Texas continued
.
\
defending champion _Port Neches~Groves and Spring Branch Memorial. Both packed state ranked records of 12-0 into the shootout and PN-G was riding the crest of a 25-game winning streak. Both schools put more than 600 students into the pre-game and halftime ceremonies and were part of the 35,439 people that watched PN -G grab a hearts topping 15-12 victory. The turnout was the largest in Texas during the 1976 schoolboy campaign, and also the largest to see a high school game in the Astrodome. However, PN-G saw its winning ways halted the very next week in the semifinals at Houston's Rice Stadium before a turnout of 30,000. It was San Antonio Churchill that turned the trick, 13-7. In the finals, Churchill capped a perfect 15-0 season by beating Temple, 10-0, before 26,000 fans in Austin's Memorial Stadium. Churchill joined Beaumont Hebert, Rockdale, Barbers Hill and Gorman as the 1976 UIL state champions. Hebert won in Class AAA by beating Gainesville, 35-7 in the finals, while Rockdale beat Childress 23-6 in Class AA; Barbers Hill stopped defending champion DeLeon 17-8 in Class A, and Gorman won in Class B by defeating Ben Holt 18-6. Hebert, behind the passing of quarterback Joe Stevenson, also finished with a perfect 15-0 record and became the first predominantly black school to claim a state football crown since UIL integration in 1968. Stevenson was the state's leading passer in 1976 with 2,076 yards, including one performance of 332 yards - that against Gregory-Portland in a 40-20 semifinal win. In the finals, Hebert used two longrange kickoff returns, a 95 yarder by Maurice McCloney and a 90 yarder by Derrick Pete, plus a 55-yard Stevenson touchdown pass to Kenneth Williams, to streak by Gainesville. Stevenson also set up a six pointer with a 54-yard pass to McCioney. While Stevenson led all Texas high school passers, it was junior Brad Beck of Perryton that paced the rushers with 2, 107 yards. The top single game rusher was Ricky Wiatrek of Falls City, who hit 344 yards in a game against Orange Grove. However, it was Humble quarterback Mike Mosley who collected national attention with his 320 rushing yards against New Caney. Mosley did it all on 12 first half carries. He did not play a single down in the second half. Mosley was one of the most versatile athletes in Texas during the 1976-77 school year, as after football (where he rushed for 1,441 yards, passed for 482, caught three passes for 128 yards and scored 154 points in a Il-l campaign) the Texas A&M bound blue-chipper turned to basketball. The 6-2 Mosley led Humble to the district playoffs by scoring at a 22.1 per game clip, plus a dozen PREP I SEPT:-ocT. 1977
rebounds. As in football, Mosley was a three-year basketball starter. From basketball it was straight to track where Mosley was state ranked in the 120-high hurdles (13.5), 100 yard dash (9.6) and long jump (24-3). Despite the football efforts of Mosley, Stevenson, Beck and Wiatrek, none of the major Texas high school records were broken in 1976. In fact, the rushing records Ken Hall of Sugar Land left behind may never be challenged. In four seasons, 1950 through 1953, Hall rushed for 11,232 yards, a national record that still stands. His biggest season was in 1953 with 4,045 yards with a high game of 520 yards on II carries - that's right, II carries - and 49 points scored against Houston Lutheran. For the night, Hall had 687 total against Lutheran. During his four varsity campaigns, Hall scored 899 points, including 127 touchdowns. He also passed for 3,326 yards. In Texas, Hall is a legend. He is a walking record book, the state leader in most rushing and scoring categories. Tommy Kramer, who passed .his way to All-American honors last year at Rice, is the career passing leader. While at San Antonio Lee, Kramer logged 5,485 air yards. The single season passing leader is Larry Foster of Houston Washington, that being 2, 787 yards and came in 1968. Houston Elmore's Dwain Frazier hit the single game passing record in 1968 by hitting 21 of 28 passes for 588 yards and five touchdowns against Aldine Carver. Frazier had four passes, three for touchdowns, worth 129 yards called back because of penalties. Frazier was also involved in one of the wildest offensive donnybrooks in Texas The youngsters come and go, but the giants football history. That came in 1969 when keep the same name: Permian, Sherman, Frazier rallied Elmore by Cy-Fair, 54-51, Longview, Reagan, Brazoswood, Plano, with seven touchdown passes and 399 air Churchill and Port Neches-Groves . . . to name a few. yards. Greg Pruitt, the super running back for the Cleveland Browns, was a favorite Shepard and Mosley, who signed with pass target for Frazier. Texas A&M, were the two quarterbacks One state record that did tumble in 1976 was the longest punt return as making the select blue-chip list. Two runJasper's David Scott hauled one back 108 ning backs, David Overstreet of Big Sandy and Kermit Goode of Hallettsville, wide yards against Silsbee. That snapped the receiver Eric Herring of Houston Yates old mark of 105 yards set by Houston Lee's Mike McGee against A us tin in 1964. and tight end Alvin Ruben of Baytown Big Sandy jumped in the national and Lee, plus four tackles completed the top state record section in 1975 by scoring 634 ten list. points in 10 regular season games and 820 The quality checked collection of linemen took in Sherman's Billy Don Jackson points for a full season of 14 games. (6-4, 235), Longview's Hosea Taylor (6-5, As soon as the curtain goes down on 275), Conroe's Tim Ward (6-5, 260) and the championship weekend, recruiting beDallas Jefferson's Tim Huffman (6-4, comes a major newsmaker. And as usual, Texas sent over 500 players off to dozens ¡ 265). Of the tO top players, HoustBn of colleges around the nation. Of course, landed four ... Shepard, Taylor, Ruben the Southwest Conference grabbed a lion's and Herring . . . while Bellard's Texas share. A&M entry got two . . . Mosley and Ward. In a confidential poll of the Southwest Conference head coaches and recruiters, The 1976 season in Texas, plus the reOdessa quarterback Darrell Shepard was cruiting that followed, was typical. During voted the No. I blue-chip tag. After first the next four years, a dozen or more new saying he would attend the University of schools are on the planning boards. The program gets bigger and bigger. More Texas, Shepard changed his mind and signed a national letter with Bill Yeoman's schools, more Tigers, Wildcats, Indians, Cotton Bowl champion University of Mustangs and Longhorns. Texas is still Houston Cougars. king of American schoolboy football. e
13