I only attended one Gucci Bowl when I was a student at Clark and that was in 1991…I was a student trainer!!! Totally serious folks!! I only lasted one game because, I didn’t like the attitudes of the football players…they were not nice. I quit the student trainer thing and became the manager of the Clark basketball team for 4 years and due to that, that is how I got started as a statistician. That choice I made has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. I don’t even want to imagine what I would be doing had I not given up as a student trainer.
This was the first TV game of the season and I really wish somebody would’ve told me prior to the game that it was going to be a whole new production team running the show!! I did get some emails from Jeff Watts Productions (hey, I worked with Jeff back in 2006 for a High School Football state championship that was broadcasted online only), but I thought they were going be using his production truck. So, when I arrived at the game, I saw a familiar face in Chris Kotfas and he introduced me to the new producer, Brian Watts. Brian introduced me to the people I would be barking stats to all night and all season!!! Basically, the only people that weren’t new were me, Don Harris, Chuck Miketinac, and David Chancellor (AKA THE TALENT).
I didn’t have a laptop for stats and I probably won’t have one this season, but you know something, I was actually glad!! I was in my stat comfort zone and was able to provide more information to Don and Chuck. Yeah, I did have to talk to Michael and Erin in the truck, but I didn’t mind.
Hey, Don Harris again plugged my Alamo stadium renovation photos and I always appreciate the free advertising. They will be featured tonight on Fox 29 San Antonio High School to the Max at 10 pm.
I have not had fast food since March and the main sponsor of the TV games is Church’s Chicken. Yes, I had some chicken and biscuits last night (but, I am not counting it since I didn’t buy it)!!! Man, I had one Jalapeno Cheese Bomber and dude, it was spicy. I ate it cause it was there not realizing what it was…I thought it was a chicken nugget. Just so y’all know, I don’t like spicy things!!!
OK, how I transition from spice to football…oh, I got it…did you see that Old Spice commercial with that man who looks like a football player?
The Churchill Chargers starting running back is Nico Smisek. Nico is one of the players on my watch list this season. Last year, he rushed for 955 yards and I know this season, he will be over 1,000 yards.
Nico’s Dad is Kevin Smisek, who is the head Basketball coach at St. Anthony. I have had the pleasure of hanging out with Coach Smisek and his Basketball team in 2013 and 2014 and I am planning on doing it again in January of next year. It was a blast and he is a great person to know and be around.
Last night, Nico had 26 carries for 188 yards with 4 touchdowns. His last touchdown was for 62 yards!!! After that last run, I saw David Chancellor talking to Coach Smisek and his wife and I nudged Don Harris to tell him and we ended up getting a very proud Mom and Dad on TV!!! Even I was proud of Nico and the game he played.
The Churchill quarterback was David Montoya (who I believe made his first start last night) and he did the job very effectively. Montoya was 6 of 9 passing for 95 yards and 1 touchdown and he also had 8 carries for 29 yards.
Deandre Reed, a back-up running back, was very impressive. Reed had 9 carries for 56 yards and a 43 yards touchdown reception. He kinda reminds me of Dimitri Flowers, who was Churchill’s Mr. Do It All for the past few years. Flowers is a Freshmen at Oklahoma and he may end up being a starter!!! I don’t know what year Reed is, but I hope he is an underclassmen so we can see him grow!
The Clark Cougars starting quarterback is Trenton Ford. Last year, Ford passed for 894 yards and ran for 693 yards. Last night, Ford had 66 yards passing and 67 yards rushing and 1 touchdown. I was more impressed with the back-up, Christopher Rollins. Rollins only played in one series and in that lone series he had 2 carries for 28 yards and 1 touchdown and a 46 yard pass to Julian Dusuau.
I am looking over my stats one final time before they get erased forever and one big thing that stands out is the fact that Nico Smisek had more rushing yards than the 5 running backs the Cougars used.
I think Nico and his numbers are an early favorite for my stat/player of the Week for next Wednesday.
Oh, the Churchill Chargers defeated the Clark Cougars by a score of 35 to 14. The Chargers have won five Gucci Bowls in a row and lead the overall series 17 to 15!!!
Tonight, I will be at Pflugerville stadium as the Judson Rockets play the Pflugerville Hendrickson Hawks.
Tomorrow night, I will be at Farris stadium as the O’Connor Panthers host the Reagan Rattlers.
