1968 Sabinal Yellowjackets

With only two starters back, the 1968 version of the Sabinal Yellowjackets were picked dead last by the coaches and press.  Coach Henry Sollers had left and new head coach Arliss Britt came to town hoping to keep the winning tradition alive and well.  One thing that was crucial to this team was that they had practiced against the great teams of 1966 and 1967 and now it was THEIR turn to show what they could do.  And now Sabinal has the winning tradition to go with its teams as well.
Sabinal also had Richard Chapman, one of the finest offensive linemen and defensive linebackers to ever don a Yellowjacket uniform.  One story goes that Texas University became interested in Richard from films of him playing in his freshman year, and they did come calling his senior year and offered him a full scholarship to play football for the Longhorns.  I believe Richard is the only player from Sabinal to ever be offered a football scholarship to a 1A College.
This team had a fine nucleus of seniors which included Richard, Charlie Story at center, Clay Clifton at tackle, Austin Clary at Guard, Jerod Schmidt at wide receiver and running back, Jesus Alejandro as a split end, Roy Pena as a running back, Canuto Salinas at guard, and Bill Bales at halfback.  Several were selected to the all-district team at the end of the season.
D’Hanis came into Yellowjacket Stadium looking to run roughshod over this new team and get some measure of revenge for their loss the year before.  The Cowboys were loaded with talent and used every bit of it in building up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.  But something happened in the second period that changed these Yellowjackets and set the stage for another banner season.
Their senior defensive back, Jesus Alejandro, came up to make a tackle on a D’Hanis running back and after the play he did not get up, he had been knocked unconscious.  He was down for a very long time and they finally did get him up and off the field.    He was through for the night, and no one knew it at the time but he was also injured so much more than anyone thought.  This incident or delay parlayed into a Sabinal TD a few plays later and changed the momentum slightly as the halftime score of 14-6 was closer than anyone expected.
The third period was a defensive standoff as neither team could generate much of an offense.  Finally, toward the end of the quarter Poncho Schmidt grabbed a long pass in the end zone and a two-point conversion by Bill Bales knotted the score at 14-14.  D’Hanis was not to be outdone.  They opened the fourth quarter at their own 32-yard line and began to slowly march down the field on runs by Johnny Zinsmeyer and Tommy Attaway.  Facing a 3rd and 4 at the Sabinal 8 yard line D’Hanis called their usual power sweep which had been pretty successful all evening.  Attaway pitched the ball and hit the back right in his hands, only he was not looking at the ball, his eyes were on Richard Chapman zeroing in on him at full speed. 
The ball hit his hands just as Richard hit him, the ball floated upwards and then as it fell to the ground it was kicked by Chapman’s foot as he made the tackle and bounded toward the end zone.  The ball was totally lost in a maze of D’Hanis white and Sabinal Purple jerseys and as everyone looked around for the ball an official in the end zone was signaling a TD.  The ball had settled right on the goal line, under a D’Hanis player, six points for the Cowboys!
Sabinal made one last drive as time began to become a factor and threw an interception at their 47-yard line and D’Hanis controlled the ball the rest of the game to seal the win 20-14.  Sabinal lost but had gained the respect of not only their fans but the D’Hanis fans as well and looked forward to another successful season and, hopefully, another shot at the district title.
The one very sad note to this team was that the next week, their talented senior defensive back who had suffered the concussion during the game developed a blood clot in his brain and it hemorrhaged during a practice and he died the next day.  This was such a devastating blow to everyone in the student body and the town of Sabinal as well.  The team dedicated the remainder of their season to Jesus and his family and they truly did play up to the high expectations that Jesus set for himself and his teammates.
After canceling their next game with Medina Valley, the Yellowjackets then began their improbable run through the season as the next opponent for Sabinal, Natalia, fell by a score of  12-0.  Followed by wins over Brackettville 14-0, Southside 14-8, Bandera 8-0, and Comfort 22-21.  During this string of wins, due to an ankle injury of their only QB, Sabinal switched to the old single wing offense which featured Richard Chapman as the workhorse carrying the ball.
And then they faced an extremely talented Blanco team in Sabinal who had challenged district leader Johnson City to the 4th quarter before losing.  In this defensive battle, Blanco finally scored a TD in the 4th quarter and that 6-0 advantage seemed very secure at that time.  The Panthers then held the Yellowjackets to zero yardage and forced them to punt and began another drive to the end zone.  Facing a 3rd and 6 from the Sabinal 20 yard line Blanco went for the score and threw towards the end zone.  The ball seemed to float for an eternity and then fell right into the hands of a Sabinal defensive back in the end zone.  The Yellowjackets had one more opportunity to win the game!
They began at their own 20-yard line and ran several successful pass plays and runs to get to the Blanco 4 yard line with time beginning to run out.  Richard Chapman then took the ball and rambled over two Blanco defenders for the score to tie the game.  Unlike the Judson game, Sabinal was behind in first downs, total yardage, penetrations, in fact they trailed in every statistical category so they were forced to go for the scoreboard victory.  With no field goal kicker on this team the Yellowjackets went for the two-point conversion and the pass fell incomplete in the end zone.  Everyone expected Richard Chapman to get the ball and why he was not given the opportunity will always be wondered by not only me but others as well. 
The final score of 6-6 still gave Sabinal a chance at the district title in two weeks in Johnson City.  Sabinal trounced the Smiley Bantams 30-6 in Smiley before their showdown with Johnson City.  The Eagles were undefeated in district play and favored by over 18 points. Sabinal played a very respectable first half, trailing only 14-6, but Johnson City took complete control of the game in the 3rd quarter and stymied the Yellowjackets the rest of the way en route to a 36-6 win and the district championship.

Co-captains Richard Chapman and Jerod “Poncho” Schmidt led this team to yet another stellar season and an opportunity to take the district title, even though most thought it would be a major rebuilding season and the wins would be few and far between.  This team showed maturity far beyond its years as they overcame an early season tragedy and showed what a winning tradition and a firm commitment to excellence can accomplish.  I am so proud that I was a part of this team and I will never forget the lessons I learned both on and off the field that season. 
After the season was over the entire football team, student body, and administrative personnel all voted to retire jersey number eighty-one, Jesus’ jersey and place it and a photo of Jesus on display in the trophy case where all could see it.  I know that every time I walk by that case and see that jersey I think of Jesus and all he meant to me and my teammates and I will always believe that he was with us that season and was proud of what we accomplished.