By Travis Chapman
Can anyone smell what I smell? Ah, yes, it’s that time again. Our favorite time of the year. Football season. It’s time for your Glenbrook Elementary Apaches to show out on the gridiron. The 2024 season had its ups and downs. It showed heroics, bloodshed, tears and heartbreak. But suffering through the latter brings forth toughness, grit, resolve and a new laser focus to improve every week. In 2025, your Apaches look showcase the hard work for the next six weeks against outstanding competition.
In week one, your Apaches travelled to the tall Loblolly’s of south Webster parish to take on our good friends and brothers, the Lakeside Little Warriors. Each of your Apache teams saw victories with 2/3/4 grade winning by a score of 42-6 and the 5/6th grade outpacing the Warriors, 20-6. This competition always brings out the best among our young athletes as several are best friends off the gridiron, with most represented your hometown of Minden by going deep into the Allstar Playoffs each of the last several years in Dixie Baseball. They battled together across the state and shined a great light on our community.
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Graders kicked the events off with the Apaches starting on defense. It was a quick series for the Little Warriors with Awesome Austin Ramsey and BK-Brooks Ingles making huge tackles for loss in 3 consecutive plays to force a Warrior punt. On the ensuing set for the Apaches, the offensive line and running backs opened up a hole on the right side for QB-1, Awesome Austin to scurry untouched, 70-yards for the first of many scores on the night. On the extra point, Ramsey handed it off to cousin, Liam-Hulk-Hurley who powered in on the left side for the extra point. The Apaches led 7-0 early. Wrecking-Will Abshire wreaked havoc on the next Warriors possession and made two crucial tackles in a row to force another punt. The high-powered Apache offense trotted back out and utilized its many weapons with 4th grade full back, Zaine The Knight Train pounding the ball up the middle behind great blocking where he picked up several first downs. On the next play, the longtime outstanding coach, Alex Collins dialed up a beautiful misdirection. Ramsey handed the ball to the Blistering BK Ingles on a counter trap. BK’s speed was unmatched when he rounded the corner as he ran like a dog was chasing him, 50-yards for another Apache touchdown. Awesome Austin got to showcase his hard work he put in all offseason at the QB position where he found Hulk Hurley on a beautiful TE release, in the numbers for the 2-pt conversion. The Apaches led quickly, 15-0 to start the 2nd Quarter. Big Bad 4th grade tackle, Brooks Boyd, beat his man and made a great tackle for loss on a 4th down play for the Warriors that turned the ball over on downs. That set up one of the most beautiful plays I’ve seen in my short 4 years of elementary football. One the first Apache play from scrimmage; Awesome Austin floated the ball 25-yards in the air that dropped in perfectly over the left shoulder of Zaine The Knight Train who took it 35 yards for another touchdown. Ramsey continued his air raid and found Wildman- Wilder Butler in the endzone for the 2pt conversion. The Apache smothering defense forced a fumble on the 10 yard line. On the ensuing play, Wildman Wilder ran it in for another Apache touchdown to close the first half where the Apaches led 29-0. The second half continued with great ball playing by the Little Apaches. Touchdowns being made by the 2nd team offense where Big Mac-Brooks McCollough ran like his hair was on fire and his tail was catching. He also handed the ball off to little brother, Hot Rod Hayes McCollough who choked the football with both arms as the nose of said ball bopped him in the chin with every stride as he crossed the goal line for the extra point. Great plays on defense made by Colossal Case Parker, Jolting-Joshua Johnson, Buttery Brant Darden held true. I would be remised if I didn’t mention the outstanding play and smoking speed of the Little Warriors running back, Brooks Lewis who made a few tacklers miss and blazed his way down the field, 70 yards for the lone Warrior touchdown. As the game closed, the Apaches arose victorious by a score of 42-6.
Immediately following, the hard-hitting 5th and 6th graders took the field. The Apaches started on offense with great blocking where Hollywood-Ryder Hollingsworth called his number on the keeper that moved the chains for the Apaches. The Apaches found themselves in Warrior territory quickly, where Hammering Hank Rowton picked up a hard fought 8-yards on 4th down that continued the drive. On the next play, Hollywood Hollingsworth spun the football beautifully to find the first year Apache, 5th grade receiver, Ice Cold-Cullen Adkins for the first score from 35 yards out. Hammering Hank followed behind the first of several pancakes laid by, Oh Captain-My Captain Powell as Rowton boiled over the linebacker for the extra point. The Apaches led 7-0. On the ensuing Warriors possession, 6th grade leader, King Cade Smith met the Warrior running back in the backfield and forced a fumble that Easy E-Everett Tucker fell on to give the Apache offense great life deep in Warrior Territory. The only issue, The Warriors had OUTSTANDING linebacker play with #41 creating havoc everywhere he went. He played a heck of a ball game that forced a miscue on offense where the handoff was fumbled in the backfield as the Apaches approached the goal line. The Warriors recovered. The Warriors made shifty plays with #41 out of the wildcat and picked up some yardage, but on second down, King Cade made his presence felt again with a HUGE tackle for loss to force a 3rd down and an Uber fare. 5th grade standout, Sky-man Skyler Malone made a great read on the QB and stepped in front of a bullet pass for an interception. Not to be outdone, the formidable Warrior defense stepped up and quickly forced a punt by the Apache offense with just 35 seconds left in the half. The outstanding running of the Warrior back, 41, nearly put the Warriors on the board as time expired, but Action Jackson Shipp took a great angle from the safety position and made a touchdown saving tackle to end the first half. The Apaches led 7-0.
In the second half, the outstanding halftime adjustments made by Coach Nick Rowton proved to shift the Warriors stellar defense on its heels just enough to find success on offense. But the story laid with the awesome defense played the Apaches starting 11 and the substitutes who came in and played their tails off. On the second possession of the half for the Warriors, a fumbled hand off on a misdirection found the ground where Sky-man Skyler Malone found his second turnover of the night to give the Apache offense new life. The dual running attack by Hammering Hank Rowton and Laser Levi Ray consistently moved the chains for the Apache offense, but the awesome linebacking crew for the Warriors forced another punt. The next defensive possession, Big G and I do mean GRAVY-Grayson Avery made 2 tackles for loss and the great defensive coach, Wesley Duck, dialed up a blitz for Hollywood Hollingsworth who sacked the QB for a 12-yard loss and forced a punt. Hammering Hank and Laser Levi went back to work and moved the chains several times that set up a bomb of 35-yards in the air, from Hollywood Hollingsworth who dropped a dime to, you guessed it, Ice Cold Cullen for a 45-yard Apache touchdown, his second of the night. Hammering Hank bullied his way across the goal line again for the extra point. The Apaches led 14-0 with just 2 minutes left in the contest. All it took was 2 plays for the stifling Apache D to force another turnover. The very next play, the flowing curls of the Blonde Bullet-Brant Bridges swayed in the wind as he made 3 defenders miss, and blazed his way into the endzone for another Apache TD. The 2pt try failed, but the Apaches led 20-0 with 1-mintue left. With 35 seconds in the contest, the substituted Apaches defense bottled the Warrior running back, but he made a Sportscenter spin move and found daylight. The Warrior RB hustled into the endzone for the only score of the night. The final tally found your Apaches on top, 20-6.
A 5th quarter was played where the Warrior and Apache 5th graders got to play an entire 10-minute quarter to gain extra experience for the grueling schedule to come. The Apaches took the ball on offense and who else but Sky-Man Skyler Malone, who followed great blocks made by Titan Tate Mandino all the way down the field for a 70-yard TD. The Apache defense continued its dominance with B-Hud, Brant Hudson and Monster Myles McCollough, each with tackles for loss. The Apaches offense flipped the field with Madd Maddox Tibbett at the helm and QB-2. The Apaches leaned on the Warrior defense and on the last play, Action Jackson Shipp took the misdirection and cut it up field behind a short stack of pancakes plated by B-Hud, Wreckin Waylon Chapman, and Master Marcantel, Jedd Marcantel for a 55-yard TD to close the contest.
What a way to start the 2025 season with great victories by each Apache team! Come join us at the end of Country Club Circle next Tuesday, 9/2 at 6pm, where we’ll face JGS. Just pull on in through the blue gate, you can’t miss it. Loud and proud, IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE AN APACHE!
