Thursday, August 29, 2013
10
Porcupines
Death claimed talented Porcupine early by mark k. campbell Twenty-four springs ago, the best player that ever put on a Porcupine helmet – some say – headed to Azle’s Taco Bell for a late-night snack. He never returned to Springtown. Todd Wageman was killed instantly April 9, 1989 at 4:10 a.m. when the 1984 Pontiac Fiero he was driving veered across Highway 199 and hit a parked tractortrailer rig. His passenger, Christian Sean Draper, was CareFlited and survived with multiple injuries. The death shocked Springtown. Wageman, 18 and soon to graduate, had entertained scores of offers before signing a scholarship to play football for the University of Todd Wageman turned in the greatest half of football Springtown fans ever witnessed. Certainly Ian Bickel’s first half performance against Azle in the 2010 Battle of 199 was remarkable. (See that story elsewhere.) What Wageman did against Stephenville in a 48-0 win in the second game of the 1988 season was astonishing. Before halftime, he ran nine times for 91 yards and two touchdowns; caught six passes for 95 yards and a TD; threw for another six points on a 74-yard halfback pass; returned four punts for 130 yards and a TD; had a 65-yard kickoff return; and scored a pair of two-point conversions. Coach Lucky Gamble told the Fort Worth StarTelegram that “I’ve never been associated with a better performance.” Wageman played one series in the second half then sat down. His final total yards were an amazing 455 yards. He scored 28 points and threw for six more, so he had a hand in 32 points The superlative outing prompted Gamble to say, “Now what if he would have played the second half?”
North Texas. Wageman had helped the 1988 Porcupine football team reach new heights. That squad, led by coach Lucky Gamble, roared through the regular season 10-0. A phenomenal defense allowed just 25 points in 10 games (12 of those in the season opening 13-12 win over Gainesville) in big part because of Wageman, an All-Area defensive back. Springtown posted seven shutouts in 1988; in the first two playoff games, SHS permitted just 13 total points while scoring 41 with victories over Vernon and Clyde. Yet it was offensively that Wageman was “a man among boys,” said Gary Rushing, the offensive coordinator for the ’88 team. After Springtown, No. 2 in the state at the time, was upset by Denver City 20-19 in the quarterfinals – Wageman had re-injured his back in a freak accident walking down the ramp before the Vernon bi-district game and wasn’t playing – the running back won every local award, including the Fort Worth StarTelegram Offensive Player of the Year. He piled up 1,334 yards and 18 touchdowns in 11 games in 1988. Eventually, Wageman was a First Team All-State running back selection, SHS’ second ever – Terry Hampton was the first in 1966. The terrible accident stunned all. Gamble, who had just accepted a job at Little CypressMauriceville, said, “He was the best football player I ever saw; he was the greatest kid I’ve ever known.” After a funeral in Weatherford, Wageman was buried in Denver,
Todd Wageman Colorado. Wageman’s name is still etched in SHS record books. Despite his superior year as a senior, his whopping 1,556 yards rushing in his 1987 junior season remains the modern era Porcupine record. That ’87 team went 10-3 and also ventured three rounds into the postseason. PLEASE SEE Springtown, PAGE 11
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