Page 35 - Pearland High School Media Guide 2016

It all starts with a

leader . . .

ittle did anyone know that in 1997, when Tony Heath arrived as the
Lnew head coach of the Pearland Oilers, history would be complete-
ly re-written for the Pearland football program and, in the process,
a community would develop pride in their hometown team while be-
coming one of the football powerhouses in the state of Texas.

As each year passed -- more and more peo-
ple began to learn of one of the most dra-
matic turnarounds in Texas football
history. It didn’t happen all at once,
but 14 years later, the Pearland Oil-
ers were sitting on top of the Texas
high school football world after winning
the 2010 Class 5A Division I State Cham-
pionship while finishing with a perfect
16-0 season record.

Beating the No. 1 team in the nation --
the Euless Trinity Trojans in the new
$1.3 billion Cowboy Stadium in Ar-
lington, Texas by the score of
28-24 -- enlightened an en-
tire state that hard work
- togetherness - and
dreams do come true
and the Pearland Oilers
were for real.

On any given Friday night
in Texas, there are thousands of
people gathered at a high school
football game. From the major cit-
ies to the small towns -- stadium lights can be seen in the normal
flow of traffic. Motorists, if they get close enough, can hear the band
playing, the roar from the crowd, and perhaps even smell the pop-
corn as they drive by with their windows rolled down in their car.
There is something exciting about the “Friday Night Experience” in
Texas.

Football has become synonymous with Texas all across America.

36