MEMORIES | Looking back through state’s high school record book a fun journey
For those of you who haven’t already figured it out by the fact that we normally average four to five stories a day here on ETBlitz.com, summer is the sleepytime portion of the year.
The high schools in our coverage area are all boarded up. Kilgore College, Tyler Junior College and the Southwest Junior College Football Conference? Hibernation. You find more high school coaches hanging out in Destin, or Galveston, or heck, maybe even just the lake, or the golf course.
I think I just saw a tumbleweed blow by. And this is EAST Texas.
Not really. But you get my drift. I said it earlier this week: this is the most calm period of the entire year, where sports are concerned.
I really wanted to put something on ETBlitz.com for you guys to enjoy, and I wanted it to be local, something in which you’d really be interested. And I think I might’ve found it.
This past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about history: my own and football history, and even where I’m concerned in that last topic.
I’ve seen my share, from my own high school, who won a state title in my freshman year, to covering Kilgore’s 2004 state championship team led by coach Mike Vallery, covering the 2013 team that made it to the state title game coached by Mike Wood, the last four seasons watching the always-intense coach Clint Fuller and most recently the Bulldogs getting to the 2024 state title game, and much, much more, so much more, not just Kilgore, but so many special moments.
So I jumped into the football history books. I went first to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football history banks, but then I found a real gem.
It’s a website called Texas High School Football History (texashighschoolfootballhistory.com).
I was left just saying, “Wow.”
Turns out, much of the research on the site was performed by Jo Lee Smith, all the way back in 1965. And Jerry Forrest has taken up the cudgel for Jo Lee to this day.
Here’s what Jerry writes.
“For those that don’t know me, my name is Jerry Forrest, and I have been given the honor of continuing the great work and research compiled by Jo Lee Smith, a 2007 Texas Hall of Fame inductee, who started in 1965. My goal is to continue what he started and built through the years and to keep this site a great resource for all to view.”
It turns out, Jerry’s interest in Texas high school football history started in junior high. His words, not mine:
“In 1986, my 8th grade year, I would visit our local newspaper editor, John Sellman, every day that I had free. He would tell me stories of past Mart games and I remember asking him if he had a list of schedules from the past. Unfortunately, he told me they were destroyed when the high school gym burned down and the only schedules that were available were from 1956 to present. He then started me on a research project where I would go to a house in town where archived newspapers were stored on microfiche. I spent months reading and collecting every score I could find from the old newspapers. From that point on, I was hooked and tried to find as much history as I could any free moment that I had. So, once again I can’t tell you how much of an honor it is for me to be able to continue what Joe Lee Smith has worked so hard to build through the years. “
With that, I began to read the site. Now, some of the records need a little updating: they do still have Carthage with nine state football titles, and the Bulldogs just claimed No. 10 in December. But they’re updating things as we speak, getting ready for the 2025 season.
Here’s a few of the more impressive things I found.
You might remember that when Kilgore beat Carthage, 20-15, in the season opener at Carthage last year, it ended a LONG Carthage winning streak at home. Well, here’s how long: it was the longest home winning streak in the history of Texas high school football, guys. It was 71 freaking straight games. It began in 2016, and ended Aug. 30, 2024 with that loss to Kilgore.
The second-longest: that belongs to Austin Westlake, a 6A program, 44 games between 2019 and 2024, dropped last year in week three in a 39-21 loss to Atascocita.
That made me wonder: if that’s the ultimate benchmark for streaky success, what’s the benchmark for – well, losing? Here it is. The record for all-time consecutive losses was 54, and belonged to Austin Eastside Memorial. Imagine that: 54 straight losses. It ended last year, as the Panthers broke through and shut out New Braunfels John Paul II, 44-0. That losing streak began on Oct. 27, 2017 and lasted almost through the 2024 season.
Here’s one. Carthage has 10 state football championships, all won with coach Scott Surratt at the helm, and all since 2008.
According to the site, only Aledo has more. Aledo has 12 (1998, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023). Carthage has 10 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2024). And with last year’s win, Celina has nine (1974 (co champions), 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2007).
A few names recognizable to ETBlitz readers made the site’s honor roll, some of the best performances of the 2024 season.
Gladewater running back Tray Watts had 350 rushing yards in a win over White Oak in week 11 last season, tied for the 21st-best single-game rushing total in the state all season. Former Sabine quarterback Colt Sparks, now at Texas State University, is a little down that list. Colt had 320 yards in week one against Spring Hill last week. And Arp’s Josh Smith had 300 yards, even, against Elkhart in week eight.
Two of our ETBlitz-area passers put their names among the state’s elite with over 400 yards passing in a single game last year. White Oak’s Jaxsen Ludlow threw for 412 in a loss to Atlanta in week five, and Overton’s Bryce Still had 405 in a win over Grapeland that same week.
Still was there in another game, with six touchdown passes against Cushing in week 11; Still, by the way, was not only the most valuable offensive player on the All-ETBlitz.com Gridiron Team a year ago, but also won the ETBlitz.com boys Player / Athlete of the Year award just after the end of the 2024-25 school year.
One of his targets was on that elite performers list. Jayden Edwards’ 281-yard receiving night against Grapeland in week five was the ninth-best, yardage-wise, all season, across the whole state.
White Oak’s Brayden Bratcher made 13 grabs from Ludlow in week 11 against Gladewater, getting his name on the board for an elite night.
Let’s bust out of the 2024 season and talk a few more all-time numbers.
A great trivia question: Through the 2024 season – so, up to date – which program has the best winning percentage, all-time, minimum of 500 games played? Now, this is across the board, so any program, 1A through 6A.
(Drumroll…….)
It’s West Orange-Stark, with a winning percentage of 0.7896, and an overall record of 454-118-3. Southlake Carroll (0.7846, 612-160-8) is second; Austin Westlake 90.7714, 540-153-7) is third; and a school we all know and love, Highland Park, is fourth: 0.7714, and a record all-time of 900-267-27.
So where does the first East Texas name come in on that list?
It’s Longview. And they’re at No. 27 overall. They’re 792-359-54, all-time, and with a percentage of 0.6573.
After the Lobos, you move down to Garison at No. 34 (.6515, record of 554-294-13). Then it’s Lufkin (0.6386, 737-379-331) at No. 44, Carthage at No. 55 (0.6325, 704-368-41), Gilmer at 57 (0.6292, 755-405-40), and Daingerfield at No. 61 (0.6265, a record of 666-372-25).
The first program that shows up on the list from the ETBlitz.com coverage area is White Oak, at No. 74 (a percentage of 0.6137 and a record of 583-341-26).
“OK, OK, Mitch, we get that, but who’s actually won the most games?”
Well, you may not want me to answer that.
“Yes, yes we do,” you say.
It’s the Highland Park Scots who have the most wins in Texas state high school football history: they have 900. Mart, whom Overton finished off in the playoffs last year, has 844. They’re second. Amarillo is third (825), Temple is fourth (907), Refugio, fifth (798), and Longview, sixth (792).
Gilmer has 755 wins. Lufkin, 737. Carthage has 704 (and is at 22, all-time). Texas High (Texarkana) has 685, and Daingerfield 666.
Marshall has 643 all-time wins and is in at No. 56. Van is 89th all-time with 612, and finally, another ETBlitz.com-area program, Kilgore, is 101st with 601 all-time wins.
So, who has the most all-time LOSSES?
Well, North Dallas has 712. Houston Sam Houston, bless their hearts, has 712, more losses than any other school recorded, and Houston Sam Houston has 673.
The first East Texas school on the most-losses list? Nacogdoches, with 586 all-time defeats, at No. 25. Center has 561 losses and is 47th on the list, and Mineola, with 551 losses, is No. 54. Palestine is closely behind (549 losses, at no. 59. And Athens has 544 losses.
The only ETBlitz.com-area program on the list is Sabine, and they have 537 all-time losses.
Here’s one. Who’s actually played in more games than anyone else?
Well, more games period, it’s Mart, the 2A power (knocked off by Overton in the second round last year) that has played 1,249 total games in its history. Plano is second (1,235) and Temple, third, barely (1,234).
Gilmer, one of our ETB-area programs, has played the third-most games all-time for a 4A program: 1,200, even.
Who’s got the longest winning streak currently in district games: Aledo, a streak that began in 2007 and continues through this day, 127 straight games. Back in 1941-48, White Oak won 48 straight district games.
Who has the most consecutive winning seasons? Well that would be Refugio, 47 straight seasons from 1978 through now. (Jaws 2 was a popular movie in ’78, just sayin’).
The program with the most seasons with 10 wins or more? Highland Park (46 straight), then Refugio (43), then Mart (40), then Katy (35), then Calallen and Celina (34 each), then Southlake Carroll (33). Longview and Gilmer each have 28. Carthage has 20. Lufkin has 19, and so does Tenaha. Garrison and Alto each have 18. Tyler, the former John Tyler, does, as well. And White Oak has 16.
Of note: Katy leads the state with 23 straight 10-win seasons right now. Aledo has 19 straight, and Refugio, as well.
Who’s gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in back-to-back seasons?
Well, Grapeland went 0-10 in 1940, then 8-0-1 in 1941.
Mount Pleasant went 0-10 in 1970 to 10-0 in ’71. And more recently, Silsbee went 0-10 in 2003 to 9-0 in ’04.
What games have had the most overtime periods?
Some of you might remember Kilgore and Jacksonville playing a several-overtime classic back in 2006. But it didn’t make the cut here. Jacksonville beat Nacogdoches, 84-81, in a 12-OVERTIME GAME back in 2010, and that’s the record for most OTs in a game. But several schools have gone to five overtimes in a single game. Among them: West Rusk and Troup last year, a 25-23 Troup win.
What program has scored the most points in a full season?
Well, that would be Aledo in 2013, scoring 1,023 points in 16 games. But guess who is second?
Coach Jeff Traylor’s 2014 Gilmer Buckeyes scored 950 points in 16 games.
Who’s scored the most in a single game?
That dates all the way back to 1930, when someone named Spur dropped 186 points in a win over Lorenzo. And almost all of those games were in the 1920s and 1930s.
We’ve mentioned over the years who leads this school, and that school, in rushing yards in a single season.
Who owns the records for all-time rushing yards in this state? Let’s look.
In a career, through the 2024 season, who is the all-time leading rusher in the history of Texas high school football?
Well, it’s still Sugar Land’s Kenneth Hall, who had 11,232 yards from 1950-53. Jonathan Gray of Aledo is second, with 10,889 from 2008-11, and Traylon Shead of Cayuga is third, from 2006-09, with 10,292. Of note: Rickey Stewart at Chapel Hill, who just graduated, had 8,292 from 2021-24.
So, doing a little math and a little research, who’s the all-time leading rusher from the 12 programs that currently make up the ETBlitz.com coverage area?
That would be Lennon Creer of Tatum, who ran for 6,178 yards back in 2003-06.
Second-place would be Troup’s Chris Davis, who had 6,112 yards from 2004-06.
Third would be another former Tatum standout, Larry Horton, who rushed for 5,279 yards from 1984-86, and then still ANOTHER former Eagle, Jerry James, who ran for 5,271 yards between 1975-77.
Sugar Land’s Hall also owns the record for rushing yards in a single season (4,045), and Trey Williams of Spring DeKaney is second (3,890 yards in 2011). Aledo’s Gray is third, by just one yard (3,888, in 2011), and Joseph Sadler – the SAME SEASON!! – is fourth (3,887).
Who’s the top single-season rusher ever among schools in the ETBlitz.com coverage area?
That honor goes to Max McGee of White Oak, who did it all the way back in 1949, with 3,048 yards.
A.J. Franklin of Troup is second, having ran for 2,947 yards in 2002. And Creer rushed for 2,835 in the 2006 season.
All right, you knew this was coming. Who’s rushed for most yards in a single GAME?
Well, the all-timer is Matt Gadek, who ran for 599 against Plano East in 2017. Darryl Ellis of Somerville went for 587 against Thrall in 1998.
As far as programs from our area, the top single ground-game performance ever: it looks like Chris Davis of Troup against Arp, 457 yards, back in 2006.
Going to wind this up. Who’s thrown for more yards, by classification, than anyone in history?
Well, Armando Lujan of Sunray has the most career passing yards of any Texas high school quarterback in a career, and he was at the 2A level. Armando threw for 14,600 career yards there from 2021-24. So, he played all four seasons.
Guess who No. 18 on the list is, in Class 2A?
That would be Overton’s Bryce Still! Still threw for 8,455 yards in three seasons as a Mustang, from 2022-24, which means he’s also very high on the overall list.
Levelland’s Nick Gerber holds the record for passing yards in a single season statewide (5,617, in 2016). Gilmer’s Aaron “Poppy” Brown threw for 5,013 yards that same year. And for a game, Peyton Bevel of Stamford threw for 789 yards against DeLeon in 2018. Mike Richardson is second in passing yards in a game, with 724 for Marble Falls against Boerne Champion in 2012.
So that I’m consistent, before I go: Jordan Shipley of Rotan and Burnetholds the record for career receiving yards (5,424, set from 2000-2003); Marvin Mims of Frisco Lone Star holds the record for receiving yards in a single season (2,629, in 2019); and Marc Lozoya of Laredo Alexander set the single-season receiving yards record in 2013 in a game against Eagle Pass Winn, 454 yards.
Go to Texas High School Football History (texashighschoolfootballhistory.com) yourself and hang out. There’s so much more I couldn’t mention here, and you’ll have some fun, especially if you love the game.