Hey ZONERS, Your Vote Can Help

[Mavs Man]

It's been a while since I had an update. Last week I moved up one spot to #4 overall in the weekly ranking.

I'm still editing Friday's game. I left for Wichita Falls (2+ hour drive west) right after the game, so I didn't get there until 2am. Then I covered a preseason basketball tournament all day, stayed in WF overnight, and didn't get home until Sunday afternoon. Then there was the Cowboys game, so I didn't finally start editing until Sunday night.

The game I covered on Friday was a rivalry game from my hometown that dates back to 1906. Since 1949 it has been known as the Battle of the Ax. A few years went unplayed, and several box scores have been lost over the years, but this was the 99th documented game in the series.

Both teams are in down years but the rivalry game is always an intense one. In a way, this was a one-game playoff - a mini-championship game, with the Ax and a year's worth of bragging rights serving as the trophy.

Sherman came in as the favored team, and was playing at home. Denison is playing mostly sophomores, and decided to start their sophomore QB after he came in the week before in relief and almost brought his team back for a win. They came just short, and in the process were knocked out of the playoff picture along with Sherman.

The game was closely played throughout. At the end of the 2nd quarter Denison cut the lead to 19-17 after a short field goal. But with only seconds left in the half, Sherman's starting RB (who had torched Denison for nearly 300 yards rushing last year) broke five or six tackles in the backfield and then took it over 60 yards for the touchdown, giving Sherman a 26-17 lead going into halftime.

The momentum continued into the second half, as Sherman recovered the opening kickoff - a short, high arching kick that went about 20 yards. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Sherman was up by 19 points, 43-24.

It was then that Denison's sophomore QB took the team on his back and scored three consecutive rushing touchdowns. Thanks also to a stout defensive effort and an onside kick, with less than three minutes left in the game, Denison had come back to take a 44-43 lead.

But there was still plenty of time left for one final drive. Sherman drove down to the Denison 23 yard line, and prepared to kick a potentially game-winning 40 yard kick with 17 seconds left. Denison took two time outs to ice the kicker. There was no need to. The snap was good, the hold was good, but the kick was blocked. Denison kneels down to run out the clock and sneaks out of Sherman with a win in the best game of the year and quite possibly the best high school football game I've ever seen.

I went to a lot of Denison games as a kid, and saw them go to three state championship games in the mid 90s (and lose all three to the same team ). This was by far the best Denison game I've ever been to. I could probably say the 1984 state championship win was better, but I wasn't even a year old when it happened.

Anyway, I had my cousin (played for Denison 10 years ago) man a 2nd camera, which has added to the time I've worked on this video. The finished product will probably end up being around 10 minutes in length. If you're interested, I'd highly recommend checking this one out.

 

[Mavs Man]

I almost forgot - the Versus network is showing their Plano/Plano East game that the NFL Films crew went to TONIGHT. On their website it's listed as 11PM - I'm guessing that's in EST. So if you're interested, check your local listings.

 

[Mavs Man]

Another update - I just dropped to 6th place in this week's rankings. That actually isn't too bad considering I haven't even turned in a video this week. I would have been at least 4th, otherwise. Consider that at least twice the leading vote getter didn't make the top 10 and he's done a video every week.

I can live with that - for the first time in this contest I wasn't even expecting to be ranked, so I'll take 6th place. Next week I will have two videos up, and I'll be getting more votes in from the Denison/Sherman game (if I can get the word out to the local community).

This week I'll be at Texas Stadium for the start of the 5A playoffs - Plano and Rockwall. Both teams had tough schedules, they have offenses capable of putting 30+ points on the board, as well as opportunistic defenses, so this should be a good game.

Texas Stadium was kind of a hassle to get a sideline pass from, but I guess that isn't too surprising. They only have three Cowboys home games in the next 14 days, and about a bajillion high school football games three nights this weekend and throughout the high school playoffs. It will be cool being on the sidelines again - I'll get some good shots outside the stadium, Landry's statue, etc. and be sure to include them in my video.

 

[Mavs Man]

After over a week and more than 50+ hours of working on it (in addition to my full time job), as of 5am this morning - it is finished.

For now anyway. MaxPreps really wants me to get it in, so I'm turning it in now, for better or for worse.

The finished product stands at nearly 16 minutes long, well over my typical 3-4 minute video. My longest video for them up until now had only been five minutes.

I hope some of you will have the stamina to plow through it once the video is finally up on my profile (should be later this afternoon). It's not perfect, but I put a lot of time and effort into this and I think it shows.

I was heavily influenced by the 90s Cowboys Super Bowl Season videos, btw.

Also, I had to split it into two parts for MaxPreps to take it - the first video ends at halftime (6 1/2 min) and the second video continues from there (9 min).

 

[Hostile]

After over a week and more than 50+ hours of working on it (in addition to my full time job), as of 5am this morning - it is finished.

For now anyway. MaxPreps really wants me to get it in, so I'm turning it in now, for better or for worse.

The finished product stands at nearly 16 minutes long, well over my typical 3-4 minute video. My longest video for them up until now had only been five minutes.

I hope some of you will have the stamina to plow through it once the video is finally up on my profile (should be later this afternoon). It's not perfect, but I put a lot of time and effort into this and I think it shows.

I was heavily influenced by the 90s Cowboys Super Bowl Season videos, btw.

Also, I had to split it into two parts for MaxPreps to take it - the first video ends at halftime (6 1/2 min) and the second video continues from there (9 min).

Kind of cool that you're getting to do that.

I still vote every day, twice a day on work days.

 

[Mavs Man]

Kind of cool that you're getting to do that.

I still vote every day, twice a day on work days.

Yeah, they certainly could have been anal about it and demanded it be under a certain length. I was looking forward to going all out for this game, for weeks, and then with the way it turned out, I knew I had to take as long as I needed to make it "right". I'm thankful it will be shown pretty much in its entirety.

And thanks for keeping up the daily vote. I'm still amazed there are people on the 'net that vote for me, who have never met me, who hardly even know me, yet still take the time to vote for some kid with a camera.

It's going above and beyond the call of duty, but in a way, I guess that's what I've grown to expect from Cowboys fans.

 

[Mavs Man]

It took them two days, but the two part video is finally up.

I'm interested to hear what people think about it...

 

[Mavs Man]

Updates:

Two more videos are up - Rockwall vs. Plano (good game, 42-35 shootout) and Southlake Carroll vs. Cedar Hill (the two 5A champs from last year) - well, they will be later today.

The player I'm doing a recruiting video for makes a pick late in the Plano/Rockwall game, but it was called back on a defensive flag.

I saw Nate Newton at the Southlake game. His son Tre is the starting RB, but has been injured the past few weeks.

I'm already getting requests to purchase DVDs for the Battle of the Ax game! Pretty cool!

I won't be doing basketball games after all. They don't have the funding to go all out for basketball, so they can only give the 10 contracts for the 10 predetermined markets. Oh well, I could use a break after this football season is over.

I moved back up to fourth this past week. I was again late one video because I was still backed up, but over the weekend I finally caught up on my work.

This week's game is Odessa Permian vs. Euless Trinity. Should be a good one! They played in Odessa earlier this season and Trinity got stomped, 30-3. They're looking for revenge, and this time it's in Abilene. But Odessa is undefeated and looking very good.

 

[Mavs Man]

Weekly update:

Last week's Permian/Trinity game was a blowout - but not by the team everyone expected. After getting humiliated 30-3 in Odessa in September, Trinity won 38-14 Saturday at Abilene's Shotwell Stadium. The team performed the HAKA tribal dance before and after the game - pretty cool to see. The Odessa Permian Mojo was rolling in the first quarter, as a huge crowd showed up for the game, but it just wasn't enough. Highlights will be up later this week.

I covered Southlake Carroll last week as they easily handled Cedar Hill (also 2006 5A state champion) 37-18. But of course, this past week they get knocked off 22-21 by Abilene at Texas Stadium (while I was IN Abilene). This will be the first time Southlake will miss the title game since 2001!

I'm still in fourth place every week. There are only about two weeks left in the competition. If you have been voting throughout this competition, again, many thank you's. If you haven't voted, I ask that you please review my videos at www.maxpreps.com/intern (Dallas, TX) and do so if you feel I deserve it.

This week I'll be going to Plano/Skyline and Wichita Falls Rider/Everman. If Highland Park advances this week to the 4A semifinals, I'll be covering that one (their opponent would be the winner of the Rider/Everman game) and probably another 5A game as there are many Dallas area teams still in the thick of things (Trinity, Arlington Bowie, Plano, Skyline, and Hebron).

 

[Mavs Man]

Thanks to all who have voted! The results will be announced on one of their shows this next week, so I'll let you all know how I did (hopefully they'll give out a top ten finish rather than just the winner).

Again, thank you for your support over the course of this contest! You guys are awesome!

 

[Mavs Man]

As released on their end of year show, the Arizona intern won the contest (and deservedly so, I might add).

As consolation, one of the games I covered was featured as one of the five best of the year (Plano/Rockwall - first week of the playoffs). And a play from the Denison/Sherman game was featured as the #2 rushing play of the year.

They haven't released the final rankings aside from #1, but they should have those out after the holidays.