Waco La Vega (44) @ West Orange-Stark (20) - FINAL

[Darth Texas]

11 hours ago, WOSdrummer99 said:

Not a tie. 26-20 OT

QB got hurt in 1st or 2nd. Sophomore? came in and looked green but woke up real quick. By the 2nd half coach Joseph and the staff found what worked. Great game. If and buts... we had em so many times and blew it. Just like so many since.

Edit... Joseph said later in the season that game was the turning point and a great confidence booster to beat a great team like WOS.

I love how they speak about us so respectfully. Why wouldn't he keep scheduling us? Something changed and they know it too

Edit... we cant even beat they lil bro. 0-2 vs Ned since then

That game had me convinced WOS was back. They played us so hard, and we barely tied it up in time. 

[Darth Texas]

14 minutes ago, dj said:

They did. I forgot Abt the other year.shouldve beat cuero.just my opinion.my coaching fail. Wimberly was just a shoot out.and in recent years w.o is 0-3 in playoffs against them.but, I measure everything at a state title stand point.and png is the only team in setx that can get there.they have the coaching to do it.

They absolutely should have beaten Cuero. An awful no-call on a big completion by Cuero when the QBs knee touched the ground. Silsbee was better, just didn’t go their way. Carthage would have killed them in state, but it would have been awesome to get to go. 

[purpleeagle]

On 9/13/2025 at 12:28 AM, Coachbearoso said:

Sorry about the loss West Orange Stark.  From central Texas with a report on La Vega since they were an old jr high  rival for us Marlin Bulldogs. I now live 10 from the school and watched a couple of practices during 2 a days. Met their HC, Coach Hyde I believe is his name , this summer at 2 a days and congratulated him on last year. They played Carthage very well last year at Jerry World for the state championship. He shrugged and said we gotta play better, kids and coaches got to work harder. 
On Thursday I reffed a quadruple header at La Vega versus solid football program China Spring, a recent state champ. China Spring is like Waco s version of PNG. La Vega easily won 7B ( I was only ref of my crew arrived at 4:30, 3 Pirate varsity assistant coaches put on stripe shirt and help me ref. The HC and coordinators were there also ( supposedly there were fights a year ago because of a big rivalry and hatred btw the 2 . I was the head line judge but at Coach Hyde s request the chain  crew were on the home side. So I got to witness their junior high and varsity staff in action. They had five – – maybe six junior high coaches, and I critique coaches, so I’ll payed close attention to their demeanor. Their kids were discipline and disciplined when they misbehaved or exhibited attitude. Their  older jr high coach was about 60 and a Jefferson Moore graduate while the other 4 were La Vega or Connally products. The varsity coaches were there helping, 3 ran my chains and the other 3 were behind the bench and coaching up kids but not stepping on jr high coaches authority. It was VERY impressive. And La Vega and also China spring had athletes but the pirates skill was awesome but discipline. The stands were very crowded but filled out quickly with no incidents. In the end highlight gamee La Vega won by 7 in the 4th. Most coaching staff that go to junior high games, often will just sit together in a pack and watch. That always bothered me because I believe it’s great for the junior high to see varsity coaches helping in anyway possible. And that is what La Vega did. Was very impressed and with Athletes they have Las Vegas gonna be a power For the next few years as long as the staff stay together.  The head coach and the high school staff are so important to development of a program. And since I’m not coaching anymore, I love to watch this and compare, but I have to be honest for a junior high staff – – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a junior high staff as a whole, coach as well as the La Vega staff. Just organization and delegation of responsibility was superb. La vega has a 7 grade and then an 8 th grade receiver close to 6 ft each and great athleticism and technique ( route running by these 2 was impressive. 

Just from this junior high exhibition, I can predict that La Vega will be in the hunt for the state championship the next four or five years. They were very impressive – – maybe they’ll give cartage a little more run for the money if they get to meet. Anyway, I just thought I’d give y’all that report cause I know some of y’all were complaining about the West Orange staff – – and coaches don’t like to admit but often times the people in the stands can see a poorly run unit.. La Vega is NOT poorly run, to the contrary they are an exceptional staff + great players = state contender! 

Larger enrollment has an advantage. La Vega with 877 kids vs WOS with 656  means more kids (221 more) to choose from. I know there are exceptions. The two largest 3A2 schools in that class played for the state championship. It is not all about  staff or coaching.. 

Read where a team that travels over 150 miles to play a team only wins 16% of the time. Waco to Orange is 291 miles. Did not seem to work on Waco. 

[89Falcon]

49 minutes ago, purpleeagle said:

Larger enrollment has an advantage. La Vega with 877 kids vs WOS with 656  means more kids (221 more) to choose from. I know there are exceptions. The two largest 3A2 schools in that class played for the state championship. It is not all about  staff or coaching.. 

Read where a team that travels over 150 miles to play a team only wins 16% of the time. Waco to Orange is 291 miles. Did not seem to work on Waco. 

Exactly why Newton has never been able to beat WOS. WOS has more than double the enrollment of Newton 

[WOSdrummer99]

4 hours ago, purpleeagle said:

Read where a team that travels over 150 miles to play a team only wins 16% of the time. Waco to Orange is 291 miles. Did not seem to work on Waco. 

Game was in Nacogdoches

[WOSdrummer99]

3 hours ago, 89Falcon said:

Exactly why Newton has never been able to beat WOS. WOS has more than double the enrollment of Newton 

11-5 all time vs Newton

5-5 the last 10

[89Falcon]

18 minutes ago, WOSdrummer99 said:

11-5 all time vs Newton

5-5 the last 10

That record does not seem to support purpleeagle's logic. 😉

[Darth Texas]

4 hours ago, purpleeagle said:

Larger enrollment has an advantage. La Vega with 877 kids vs WOS with 656  means more kids (221 more) to choose from. I know there are exceptions. The two largest 3A2 schools in that class played for the state championship. It is not all about  staff or coaching.. 

Read where a team that travels over 150 miles to play a team only wins 16% of the time. Waco to Orange is 291 miles. Did not seem to work on Waco. 

I agree that larger enrollment gives an advantage, but WOS used to negate that advantage with discipline, conditioning, and coaching. Pick any year before 2022 and no one would ever think, “WOS is going to lose to PNG because they’re so much smaller.” WOS is less than half the size of PNG. Smaller than Nederland, Silsbee, Vidor, LCM, Lumberton, Bridge City,  - probably everyone outside of the small rural schools. For decades, none of that has mattered. Now smaller enrollment IS a factor. Five local teams have or have had two-game win streaks against WOS since 2021: 

PNG: 2 (2022, 2023, haven’t played since) 

Nederland: 2 and counting (2024-present) 

HF: 3 and counting (2022-present)

Silsbee: 2 (2022-2023)

Jasper: 2 (2022-2023)
 

I’m confident there’s never been another era of WOS history where FIVE local teams enjoyed multiple wins in a row against WOS within the same 3-4 season period. 

[bullets13]

On 9/13/2025 at 9:12 AM, AggiesAreWe said:

The statement was they hired a Dline coach with no head coach experience and no one should expect that to work.

I stated that Silsbee hired an Oline coach with no head coach experience and it is working out just fine.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't but Silsbee is one of the situations that disproves that it never works.

Every head coach had no head coaching experience at some point. A good coach can coach, regardless 

[Reagan]

7 minutes ago, bullets13 said:

Every head coach had no head coaching experience at some point. A good coach can coach, regardless 

True.  But, if possible, I wonder what the background is of some of the championship coaches?   Dodge was a QB.  I believe Ethridge was a QB.  Briles was a QB in high school then a receiver in college.  Not sure what Buchanan at Aledo was.  Not sure what Surratt at Carthage was.  Not sure what Joseph at PNG was.