Rabbits clip Jackets in great one, 27-21
But lose coin flip
By Jimmy Shepard, Staff Writer
Terrell Tribune
Sunday, 18 November 1973, Page 11
FORNEY – There’s no way to start this story. If you were not one of the privileged ones in attendance Friday night at Jackrabbit field you missed the game that proved the worth of these valiant young men from Forney. One’ year’s worth of waiting came to an end with the beautiful 27-21 victory by the Rabbits. They took the proud Rockwall Yellowjackets and made them into dirt dobbers with mud on their tail and a smudge on their record.
The Jackets are not the best team in the district but there is not much doubt as to who is. Rockwall is lucky as is their coach by making a lot of unnecessary statements the week of the game and being able to get away with them by winning the three way coin flip held at the La Piedra Motel Friday night. They go, to the playoffs, but they go with an inferiority complex.
A Team Effort
“The Wild Bunch” and “The Big O” teamed up to bring the Rabbits their biggest victory in years. If pure numbers were a deciding factor, the Rabbits should have been beaten before they started. Rockwall is a huge, fast mobile team that takes excellent execution to the beat. The Rabbits had it.
The offensive line of the Rabbits opened huge holes in the Yellowjacket line time after time in crucial situations. Willie B. Thomas, Tony Jackson, Larry Runnels, Johnny Briscoe, Dusty Webb, Jess Skinner, Gary Zmulek, and Ronnie Briscoe opened up the holes for Big Steve Collier, Ronnie Pittmon and Robert Runnels, who Friday night made everyone believers in his ability to pull a ball game out in the clutch.
Offensive Barrage
Forney got on the board first with Steve Collier going over from three yards out over left tackle. This was brought about by the fumble recovery of Dusty Webb on the Rockwall 31 yard line. The PAT was good and the score stood at 7-0. With 9:08 left in the second quarter, Douglas hit Leandre Morris for a 34 yard TD and with the extra point, the game was deadlocked. Collier got his second TD of the night with 5:58 left in the second quarter again over left tackle. A bad snap resulted in the try for the PAT being no good. Exactly 21 seconds later on a beautifully executed dipsy doodle play Douglas again found Morris behind the Rabbit defenders for a 64 yard TD strike. Douglas kicked true for the Pat and the Yellowjackets went to the dressing room with the lead.
One of the biggest heartbreaks that happened and it could have been disastrous was when the Rabbits fumbled on the Rockwall 4 yard line with 1:22 left in the half. It could have given the Rabbits the lead and by receiving the second half kickoff they would have been in very good shape. These 19 men know not adversity, they do know how to accept a challenge.
The game settled into one offensive surge after another only to be halted by one defensive charge after the other. Rockwall found out like others, they could not make constant yardage against the best defensive team in the district. If the forward pass had not been discovered, this game would have been a run-a-way. In the end I’m glad it was because behind the leadership of Runnels the Rabbits put this game away with some of the greatest heroics ever seen on the football field.
With 8:58, on a fourth and inches Douglas stood up and hit John Buchanan with a perfect strike again good for the TD and again the PAT was true leaving the score at 21-13. The Rabbits, using their running game to the utmost, were now put into the position of passing. Did they ever succeed! Runnels hit Willie B. with a 50 yard strike over the middle to the Rockwall one. Pittmon crossed the double stripe. The try for two was stopped and now with time running out the situation became desperate.
The second crucial call was made on the ensuing drive by the Jackets. Holding on a crucial third down try the Rabbits were stuck with a 15-yard roughing the passer call that kept their drive alive all the way to the Rabbit 34 yard line and then and only then did the “Wild Bunch” do what they do best: they threw Douglass for a 10 yard loss on fourth down.
The Jackets were not up to the task of stopping this team. On a fourth and ten, Runnels to Thomas good for the first; A pass interference call another first. The super cool Runnels of the “Super Bad Rabbits” faded to his right, threw back across the field to Collier and from 20 yards out it would have taken a brick wall to stop the big boy from going in. Hit at the five by two Rockwall lads he carried them the remaining distance for the big one. THE RABBITS REIGNED SUPREME!!
To live with a team for three years and to get to know the team and the town is a great experience. Friday night, this team gave me a great present, a win on the eve of my wedding day. I’m happy but I can’t be as happy as these tremendous 19 young men and their coaching staff have to be. In my small way I’m just glad to be a part of the winning tradition of Forney Texas. Here’s wishing one fine athlete, Rusty Roland, who missed this great victory because of a serious injury sustained in the Kaufman game the speediest of recoveries. A town and a team that goes together make an unbeatable team. I’m looking forward to next year. “The Wild Bunch,” think about it, it is a name to be proud of because, folks, they are yours.
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Special thanks to Tony Jackson for providing this article.
