"Comptonian Physics"

Ned, great story (and with a moral) for us all. I'll bet old Johnny and Coach are up there now looking down on us and discussing one of their great games. You and I have talked many times about your desire to have been a Mustang. Well you were. Junior high, senior high who cares, you wore the Blue and Gold and undefeated and with a paltry lone touchdown-what a season. I too wish you could have been here during your high school days. You would have been a great center and defensive end. If you played football like you catch fish, Huntingdon would have been better off.

Coach Ward loved his "hitters". I think we were so successful because we were first taught the fundamentals-blocking and tackling. At defense he was great but he shinned on the offensive side of the ball also. He was the best at taking the talent he had each year and molding the right offensive scheme around it-sometimes changing the offense mid season when the current plan was not working.

Also, least we forget Coach Welch. Coach Ward and Coach Welch were great alone but the two of them together were awesome. During pass defense practice one day when I thought I had been on the field and excessive amount of time (running down one fresh back or end after another), I asked Coach Welch, " What do you think I am, a race horse?". Well, when the combined practice was over at the end of the day and sprints had been run, Coach Welch called 5 or 6 backs over and he said "Race Horse Portis" line up out there at defensive halfback and we preceded to run pass defense for another 15 to 20 minutes. On the way to the dressing room he padded me on the butt and said "If I had a saddle, I'd ride you up the hill 'Race Horse'". I intercepted two pass the next game. He has never let me forget it either.

Ned, thanks again. Very strong story from a former Mustang who was almost coached by Coach Ward.

Scotty

PS: Ned if you can get me Coach McAdams email or phone #, I will be sure that we get him in on these "blogs". We here are all well aware of Glen's accomplishments. I'm sure he would appreciate hearing from us. Also, if anyone out there has Larry Stewart and Warren Blankenship's emails send them to me and I will include them. Blankenship was probably one of the best all round blockers and tacklers that Huntingdon ever produced. Also, does anyone know where Bendell "Freight Train" Wilkes is now. He graduated with Warren and was a heck of a defensive end.

From: Ned Priest

To: Scotty Portis
Subject: Re: Coach Ward
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:42:43 -0600

I never played for Paul Ward. But I did play with Johnny Compton for three years on the Huntingdon Junior High School Mustang football team. For one glorious week, Big John, myself and several other invited junior high players (Joe Hall Morris, Jimmy Smith, Will Crellin, Thomas Ray Townsend, Tommy Portis and several others) practiced with the varsity, and therefore for Coach Ward, before the start of junior high practice. That's where I learned about "Comptonian Physics".

We were doing the two-man lineman tackling drill. You know - two linemen, lying on their backs, heads pointing toward each other about ten yards apart on either side of a hole defined by two blocking dummies, with the coach standing by the dummies with a ball. The coach calls "Hike" as he tosses the ball to one of the linemen. They have to roll over, charge toward the hole and one carries the ball while the other tackles.

As freshmen, we had been the recipients of some serious disrespect from the upperclassmen during the first part of the week. By about Wednesday, I had had enough, so I resolved to "sell out" every chance. Johnny and I were up, so here was my chance. Coach Ward (holding that clipboard!) tossed the ball to me. I got low and drove hard into the hole, meeting JC's shoulder pad level with mine. There was a terrific "Whack!" and Johnny stumbled backwards with me falling on him. Success!!! - and immediately a whoop went up from the upperclass linemen surrounding us.

Now it was Johnny's turn. I resolved not to be a "one hit wonder" and tigered up as I lay on the ground. Coach Ward tossed the ball to Big 'Un and Professor Compton began his lessons in "Comptonian Physics":

1. Leverage - That means when Johnny's pads were below yours, you ain't got a chance!!! He stood me straight up!

2. Force - Einstein discovered that Force=(Mass x Velocity)Squared. He forgot the "CMF" - that's "Compton Meanness Factor". The REAL formula, solved for F, is F=(MxV)2xCMF= me suddenly flying backwards through the air!

3. Gravity - That's where I crash down to earth on Pudor Field.

4. Astronomy - That's where I see stars for about 5 minutes!!

But the pain of those few seconds was quickly washed away by the roar of yelling upperclassmen - including the backs and Coach Euell Bolden, who had come over to check out all the noise. Coach Ward was clapping one hand against that clipboard and telling to the team that "These freshmen are showing you guys how to hit!" And two of my idols - Jackie Brown and Dale Strickland - were hollering, laughing and slapping me and Johnny on the helmet!

JC and I were transfixed by being noticed by Coach Ward and resolved to hit each other as hard as possible for the rest of the week. We were never paired again, but that event was the start of a wonderful year. The Junior High Mustangs were undefeated, untied and un-scored-on except for a meaningless TD by Paris at the end of a 28-7 should-have-been-worse rout.

My family moved to Memphis at Christmas of that year and I never saw Johnny Compton again. I considered attending a Mustang game but even thinking about it was so painful that I never went. It's one of the greatest and most enduring disappointments of my life that I never played high school football with my cousin Tim and for Paul Ward, but my shining memory of that day still brings a smile to my face.

By the way, Coach Ward's legacy lives on in Mustang alum Glen McAdams. Glen has coached the (Nashville) David Lipscomb High School football team for 26 years, winning several state championships in their class, the last about 2 weeks ago. His program has produced a number of Div IA players in the process. He also teaches his kids how to act right and insists that they do so. He's a good coach and a good man. Coach Ward would be proud.

Respectfully, Ned Priest, #54.