Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 8, Number 3, September 1998 Page: 149
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Columbus High School Cardinals
31-6, beat Hempstead 23-15, beat Bellville 26-
17, beat Waller 38-7, beat Coldspring 27-6,
lost to Newton 33-0)
With offensive stars like James Cleveland,
Ronnie Divin, Rudy Hernandez, and Willis
Perkins, and defensive standouts like Rusty
Canik, John Glueck, Gary Leopold, and
Perkins, the 1974 Cardinals won the school's
first district title since 1969. The Cards estab-
lished their preeminence in the district with the
first district game, beating the team which was
favored to take the title, the Needville Bluejays.
Columbus took the game with a nine-play, 65-
yard touchdown drive in the final three min-
utes of the game. Three weeks later, the Cardi-
nals sent the Hempstead Bobcats to their first
defeat of the season. Behind 15-7 at the end of
the third period, the Cardinals got two fourth-
quarter TDs to win. Both touchdowns were trig-
gered by fumble recoveries, one by Jackie
Jensen and one by Mark Faldyn. The Cardi-
nals secured their title by beating the Bellville
Brahmas, who had played Hempstead to a tie.
Again, Columbus scored twice in the fourth
period to take the game. Cleveland had 222
yards rushing on 24 carries.
In the opening round of the playoffs, the
Cardinals had a far easier time than could rea-
sonably be expected. They dominated the
Coldspring Trojans, posting 331 yards of total
offense and limiting Coldspring to 19. But the
following week, the Newton Eagles ended the
Columbus season. In cold, windy, and rainy
conditions, the Cardinals had four first half turn-
overs. The Eagles built a 19-0 lead before the
half, and added to it in the second half. They
went on to win the state championship.
1975
Coach. Carl Andress; Record. 10-2, two play-
off games (beat Gonzales 19-12, beat Rice 18-
7, lost to La Grange 21-7, beat Brenham 12-7,beat Needville 21-6, beat Katy 42-0, beat Sealy
20-7, beat Hempstead 15-0, beat Bellville 20-
10, beat Waller 45-7, beat Coldspring 27-0,
lost to Hamshire-Fannett 16-7)
In 1975, the Cardinals experienced a mild dejh
vu. They rambled to their second consecutive
district championship, lost again to an eventual
state champion (in this case, the La Grange
Leopards), and smothered the Coldspring Tro-
jans in the first round of the playoffs. The sti-
fling Columbus defense, led by Ronnie Divin,
Mark Faldyn, and Jeffrey Rhodes, and which
allowed just under eight points a game, was the
key to the season. The Katy Tigers, who came
into their game with Columbus undefeated,
loomed as the Cards' principal obstacle to the
district title. But Columbus got a 65 yard touch-
down run from Rhodes, a touchdown on a
blocked punt, two touchdowns from Joe Carter,
one on a 73 yard punt return the other on a 43
yard interception return, and two other touch-
downs to demolish the Tigers. They rolled
through their remaining district opponents un-
defeated, and unchallenged, and found their
first-round playoff opponent, Coldspring, no
more threatening. The Trojans played better
than they had the previous season, amassing 82
total yards and five first downs, but failed to
score. The Cardinals were hampered only by
three turnovers. Jackie Jenkins, who had been
injured for much of the year, and Rhodes each
gained more than 100 yards rushing for Co-
lumbus.
The Cardinals then fell to the undefeated
Hamshire-Fannett Longhorns, who came into
the game ranked second in the state. The Car-
dinals dominated the first half, holding the
Longhorns to one first down and 26 yards of
total offense, and putting up what would be their
only score, a 35 yard touchdown pass from Bill
Bankston to Divin. But the second half was a
nightmare for the offense. Five turnovers kept
the ball in the Longhorns' hands, and wore out149
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Nesbitt Memorial Library. Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 8, Number 3, September 1998, periodical, September 1998; Columbus, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151404/m1/33/?q=nesbitt%20memorial%20library%20journal: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nesbitt Memorial Library.