HAYS REBELS
Game of Football Friday, Oct. 19
LEHMAN LOBOS
at Shelton Stadium
RED BLUE Big game, strong memories Coaches reflect on own rivalry game experiences BY MOSES LEOS III
O
ver the course of a combined 60-plus years in football, Bruce Salmon and Les Goad know a thing or two when it comes to the excitement a rivalry game can bring. Both men were front and center to the experience during their own playing careers. The two then learned the ropes of preparing programs for a rivalry contest once they hit the coaching ranks. While both believe such games comprise only a piece to the puzzle of a football season, Goad and Salmon recognize the importance such games are to the local community. As they enter their first Hays-Lehman game, both leaders envision a contest that will bring out the best in the community, both on and off the field.
“It seemed the crowd was much bigger, the fans were much louder. The game was more intense and coaches were more fired up about it. There was a little extra enthusiasm and intensity that came to the game.” –Les Goad, Hays head coach
But to gather a deeper knowledge of what it’s like for coaches in a rivalry game, we had to know – what do they remember about their first rivalry game experience as a player? For Goad, it all began during his time at Alta Vista Middle School in Carlsbad, NM. Goad, a defensive back and wide receiver, remembered the first time his team
took on rival Eisenhower Middle School. That game was played at the local high school stadium, which for Goad and his teammates was “a big deal.” He also remembered how losing that game lingered in players’ minds more than any other that season. “It seemed the crowd was much bigger, the fans were much louder,” Goad said. “The game
PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
Hays Rebels head coach Les Goad talks to his team after their intersquad scrimmage in early August.
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rivalry experience during his high school years. As a lineman at Seguin High, Salmon was eager to take part in the program’s decades old contest against rival New Braunfels High. It wasn’t until his junior year at Seguin, however, that Salmon was able to participate. A broken collarbone kept him from taking part during his sophomore season. All of it, from the crowd to the game, was a unique experience for Salmon. He remembered how many who took part in the rivalry game often went to the same churches and shopped at the same stores as their counterparts. While there was a mutual respect for each other, Salmon also saw how big of a deal it was for fans when the Friday
CROSS-TOWN COACHES, 3