the liberator nov. 12, 2013
40 Years of LBJ Sports
1974-2013
Forty years after LBJ first opened its doors, the Jaguars have beaten the Raiders eleven times in a row, marking a “Decade of Dominance.” In turn, the Jaguars now primarily compete against McCallum for the top spot in District 26-4A. The timeline below chronicles the past 40 years of both rivalries.
Then and Now
1974
The Beginning: Due to the overflow of students at Reagan, LBJ is opened to be a ‘catchall’ school. This creates a seemingly playful rivalry between the two schools.
1981 The Turnover: The Jaguars realize that the Raiders are no longer real competition after beating them two years in a row. In turn, they look to the Knights for true competition.
All-American Boy: Led by LBJ All-American linebacker Ken Alexander, the Jaguars cruise to a lopsided victory against the Raiders. Alexander goes on to play for Florida State.
1990
LBJ senior Zae Giles sidesteps a Reagen player at the 15 yard line, covered by Conner Prater. photo courtesy of Becky Gdula
Suit-Up: Basketball coach Freddie Roland rents limos for the Varsity basketball team to go to the Reagan game. “All the kids back then it was jean suits and big flop shoes,” Roland said. “They were all wearing the same things, even the coaches did.”
1999
State: The basketball Jaguars make it to the state semifinals after beating McCallum in the regional final 85-63.
2004
2006
The Begining of the End: LBJ beat Reagan for the first time in four years, 27-20. “It started...to be really easy to beat Reagan, and McCallum became the harder game,” Pettigrew said. LBJ has beaten Reagan every year since.
The Beginning: The Jaguars realize that the Raiders are no longer real competition, after beating them two years in a row. In turn, they look to the Knights for true competition.
2008 Rivalry Match-Up: En route to a state quarterfinal finish, LBJ beats McCallum 28-21 and Reagan 60-27.
2010 Tailgate: LASA alumni Jefferson Reese and Kelvin Reed start the McCallum gameday tailgate tradition.
2012 cCallum: Senior Jaguars steal the “M” from the front of the McCallum building. LBJ loses to McCallum and finishes second in district.
2011
Sweet Revenge: Several McCallum students spray paint ‘Mac’ and ‘LBJ sucks’ on the walls of LBJ and egg the doors. That night, the Jaguars edge out the Knights in to clinch the outright district championship.
Reagan rivalry wanes as Jaguars shift focus to annual McCallum football game For years, the rivalry was between LBJ and Reagan. Fans game,” Jones said. “[With] right about about three minutes packed Nelson field whenever the two teams met, and each left, we caught a fumble so we kicked off and scored, then got season the Jaguars and the Raiders battled for the district title. the ball back and scored real quick and won the game.” However, the past few years have marked a shift in the rivalry, The Jaguars beat McCallum 19-14 that season and went as LBJ has turned to a new opponent in blue. undefeated in district. However, it was not just football that “All of our traditions, like guarding the Texas, decorating had a history with McCallum, but basketball too. In the the halls and senior pranks, revolved around the Reagan 1998-99 season, LBJ basketball coach Freddie Roland led the game,” LASA history teacher and former student Kimberley Jaguars to the State Semi-finals after the Jags beat McCallum Pettigrew said. “The McCallum rivalry is really at most eight in the Regional Finals. However, he said he still remembers years old, and many of the Reagan traditions did not get the games against Reagan as the biggest of the season. transferred to it.” “We played in our gym and that made us real excited to The rivalry with Reagan began in 1974, when the overflow come into a high school gym with people standing around the of students at Reagan necessitated the creation of another wall,” LBJ basketball coach Freddie Roland said. “It was really high school. The new school, LBJ, drew from the same pool of exciting to see that kind of game, especially in Austin, Texas. students as Reagan, and the rivalry was born as close friends It is still a rivalry, just not like it was in the past.” and family members began to attend the different schools. Pace has taught at LBJ/LASA for more than 25 years. Most LASA science teacher Jackson Pace said the close proximity of his career was spent alongside the Reagan and LBJ rivalry. of the two schools made “Most of my rivalry the rivalry with Reagan stories have to do with different than the current Reagan,” Pace said. “Truly The McCallum rivalry is one of one with McCallum. I have never considered LBJ’s most defining qualities. Not “Reagan was placed a McCallum a rivalry. They just because it’s such a schoolwide mile from here,” Pace said. are too far beneath to see.” “It pitted family against McCallum was not thing, but because it’s something family. That might be a rival for the Jaguars each and every student believes in true [for the McCallum until 2006, coincidentally and takes to heart. rivalry] with the Kealing after another split in the kids, but for the rest of the students with the start of school there’s not much LASA. Some traditions -LASA Alum Ari Rogers rivalry at all. I don’t really have survived the shift, consider McCallum our such as the guarding of the rival, to the extent of the granite Texas in front of Reagan rivalry.” the school the night before the big rivalry game. LBJ alum Bruce Jones was on the 1981 district “The biggest tradition for us was the guarding of the Texas,” championship-winning Jaguar football team, and said he Pettigrew said. “It used to be that Reagan would come over remembers Reagan as tyhe main rival throughout his high and pull pranks at LBJ, so it was a tradition for the football school career. players to stand guard at the Texas all night the day before “That was like the game of the year,” Jones said. “Everybody the game and when I went to LBJ the Texas would also get around the city was coming to the game. Nelson field was Saran wrapped to protect it. Standing guard was something packed, standing room only. It was phenomenal. It was like the senior football players looked forward to each year.” that for a while actually.” While Nelson field is no longer filled like it once, the rivalry Jones said that the Reagan with McCallum has brought its own highlights, including a games were this intense until 1989. 2011 Jaguar win to clinch the district championship. LASA According to Jones, back then the alum Ari Rogers said the competition with the Knights still only significance McCallum held involves the entire student body. was when LBJ beat the Knights in “The McCallum rivalry is one of LBJ’s most defining his senior homecoming game. qualities,” Rogers said. “Not just because it is such a “It was pretty awesome, because schoolwide thing, but because it is something each and we were actually undefeated and every student believes in and takes to heart.” they were beating us most of the story by Isabel Saralegui
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1985
2013
VARSITY BOYS 1st Overall Average Time: 18:26, 5k Noah Stevens-Stein 1st - 17:28 Isaac Metcalf 3rd - 18:33 Ben Rieden 4th - 18:38 Henry Benschoter 5th - 18:42 Sammy Wolfson 9th - 18:49 (PR) Jacob Hammond 11th - 18:51 VARSITY GIRLS 3rd Overall Average Time: 25:46, 5k Dayln Gillentine Maria Gilbert Elizabeth Conlon Kendall Graham Krista Bangs
8th - 22:39 (PR) 11rd - 24:11 15th - 26:51 18th - 27:05 23rd- 28:04
The top LBJ sports statistics from the past six weeks LBJ vs McCALLUM
LBJ vs DRIPPING SPRINGS
GIRLS SINGLES GIRLS SINGLES Yaritza Villasana 6-0, 6-0 Rosie Olwell 11-9, 6-3 Location: ATC Oct . 1
BOYS SINGLES Omari Henry 6-0, 6-0
BOYS SINGLES Liam Spiesman 6-2, 6-1
Location: LBJ Oct. 18
GIRLS DOUBLES GIRLS DOUBLES Rosie Olwell/Mary Louise Rosie Olwell/Mary Louise Gilburg 6-0, 6-0 Gilburg 7-5, 6-1 BOYS DOUBLES Liam Spiesman/Jack Liu 7-5, 6-1
DISTRICT Round 2
AREA Round 1
WOMEN’S
MEN’S
200 Medley Relay 200 Medley Relay 14th - 2:04.79 21st - 1:59.60 Amelia Isaac Van Eenoo, Nicot-Cartsonis, Alex Crumb, Katie Gleason, Eduardo Leah Berndt, Longoria, Nick Mathilda Ray Nicot-Cartsonis 200 Free Relay 200 IM 18th - 1:42.21 17th - 2:28 Zach Benayoun, Amelia Cosmo Nixon, Nicot-Cartsonis Isaac Van Eenoo, Nathan Le 100 Freestyle 10th - 58.16 Leah Berndt
50 Freestyle 21st - 24.21 Nathan Le