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Sorry if this has been discussed before, but how exactly did they start the season off so poorly when they tied for the state championship?
Was looking at this youtube clip and they look like they have a college defense nearly the way they are flying to the ball.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0-nTUqMbk&feature=related]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0-nTUqMbk&feature=related[/url]
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[quote name="panamamyers" post="1330717" timestamp="1352938214"]
Sorry if this has been discussed before, but how exactly did they start the season off so poorly when they tied for the state championship?
Was looking at this youtube clip and they look like they have a college defense nearly the way they are flying to the ball.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0-nTUqMbk&feature=related]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0-nTUqMbk&feature=related[/url]
[/quote]Finnis Vanover and lots of talent on that d
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I played on that team. QB Mark Guilbeaux ran about a 4.4 40. When we spread it out, he had the whole field. Melvin Turner a 6'4" TE, Willie Williams WR, Kieth Wycoff WR all ran about 4.5 40's. So many good recievers to cover and Guilbeaux was soo fast and could throw the ball 60-65 yards in the air, just too much. Also had Paul Jones, great speed, and Robert Kiel (also Defensive player of the year that year at MLB) at RB. Both power runners, not alot of juking. I was probably 2nd largest offensive line at 220. Our center Johnny Behannon was about 155 lbs and guards Mike Rodenberg and Dale Jenkins went about 170 lbs. Very small line but we were all benching around 300 lbs. Also goes to show you how good the district was that year. Finis Vanover is just a great motivator and defensive style coach. Very aggressive. I can stll hear coach Steve Shaver's speeches before each of those games. Just awesome all the way around. I remember an interview with coach Vanover on the news that year, he said "its easy to coach defense in the North End of Beaumont, the aggression is already there". Derrick Wilson DE, Thad Nobles at nose guard were both benching around 400 lbs. We had a reunion for that team back in 2009. We called all 3 news channels, none showed up. Coach Vanover stood up in front of us and even as adults he was able to make all of us want to go to war for him. I think its a dimeanor that only certain coaches have and to this day and I believe he is one of the best. He took a bunch of kids that had never been anywhere or done anything and he and coach Shaver made us Champions. It says Co-Champions, but it has never felt that way to me.
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I,m Thad Nobles, I played on that team in 1984. Its really not a hard to believe story if you knew the true history of that team. To be honest that team was a group of two classes which had only lost one game during their 9th and 10th grade. One group of them also didnt lose a game their 8th grade year. The truth is that we was always a great team, just taken for granted. We had a great QB the next year that would gotten us back there but they didnt play him. He lose one game his whole time as a QB RIP Mike. Look no one can tell why about some things but the truth is Beaumont has always been the Football City unrated. One thing that made that team is we played our whole life together before high.
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Sr. year watching French from PA.  I remember when Anderson from Permian got flipped @the goal line from a vicious hit and all I could say was "here comes Mojo....."  French did their thing 2 football seasons before becoming Central....
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[quote name="bedelmon" post="1331107" timestamp="1352991734"]
I played on that team. QB Mark Guilbeaux ran about a 4.4 40. When we spread it out, he had the whole field. Melvin Turner a 6'4" TE, Willie Williams WR, Kieth Wycoff WR all ran about 4.5 40's. So many good recievers to cover and Guilbeaux was soo fast and could throw the ball 60-65 yards in the air, just too much. Also had Paul Jones, great speed, and Robert Kiel (also Defensive player of the year that year at MLB) at RB. Both power runners, not alot of juking. I was probably 2nd largest offensive line at 220. Our center Johnny Behannon was about 155 lbs and guards Mike Rodenberg and Dale Jenkins went about 170 lbs. Very small line but we were all benching around 300 lbs. Also goes to show you how good the district was that year. Finis Vanover is just a great motivator and defensive style coach. Very aggressive. I can stll hear coach Steve Shaver's speeches before each of those games. Just awesome all the way around. I remember an interview with coach Vanover on the news that year, he said "its easy to coach defense in the North End of Beaumont, the aggression is already there". Derrick Wilson DE, Thad Nobles at nose guard were both benching around 400 lbs. We had a reunion for that team back in 2009. We called all 3 news channels, none showed up. Coach Vanover stood up in front of us and even as adults he was able to make all of us want to go to war for him. I think its a dimeanor that only certain coaches have and to this day and I believe he is one of the best. He took a bunch of kids that had never been anywhere or done anything and he and coach Shaver made us Champions. It says Co-Champions, but it has never felt that way to me.
[/quote]
Can you clarify something about this?  I formerly worked with someone who told me he was the starting center on French's championship team (forgot his name, but I don't think it was Johnny).  This was back in the summer of '85 at the Weiner's store on Lucas.  He lived very close to the store.  He was about 5'7" and very broad.  He was certainly more than 155 lbs., and that was the part about your write up that didn't line up with what I remember.  Are you sure about the center?
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Here is a pic of me in the middle, left side is Rodenburg and right side #52 is Johnny Behannon our 155lb center. Our guys were fast and I believe what made us better in the post season was the turf. These guys were running 4.4's and 4.5's on a gravel track with clete's. When we hit that turf and out those turf shoes on, I think the quickness and speed jumped up a few notches. May be wrong but just my theory.

https://www.facebook.com/barry.edelmon/photos#!/photo.php?fbid=1105553610660&set=t.1270183747&type=3&theater
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[quote name="SFA85" post="1331789" timestamp="1353031394"]
Sr. year watching French from PA.  I remember when Anderson from Permian got flipped @the goal line from a vicious hit and all I could say was "here comes Mojo....."  French did their thing 2 football seasons before becoming Central....
[/quote]

I remenber that hit. Right before halftime, Greg Anderson caught a pass on about the 5 yardline and I believe Donnell Anderson our free safety almost cut him in half. It was vicious!
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[quote name="bedelmon" post="1332827" timestamp="1353099681"]
Here is a pic of me in the middle, left side is Rodenburg and right side #52 is Johnny Behannon our 155lb center. Our guys were fast and I believe what made us better in the post season was the turf. These guys were running 4.4's and 4.5's on a gravel track with clete's. When we hit that turf and out those turf shoes on, I think the quickness and speed jumped up a few notches. May be wrong but just my theory.

https://www.facebook.com/barry.edelmon/photos#!/photo.php?fbid=1105553610660&set=t.1270183747&type=3&theater
[/quote]
Nah...the dude I'm thinking of was a black guy.  He was about 5'7", but weighed about 250 lbs.  I know he told me he played center because I remember discussing the WO-S nose guard from my class who was lined up against him in our game.  Is there another offensive lineman that fits that description?  Maybe he was a backup?
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