Eric Moreno

The crossover between boxing and football is not anything new. Former players such as Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Mark Gastineau, Alonzo Highsmith, Ray Edwards, and Tom Zbikowski have all – in recent memory – made the switch from the gridiron to the squared circle. While all met with some degree of success before hanging up their gloves, there has never been a former football player reach the ultimate heights of the sweet science.
Gerald Washington is looking to change that. The former defensive end...

“Even though we come from a racist past, we should be proud that we have created this University that attempts to collect all of what is known about us, our lives, and the world we live in and to preserve the thought and reflection of it for future generations. I am proud of that. I’m proud to have gone to THE UNIVERSITY.” – Julius Whittier
During the summer of 2020, amidst the wave of social justice reform that swept across the country and spurred on college campuses by unprecedented activis...

Before embarking on a stellar eight-year career in the NFL as one of the game’s best fullbacks, Jed Collins followed a somewhat unlikely path to get there. He did not get into the game until his freshman year of high school in Mission Viejo, California. Coming from a basketball family, Collins was the youngest of his three brothers and was looking to forge his own path. He found the physicality and camaraderie of football to be perfect for his budding athleticism and intensity.
“When I played...

East Central center Brody Schmidt (56) and the offensive line prepare for the snap. The offense put up 216 total yards in the game. ERIC MORENO/ContributorIt was Homecoming for the East Central Hornets and their faithful fans on Friday, Nov. 20. The home team took on the visiting Smithson Valley Rangers at Hornet Stadium. While the Hornets put up a tremendous fight, they ultimately fell to their d...

The East Central Hornets took the short drive up Interstate 35 for their annual District 27- 6A clash against the New Braunfels Unicorns on Friday, Nov. 13. Unlike the past two seasons in games against their foes from Comal County, the Hornets were held in check on offense and done in by a few miscues on their special teams. When the final whistle blew, the final score was 45-14 in favor of New Br...

Houston Cougars – TDECU Stadium
(NOTE: This review took place during the 2020 season; all ratings take into account the limited seating capacity and attendance due to COVID-19 precautions.)
The University of Houston first fielded a football team in 1946. Since that time, the Cougars have been a fixture on the Texas college landscape, and when the legendary Bill Yeoman took over the reins in 1962, the team rose to national prominence. By the time his successor, Jack Pardee, took over in 1987, ...

It’s an adage that football prepares those who play it not just for the sport, but for life. Anyone who has suited up on the gridiron is fully aware of the multitude of life lessons that the sport has to offer. Those life lessons extend well on into life off the field can be applied to almost every facet of life.
For Eddie Jackson, the lessons he learned on the schoolyards of Houston, Texas, and on Saturdays at the University of Arkansas and under the bright lights of the NFL have helped prep...

The annals of football are littered with the names and stories of players who seemingly sprang from out of nowhere and go on to accomplish amazing things on the gridiron. For a decade playing for the New Orleans Saints as one of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees’ favorite targets, Marques Colston was one of these types of players.
A seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra University, Colston was overlooked, under-recruited, and came into the NFL looking to prove something to everyone who had do...

In back-to-back weeks, the East Central Hornets have come up against two of the top offenses in District 27-6A and in back-to-back weeks, they’ve gotten the short end of the stick against their opponents from Converse. On Friday, Oct. 30, the home team was upended by the visiting Judson Rockets by a final score of 48-13.

It was a tough night for East Central as they faced off against Wagner High School in a district matchup on Friday, Oct. 23. The cold, hard-blowing winds that swirled through D.W. Rutledge Stadium proved to be a portent of the evening ahead as the Hornets fell to the Thunderbirds by a final score of 54-7.
“On the positive side, our kids played hard the entire night,” East Central Head Coach Joe...

Lumberjacks Bring the Axe in the Texas Piney Woods
Tucked away in the Piney Woods of East Texas is the city of Nacogdoches, home to the campus of Stephen F. Austin University and their athletics teams the Lumberjacks. One of the oldest cities in Texas, Nacogdoches is the largest city in the Ark-La-Tex area of Texas; Stephen F. Austin University, named for one of the founding fathers of the state, opened in 1923. This is also the same year they began playing organized football.
The Lumberjacks...

By all accounts, the year 2020 has been an unprecedented one in human history. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of everyone on a global level. No industry has been spared from its ravages. This has been doubly true for sports – especially for football.
The 2020 season has been turned upside down with seasons canceled, seasons postponed, and seasons delayed. Even with seasons underway, games have been canceled and rescheduled at the last minute. When they have gone on, they’ve been...

The East Central Hornets opened up District 27-6A play at home on Oct. 9 against the visiting Steele Knights. As the unseasonably warm fall sun set into the evening and the game wore on, it was apparent that the home team was going to be forced to settle for a moral victory against a stout opponent. When the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Hornets saw their record fall to 0-2 on the season with a 24-6 loss to their opponents from Cibolo.
In a virtual repeat of their season opener agai...

In 2020, Dr. Dennis Thomas began his 19th year as Commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. As one of the most respected sports administrators in all of college athletics, Thomas has been the guiding force for his conference and it’s 11 members.
He has overseen the conference’s expansion, the creation of its first esports league, and the purchase of the conference’s first headquarters. Through it all, with all of his numerous successes and professional accomplishments, Thomas has n...

While it was a picture-perfect night for football at Heroes Stadium on Friday, Oct. 2, it turned out to be a bittersweet one for the East Central Hornets, as they fell to the Roosevelt Rough Riders by a final score of 27-20. The final score, however, is not truly indicative of the excellent effort put forward by the Hornets on the night.
Penalties, a sluggish offense early in the game, and an explosive Roosevelt second quarter put Head Coach Joe Hubbard’s Hornet squad behind the proverbial ei...