Page 3
TAKING IT EASY ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON' AT THE CORNER GAS STATION
(From left to right,) Adolph Rubach, Henry Foyt and John See
Jim Peters
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, FEB. 24, 1976
USUALLY SNOOK FANS OUTNUMBER THE OPPONENTS AT AWAY GAMES
Snook cheerleaders and fans at boys’ district game with Somerville Yeguas
ibovei
earn is nine-time finalist
Small town makes
big basketball
mucl
By JIM PETERS
Battalion City Editor
SNOOK—It just don’t seem right. A
vnright here in the Heart o’ Texas and it
psn t even have a high school football
bn. What’s worse, the residents don’t
stmtocare. Instead, they rabidly support
School basketball program whose success
linparalleled in the state.
Innine of the last 12 years its high school
I's’ team has advanced to the state finals,
[eir average season record for that period
been 40-6 and they still hold the state
:ord for consecutive victories—90.
The varsity girls’ team, which won its
le title this year, hasn’t had a losing sea-
in since 1953—about the same time the
school teams moved from outdoor courts
into a new gymnasium.
In addition, the junior high boys’ and
girls’ teams this year combined for a 53-3
season record. The combined record for
the junior varsity squads was 34-8.
As a banner in the gym suggests: “To
avoid being a poor loser—win. ’’
Located off State Highway 60, about 10
miles west of College Station, Snook (pop.
384) sits in the fertile Brazos River bottom
land.
Its Czechoslovakian roots can still be
seen on buildings and basketball programs
with names such as Slovacek, Sebesta,
Orsak and Junek. Its few streets are domi
nated by a grocery store, service stations.
Steve Goble
SNOOK COACH DON HORN DISCUSSES STRATEGY
Bluejay squad faces inter-district clash with Pfugerville tonight at Taylor
sausage company, bakery (famous for its
kolaches), and the school district s three
gymnasiums.
Most schools in Snook’s district 27-A
have ancient gyms where the out-of-bound
lines are often a couple feet from stone
walls, and the players dress under the
stands. Snook’s three gyms leads many res
idents to believe there is more gym space
than classroom area.
As longtime Snook resident John See
commented, “Anybody who wants to play
ball has got plenty of places to go. ”
Old wooden basketball goals are found
throughout the area, in the middle of a field
or by the side of a barn. In fact,
townspeople say they can’t remember a
time when there hasn’t been a local basket
ball team. One suspects that the first set
tler, Josef Slovacek, brought a peach basket
and ball with him when he came to the area
in 1884.
And what of the name Snook itself—that
symbol of Texas yokelism and name fame?
Well, it seems that around the turn of the
century Slovacek’s small settlement de
cided they needed a post office. Unfortu
nately, the nearby town of Dabney Hill
already had a post office and federal law
prohibited more than one in a particular
area.
According to longtime residents, the
town fathers explained their dilemma to
the local mail-carrier, whose name was
Snook, and offered to name the town after
him if he could help them. A few weeks
later Snook got a post office, the mail-
carrier got his name on the map, and the
Dabney Hill post office was closed down
because of “mismanagement.”
The Texas obsession, football, crept into
Snook culture very briefly in the mid-
1930s, but parents quickly nixed that sport
when gridiron injuries prevented their
sons from helping out with the farm chores.
Athletic director and head coach Don
Horn said the absence of a football program
allows a longer basketball season. Besides,
he says, the high cost of outfitting a football
team is just too prohibitive.
Horn also attributes the Bluejay’s suc
cess to the farming nature of the commu
nity.
“Most of the players are country boys
who are used to working hard. And we base
our program on hard work,” Horn said.
The discipline clearly shows on the court
in the scrappiness and hustle of Snook
players. Few individuals on Bluejay teams
stand out and only a couple have ever gone
on to play for major colleges. Yet, when
Snook—which was a Class B school until
four years ago—plays teams from larger
cities they often end up besting their taller,
quicker opponents.
This year the Snook boys’ team posted its
worst record (22-12) since 1969, which
happened to be the last year it won the state
championship. Nonetheless, the Bluejay
squad has won its district convincingly and
tonight travels to Taylor for a bi-district
game with Pflugerville.
In addition to being in charge of the ath
letic program, Horn is high school princi
pal, teacher, referee at junior high games,
and when required, repairs the time clock
and recruits youngsters to sweep the court
at halftime. He also recently was named
superintendent of the 550-pupil Snook In
dependent School District.
Snook youths get involved in the basket
ball program at an early age. They begin
playing intramural games in the 4th grade
and move on to interschool games in junior
high. Almost half of the 120 students in
high school are on a school basketball team.
Community support of the Bluejays has
always been strong. Snook fans usually
outnumber their opponent’s at away
games. “When the Bluejays go to state, the
whole town closes down and goes,” one
lifelong resident said.
Steve Goble
SNOOK’S SHAREN MARTIN ARCHES ONE OVER DEFENSE
Bluejay junior high squad finished season with 23-2 record and
THE HANDS HAVE THE MAJORITY; SNOOK’S VALERIA WOODS HAS THE BALL
Lexington Eagle defense reaches for the rebound in close contest won by the Bluejays, 26-24