We are pleased to announce that Falcon QB Michael Fritz, class of 2003, will be attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.  Michael’s performance on the football field, combined with his academic prowess will surely lead to success at the NCAA Division 1-AA college level.  Good luck, Michael.  Your Texas friends will be supporting you from afar!

 

News Archives for the 2002 Season

December 2002-March 2003

Creek highlights all-district football picks
Price, Nail, Schulz reap top awards;
Lake, Brook players on first teams
by Scott T. Snell, Clear Lake Citizen
November 22, 2002

Many local athletes were recognized recently with the unveiling of the All-District 24-5A high school football team.

Clear Creek's Gerrard Price, a senior, was honored as Player of the Year for the entire district. He completed eight of 13 passes in 2002, good for 203 total yards. continued

Defensive Stats Posted (without Ball)
November 22, 2002

The Defensive Individual Stats have been posted here. The Galveston Ball game numbers are not included.

Heartfelt Thanks Lands in Webmaster's Mailbox
From Cyberspace Fan
November 17, 2002

Cyberspace fans near and far would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mike Fritz (the dad) for his outstanding game reports this 2002 Falcon Football season.  Complete with sideline pictures, these consistently positive and balanced game day summaries brought the contests to life for everyone.  Special thanks go to Kim Fritz for her courageous and tireless efforts on behalf of Lake boys' athletics.

The Last Game
Lynn's Pictures from the Galveston Ball Game

Varsity Banquet Great Success
Thanks to the Nemer's and their Committee for a Beautiful Evening

All District Awards will be posted after they appear in the press.

Falcons don't go down without a fight
Lake misses playoff spot with loss to Galveston Ball
by Chuck Hlava, from the Clear Lake Citizen
November 13, 2002

Clear Lake gave it the old college try on Friday but just could not hold off Galveston Ball in the regular season finale.

It was a football game that meant a lot: the winner would go on to the playoffs and the loser would be through for the year. With 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 28, the Tors scored a touchdown to take a close 34-28 win over the Falcons. continued

Lynn's Video of the Entire 2002 Season
Available at the Falcon Varsity Banquet
Get Yours Before They're Gone

Those of you who have attended a Varsity Football Banquet will have seen one of Lynn Niemczak's Videos consisting of a montage of the hundreds of pictures that she takes at every game with accompanying music . Her videos capture the spirit of the games, illustrate the particulars of play, the effort expended by our young men and their coaches as they play the game, and also all the activities of the Flairs, the Cheerleaders, the Band, and the parents. There's lots of sweat and lots of mud and lots of effort in these productions. The video is a must for memory lane: parents will have to have one, and grandparents, and the players will want one themselves. Lynn is making the Video available for $20.00. I can guarantee that this is the bargain of the year. You can call Lynn at 281-480-2080 for more detail.

Kyle Lamar's 2002 Falcon Football Highlights
available on  DVD and VHS. Details

Final District Standings

24-5A STANDINGS
TEAM	DISTRICT	OVERALL
Clear Creek	5-0	9-0
Alvin	2-3	7-3
Ball	3-2	7-3
Clear Lake	2-3	5-5
Brazoswood	3-2	4-5
Clear Brook	0-5	1-9

District 24-5A

	Lake		Alvin		Brazos wood		Creek		Brook		Ball
Clear Lake			21	27	24	21	14	24	17	0	34	28
Alvin	27	21			42	43	6	42	12	0	38	53
Brazoswood	21	24	43	42			5	34	27	0	18	17
Clear Creek	24	14	42	6	34	5			44	10	16	13
Clear Brook	0	17	0	12	0	27	10	44			13	28
Ball	34	28	53	38	17	18	13	16	28	13
TOTAL	106	104	159	125	117	114	45	160	128	23	119	139

 

November

Varsity Banquet Great Success
Thanks to the Nemer's and their Committee for a Beautiful Evening

All District Awards will be posted after they appear in the press.

Falcons don't go down without a fight
Lake misses playoff spot with loss to Galveston Ball
by Chuck Hlava, from the Clear Lake Citizen
November 13, 2002

Clear Lake gave it the old college try on Friday but just could not hold off Galveston Ball in the regular season finale.

It was a football game that meant a lot: the winner would go on to the playoffs and the loser would be through for the year. With 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 28, the Tors scored a touchdown to take a close 34-28 win over the Falcons. continued

Three Lake Players Ride High in the
Houston Chronicle's Final Statistics
for Houston Area Teams
November 12, 2002

Three Lake Players have made the Houston Chronicle's final listings of statistical leaders in the Houston Area:

Michael Fritz finished in third place for passing in Class 5A play with 136 completed passes after 225 attempts and only 8 interceptions. The passes accounted for 19 Lake touchdowns and 1645 yards gained. Way to go Fritz!

Bubby Hunter and Scott Oswald were listed as top Receivers in Class 5A. Bubby had 37 receptions that provided Lake with 513 yards for an average gain of 13.9 yards per reception.

Scott had 25 receptions for gains of 373 yards for an average of 14.9 yards per reception.

Congratulations to these fine players for their efforts. And our congratulations to the entire team for these numbers. It takes a whole team working together to support the efforts of these statistical players and allow these big numbers to happen.

Lynn's Video of the Entire 2002 Season
Available at the Falcon Varsity Banquet
Get Yours Before They're Gone

Those of you who have attended a Varsity Football Banquet will have seen one of Lynn Niemczak's Videos consisting of a montage of the hundreds of pictures that she takes at every game with accompanying music . Her videos capture the spirit of the games, illustrate the particulars of play, the effort expended by our young men and their coaches as they play the game, and also all the activities of the Flairs, the Cheerleaders, the Band, and the parents. There's lots of sweat and lots of mud and lots of effort in these productions. The video is a must for memory lane: parents will have to have one, and grandparents, and the players will want one themselves. Lynn is making the Video available for $20.00. I can guarantee that this is the bargain of the year. You can call Lynn at 281-480-2080 for more detail.

Time Runs Out on Falcon Season,
but…Oh! What a Season!
Thank You Falcons
November 9, 2002

Lake was down 34-28 with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter. Lake took the Ball kickoff at their own 35.  Senior QB Michael Fritz took the helm as QB for what would turn out to be the last time.  After completing passes to Scott Oswald and Elrick Jones, Fritz scrambled down the far sideline for 30 yards, the first down, and a shot at the victory.  With only 20 seconds left and no time outs, Lake had a few  shots at the end zone, but time ran out before they could score. 

The Falcons battled valiantly for the last 24-5A playoff berth with  the same indomitable spirit and perseverance they had shown all season.  The 2002 Clear Lake Falcons left the field with heads high knowing that they had far exceeded everyone’s expectations (except their own) for the 2002 season!  continued

Kyle Lamar's 2002 Falcon Football Highlights
available on  DVD and VHS. Details

 

Galveston Ball Game Stats
from the Houston Chronicle

Ball 34, Clear Lake 28
-- Reported by Joe Bearneathy

GALVESTON -- Dwayne Brown's fourth touchdown of the game lifted Ball to a District 24-5A win over Clear Lake and a playoff berth.

Brown's three-yard scoring run came with 1:15 left and broke a 28-all tie. Brown ran 28 times for 167 yards as Ball survived Clear Lake's late rally to tie the score.

The Tornadoes (7-3, 3-2) put on an offensive show, pounding out 305 yards on the ground and 84 through the air.

Nov 8, 2002	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Lake	6	8	7	7	28
Ball	14	7	7	6	34

 

Junior Varsity Dark Defeats Ball 12-0 Congratulations to the JV District Champs!!!

JV Dark Falcons fly right through the tornado on their way to being district champs
by Raymond Aronoff
November 8, 2002

Many family and friends remember last years Freshman Falcon that went into Galveston undefeated and had their dreams of the undefeated season snatched away by a heartbreaking last minute loss to the Galveston Tornadoes.  This year the district championship was on the line and it was Galveston who came in undefeated and both teams were undefeated in district play.  With no JV light, the coaches had to integrate the teams and come up with a solution that provided them the answers they would need.  continued

The Pep Ralley before the Falcons defeat the Tors will be held at 1:40 in the CLHS Gym on Friday, November 8.

Win a must if Lake wants chance at football playoffs
Falcons blank Clear Brook 17-0;
tied with three others with 2-2 district marks
by Chuck Hlava
November 6, 2002

Wouldn't you know it, Brazoswood has come to life and into the District 24-5A football playoff picture in the last two weeks by beating a couple of favored teams. Now the post-season lineup from the district is a little more muddled. With only one game remaining four teams with identical 2-2 district records are vying for two playoff spots. continued

There will be no JV Light game this week.
The JV Dark game has been moved up to 5:00
Nov 4, 2002

Message from the Big Loud Booster

The webmaster received the following message from the Big, Loud Booster and relays it here for your edification:

Lake will beat Ball 23-18.
Newsflash: Fans on bus to Galveston are RABID, led by the mighty

CLEAR!!!..............LAKE!!!!

cheer section from the back of the bus. Bring your earplugs 'cuz this is going to be a one loud and crazy crowd. Parents and boosters let your hair down, get hoarse, Bring your bells, megaphones, noise makers don't worry about being embarrassed for screaming for your boy and the TEAM.  The march to the play-offs is at hand.  Don't leave anything to chance. Let's give the boys all the support they need to whip the TORS.  Parents provide confidence, determination, and spirit for their boys and a Team VICTORY!!!!   Bring your own homemade posters to tape to the bus and hold up in the stands.  Parents you are part of this TEAM. Lets get ready to

 RUM..................BLE!!!!

Tell the Band and Flair parents to join us as we watch the kids progress through the play-offs.

Falcon Defense Shuts Out Brook!
Head for Showdown with Ball
Nov 3, 2002

The Falcons met cross town rival Clear Brook on Friday night at District Stadium.  The field conditions had improved a little, but in general the field was still quite soggy and slow.   Brook’s offense was completely stymied by Lake’s defense.  Lake’s defense rung up their first shutout of the season, holding Brook to only 62 yards of  total offense.  On the offensive side, ball movement wasn’t a problem.  Lake played a conservative game given the field conditions, relying more on the run than the pass as in previous weeks.

The stage is now set for next week’s show down with Galveston Ball for the playoffs.  Both Ball and Lake are 2-2 in District 24-5A, with the winner going to the playoffs. continued
 

The Village Idiot Broods on the Ball Ball Game

First, the Idiot wants to hearken back to the Clear Brook contest on November 1st, to establish the Idiot credentials that keep people reading these musings. Dear reader, you will recall that the Idiot called for a victory by Lake with a 17-point margin. The exact words were: "Nonetheless, the Idiot is going to call this one for Lake by about 17 points. Our guys are primed, they have the right stuff, and they have to win this one to get into the Playoffs. They will give it their all, and they should win this one." And the final score was a 17-0 victory. Now granted the Idiot did not call for the shutout in print, but believe me the Idiot thought that there was a good opportunity for holding Brook to Zip considering the highly-tuned output we have had from the Defense. So the Idiot was right in that also, he just didn't put it into print. Skeptics, you can locate the column here.   continued

Lynn's Creek Pictures Posted

Victory is so Sweet!
Lake now 5-4 overall; 2-2 in District

Clear Lake 17 Clear Brook 0
Joe Betters, Houston Chronicle Article
November 1, 2002

LEAGUE CITY -- Michael Fritz and Chris Sprott scored on short runs and Clear Lake limited Clear Brook to 62 yards on the way to a shutout victory in a district game. Fritz, who put his team ahead with a one-yard keeper four minutes into the second quarter, completed nine passes for 94 yards. Sprott added a clinching score on a five-yard run with 3:48 to play, capping a 20-yard drive.

The Falcons improved their record to 5-4 overall and evened their district mark at 2-2. Clear Brook's record fell to 1-8 overall and 0-4 in district play. continued

Nov 1, 2002	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Lake	0	10	0	7	17
Brook	0	0	0	0	0

 

Oct. 30, 2002	JV Dark	JV Light (v. Pearland)	Freshman A	Freshman B
Lake	7	0	8	0
Brook	0	26	26	44

October

Fritz set to throw Lake into playoffs
Muddy field greets players in Creek-Lake game
By: SCOTT T. SNELL, Citizen Staff
October 30, 2002

In the aftermath of Clear Creek's 24-14 victory over Clear Lake last Friday evening at District Stadium, the reaction on both sides was as expected. "The field was really sloppy, and the mud and rain had been accumulating all week long," noted Clear Lake captain and senior quarterback Michael Fritz. "It was a challenge to play out there tonight."

Falcon junior receiver Chris Hunter, who injured his shoulder in the big matchup, agreed. "We all knew it would be a tough field to play on," Hunter said. "We were hoping to be able to score in the second half. Unfortunately, that didn't happen." continued

Notice:
 JV Dark will play at 5:00 this week at Clear Brook HS.
JV Light will play at 4:30 at Pearland Pressner Stadium.

As Creek aims for title, Lake still in playoff hunt
Wildcats solve Lake offense in second half for 24-14 win
by Chuck Hlava, Clear Lake Citizen Staff
Copyright Clear Lake Citizen
October 30, 2002

For Clear Lake, the math is quite simple: win the final two district football games and step into the playoffs.

For unbeaten Clear Creek, things are a little more clouded as far as winning district outright because the Wildcats haven't played the other two front-runners for post-season, Galveston Ball and Alvin. But Creek is master of its destiny. A win next week against the Tors will assure the Cats of playing after the regular season ends. continued

Be sure to check out Lynn's Photos by clicking on the Multimedia Button in the Left menu bar. Brazoswood pictures just posted.

The Alvin Game as broadcast on KACC. (Three hours.) Alvin Community College Radio Station. For more information and a link click on the Multimedia Button on the left.

The Village Idiot Thinks About Creek and Brook

The Creek game was a loss, 24-14, but our Falcons did well, what with the loss considered. The team held Creek's gains on the field to 260 yards, about the least they have gotten in any game (their average gain had been 381 yards up to last Friday night); our offense put up 175 yards which was a little better than their average allowance of 141 yards. And we lost receivers and runners in the course of the game, and there was that awful disaster of a runback of the 3rd quarter kickoff to the Lake RedZone that led to the early and last Creek touchdown. Creek is ranked up there in the top 10-20 teams in the state in most of the polls. The Falcons performed well against this stellar team, and they can hold their heads high. continued

Regular Season Over

Falcons Stand Proud After Tough Loss

The Falcons met highly ranked cross town rival Clear Creek on Friday night in a mud bowl at District Stadium.  After a first half of football, Lake was tied at 14-14.  But, the second half turned into mud wrestling; Lake fell behind on big special teams play by Creek and could not recover, dropping a tough one 24-14. 

The Falcons faced a formidable foe under the toughest of conditions, but they played hard for four quarters showing once again their determination and spirit! continued
 

Clear Creek 24 Clear Lake 14
October 25, 2002
-- Reported by Joe Betters
From the Houston Chronicle

LEAGUE CITY -- Kevin Nail rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown as No. 5 area-ranked Clear Creek remained undefeated by holding off Clear Lake in a district game at District Stadium.

Clear Creek rolled up 256 rushing yards, but the Wildcats fumbled four times. Nevertheless, Creek broke a tie at 14 in the third quarter on Nail's three-yard run and J.P. Padron's 37-yard field goal, and the Wildcats' defense shut the Falcons down the rest of the way. (See the Box Score and Game Notes)

Lake edged by Creek
Hard fought game on water-logged field
October 25, 2002

The Clear Lake Falcons put up a good fight but were set back by Creek's good fortune when they ran back the second half kickoff deep into Falcon territory and quickly pushed it across the goal to go up 7. Lake couldn't get their momentum back and the final score ended up Lake 14 -- Creek 24.

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Lake	7	7	0	10	14
Creek	7	7	10	0	24

All Subvarsity Games with Creek were Cancelled because of the nasty weather.

BIG game Friday: Creek vs. Lake
Falcon clip Bucs in late FG
by Chuck Hlava, Clear Lake Citizen

When Clear Creek and Clear Lake square off Friday night, it will be a test of one defense vs. the rush and another defense vs. the pass. Both teams are coming off District 24-5A football wins last week. The unbeaten Wildcats (2-0, 6-0) trounced Clear Brook 44-10 while the Falcons (1-1, 4-3) scored in the final minute to edge Brazoswood 24-21.

In this match, Clear Lake is the decided underdog, but Falcon coach Troy Aduddell looks for an interesting and close game. "We're going to try to slow them down and make a game of it," Aduddell said of Creek, the top rushing team in district. continued

News for 2003 Falcon Season
UIL vote increases 5A schools to 245
6 classes, expanded playoffs may be next
By SARAH HORNADAY
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 21, 2002, 9:20PM

AUSTIN -- The University Interscholastic League Legislative Council on Monday made rules changes clearing the way for an easy transition to six classifications.

The Legislative Council voted to increase the maximum number of Class 5A schools and the maximum attendance for schools participating in six-man football. continued

Schober Intercepts, Duff Kicks--
Lake Wins over Brazoswood!
October 19, 2002
 

The Falcons traveled to the far reaches of southeast Texas on Thursday night to take on an underrated but enthusiastic Brazoswood squad.  Lake got off to a good start going up 14-0, but Brazoswood put 21 unanswered points on the board before Fritz drove the Falcons to tie the score late in the fourth quarter.  Then as Brazoswood was making their move to go ahead, Schober went vertical to grab the interception, Fritz drove the Falcons to FG range and Tommy Duff came on to hit the FG! continued

The Village Idiot Thinks about Creek
October 20, 2002

Next Friday night the match is Clear Lake v. Clear Creek and nothing is really clear about this matchup except that it will surely be a tough game for the Falcons. Creek is ranked amongst the top twenty teams in Texas in most of the foul polls. They are undefeated coming into this Friday's game. Their locker rooms are superior to Lake's. However, there really isn't a "home field" advantage for anyone as the game is at District Stadium.  And here's the big But.. continued

Late score lifts Falcons over Bucs
By Chris Greene
The Facts from Brazoria County
Published October 18, 2002

FREEPORT — The Bucs fought to the very end, but came up short again. Clear Lake’s Tommy Duff nailed a 37-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the game, lifting the Falcons to a 24-21 win Thursday night at Hopper Field. Brazoswood (1-5) trailed 14-0 at one point, but came back to score 21 unanswered points before Lake staged its comeback.

The loss was a big one for the Bucs. At 0-2 in District 24-5A, Brazoswood will need to win its final three games to have a shot at getting into the playoffs. Lake (4-3) evened its district record at 1-1. continued  (Thanks to Dan Shope for finding this article.)

 

Falcons Edge Brazoswood Buccaneers 24-21

Go to game stats

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Lake	7	7	0	10	24
Brazoswood	0	7	7	7	21

Former Falcons--Herschel Henderson
Oct. 18, 2002

Herschel (2001) is beginning to get significant game time at Northwestern University where he is playing cornerback. He has been a backup to the starter, but it looks as if he is getting more time each game. NWU will be playing Penn State Saturday, Oct 19,  at 11:00 on ESPN2. continued.

JV Falcons sink the  Bucanneers' ship
by Raymond Aronoff
October 17, 2002

The JV dark won again this week as the faced off against the Brazoswood  Buccaneers.  The Bucks went for it on fourth and a half yard on their own 40 in the first drive of the game.  The Falcon defense stood the Bucks running back straight up and gave the ball to their offensive team to start their first drive in Buccaneer Bay.  With tough running from RB #23 Brandon Smith, the Falcons looked at a second and goal on the goal line.  Bumblin, rumbling FB #64 Jason Jameson took the ball into the end zone to give Lake the lead 7-0. continued

Lake falls in final minute to Alvin
Falcons nearly pull off upset against unbeaten Jackets
from the Clear Lake Citizen
by Chuck Hlava
October 16, 2002

It looked like it was all in place, ready for the taking. Clear Lake had rallied in the third period to take a 21-14 lead over Alvin heading into the fourth quarter of Saturday's District 24-5A football opener for both teams. The Falcons had played a good game, offensively and defensively.

Falcon quarterback Michael Fritz (17-31-0 for 230 yards) was in good form, trying to keep Alvin's defense off balance with different looks.

But never mind that Clear Lake's total offensive output was greater than Alvin's---331-272. It all came down to the running of a different Michael---Michael White. The Jacket running back ran for four touchdowns, the last one with 39 seconds left in the game to lift the Jackets to a 27-21 win. continued

Check out the new view of the game pictures

The Sterling and Baytown Games have been posted. Click on the Multimedia Button on the left of the screen to access these slides. You can click here to access the slideshow for the Alvin game. Give it about 20 or 30 seconds to get started.

The Village Idiot Looks Backwards and Forwards
October 13, 2002

The final score on the boards Saturday following the Alvin Game was 20-26. OK. The Village Idiot had it wrong you say, having called for a victory by 7. It was a real tragedy, but look at some of the stats from the game and you will see that our boys did much of what the Idiot predicted: Alvin was held to 272 yards of rushing and passing. That's the lowest figure that Alvin put up this year: Alvin has averaged 446 yards in each of their first five games!. Our Defense held them tight. And Lake put up 332 yards on Offense which was better than Alvin averaged in all five of their first five games. And that 332 yards doesn't include a good twenty or thirty yards of passing that got shot down for some mysterious reason behind the goal line, after a touchdown that didn't count. Say the Idiot wasn't watching carefully and can't call it right and can only report that those up close said it looked good on the field, though perhaps the observers reporting to the Idiot were partisan. We'll have the film to look at later, and that is part of the game I suppose. Just be assured that our Falcons did well. They did great. And they are ready to take on all the teams on the remainder of the schedule.

Now this Thursday Brazoswood is up on their own turf. The Idiot calls for a win by at least 10. That's just seat of the pants what I see with a little help from the pollsters and a lot of help from the players. None of the fancy scientific stuff this week. The players say they have it under control, and I agree. Should be a fun game. See you at Hopper Stadium in Freeport (just south of Clute) down there on the coast.   There's a map available that I hope leads to the game that can be accessed by clicking on the Maps button on the left of the screen. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.

Falcons Rise to Challenge Undefeated Alvin
October 12, 2002