THE STATUESQUE HIGH SCHOOL GIRL STOOD ERECT BEFORE THE CROWD, WHICH HAD ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE CLAMORED TO IT'S FEET FOR THE PRAYERS. THE OPENING MESSAGE CALLED FOR, BY THE PRIEST AND DELIVERED WITH HIS SUNDAY MORNING PATIENT, SINCERE TONE, CALLED FOR A SAFE NIGHT FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAD TRAVELED TO ATTEND THE SHOWDOWN AT BISHOP REICHERT HIGH SCHOOL LAST FRIDAY IN WACO.
ON CUE, THE TALL GIRL STEPPED FORWARD AND BEGAN TO SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IN TO THE MICROPHONE AND WITH PERFECT PITCH THE PATRIOTIC MELODY ECHO ACROSS THE NATURAL GRASS FIELD.
HEAD COACH DALE SCHILLING OF THE MUENSTER SACRED HEART TIGERS CALLED THE NATURAL TURF FIELD ONE OF THE BEST OF IT'S KIND STILL BEING USED IN CENTRAL TEXAS. "THE SCHOOL AND THE BOOSTER CLUB ARE QUITE PROUD OF THEIR FIELD," THE COACH QUOTED. "THEY PROVIDE ALL THE WORK TO KEEP IT WELL MAINTAINED AND SERVICED YEAR ROUND".
FOR YEARS SACRED HEART AND OTHER SMALL TAPPS SCHOOLS HAVE COVETED BISHOP REICHER AS THE LOCATION FOR THEIR PLAYOFF GAMES. "I THINK WE (SACRED HEART) ENJOYED THE TYPE OF MANNER WE WERE TREATED IN AND THE ATHLETES ENJOYED THE FEELING OF PLAYING AT A LARGER, WELL MAINTAINED FOOTBALL FACILITY."
THE YEARS HAVE ALTERED SOME THINGS. MINOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HAVE PLAGUED THE FACILITY, BUT THOSE OBSTRUCTIONS ALONG WITH OTHER GRIMLINS CAN BE ADDRESSED BY THE ALUMNI. OTHER OBSTICALS LIKE ENROLLMENT PROBLEMS BROUGHT ON BY HIGHER COSTS CONTINUE TO BE DIFFICULT ISSUES FOR THE SCHOOLS IN TAPPS TO DEAL WITH.
IN 2014 THE TIGERS OF SACRED HEART SQUARED OFF FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAINST THE COUGARS OF BISHOP REICHER WACO. IN ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE COMEBACK GAMES ON THE BOOKS, MUENSTER'S TIGERS FOUND THEMSELVES DOWN 20-0 TO THE HIGHLY FAVORED COUGARS.
THE REST OF THE STORY PLAYED OUT WITH 27 UNCONTESTED POINTS TACKED ON BY THE TIGERS SQUAD. THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN WAS ADDED ON A FORTY YARDS TOSS FROM QUARTERBACK KASON REEVES TO RANGY SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER BRADY ENDRES.
ENDRES WENT ON TO PLAY IN THE STATE SEMI-FINALS PLAYOFFS WHERE HE INTIATED A TRIPLE
PLAY WHEN HE PULLED DOWN A POP FLY ON A BUNT ATTEMPT AND THEN THREW OUT THE MAN ON THIRD BEFORE SEEING THE FIRST BASE RUNNER DISPOSED OF WITH THE THROW TO FIRST BASE MAN HAYDEN SCHILLING BY THIRD BASE MAN STEPHEN KESSLER THE FOR THE THIRD OUT.
BRADY WENT ON TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE AND THEN STARTED HIS COACHING CAREER. AFTER A FEW YEARS AS AN ASSISTANT COACH WITH BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE 3A JACKRABBITS, HE WAS ON TO AUBREY AS AN ASSISTANT WITH THE AUBREY CHAPPARRALS IN CLASS 4A.
LAST SPRING BRADY ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH OF THE TIGERS BASEBALL AND BOYS BASKETBALL PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS DEFENSIVE COACH AND COORDINATOR OF THE FOOTBALL TEAM.
NOT ONLY DOES HE SPORT EXPERIENCE ON HIS SIDE, HE ALSO HAS GENETICS ON SIDE, HAILING FROM A LINEUP THAT BOASTS HIS FAMILY WHICH INCLUDES SACRED HEART GREAT, ROGER ENDRES, HIS FATHER, WHO STILL HOLDS THE SCHOOL RECORD WITH FIVE INTERCEPTIONS IN A GAME AGAINST THE LINDSAY KNIGHTS.
DANNY WALTERSCHEID, A FORMER TEAMMATE OF ROGER AND THE CURRENT PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN OF TIGER FOOTBALL ON N-TXSPORTS.COM SAYS OF THE FEAT "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT INTERCEPTIONS" DANNY SMILED WRYLY. "PETE (THE LINDSAY QUARTERBACK) WAS THROWING AT HIM ALL NIGHT LONG."
ADDITIONALLY, ENDRES FATHER-IN-LAW IS JEFF SMILEY FORMER DEFENSIVE COACH OF THE MUENSTER HORNETS DURING THEIR FIRST STATE TITLE YEAR AND EVENTUALLY A HEAD COACH AT LINDSAY. JEFF'S BROTHER IS SCOTT SMILEY THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT SACRED HEART'S DISTRICT OPPONENT WILLOW WAY.
AS THE LAST CHORDS OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM FADED AWAY, THE TALL GIRL TURNED AWAY IN HER BLUE FORMAL DRESS REPLETE WITH TWO YARDS OF TRAILING MATERIAL AND CLIMBED INTO ONE OF EIGHT NEW CORVETTES LINED UP NEAR THE END ZONE TO DELIVER THE EIGHT PRINCESS' TO THE FIELD AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. IT WAS ALL PART OF HOMECOMING AT BISHOP REICHER. THE NIGHT THAT WAS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FOR THE
COUGARS...OR WAS IT.
A DAY LONG PEP RALLY HAD TAKEN PLACE FRIDAY AT THE WACO HOME OF THE COUGARS. AROUND THE CAMPUS AND IN SCATTERED POCKETS OF SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE CITY, THERE WAS A FEELING OF CHANGE IN THE AIR. AFTER A DISMAL END TO THE 2014 SEASON, THE ONE TIME STATE RANKED CATS WERE OUT TO SNAP THE CURSE THAT HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO THEM BY DALE SCHILLING'S SACRED HEART TIGERS. IN 2014 A TIGER SQUAD, LED BY THE
LIKES OF DEFENSIVE ALL STATE PERFORMER BRADY ENDRES, ALL STATE PERFORMER ISAC WALTERSCHEID, BOTH OFFENSIVE RECEIVER AND LINEBACKER, ALL STATE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN STEPHEN KESSLER, ALL STATE TIGHT END AND
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN HAYDEN SCHILLING ALONG WITH QUARTERBACK KASON REEVES.
SINCE THE SQUARE OFF BEGAN, DALE SCHILLINGS' SACRED HEART TEAMS LEAD THE RIVALRY WITH A 6-0 RECORD WITH EACH OF THE MATCHUPS LISTED AS BLOW OUT WINS WITH SCORES SUCH AS 2021'S LOPSIDED OCTOBER WIN 45 TO 13, THE MID OCTOBER SLAM 49-12 IN 2022 AND THE END OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2023'S 50-3 WHIPPING AT HOME.EVEN WHEN THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS PLACED THEM IN THE SAME DISTRICT TOGETHER WITH THE STRIPED JUNGLE CATS FROM MUENSTER, THE BISHOP REICHER TEAM LOST 42-6
IN THE SEASON 2025 AND 41-21 THE PREVIOUS SEASON IN 2024. BUT THAT WAS IN THE PAST.
THE BISHOP REICHER TEAM BEGAN THIS SEASON WITH THE SOUND BEATING OF THE OUTLAWS OF WACO BY A COMFORTABLE 33-6 MARGIN. THAT SAME WEEK THE TIGERS OF SACRED HEART LOST A NAILBITER TO COVENANT CHRISTIAN.
THE SECOND WEEK WITNESSED THE SHELLACKING OF INCARNATE WORD ACADEMY OF CORPUS CHRISTI BY A 61 TO 21 POSTING THE COUGARS TO A 2-0 STANDING IN THE NEW SEASON. MEANWHILE THE SAME NIGHT, THE TIGERS FELL 20 TO 16 IN A HARD FOUGHT GAME PLAYED IN MUENSTER TO OLD RIVAL ERA. THE LOSS POSTED THEM TO A DISAPPOINTING 0-2 START.
IN WEEK THREE THE TIGERS FINALLY GOT INTO THE WINNING COLUMN WITH A 54-0 WIN OVER THE SHELTON SCHOOL OF DALLAS, BUT THE SAME WEEKEND, FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, REICHER MAINTAINED A PERFECT RECORD WITH A 51 TO 12 WIN OVER NEWMAN INTERNATIONAL OF ARLINTON, GIVING THE WACO SCHOOL A PERFECT 3-0 START.
NO WONDER BISHOP REICHER RULED AS THE PROHIBITIVE FAVORITE IN THE MATCHUP WITH SACRED HEART THIS WEEKEND. SENIOR RUNNING BACK PAXTON READY HAS AVERAGED 240 YARDS PER GAME THIS SEASON, TYLER COLLIER HAS ANCHORED A DEPENDABLE SECONDARY, AND SENIOR QUARTERBACK LUKAS SPEAR HEADS AN OFFENSIVE ATTACK WHICH HAD ALREADY TALLIED 145 POINTS, COLLECTABLY IN ONLY THREE GAMES. ON TOP OF IT ALL,
IT WAS HOMECOMING NIGHT AND THE STAR RUNNING BACK, PAXTON READY WAS THE HANDS DOWN FAVORITE TO BEING CHOSEN KING OF THE COURT IN THE HALFTIME CEREMONIES.
WITH ALL THAT STACKED AGIANST THE TIGERS, IT SEEMED THE ODDS MAKERS WERE RIGHT AND THE WACO BISHOP REICHER COUGARS WERE READY TO ROLL..OR WERE THEY? FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN A ROW, THE TIGERS WON THE COIN TOSS BEFORE FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAME AND DEFERRED TO RECEIVE THE SECOND HALF KICKOFF INSTEAD. THAT MOVE STARTED THE DOWNFALL OF BISHOP
REICHER.
AFTER GOING TO WORK AT THEIR OWN 30 YARD LINE, THE COUGARS RAN INTO THE SACRED HEART FRONT FOUR. THE TIGER WRECKING CREW MADE UP OF SENIOR DEFENSIVE ENDS SAWYER HUCHTON AND JUNIOR JAKE BECKER, A 6'3" JUNIOR WHO TIPS THE SCALES AT 212 POUNDS, ALONG WITH TACKLES SENIORS CAMERON WHITECOTTON AND JOHN "BISQUIT" BARTUSH, THE PLAYER HEAD COACH DALE SCHILLING CALLS "THE MOST SAVY FOOT-
BALL PLAYER ON THE TEAM."
AGGRESSIVLY ATTACKING THE GAPS, THE FIRST DOWN RESULTED IN A LOSS OF THREE YARDS. NEXT PLAY PICKED UP TWO YARDS AND ON THIRD DOWN, MAX PRESSURE RESULTED IN A SACK BY WHITECOTTON BACK AT THE 18 YARD LINE. WHILE THE TIGERS THREATENED A FULL OUT BLITZ THE LONG SNAPPER OF THE COUGERS SNAPPED THE FOOTBALL OVER THE PUNTERS HEAD AND OUT OF THE END ZONE. THE SCORE, WITH 10:27 SHOWING IN
THE FIRST PERIOD STOOD AT 2-0 SACRED HEART.
AFTER RECEVING THE PUNT AND SETTING UP SHOP AT THE TIGER 46 YARD LINE, THE TIGERS STALLED OUT ON THE COUGARS 29. THE FIRST DOWN PLAY BY WACO NETTED ONLY TWO YARDS TO THEIR OWN 31 YARD LINE. ON SECOND AND EIGHT AT THE BISHOP REICHER 31 YARD LINE THE SECOND PASS ATTEMP OF THE NIGHT BY PASSER LUKAS SPEAR WAS PULLED IN BY DEFENSIVE BACK BEN SICKING AT THE BISHOP 40 YARD LINE AND RETURNED UNTOUCHED FOR THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF THE NIGHT. THE 2 POINT ATTEMPT FAILED AND WITH 7:22 LEFT IN
THE FIRST PERIOD THE TIGERS LEAD STOOD AT 8-0 THANKS TO TWO WACO MISTAKES.
THE NEXT POSSESSION OF THE NIGHT, THE THIRD WACO DRIVE, BEGAN ON THE 28 YARD LINE OF THE COUGARS AND RESULTED IN BISHOP REICHER'S FIRST - FIRST DOWN OF THE NIGHT WHEN A 15 YARD PENALTY LAUNCHED THE HOST SCHOOL TO THE SACRED HEART 47 YARD LINE. TWO INCOMPLETE PASSES AND A FOILED RUSHING ATTEMPT BROUGHT ABOUT A FOURTH DOWN ATTEMPT WHICH FAILED MISERABLY AT THE 45.
AGAIN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED BY THE CONGRESS OF RED WHO MANDATED A "NO RUNNING" RULE INSIDETHE 45 YARD LINE. WITH ENFORCERS LIKE HUCHTON, WHITECOTTON, BECKER AND BARTUSH GRAPPELING UP FRONT, LINEBACKERS BARRETT WALTERSCHEID, MICK SCHILLING, AND ELI SICKING FILLED THE GAPS TO CUT AWAY AT THE MYSTICAL 240 YARDS A NIGHT RUMOR.
WITH 4:58 REMAINING IN THE FIRST PERIOD, SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK SETH HUCHTON LAUNCHED A QUICK STRIKE FIFTEEN YARDS TO THE BISHOP REICHER 30 FOR A FIRST DOWN. FROM THERE THREE CONSECUTIVE RUNS BY SICKING AND WALTERSCHEID CHIPPED AWAY YARDAGE BRINGING UP A FOURTH DOWN AND THREE WHICH WAS CONVERTED TO BRING UP ANOTHER FIRST AT THE 19 YARD LINE.
FOLLOWING TWO PASS INCOMPLETIONS, HUCHTON CONNECTED WITH SENIOR RUNNING BACK BEN SICKING, WHO COACH SCHILLING DECLARES WAS "THE FASTEST MAN ON THE FIELD" WHO PULLED IN THE PIGSKIN AND GALLOPED TO THE SEVEN YARD LINE, PICKING UP ANOTHER FIRST DOWN ALONG THE WAY.
ONE PLAY LATER, HUCHTON AGAIN CALLED SICKING'S NUMBER AND THIS TIME NUMBER FOUR PIN BALLED HIS WAY INTO THE END ZONE PICKING UP SACRED HEART'S FIRST OFFENSIVE POINTS OF THE CONTEST. THE TRY FOR TWO FAILED BUT WITH 2:53 REMAINING IN THE FIRST QUARTER THE TIGERS LED 14-0.
THE NEXT POSSESION OF THE NIGHT FOR THE BISHOP REICHER CREW, THEIR FOURTH, ENDED WITH A PUNT AFTER THREE PLAYS. AGAIN THE DEFENSE WAS DOMINATE. WITH ONLY 1:54 REMAINING IN THE OPENING FRAME THE TIGERS BEGAN ON THE WACO 18 USING ONLY A SINGLE PLAY TO MAKE IT TO THE TWO YARD LINE. FROM THERE A PASS INCOMPLETION BROUGHT UP A SECOND DOWN AND THE STRIPPED JUNGLE CATS ROLLED OUT THEIR VERSION OF THE PHILADELPHIA TUSH
PUSH AS THE SOPHOMORE QB WAS SHOVED ACROSS THE GOALINE FOR HIS FIRST RUSHING TD OF THE CONTEST.
AGAIN THE PASS PLAY FOR THE CONVERSION FAILED BUT THE TIGERS LED THE DISTRICT SHOWDOWN 20-0 WITH 1:27 LEFT IN THE FIRST PERIOD.
WITH SAWYER HUCHTON, THE 230 POUND SENIOR BROTHER OF SOPHMORE QUARTERBACK SETH HUCHTON, RULING THE ROOST, PAXTON READY OF WACO WAS ALREADY BEING KEPT IN CHECK BY THE MUENSTER LADS. DESPITE A TEN YARD BURST GOOD FOR A COUGAR FIRST DOWN, THE TIGERS DEFENSE DID IT'S JOB.
ONE RUSH FOR A YARD, FOLLOWED BY AN INCOMPLETION AND A SACK BROUGHT UP A FOURTH DOWN FAILURE WHICH RESULTED IN A TURNOVER ON DOWNS GIVING SACRED HEART THE BALL ON THEIR OWN 31 YARD LINE.
LINED UP BEHIND JUNIOR CENTER CLAYTON BAYER 6'0" 275 POUNDS, JUNIOR LINEMAN SIMON CLARK A RIGHT GUARD WHO WEIGHS IN AT 245 POUNDS, GUARD CAMERON WHITECOTTON, A 210 POUND SENIOR BISQUIT BARTUSH, A 200 POUND WRECKING BALL, AND JAKE BECKER, A 210 POUND JUNIOR, THE LINE EXPLODED ON BISHOP REICHER'S DEFENDERS AS THEY WATCHED BEN SICKING SHOOT 69 YARDS FOR ANOTHER SACRED HEART SIX. WITH 11:11 REMAINING IN THE HALF THE SCORE ESCALATED TO SACRED HEART 26 BISHOP REICHER O. AGAIN THE TWO POINT CONVERSION FAILED.
FOLLOWING A THREE PLAY SERIES THAT ENDED WITH A PUNT TO THE TIGER 16 YARD LINE, THE TIGERS TOOK OVER WITH THEIR WORST FIELD LOCATION OF THE NIGHT. WITH 9:29 SHOWING ON THE CLOCK QB HUCHTON PUNCHED IN FOR WORK. FIRST DOWN RESULTED IN A PLAY FOR ZERO YARDS, BUT ON SECOND DOWN THE HOGHIDE WAS FED TO, ALL TOGETHER NOW, B-E-N , WHO TOOK OFF ON AN 80 YARD SCAMPER THAT CARRIED TO THE BISHOP FOUR YARD LINE WHERE HE WAS FINALLY CORRALED BY DEFENSIVE BACK TYLER COLLIER, A JUNIOR WHO CAUGHT UP WITH THE SPEEDSTER BY PLAYING THE ANGLE. ONE PLAY LATER, SETH HUCHTON CASHED FROM THE FOUR TO MAKE IT 34-0. ONCE AGAIN THE EXTRA POINTS ATTEMPT FAILED.
WITH 7:58 SHOWING ON THE CLOCK, REICHER PICKED UP A FIRST DOWN BEFORE TURNING THE BALLOVER TO THE FORMIDABLE TIGERS. AT THE WACO 30 YARD LINE, THE TIGERS SOPHOM0RE QB DIALED UP ARLO NASCHE, WHO ACCEPT THE CHARGES ON THE CALL AND CASHED IN FOR A SIX POINTER, MAKING IT 40-0. THE TRY FOR TWO FAILED.
EVEN WITH THE HALFTIME CEREMONIES AHEAD, BY NOW, THE COUGARS WERE BEGINNING TO SENSE A FIASCO. THE FOLLOWING SERIES ENDED WHEN THE FOURTH DOWN PUNT SNAP SAILED OVER THE PUNTER'S HEAD AND ENDED UP COSTING THE REICHER SQUAD A TWO POINT SAFETY.
THE SCORE 42-0.
TIME LEFT IN THE FIRST HALF UNDER FIVE MINUTES. IF YOU THOUGHT THE DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE, YOU WOULD BE WRONG. BEN SICKING, WHO WOULD SCORCE A RUSHING TOUCHDOWN DOWN THREE OUT OF EIGHT TIMES HE TOUCHED THE BALL, SCORED ON A ZIG ZAGING JAUNT OF 19 YARDS CAPPING OFF A SIX PLAY DRIVE WHICH BEGAN AT THE TIGER 46. A PASS FOR A
TWO POINT CONVERSION WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.
AS TIME RAN IN THE FIRST HALF A SUBTLE SILENCE SETTLED IN AT THE STADIUM. DESPITE THE EIGHT BRIGHTLY COLORED CORVETTES WHICH BORE EIGHT STUDENT CANDIDATES TO THE HOMECOMING, DESPITE THE POMP AND PAGEANTRY LAID FORTH BY THE HOMECOMING COMMUNITY, DESPITE THE BEST WISHES OF GRANDMAS AND GRANDPAS, ON THE FIELD THE HOST TEAM HAD BEEN HUMBLED.
EVEN THE DARK HAIRED PRINCESS IN THE FLOWING DRESS WITH THE GREAT SINGING VOICE, WAS UP-SET BY ANOTHER CANDIDATE AND DESPITE THE HOMECOMING KING BEING VOTED IN WAS PAXTON READY, THE SENI0R SCATBACK, THERE WAS NO JOY TO BE FOUND FRIDAY IN MUDVILLE.
IN THE SECOND HALF, THE SECOND STRING PLAYERS BECAME FIRST STRING PLAYERS AS THEY HELD THE COUGARS TO 14 POINTS WHILE TAGGING ON ANOTHER SCORE TO THE MAKE THE TIGERS FINAL SCORE 54-14.
THE CLOCK WAS RUN WITHOUT BENEFIT OF HALTING THE RELENTLESS MARCH TO 00:00. HEAD COACH DALE SCHILLING SAID THAT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER THAT HE COULD REMEM-
BER TWO SAFETIES BEING SCORED IN THE SAME GAME. A HISTORIC MOMENT IN THE SACRED HEART COACHES STORIED CAREER. UNSUNG HEROS OF THE GAME-SAWYER HUCHTON, DEFENSIVE LINEMAN BISQUIT BARTUSH, AND CAMERON WHITECOTTEN.