Most memorable Nocona games I've seen

Author’s Note: I thought it would be cool to do a weekly piece on the best five games I’ve covered for each area team. Some schools I’ve witnessed play 40-50 times, maybe more. Some I’ve seen less. But there’s always a few games that stick out in my memory. So what I’ll do is introduce something about the program and then write about the five best games that I remember. Hope y’all enjoy my weekly trips down memory lane.

It’s pretty cool to say you covered a school’s most important games in program history.

Because sometimes you aren’t real sure. For instance, I’ve covered plenty of Holliday triumphs in the last 20-plus years, but were those wins more important than the ones from the 1990s?

I witnessed Jacksboro beating Holliday in a 49-48 thriller last year that was the best high school football game I’ve seen in some time. It was awesome. But the Tigers already captured a pair of state titles decades ago.

Likewise, I was there for Munday’s last two titles and the Trojans’ takedown of Mart. But those programs already had championships to their credit.

When it comes to Nocona, the 2012 season was its best. Most program wins in school history with 12, beating 1996 by one victory. Deepest Indian playoff run along the way. Took down Holliday. Took down Gunter.

I’ve covered Nocona 14 times while writing for the Times Record News, and five of those occurred in 2012. It was a magical run that included the Indians leaning heavily on Tate Fenoglio gashing defenses behind a veteran offensive line.

Fenoglio didn’t have blazing speed, nor was he a brutish, barrel-you-over type of back. What I remember most about Fenoglio – whose 5,040 rushing yards rank eighth all-time in the area – was his quick feet, vision and patience to slide behind his blockers. He ran mostly between the tackles if my memory serves correct, and those are the toughest yards to come by.