Before they were honored one-by-one Wednesday night, the 30 members of the Touchdown Club of Houston’s 2008 Pre-Season High School All-Greater Houston Team got a reminder.

“This is a preseason honor. Preseason,” said John Lopez, the former Chronicle columnist and sports radio host who emceed the Touchdowner of the Year dinner.

Don’t think they needed the emphasis to drive the point home.

“It’s a great honor but it’s also a lot of pressure,” Jersey Village defensive back Steven Campbell said. “It kind of forces you to play even better than last year.”

Campbell and teammate Trey Briggs, a safety, were among the honorees at the JW Marriott.

The Touchdown Club named Hall of Fame Oilers offensive lineman Bruce Matthews its Touchdowner of the Year for his extraordinary contributions and outstanding achievements reflecting sportsmanship during the past three decades.

“The dreamers and the completed dream,” Lopez said, contrasting the high school players with Matthews.

Other preseason honorees from The Athlete’s Connection coverage idea included Stratford defensive lineman Terrance Lloyd, Cypress Falls quarterback Kolby Gray, Cypress Ridge quarterback Russell Shepard (as an athlete), Lamar receiver Josh Gordon and running back Kalvin Guyton, and Eisenhower receiver Greg Timmons and defensive back Craig Loston.

The complete team is listed below.

“Remember the way Bruce got to the Hall of Fame was practice, practice, practice,” former Oiler Willie Alexander said. “But it’s more than the physical attributes Bruce got the game. It’s the mental qualities too. Don’t blow your assignments, don’t jump offsides, have your head in the game.”

The honorees took the distinction in stride but didn’t overemphasize it.

“It lets people know who we are; it gets our name out there,” said Gordon, a two-year starter drawing interest from Houston, Baylor and Nebraska among other schools. “You don’t think about (the attention). You just go out there and play football. If the attention comes, it comes.”

Farewell, sweet Prince
Joe Prince, who has sung the national anthem at Minute Maid Park, Rockets game, the rodeo and the last-ever game at The Astrodome among many other places, sang for the last time in public at the dinner. He sang the anthem and God Bless America.

Prince, a New Orleans native who turns 90 Sept. 19, estimated he has sung the anthem more than 10,000 times. He is retiring “while I am able to sing,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine going out to sing and making a mess out of it.”

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Touchdown Club of Houston 2008 Preseason High School All-Greater Houston Team

OFFENSE
Quarterbacks: Kolby Gray, Cypress Falls; A.J. Highsmith, Fort Bend Hightower; Jacob Karam, Friendswood.
Running backs: Kasey Carrier, Pearland; Knile Davis, Fort Bend Marshall; Kalvin Guyton, Lamar; Dominic Wilkins, Klein Forest.
Receivers: Barry Ford, Westfield; Josh Gordon, Lamar; Greg Timmons, Eisenhower.
Tight ends: Barrett Matthews, North Shore; Wes Williams, Strake Jesuit.
Linemen: Clint Naron, Klein Oak; Ralph Oragwu, Fort Bend Marshall.
Athletes: Russell Shepard, Cypress Ridge; Ja-Mes Logan, Westfield.

DEFENSE
Linemen: Stephen Barrera, Clear Lake; Michael Brockers, Chavez; Darryl Jackson, Yates; Terrance Lloyd, Stratford; Thaddeus Randle, North Shore.
Linebackers: Trey Briggs, Jersey Village; Malcolm Johnson, Klein Collins; Jordan Norfleet, Clear Brook.
Defensive backs: Thomas Bates, Baytown Lee; Steven Campbell, Jersey Village; Marcus Davis, Clear Creek; Craig Loston, Eisenhower; Colton Valencia, Fort Bend Hightower.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker/Punter: Dustin Hopkins, Clear Lake

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