quarter proved me wrong. They came out looking good both on offense and defense. The second half was the battle that everyone was expecting. And, down by 7 in the fourth with time running out Stamford was driving to tie.

With less than a minute left and Stamford inside the Munday 10 yard line it was looking like the game could go to overtime. Then Munday picks off a pass in the end zone to seal the game. I'm pretty sure if they played that game 10 times they'd probably even, and every game would have the same ending. And I wouldn't be surprised if they both ended up in the state championship game again.

Bonus Football...

I love Thursday night football games, it's sort of like getting a bonus game. It's even better when the game is in town and I don't have to drive all over the place to shoot the game. Cisco was playing Clyde in the first game of the Champions Classic. Clyde was putting in a new offense and Cisco went to the state title game last year and had a bunch of players coming back. So, on paper, it wasn't looking too good for Clyde.

In the first quarter things were looking pretty good for Clyde. Cisco was having a hard time holding on to the ball, plus the Clyde defense was looking pretty stout. Then towards the end of the first quarter Cisco broke a few big plays and then the wheels fell off for Clyde. In the second quarter it was all Cisco on both side of the ball and by halftime the game was pretty much over. Clyde ended up scoring a couple touchdowns late to make things look a little better, but the game was already decided by then.

Fighting for the Prize...

Over the years I've made some really good contacts who have been good about feeding me ideas for photo columns. One of them has been Geno, who has given me some really good boxing stories. So a few months ago when he told me about an MMA fighter he'd been working with, I jumped at the chance. I went and hung out with Brandon Farran a couple times watching him spar and preparing for an upcoming fight.

When I first met him I knew there was potential for good. Seeing the dreadlocks just put a smile on my face knowing I'd be able to work them into the photos somehow. The first time I went to shoot I was really pressed for time and only had about 40 minutes. I got a few shots of him working on his ground work practicing Jiu Jitsu, but I knew I'd need to go back. I went a second time but he wasn't fighting that night, b/c he had broken his nose the night before. But, it did give me time to get my interview done for the story. Then the third day probably made for some of the best photos. He was workign on his boxing, plus some cardio workouts. It worked out really well and was able to give me the variety I felt I was missing going into it. Plus it worked out well since I was able to run the story the week before his next fight.

A Helmet Popping Good Time...

The local college football opener for McMurry and ACU was being played at Shotwell Stadium last week. It was the first time these two teams had met since 1971. It was also McMurry's first game as a member of Division II and ACU's last year of playing D2 before the move to the Southland Conference in Division I FCS next year. Both team got out to a pretty slow start. I was expecting McMurry to have a hard time against ACU's defense. I wasn't, however, expecting ACU to come out and have a hard time with the ACU defense.

In the second quarter things started to change for the ACU offense. They started to click while the ACU defense kept pounding away on the McMurry offense. The War Hawks going for it on nearly every fourth down wasn't helping their defense either. By the end of the third quarter the blow out was in full effect. The game ended with ACU winning 51-0 and showed that McMurry has kind of an uphill climb to make waves in the higher division.