Football: Gridiron Gazette

Gridiron Gazette #10

HANKS 34 EASTWOOD 13 VARSITY HANKS 42 EASTWOOD 0 JUNIOR VARSITY HANKS 36 EASTWOOD 13 FRESHMAN *FOR THE 3RD WEEK IN A ROW THE KNIGHTS SWEPT ALL THREE LEVELS. THE VARSITY FINISHED THE REGULAR SEASON 7 - 3. THE JUNIOR VARSITY FINISHED 7 - 3 AND THE FRESHMAN FINISHED THE SEASON 4 -6. The players and coaches at all three levels did a tremendous job of improving as the year progressed and we are very excited about the future that is in front of us. NOW FOR THE PLAYOFFS! We have a couple of scenarios that would allow us to get in the playoffs. First, we need Franklin to beat Coronado tonight at the Sun Bowl. If this happens we will in all likelihood be in a three way tie with Coronado, El Dorado, and ourselves. However, El Dorado still has to beat Americas Friday night for this three way tie to occur but that appears to be a likely possibility. If we do end up in a three way tie there will be a coin flip Friday night at the SAC after the Americas/El Dorado game. The three coaches from Hanks, El Dorado, and Coronado will each flip a coin at the same time. Since there are two playoff spots available the odd man on the coin flip will automatically be in the playoffs. The final spot will be determined by head to head competition. So, there are two ways we would get in the playoffs: #1 We win the toss. If this occurs we would be the #1 seed in the Division II bracket because we are the smallest school enrollment wise left in the mix. We would be the #1 seed by virtue of our beating Coronado who would be the number two seed because they beat El Dorado. In this scenario we would play Midland Lee on Friday night, November 14th, at the Grande Communications center in Midland @ 7:00 p.m. central time. If El Dorado wins the toss we would be in the playoffs as well. El Dorado would be automatically in and we would be in by virtue of our defeating Coronado. In this scenario we would be the #2 seed in Division II because Montwood would drop into the Division II bracket by virtue of El Dorado and Franklin being the two largest schools in our district. This would mean we would play Midland HS Saturday, November 15th at Grande Communications center probably around 4 or 5 p.m. central time. Of course if Coronado wins the toss we are eliminated by virtue of our loss to El Dorado. ALL OF THIS IS CONTINGENT ON FRANKLIN BEATING CORONADO TONIGHT AT THE SUN BOWL. SO ALL I CAN SAY IS GO COUGARS!!! Finally, I want to personally thank each of you for your support and dedication this season. Football requires the help of so many people and our success is truly the combined efforts of many. Without your help our continued progress would be impossible. Go Knights!! WE ARE HANKS!!! Coach Cleveland

Gridiron Gazette #9

HANKS 45 SOCORRO 27 VARSITY HANKS 34 SOCORRO 22 JUNIOR VARSITY HANKS 35 SOCORRO 14 FRESHMAN Hello everyone, For the second week in a row the Knights swept their opponent at all three levels. It was another great week for the Junior Varsity as they improved their record to 6 wins and 3 losses. The freshman won for the second week in a row also. We have seen great improvement at the sub varsity levels and we are truly excited about our future. The varsity played an outstanding game against Socorro as well. With the halftime score at 24-21 the game was still very much in doubt. However, the Knights played an excellent second half and pulled away from the Bulldogs with a convincing 45-27 victory improving our record to 6 wins and 3 losses. We are currently 4-3 District 1-5A with our final game of the season this week against our rival Eastwood. The defense had many standouts this week. Raul Silvas led the Knights with 21 total tackles and one interception. Adrian Rodriguez had sixteen tackles and one pass break up. Jeremy Tarango posted 13 tackles and also had an interception. Angel Sanchez carded 13 tackles along with Jorge Becerra's 8 tackles, Tevin Bonner's 6 tackles, Manny Villanueva's 6 tackles, Sergio Figueroa's 5 tackles, Franky Arguelles 4 tackles, Matt Castro's 4 tackles, Tevin Williamson's 4 Tackles, Ivan Ibarra's two tackles, Felipe Pena's two tackles, and Saul Munoz's one tackle. Offensively the Knights put 424 yards of total offense with Matt Reyes passing for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Pettis caught 4 passess for 62 yards and a touchdown. Tony Chacon caught 2 passes for 53 yards. Saul Munoz caught 3 passes for 71 yards. Marco Castenada caught 2 passes for 33 yards and Franky Arguelles caught one pass for 33 yards and a touchdown. Marco Castenada rushed the ball 23 times for 176 yards and 3 scores. Also, kicker Adrian Lujan had an excellent game going 7 for 7 on PAT's and making a 36 yard field goal. The Knights host Eastwood's freshman and JV on Thursday night at Excalibur Stadium at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. The Varsity will play at Eastwood on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. We hope all of you can come out this week and support our teams at all three levels as this is the final regular season game for the Knights. We need to beat Eastwood and have Franklin defeat Coronado in two weeks for the Knights to get in the playoffs. So our chant this week is GO KNIGHTS!!! Next week it will be GO COUGARS!! I want to personally thank all of you for your support and dedication this season to our players as we look forward to a great week and a playoff berth for a third consecutive year. Go Knights!! "WE ARE HANKS" Coach Cleveland

Gridiron Gazette Week #8

Hello everyone and welcome to the eighth edition of the "Gridiron Gazette"! It was a great week for the Knights as we were able to continue our race for the playoffs with a great win Thursday night against Americas. We are now 5-3 overall and 3-3 in District 1-5A with two games remaining against Socorro and Eastwood. We play Socorro this Friday night at Hanks starting @ 7:00 p.m. This is a crucial district match up as we have to win to keep our playoff hopes alive. PLEASE COME OUT AND SUPPORT US AS THIS IS GOING TO BE A GREAT BALL GAME AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO SHOW THE REST OF THE CITY THAT HANKS IS THE PLACE TO BE! The Junior Varsity won a great game Saturday against Americas 18-16 and the Freshman team put together their best performance yet with a 30-0 drubbing of the Trailblazers. I am very excited about the progress our sub-varsity teams have made and we continue to look forward to an even brighter future. Thursday night saw many great performances starting with Ryan Pettis and his 8 catches for 208 yards and three touchdowns. Matt Reyes passed for 381 yards and four touchdowns also. Jorge Becerra, Franky Arguelles, Saul Munoz, and Tony Chacon all had good receiving games as well. Marco Castenada, LaShon Williams, and Mike Acosta each carried the ball effectively for the Knights. The Offensive Line did a fine job as well with Jordon Jones, Eli Garcia, Justin Adams, Jacob Palacio, and Ivan Ibarra paving the way for the Knights. Defensively, the Knights were led by Raul Silvas, Angel Pinon, Tevin Williamson, Adrian Rodriguez, and Angel Sanchez. Manny Villanueva, Sergio Figureroa, Matt Castro, and the always dependable Jeremy Tarango turned in fine performances as well. We will be honoring our middle schools this week as we are inviting Desert View and Indian Ridge to this weeks contest. R.E.L. Washington Elementary will be our "Bleacher Creatures" and we are excited about their coming to our campus. This week's theme is about being a "Champion"! Champions always possess the following characteristics: 1. Champions do not make excuses when things go wrong 2. Champions do not point fingers 3. Champions support their teammates in good times and bad. They build up their teammates and never tear them down 4. Champions respect honesty- they tell the truth and want the truth told to them 5. Champions always look and act like champions 6. Champions worry more about the name on the front of their jersey than the name on the back of it 7. Champions make everyone around them better 8. Champions always feel they could have done more 9. Champions hurt when they lose, not only for themselves but their teammates, coaches, and their school 10. Champions cannot wait to play again, because every time they get a chance to represent their school its the chance of a lifetime! Go Knights!! WE ARE HANKS!! Coach Cleveland

Gridiron Gazette Week #7

Week #7 "Gridiron Gazette" WOW! What a season it has been! After reflecting upon our loss to Franklin last Friday it is easy to see the many ways we could have and should have won the game. Often times it is easy to look at one play or one call by an official and conclude that was the reason for a win or a loss. However, in the big scheme of things football games are won and lost based on the consistency with which a team plays for four quarters. Friday night the game could have easily been much different if we had executed in several areas other than our fumble on the goal line. We are constantly preaching to our kids how much football relates to life. This weekend was a prime example. We worked so hard to get that win against Franklin, and it was certainly a big let down when we didn't get the win. However, every situation is a teachable moment and this circumstance is no different. How we respond Thursday night is the measure of the type of people we have in our program. I'm not necessarily talking about winning and losing but more about how we prepare and how we play this week. As Charles Swindoll has said, "Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it." This week we are looking for our young men to rally with one another and return to the field more determined than ever to achieve at the level we are capable of. We had many bright spots against Franklin and I know we can still achieve our goal of making a third straight playoff appearance if we set our minds to the task at hand which is the Americas Trailblazers. The Junior Varsity lost a tough game 48-12 and the Freshman also lost 26-14. The JV is now 4-3 and the Freshman are 1-5 but improving every week. Again, the Varsity plays Thursday night at the SAC @ 7:00 p.m. and the Freshman and JV play on Saturday morning at Hanks @ 9:00 and 11:00 respectively. Our theme this week is about "SUCCESS"! "All successful people have been through disappointment and adversity. It's how they decided to respond to those adverse situations that made the difference in the final outcomes of their lives. Hurdles are meant to be jumped over. It's only those who fear too much to try that never realize what they could have become!" -Zig Ziglar *Thursday night we will be back in action and we will give our school and community everything we have!!!!!! Go Knights! WE ARE HANKS!!! Coach Cleveland

Gridiron Gazette #6

HANKS 31 CORONADO 28 OT Once again I would like to thank each of you for your support and commitment to our program. We won a tremendous game last Thursday night at Coronado HS giving Hanks its first ever victory on the westside. WOW!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT FOR HANKS HS AND OUR COMMUNITY!! The 31-28 overtime victory also put the Knights back into playoff contention in District 1-5A with a huge home game coming up this week against the Franklin Cougars. WE ARE ASKING THAT EVERYONE COME TO THE GAME FRIDAY NIGHT AS WE HONOR OUR FACULTY AND STAFF BEFORE THE GAME. I WILL BE PUTTING A NOTE IN YOUR BOX TO LET ME KNOW IF YOUR ARE COMING FRIDAY NIGHT OR NOT. WE WILL BE INTRODUCING ALL FACULTY MEMBERS ON THE TRACK AT 6:30 P.M. Pebble Hills Elementary will be our "Bleacher Creatures" and we are honoring them this week as well as their Principal Mr. Robert Martinez! Please come and wear black to support the Knights! We are so exicited about this week and we are hoping for our biggest crowd ever and the total support of everyone on our staff and in our community. The JV won their contest 40-14 and improved their record to 3-3 and the freshman lost a close one 28-21. The siliver team played their second game and lost to Coronado 30-12. All teams are improving each week and we are looking forward to the last month of the season with great anticipation. This week will also be Dad's Night! This tradition is one in which we invite the Father's of our senior football player's to come in the locker room and experience what we do in the moments before kickoff. It is truly a neat experience and one that father and son cherish for a lifetime. This week we are using a quote from Michelangelo when he created his sculpture of David. "The sculpture was always within the stone, it was just a matter of chiseling around it." Within each of our kids is something great! We just have to find it! Go Knights!! WE ARE HANKS!!!! Coach Cleveland

Gridiron Gazette #5

Hello Knights Fans and welcome to week #5 of the "Gridiron Gazette"! The Knights lost a tough one Friday for Homecoming to El Dorado HS. The score was a whopping 50-42. The two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense and 92 points. The Knights came up just short of a thrilling comeback victory. However, our team is fired up and excited about the opportunity before us to play the Coronado T-Birds on Thursday night at the new Coronado field on the campus of Coronado HS. Friday night saw many great plays and standout performances for the Knights. Matt Reyes threw for 423 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan Pettis had an incredible game catching 11 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Tony Chacon, Jacob Hesford, and Saul Munoz all had great receiving games as well. Marco Castenada rushed for over 100 yards and the offense registered over 500 total yards and 42 points. Defensively the Knights did have some standout performances despite giving up 50 points. Jeremy Tarango led the Knights once again with 16 total tackles and is among the leaders in the State in total tackles. Adrian Rodriguez had twelve tackles, Raul Silvas had ten, Franky Arguelles had seven tackles plus an interception, Jorge Becerra and Matt Castro had six tackles along with Angel Pinon and Angel Sanchez. Manny Villanueva also had six tackles and Ivan Ibarra recorded five stops. The freshman team is still showing improvement despite a 48-28 loss on Saturday, and the Junior Varsity lost a tough one 28-14. We encourage everyone to attend Thursday nights game as the Knights take on Coronado. Coronado has scheduled us for their Homecoming and we want everyone to attend as we go to the westside to spoil their festivities! The Freshman play Saturday at Hanks against Coronado with the Black team on the game field at 9:00 a.m. and the Silver team on the Lee Trevino field at 9:00 a.m. also. The Junior Varsity will play immediately following the 9th grade on the game field. Please continue your support of the Knights as we "Circle the Wagons" this week against Coronado. "When adversity hits you must believe in each other and trust in the plan. Without unity we can accomplish nothing, with it we can conquer a mountain." Go Knights! "WE ARE HANKS" Coach Cleveland

Gridiron Gazette Week 4

Hello Knights Fans and welcome to the week four version of the Gridiron Gazette!

Last week was a tough one for the Knights as we lost at the varsity level 35-14 to Montwood. The game was very good and some late turnovers skewed the score to a number that it should not have been. There were several bright spots in the game however and the Knights are looking forward to a big "Homecoming" this week against El Dorado.

Quarterback Matt Reyes threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns both to Tony Chacon. Chacon had 7 receptions for 137 yards to go along with the two touchdown receptions. Ryan Pettis caught 4 passes for 59 yards and Jacob Hesford added seven catches for 67 yeards. Saul Munoz and Marco Castenada each caught two passes apiece. Castenada also rushed for 71 yards on twelve carries as the Knights gained three hundred sixty yards of offense.

Defensively, the Knights were once again led by Jeremy Tarango who had 18 tackles, followed by Adrian Rodriguez with 11, Matt Castro and Angel Pinon with 10, Tevin Williamson and Angel Sanchez with four, and Jorge Becerra with five. Raul Silvas had eight tackles, Ivan Ibarra and Franky Arguelles each had three tackles.

The Knights outgained the Rams in total offense and played very well for most of the game on both sides of the ball. However, late turnovers cost the Knights a chance to knock off the Rams.

The Freshman lost a close one to Montwood 21-14 and the JV was defeated 50-12. Improvement was seen at all levels despite some of the final scores.

This week we play El Dorado on Friday night at Excalibur Stadium and its Homecoming. We are very excited about the opportunity to get back to our winning ways and hope each of you will be able to attend. The Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally will be Thursday night starting with the Parade at 6:00 p.m. Please make every effort to attend our Homecoming Festivities as we always have a great time during Homecoming at Hanks.

The Freshman and JV will play Saturday morning at El Dorado HS beginning at 9:00 with the freshman and the JV immediately following. Homecoming will conclude with the Dance on Saturday evening in the new gym at Hanks.

WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE PARADE!!

GO KNIGHTS!!!

WE ARE HANKS!!!!

Gridiron Gazette #3

Hello all and welcome to the third installment of the Hanks Football "Gridiron Gazette". Week three saw some awesome play by the Knights and we are hoping to continue our quest for a district championship by beating the Montwood Rams this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Socorro Activities Complex. WITH THE START OF DISTRICT WE HAVE ENACTED A NEW MANTRA, AND THAT MANTA IS "ONE THOUGHT"! IN HER BOOK, THE SECRET, RHONDA BYRNE TALKS ABOUT HOW ALL GREAT INVENTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS STARTED WITH JUST ONE THOUGHT. OF COURSE MANY GREAT BREAKTHROUGHS FOR MANKIND HAS BEEN THE RESULT OF THE COMMON PURSUITS OF MANY, HOWEVER EVERY GREAT ACHIEVEMENT STARTED WITH JUST "ONE THOUGHT"! OUR MISSION IS TO HAVE THE THOUGHT PROCESS THAT WE CAN WIN EVERY GAME ON OUR SCHEDULE BY BELIEVING IN EACH OTHER AND TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS. WE ARE ONLY LIMITED BY THE BOUNDARIES WE SET FOR OURSELVES SO OUR THOUGHT IS THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE MAKE OUR MIND UP TO DO. MENTION THE WORDS "ONE THOUGHT" TO ANY VARSITY FOOTBALL PLAYER AND HE WILL LOOK AT YOU AND SMILE:) Now for this weeks heroes of the gridiron. First of all, the Freshman lost to Bel Air 34-6 bringing their record to 1-2. However, the team is getting better each week and we expect big things from them in the coming weeks. The Junior Varsity won a thriller 28-27 over Bel Air to improve their record to 3-0. The JV is loaded with talented players and we are so excited about their future. Finally, the Varsity won 42-7 to improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in District 1-5A. Matt Reyes threw touchdown passes to Ryan Pettis (1), Jacob Hesford (1), Tony Chacon (2), and Saul Munoz (1). Matt completed 15 of 21 passes for 318 yards and five touchdown's. Jared Hurley also completed one pass and scored on a seven yard run. LaShon Williams, Marco Castenada, Mike Acosta, and Adrian Rodriguez all shared time in the backfield for the Knights. The offensive line did an outstanding job once again opening holes for the running game and protecting Matt Reyes when he passed. Defensively the Knights almost pitched another shutout as the Highlanders only scored seven points in the ballgame. Again, Adrian Rodriguez, Jorge Becerra, Jeremy Tarango, Matt Castro, Raul Silvas, and Angel Pinon led the tackle chart. The defensive line of Tevin Williamson, Ivan Ibarra, Sergio Figueroa, Felipe Pena, Ozzy Hernandez, Jacob Palacios, and Sebastian Lom did a great job of controlling the BA running game as the Knights dominated defensively from start to finish. Again, please come out Thursday night to the Socorro Activities Complex @ 7:00 p.m. as the Knights battle Montwood. This gaurantee's to be one of the most entertaining games of the year. Even if you've never been to a game before make this one your first. When we get to the SAC they need to know one thing: "We Are Hanks"! Coach Cleveland