Thursday • December 8, 1994
■
The Battalion • Page 7 ;
High school
playoffs bring
excitement
I t’s that time of year again. It’s
the time when the fans come
out in force, the band strikes up
and the pom-poms are waving.
The cameras roll and the spotlight
shines bright. Friday night heroes
become champions.
It’s high school football playoff
time, and it’s an exciting time for
Texas football fans. But it’s an
even more exciting time for the
players, students, parents and
hometown fans involved.
Small towns and communities
come alive in support of their high
school team. Banners and posters
pop up, car windows are painted
and pep rallies are held. Television
crews invade the playoff-bound
schools to capture the immense
spirit and excitement of the stu
dent body on camera.
Parents and fans form cara
vans and make road trips to the
games. As the victories mount,
the road heads to the big cities.
Here, youthful dreams come true
as players get their chance to play
in the big time.
Instead of sitting in the stands
and watching the action as specta
tors, these lucky teenagers get to
make the bone-crushing tackle, the
long run or the graceful catch on
the field of the Astrodome, Texas
Stadium, or Kyle Field.
As shown during last week’s
Class 5A, Division II quarterfinal
game between John Tyler and
Plano East at Texas Stadium, play
off games can be nothing short of
heartstopping.
Leading 41-17 with just over
three minutes remaining in the
contest, John Tyler appeared to
have the game in the bag. But re
fusing to say die, Plano East
kicked three onside kickoffs and
miraclously scored four times to
grab the lead.
But what would have been the
greatest comeback in the history
of Texas high school football was
n’t meant to be, as John Tyler re
turned the game-ending kickoff
for a touchdown and the victory.
The game’s thrilling finish was so
exciting, the highlights were
played on ESPN.
I was fortunate enough to be a
part of a playoff run during my ju
nior year of high school. As a
player on the junior varsity
football team, our unit ran scout
team in practice for the varsity
through December.
It was a thankless job until our
coach let us suit out for a game in
the Astrodome. Running out on
the Dome floor that day four years
ago was an unforgettable experi
ence and one I wouldn’t trade for
anything in the world.
Armstrong selected as AP All-American
McElroy named
to third team
Stewart Doreen
The Battalion
Senior linebacker Antonio Arm
strong has entered into a select group
of Aggies Wednesday when he was
named to the 1994 Associated Press
All-American team.
“It feels great,” Armstrong said. “It
makes you feel good to see all the hard
work you do during the season has
paid off.”
Armstrong joined the elite group of
former Aggie greats including Sam
Adams, Marcus Buckley, Aaron Glenn,
Patrick Bates, and John Roper, all recent
graduates who also made their presence
felt in the A&M “Wrecking Crew”.
Armstrong, a Butkus Award semi-fi
nalist, led the Southwest Conference’s
number one defense by recording nine
and a half sacks to go along with 62
tackles for the season.
Armstrong’s All-American season
followed his break-through perfor
mance in his first season as a starter
with eight and a half sacks and 73
tackles and All-SWC honors.
He highlighted his junior year at the
Mobil Cotton Bowl where he manhan
dled Notre Dame’s All-American Aaron
Taylor, racking up three quarterback
sacks, eight tackles and Defensive
Player of the Game honors at the Mobil
Cotton Bowl.
Other notable players on the team in-
clude:Colorado’s Rashaan Salaam, the
nation’s leading rusher, Penn State
quarterback Kerry Collins, the nation’s
leading passer and Miami’s Warren
Sapp, who won the Lombardi Award for
the nation’s top lineman.
Sophomore running back/kick re
turner Leeland McElroy was named to
the third team as the all-purpose back.
McElroy rushed for 707 yards and nine
touchdowns and return six kicks for 301
touchdown.
McElroy is A&M’s all-time leading leader in kickoff re
turns for touchdowns with four and kickoff return average
with 42.4 yards per return.
Stew Milne/THE Battalion
Senior linebacker Antonio Armstrong rushes toward the Longhorn quarterback
during the Texas game. Armstrong was selected to the ’94 All-American team.
McKeehan
yards and one
Other Southwest Conference players on the All-American
team include: The University of Texas’ Blake Brockermeyer,
a second team offensive line, Texas Tech University’s Zach
Thomas, a second team linebacker and Texas Christian Uni
versity’s Andre Davis, a third team running back.
A&M seniors to
play in postseason
By Stewart Doreen
The Battalion
Even though the eighth-ranked
Texas A&M football team will not
make the journey to Dallas on New
Year’s Day, the holiday football sea
son will have a touch of Aggie flair.
It was announced Wednesday that
All-American linebacker Antonio
Armstrong, defensive end Larry Jack-
son, tight end
James McKeehan
and offensive tack
le Jeff Jones, four
seniors from the
10-0-1 1994 A&M
team, will partici
pate in the Blue-
Gray Football
Classic Christmas
day in Mont
gomery, Alabama.
Jackson, McK
eehan and Jones will be among those
who will play for the South team
coached by Auburn’s Terry Bowden.
Armstrong decided to forgo the
trip, saying that playing in the game
would not be in his best interest.
Auburn, another team that is feel
ing the effects of NCAA regulations
will send six players to the game in
cluding All-American wide receiver
Frank Sanders, second team All-
American defensive tackle Mike Pel-
ton and All Southeast Conference se
lections—defensive back Chris
Shelling, and punter Terry Daniel.
Armstrong and Jackson will trav
el to Hawaii to play in the Hula
Bowl in January. It is an opportuni
ty that, Armstrong, like the other
Aggies will use to show off his skills
to professional scouts.
“My main goal is to show the ver
satility that the scouts are looking
for,” Armstrong said. “I want to
show I can drop back into coverage
and do more than just blitz.”
Senior running back Rodney
Thomas will make his only postsea
son appearance at the Senior Bowl.
Browns hope to uplift season with win against Dallas
IRVING (AP) — Vinny Testaverde
languished for years at Tampa Bay
without any hope of getting into a
playoff game.
That can change with a Cleveland
Browns victory Saturday over the Dal
las Cowboys at Texas Stadium.
If the Browns win, they would need
only a Denver loss or tie to the Los An
geles Rams, a Buffalo loss or tie to Min
nesota, or a Kansas City loss or tie with
Miami to earn a wild card.
“It would be the first time in my ca
reer I would be out there on the field in
the playoffs instead of sitting home
watching,” Testaverde said. “That
would mean a lot to me. ”
The Cowboys (11-2), who have
clinched the NFC East and a playoff
spot, can assure themselves a first-
round bye in the Dec. 31-Jan. 1 games
with a victory over the Browns.
Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman,
who has been nursing a sprained left
knee ligament the past two weeks
while Jason Garrett and Rodney Peete
won games, will start. Vinny Tes
taverde will start for the Browns.
Cleveland, 9-4, trails Pittsburgh by
a game in the AFC Central. The
Browns have to travel to Pittsburgh
next week before finishing the season
at home against Seattle.
The Browns are coming off a tough
loss to the New York Giants. “We were
disappointed and surprised that we al
lowed them to take the game away
from us. Now we have even a bigger
challenge,” he said.
“We’re playing them at their place
in a short week,” Cleveland coach Bill
Belichick said. “It will be tough. But I
think this team has really responded
to adverse conditions. After we’ve lost
games, we’ve bounced back.”
Cleveland hasn’t been in the play
offs since 1989.
“I would like to see what it’s like in
Cleveland during the month of January,”
wide receiver Michael Jackson said.
The Browns hold a 16-10 advantage
over the Cowboys.
The last time the teams met was in
1991, when the Cowboys spoiled Be-
lichick’s first NFL game as a head
coach with a 26-14 victory. Cleveland
last defeated Dallas in 1988, when the
Browns won, 24-21.
Dallas running back Emmitt Smith
took note of the Browns’ tough de
fense, which leads the NFL in least
points allowed.
“They really have a solid defense,”
Smith said. “It seems like we face one of
them every week. That’s the way it goes.
We just need to do what we have to do to
improve our situation in the playoffs.”
The Cowboys are tied with the 49ers
in overall record but San Francisco
owns the tie-breaker for homefield ad
vantage by virtue of a 21-14 win over
Dallas earlier in the season.
Cleveland linebacker Frank Stams
said the game will test the Browns
to the limit.
“When you want to be the best, you
have to prove yourself against the
best,” Stams said.
“They’re two-time defending Super
Bowl champions,” linebacker Michael
Dean Perry noted, “and until some oth
er team replaces them, they still have to .
be considered the best. They have a
great offense, a great defense, and a
great special teams unit. That all adds
up to a great team.”
Dallas wide receiver Michael Irvin
predicted Cleveland will give a strong
effort on Saturday.
“They feel they should have beaten the
New York Giants at home last week, so
we’ll get their best shot,” Irvin said.
The Cowboys are 10-point favorites for
the 3 p.m. CST kickoff in Texas Stadium.
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(409)77#-WINE
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Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Reynolds Medical Building
College Station, Texas 77843-1114
Tel: (409) 843-0370 Fax: (409) 845-6509
Texas A&M University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. -
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