This year's meeting for Texas' six-man high school football coaches
was an enjoyable one for Balmorhea Bears head coach Michael Barrandey,
even if it did require a little more work than at past summer
conventions.
"It was an experience," Barrandey said on Friday, after returning home
from the Six-Man Coaches Association's annual summer meeting in Lubbock,
where he served as the coach for the West All-Star football team.
"The kids were all very talented and we really enjoyed it. The Lubbock
people all treated us real nice.
The game itself was also nice, as Barrandey's team defeated the East
squad, 51-32. Amherst's Dewayne Miles ran for 234 yards and had four
touchdowns, while Balmorhea's Junior Dutchover had a 1-yard run for the
second touchdown during a 24-point run by the West in the first half.
"All the kids got to play, and we were able to mix things up and put
everybody in," the Bears' coach said. "Sometimes, not all the kids get
to play and it's tough on the parents to go all this way and not see
their kid play."
Barrandey's Balmorhea staff of assistant coaches Ennis Erickson and
Adolfo Garcia also handled the West team, along with Imperial-Buena
Vista head coach Steve McLaren.
"Coach Garcia was in charge of the kicking game, coach Erickson handled
the tight offense and I was in charge of the spread offense along with
coach McLaren," Barrandey said. "The kids picked up on it real well. We
had very few mistakes in the field."
"A kid from Sands (Delynn Reed) was quarterback, because they run the
same offense we do, so it was easy for him to pick it up," the Bears'
coach said.
"We practiced during the day, and then the kids had things set up for
them to go it in the evenings," the Bears' coach added.
Miles, who led Amherst to two straight state six-man titles - including
a 32-28 semifinal win over Barrandey's Bears in 1994 - was named the
game's Most Valuable Player on offense, while Sands' Dallas Hopper
earned defensive honors. "He did a good job for us at middle
linebacker," Barrandey said.
Dutchover started in the backfield along with Miles and finished with 67
yards and a touchdown. He only played on offense in the first half,
under the Six-Man All-Star Game's rules.
"There are 16 kids on each team and in the first half you can only play
eight on offense and eight on defense. In the second half you can mix
things up," Barrandey said.
The West squad had a 36-14 halftime lead by the time the players were
allowed to play both ways. "They (the East) tried to run the spread
offense in the second half, but I had Junior rushing and he got to their
quarterback a couple of times," the Bears' coach said.
"The East had won the two previous years, so it was good to bring the
title back to the West," Barrandey said.
The two-game losing streak is the longest the Bears' coach has had to
deal with since 1993, and they will try and keep that record intact when
the 1996 season gets underway in six weeks.
Preseason workouts start two weeks from now, and Barrandey said, "I
expect about three more kids out this year, and we may have as many as
21 out. We started out last year with 16 and have 12 coming back."
Return to Menu