Team concept and focus were the primary ingredients for the 2007 Lamar Consolidated football team. The Mustangs finished the year with a 13-2 record ending with a 20-14 win over Copperas Cove in the 4A-Division I state championship game Saturday night in Austin.

Lamar Consolidated coach Lydell Wilson felt like he may have had a few more athletes on the team last year, but this team brought something to the table.

“From last year’s team, we lost a lot of Division I athletes and you can’t replace those guys,” Wilson said. “But what we did have this year is more of a team concept. Our guys really bought into each other and what we were doing and then we started to see stuff start to grow as the year went on.”

But what were some of the other keys to success? Wilson provided the breakdown for both sides of the ball.

“Being aggressive on defense and limiting other teams’ big plays was one of our major keys,” Wilson said. “We tried to make teams one-dimensional. If we could make you be a straight passing team or straight running team, we felt like we had a chance to beat you. On offense we just tried to find a way to get the ball in space to our athletes.”

Wilson had quite a few of these guys available. For one, running back Jacquizz Rodgers was  the Mustangs’ go-to guy. He rushed for 2,872 yards and 37 touchdowns. As a receiver, he caught 23 passes for 552 yards and five touchdowns.

“He’s the best football player on the field,” Wilson said of Rodgers. “He brings that heart determination and that fire and is someone who will give you everything he has on every play and every practice. He’s dependable and you can put the ball in hands and know he will take care of it.”

Under center, quarterback DJ Smallwood was the manager of the team. He threw for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. Smallwood also rushed for another 298 yards.

“We were able to get our athletes the ball on many occasions,” Wilson said. “Not only to Jacquizz (Rodgers), but our quarterback (Smallwood) as well. We were able to do a lot great things.”

To complement Rodgers and Smallwood, receivers Chuck Obi and Travis Riedel made plenty of plays throughout the season along with tight end Dominique Briggs. On the line, Presley Godson was the leader.

As far as defense, Wilson said he could probably name off everyone as standouts because of how strong they played this season.

After finishing the regular season 8-2, the Mustangs had big tasks ahead but never lost focus.

“The playoff run was great and I think we were the underdogs three-out-of-five games,” Wilson said.

A listing of all the playoff games with scores:

Lamar Consolidated 39, Dickinson 14
“Coming into the playoffs first was Dickinson, a team coming off a high after beating La Marque,” Wilson said. “Everyone was saying they would be the new state champions, but we said they have to come through us first. That was kind of a statement game to let everyone know we are back in the playoffs and if you want the regional crown it is going to have to come through us.”

Lamar Consolidated 26, Port Neches-Groves 7:
“It was a very cold raining game,” Wilson said. “But the kids stayed focused and beat a hard-core Port Neches team that is known for its playoff experience.”

Lamar Consolidated 17, Austin LBJ 14, overtime:
“Then the fun really started when we played for the regional finals against Austin LBJ,” Wilson said. “This was one of the tougher football games we had all year. They did an outstanding job.”

Lamar Consolidated 33, New Braunfels 27, overtime:
It appeared that overtime games starting to be the trend as the Mustangs went against New Braunfels. But these games really helped Wilson understand what his team was made of.

“These two games really tested the character of our kids because you have to dig down deep inside and find something extra to come out on top,” Wilson said of the last two overtime games. “In those two football games, they did everything possible to achieve that. It was a another thrilling win in another overtime football game.”

Lamar Consolidated vs. Copperas Cove:
With the state Championship on the line, the Mustangs went into a hard-fought game against a solid Copperas Cove team. And according to Wilson, it was great being there to see how his team fought back to pull out the win.

“It was the site to behold with all of the fans there and community support,” Wilson said. “The kids were down at halftime, but they did not lose their focus. We came out the second half and pretty muck dominated that half of the football game to take the championship.”

With the win and the state championship trophy to add to the case, Wilson feels like the Mustangs are in a class of their own. And as far as the community, they have been waiting on this for a long time.

“They are pretty excited about it,” Wilson said of the Rosenberg community. “Lamar was pretty much the first school built in the school district in 1949. You have the souls and the backing of people who have played football here since the 40s and this has never happened before. And people are just excited and I think this puts us on the football map.

“You know there really aren’t too many teams that wins championships in Fort Bend County. You have Katy and now us. We’re sitting in a crowd by ourselves.”

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