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      For a team that had only five returning starters from its 1997 squad, the Alamo Heights Mules are doing pretty good for themselves as this fall's District 28-AAAA varsity football schedule enters the home stretch.
      Primed for a big league show-down here at 7:30 p.m. against Fredericksburg in FHS Stadium this Friday, Oct. 23, Heights head coach Don Byrd's team not only sports the district's best overall record (6-1), but the Mules also have scored more points (245) than any other 28-AAAA member in addition to allowing the fewest number of points (91).
      "Alamo Heights has a real good football team again this year," FHS head coach Jerald Klett told Billie Booster Club members at the organization's Monday night meeting in the FHS cafeteria. "In fact, they are one of the best teams we'll face this year and are maybe even more balanced than Clemens" --a team that four weeks ago defeated FHS, 22-0.
      Meanwhile, Fredericksburg --which with Kerrville Tivy is tied with Heights at 2-0 for the 28-AAAA lead--is second-best in the district for points allowed (100) and is third in the league just behind Tivy's 148 points with points scored (126).
      "This is going to be a real challenge for us," said Klett of Friday's game against a school that graduated 34 seniors last spring. "There’s nothing to underestimate about Alamo Heights; hopefully, we'll play to our capabilities. We're due a good game."
      Among the big yard-gainers in the Mule one-back offensive attack is senior running back Chris Sullivan (5-8, 160) who Klett characterizes as "quick and fast."
      Equally potent is big senior quarterback Wes Sharples (6-4, 225) who "throws the ball real well".
      "They mix it up real good behind that big offensive line," said Klett who noted that the Mules are "pretty effective running counters, screens, draws, trips and stretch plays.
      Key players in the offensive front wall include juniors Jacob Bommer (6-4,250) and Kyle Masters (6-1, 221).
      Defensively, Heights uses a 50 alignment and relies on performers like all-district senior lineman John Diggs (6-1, 230) and second-team all-district defensive end Clint Parker (6-4), 170.
      On Friday, Fredericksburg is hoping to put a crimp in Mule designs to make the playoffs for the third straight year, with last year's 9-3 Mule varsity placing second in 29-AAAA play and then advancing as far as the second round of post-season action.
      As for Fredericksburg, the Billies will be hoping for a more sustained offensive game than the two previous contests it which it took fourth quarter scores to win against league members Boerne (15-12) and Medina Valley (21-14).
      Included in that goal will be avoiding problems in the fumble-pass interception department where the Billies are averaging 3½ turnovers a game.
      Klett said that the Billies will go into Friday's showdown with no new major injuries to their lineup.
      Barrett Durst, who cracked a thumb against Medina Valley, will be ready to play thanks to help from a cast, while Chris Weirich is set to go against Heights despite hyper-extending a knee on Friday.
      This season marks the first season that the Billies and Mules are in the same district.
      However, the two schools have met each other on the football field over the past four years as pre-district opponents, with the series being knotted up at 2-2.
      During that time, Fredericksburg has not defeated a Mule team since scoring a 32-20 victory in 1995. Since then, Heights has downed FHS two times in their last two meetings, 14-8 and 28-14.
      FHS won the latest series' opener in 1994 by 26-21.

      There weren't supposed to be any easy games for Fredericksburg in this fall's 28-AAAA varsity football action, and Friday night's encounter in Castroville against Medina Valley certainly lived up to that billing.
      For the second straight week, the Billies had to rely on a fourth quarter score to claim a win, with Friday's 21-14 decision putting them in a three-way tie (2-0) for first place in district standings with Alamo Heights and Kerrville Tivy.
      The hard-fought contest fit right in with previous Panther-Billie grid battles,. marking only the first time since 1990 that a Fredericksburg varsity was able to defeat Medina Valley in Castroville and the fourth time in nine years for FHS to win anywhere against the Panthers.
      In the process, Medina Valley -- a team that had made it to the playoffs 15 of the past 19 years -- dropped to 0-2 in district and 1-6 on the season in its first year up from Class AAA football.
      The Panthers now sit alongside Boerne (which lost to FHS two weeks ago, 15-12) and Uvalde in league standings with three weeks to go in the regular season.
      But the first half of Friday night's clash in Castroville did not offer great promise for a Billie victory.
      Fredericksburg could muster only two first downs, committed two turnovers and failed to complete a pass before intermission. In addition, the Billies stumbled twice near the red zone as drives died at the Medina Valley 20-and 16-yard lines.
      In fact, it was a defensive play that gave Fredericksburg its only first-half score. On the first play after the Panthers intercepted a pass at the MV 12, Billie defensive end Sergio De La Garza stripped the ball from Panther running back Jason Dominguez' hands just as Chris Weirich scooped it up and raced into the end zone for the score.
      With 7:02 showing on the first quarter clock, Charles Klein split the uprights with the conversion kick for a 7-0 FHS lead.
      That edge held up until early in the second period when the Panthers got a break on a Fredericksburg fumble at the FHS 25. Seven plays later, Dominguez avenged his earlier fumble by scoring on a three-yard carry that was followed by a PAT kick from Weston Ducas to tie the game up at 7-7 with 10:22 left in the half.
      However, Fredericksburg's offense came alive after the break when, on the Billies' first possession, they drove 87 yards on 13 plays. Senior tailback Freddy Cantu capped the march on a three-yard dive that was followed by another Klein kick for a 14-7 FHS lead with just three seconds left in the third period.
      With time marching on, the Panther offense finally got moving in the fourth as it climaxed an 80-yard drive that included a key fourth down conversion at the FHS 44. The score came when sophomore fullback Matt Crisp ran it in from the six. At 4:02 left to play, Ducas' toe made it 14-14 for an interesting down-the-stretch finish.
      But the Billies needed only three more minutes to pull back in front. Themselves converting on a fourth-and-one with a clutch carry by junior quarterback T.J Theis, the Billies drove 58 yards as Theis capped the effort with a 33-yard scoring bomb to senior tight end Heath Holloway.
      Klein added another point on the PAT for a 21-14 score as the clock showed just 59 seconds to play.
      The Panthers had two more chances to strike back, but an interception by Kaleb Kothe and a fumble recovery by Drew Woerner ended a frustrating night for the host team.
      Even though it out-gained the Billies in total offense, 253-212, in the end, Medina Valley could push the ball across midfield on only five of 12 possessions, failed to complete any passes and squandered a scoring opportunity at the FHS 13 in the third period.
      By contrast, Fredericksburg's passing game came alive as Theis connected on five of six tosses for 66 yards and a TD.
      Cantu was Fredericksburg's top rusher with 120 yards on 26 carries, while Holloway's 33-yard scoring catch made him the leader in the receiving column.
      For the hosts, Dominguez led the game's rushers with 154 yards on 31 tries.
      Leading tackle-assisted tackle defenders for FHS included Randy King (7-3), Jamie Reeh (6-5), Barrett Durst (6-4), Chris Weirich (5-5), Drew Woerner (5-2) and Seno De La Garza (4-4).
      With Friday's win and last year's 14-7 Fredericksburg victory here against Medina Valley, the Billies have recorded their school's first-ever back-to-back victories over the Panthers.

A WRESTLING MATCH on the ground in Castroville Friday night finds Fredericksburg defenders Randy King, Kyle Treibs and Adam Kiehne trying to out-muscle a Medina Valley player for the football. Turnovers -- three by Medina Valley and two by FHS -- played a key role the game won by the Billies, 21-14.

LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT, Fredericksburg varsity bail carrier Kaleb Kothe (11) runs for more yardage against oncoming Medina Valley defender Lee Crisp (84) after catching a pass in front of the Panther sideline Friday in Castroville. The Billies capitalized on a strong second-half passing game to hand Medina Valley a 21-14 loss and stay in the hunt for a playoff berth by posting a 2-0 District 28-AAAA record.

WRAP UP--Ben Bailey, Fredericksburg varsity defender, rides a Medina Valley ball carrier to the ground during Friday night's 28-AAAA clash in Castroville. For the second straight week, the Billies needed a fourth-quarter scoring drive to claim a victory (21-14) that now has them 5-2 on the year with three contests remaining in the regular season.